Charlotte Cardin and Fletcher make night 7 of RBC Bluesfest POP!

A much calmer day, weatherwise, than the day before. With it being my dad’s 49th birthday I’m giving him the night off and taking over the review portion for night 7 of RBC Bluesfest. He’s going to help put it together but the thoughts are mine so please go easy on me as it’s my first time reviewing a show.

We made it to the venue just in time for Amanda Jordan. My dad, through Sound Check Entertainment, did some work for Amanda last year, or the year before, so I wanted to be sure to make it down and show her some support. That and she’s a bit of a local artist as well hailing from the Smith’s Falls area, even though she’s living in Nashville now, and we do our best to support local talents whenever we can.

Amanda’s set started a bit rough, possibly because of the size of the stage it’s easy to get lost on it and takes a bit to get comfortable (I know because I’ve stood on the stage several years ago when my dad was working with Midnight Shine…even with only a few people in the crowd it can be intimidating at first.). As her set went on you could feel her get more and more comfortable as she let the musician take over and put the nerves behind her. It would’ve been nice to see more people show up for her set but I’m starting to learn that’s how it works in this business, few support the indie artists but everyone wants to be there for the big names. Here’s a tip for you…today’s indie artists become tomorrow’s stars…support them today they’ll never forget.

Following Amanda’s set I took a walk over to the River Stage to catch Ottawa area band Pony Girl. The best word I can find to describe Pony Girl is: interesting. That’s not a bad thing, they’ve got a very unique style and musical form and in a time where there’s so much repetition and, almost, copycating of other artists interesting can almost be a refreshing change. I must’ve been too young to remember but dad said we saw them at Ottawa Dragonboat festival a few years back but it’s entirely possible I was still little enough back then that I spent much of the time sleeping up against the fence in the pit. Although I personally would be less likely to go and check them out at a show if there turned up in a festival lineup that I was attending I’d definitely go and give them another look.

This brought me back to the RBC Stage for Fletcher. I was surprised that in the short time I was gone the crowd at the RBC Stage had, easily, doubled in size. I personally really enjoyed Fletcher, she had a great vibe and got the crowd moving. My musical tastes, like those of my dad, are all over the map. There’s no one genre I like more than another so I’m open to anything. I was surprised at the amount of people that left after Fletcher’s set was finished. Although I never made it to the River Stage again I heard that Fleet Foxes put on an incredible show and, possibly, had a larger crowd than Charlotte.

The headliner on the RBC Stage for the night was Charlotte Cardin, as I mentioned above I was surprised that she had a smaller turn out than her opening act. I came with my sister and her little one and she’s a big fan of Cardin so I stuck with her for the rest of the night. I wasn’t familiar with Cardin prior to last night’s show, I know that Sound Check Entertainment has covered her before but she wasn’t on my personal radar. I was pleasantly surprised by her performance, her lyrics were relatable and the melodies captivating. I was expecting more french songs but in her full set, there were only a few and the majority were english. Her set consisted of mostly new material which, if you’ve been a fan for many years, may not always make for a great show if you’re not as familiar with an artists new material. To me, seeing her for the first time, it was all new material and I enjoyed it.

I’ve been attending RBC Bluesfest with my dad for almost a decade now, this year I’m also volunteering on the Green team. I have been working with my dad towards taking on a more active role in Sound Check Entertainment as a writer and, possibly, a photographer down the road. I love live music of all genres and love the vibe of RBC Bluesfest and other festivals I’ve been lucky enough to attend. The first year I attended the team at RBC Bluesfest invited me to go on the stage to introduce an act, I believe it was the River Stage at the time. That was one of the moments that started my love for LIVE!

I’ll be back for the final two nights of RBC Bluesfest, but will likely let me dad handle the review for the final two nights.

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