blog gremlins!

So I had written a post about my concert experience seeing Aretha Franklin. I cried. Nuff said. My friend S and I have what we refer to as the "Bucket List" of performers we both want to see before *they* die....cuz we're pretty young still and alot of them aren't. Aretha was on mine. I was enthralled to see her. She hasn't lost any of her range, she was absolutely amazing. Amazing. I cried. Me.

Anyhoodles. I was off this weekend to the Ottawa Blues Festival, where I photographed artists from the indie label Six Shooter Records. I love these guys. I missed the first artist, Christine Fellows, unfortunately, because the guy with the photo passes was late, but that's ok, this well made up for it.

Had a blast...albeit a hot one, it was 31 in Ottawa Saturday, and the stage is black, the amps are black, well, when standing in the photo pit, it's pretty damned nasty let me tell you.

Oh I'm also an idiot. Forgot my ear plugs. There was one artist, Elliott Brood, I was leaning over the amp, it was BLOWING air, just pumping it, I was frigging deaf.

Met some fabulous people...photographers, people there to see the artists, it was a great day all around.

So here's some photos. I've gotten through maybe 1/3 of everything I took, so far these are some favorites.

This is Luke Doucet - fabulous guitarist, teensy little guy, tiny, but his music is interesting, can't really pigeonhole it, his lyrics intelligent, I think it was him I enjoyed most (seen him in Montreal already, first foray into using my new camera back in March). Plays a Gretsch White Falcon...guitar is bigger then he is.

And this here is Melissa McClelland, wife of Luke Doucet, who plays guitar and sings backup in his band, although she is an artist signed to Six Shooter as well. She's beautiful, easy to photograph because she never looks bad, and all over a nice woman who plays a guitar NOT like a chick! (I have a photo of her smiling right at me). One of those gorgeous women that you just can't dislike because she's really a nice nice person, at the show in Montreal she kept me from going into the men's room. Oops. Grotty venue, I think her to this day.


This here is Justin Rutledge, nominated for a Juno this year (didn't win), man of the beautiful blue eyes (I realized this when I was crouched down on the ground under him, looking thru my viewfinder....stray thought "OMG those are the most gorgeous blue eyes!!!") He's cute in my opinon, but again pretty wee (although not as teensy as Luke). Beautiful, haunting voice. Alternative country I'd say, if you need to know what kind of music he plays.

And this here is the lead singer of NQ Arbuckle, a sort of twangy alt-country/rockabilly band, his name is Neville Quinlan. Redhead. I can't argue with redheads, although he went out with a ciggie in his mouth. I realized after photographing him that just about everyone had blue eyes...strange....

There are others, but you have to wait, I'm trying to get them all done tonight so I can send the link to the record company.....the finale as well, was fabulous....Martin Tielli played, he used to be in a band called the Rheostatics, which were known across Canada back in the day (if you like that sort of thing).

Anyhoo, I had so much fun. I need to do this again, I now have the photography bug. Big time!