Always one of the biggest festivals of the summer, Ottawa Bluesfest is returning from July 9 to 19, bringing the usual parade of A-list acts to LeBreton Flats.
For this year’s must-see acts, we’ve dug a little deeper than headliners like Limp Bizkit, Gwen Stefani and the Guess Who (and also Angine de Poitrine, who aren’t a headliner but have blown up so big that they easily could be).
Instead, here are five must-see acts from the fest’s deep undercard, including Billy Bragg and Elisapie (pictured above). Tickets for the festival are on sale now; find more information at Ottawa Bluesfest’s website.
Billy Bragg
Mr. Love & Justice himself has been singing protest songs for more than 40 years, and he’s kept up with the times, with recent songs addressing ICE and Palestine. Expect political storytelling that always keeps an emphasis on compassion.
Digable Planets
Digable Planets have been carving out their own space for outsider alternative hip-hop since before most of today’s rappers were born. Come pay respect to the trailblazers.
Elisapie
One of the most quietly radical covers albums in recent memory, Elisapie’s Inuktitut presents faithful, folksy versions of rock-canon classics sung in the titular Inuit language.
Luna Li
Toronto pop dreamweaver Hannah Bussiere Kim has turned prominent opening gigs into a thriving music career, and Bluesfest is just the latest in a long line of big-name bills she has earned a place on.
Leif Vollebekk
While his songwriting is thoughtful and refined, singer-songwriter Leif Vollebekk’s live performances highlight the virtuosic skill of his guitar and piano playing.