Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa - Music Festival Trip

[Ed S]

Every year since I became a single father, I've taken my boys on a summer vacation and a winter ski trip. Along the way, I've tried to expose them to a variety of different things - from art museums in NYC, Washington and Chicago, to touring Frank Lloyd Wright houses, coal mines, caverns, baseball games, soccer games, walking under the New river Gorge Bridge, Sun Records in Memphis, National Parks, Washington, museums, Civil War battlefields, concerts, and more. We even saw Return to Forever and Zappa Play Zappa in St Louis. This year - due to insufficient funds to do a trip out west or to Europe combined with the fact that my older son now has a job and could not get a lot of time off, I had to choose something shorter - and hopefully interesting. So we went on a short music festival tour with the intent of getting all of us some exposure to different types of music. My wife - their stepmother - also came along for the trip.

Day 1 - Quebec City Summer Music Festival. The night we were in Quebec, the music featured on the main stages was reggae, hip-hop and rock/punk rock. My boys are old enough to venture off on their own - so they went to the punk rock and hip hop stages. My wife and I started off with the reggae. We saw parts of three acts interrupted by a trip over to the hip hop to catch part of the Wiz Khalifa show. I can now say that I've experienced a live hip hop concert. 'nuf said. The reggae, however, was eye opening. I'd never heard live reggae before this night. I was blown away - especially by the last two groups - a Paris based group called Danakil and Alpha Blondy & the Solar System. Just incredible. The thunderous sound and feel of the bass and drums was something I've never experienced listening to albums. It just penetrates right through you. There's an excitement to the live experience with the reggae rhythm/percussion, horns and vocals that just never came across in any of the recordings I've heard. Excellent excellent experience.

Day 2 - Montreal Jazz Festival. We hung out most of the day doing tourist stuff in Quebec City and then headed over to the Montreal Jazz Festival in time to catch 3 acts. The first performance I heard was a group called Bomata. It was a jazz group consisting of clarinet, drums/percussion, double bass and piano. The featured clarinet, btw, was the bass clarinet - which I'd never seen played before. At first I thought it was a bass saxophone because I heard the deep honking before I saw the instrument. The music was cerebral, rhythmic and almost spiritual. One of those performances in which you can just close your eyes and get lost in the music. It was a nice accidental find typical of the outdoor free concerts in Montreal.

The next act we caught was a zydeco/Cajun band - The Lost Bayou Ramblers. I sought these guys out as a direct tie in to my enjoyment of Tab Benoit - who I saw earlier this year at the Tampa Blues Festival. The best word to describe these guys is fun. Accordion, fiddle, bass and drums. I'm just starting to enjoy this style of music and these guys did nothing to prevent me from from going further on down the road. They played a great set.

The last act I saw was blues guitarist Bryan Lee. He payed a very solid, very bluesy set - just what I expected. I enjoyed it thoroughly - but as this show met my expectations while the jazz group Bomata was a "jazz festival find" that was a real eye opener - they stole the night for me.

Day 3 was tour old Montreal and Montreal Impact soccer game day. I wanted to catch the last few hours of the festival but it was pouring rain - so we headed back to the hotel. Which brings me to the hotel - the Square Phillips Hotel and Suites.

It's an old warehouse that was converted into a hotel. They preserved many of the architectural features of the warehouse - specifically the beams and support columns - along with the high ceilings. It is very nicely done and located close to the jazz festival site. I've stayed there several times before, so - with my wife on the trip - I reserved a room that consisted of a kitchenette/dining area (all rooms have them), bathroom, a living area with a double bed and fold out couch along with an additional bedroom with queen size bed. The rate is a little over $200 a night for such a room. When I got there, I was told I got a free upgrade.

Holy shit, did I get an upgrade!

The room had the look and feel of a loft apartment/condo. There was a private entrance to a grouping of four such suites. My room had a large foyer with a closet. Off the foyer was the first bedroom - nicely sized with a queen sized bed, night stands, radio with ipod cradle and dresser. Across from that was a full bathroom that was well proportioned. Then there was a full dining area with table for four which was adjacent to the kitchen with island and heated ceramic floor. Off that area was the larger bathroom with a giant walk-in shower with one of those rainfall shower heads along with a couple of other options for choices of shower type. Off the kitchen/dining area was a large bedroom with king size bed, flat panel TV. The loft style bedroom was separated from the living area and kitchen area with a rich mahogany finished wall/room divider with shelves and decorative shelves with vases and such. There was also a living area with couch, comfy chairs and another flat panel TV. Plus, there was a small office area. The whole place must have been around 1000 square feet. It was enormous and luxurious. I don't know what else to say.

Day 4 - Ottawa Bluesfest. We headed off to Ottawa first thing in the morning. Got there with plenty of time to walk the Rideau Canal (which I've skated on during the winter), tour Parliament Hill and check out the Byward Market and grab something to eat there. Then it was off to the Blues Festival. The big attraction of the night was Rush, but I wanted to be there in time to see Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. My persistence in moving us all through the day to get there by 6 PM was rewarded several fold. I'd only heard of the group - but had never actually heard them prior to the festival. In a word - terrific. Bluesy rock, high energy, straight blues, great solos, great voice, excellent songs, excellent guitar solos, very good cover of Cinnamon Girl. Those would be my bullet points. Grace Potter is obviously a very attractive woman but she has the chops to get beyond the sex appeal and take her seriously, IMO. She plays B3, keys and guitar along with supplying the voice and energy to drive the band and music. But the band are no slouches and the collective effort works very well. Super show.

The next band up was the Specials. As a fan of the English Beat back in the day, I always heard references to the Specials. But I had never actually heard the band. The crowd was psyched and I was eager to hear these legends. But, by the second song in, I realized they were not my cup of tea. Too punk rocky for me. So, I moved on to another stage - and on to another festival discovery. A group called the The Harpoonist and Axe Murderer. With a name like that, I was expecting some thrasher metal band - but as my wife and I rounded the corner and saw the stage - we saw there were two guys - one on harmonica (The Harpoonist) and the other playing a telecaster (The Axe Murderer). They were playing a very raw, visceral blues. It looked and sounded as authentic as it gets in the year 2013. Just some good shit played with feeling - a palpable feeling - from an audience member's point of view. After a couple of songs they brought out some guy who is a guest on the current tour - who plays the B3. Again, more of the same really good blues music that really hits you where it counts. I thought it was really interesting to see a band consisting of a guitar, harmonica and B3 - without bass and drums. These guys pulled it off in a big and very enjoyable way. This is why I love these types of festivals. You never know when you're going to discover someone or something unexpected.

The final act was Rush. Unfortunately, we had to leave the Harpoonist and Axe Murderer show early to get to the Rush show. As we left, I told my wife that I wished they had scheduled the shows better and that I really wanted to stay for the rest of the set - but I'm a Rush fan, and my boys - who are just as big fans of Rush - were waiting at our spot in a sea of people - so I had to go. Plus, I needed to bring food and drink for them. The disappointment of leaving early was rewarded with a kick-ass Rush concert. Rush is one of those bands that you love or hate - and I love them. I particularly like the new album with the strings - which they drew from extensively. They played a great set which was really enhanced by the outdoor venue. Super show. There's something about seeing one of your favorite bands on a perfect night in an outdoor venue that really strikes a chord. At the end of the night and on the way out of the Rush concert, my younger son Phil - who is a guitar player - put his hand on my shoulder and said - "Dad, this was such a great concert. Thanks so much for bringing us". Made my day.

Apologies for the long post.

[Head Man]

Ah, children...what would we do without them?

Great post, Ed...thanks.

[Ed S]

Yes, the children factor.

As I begin to close out my "children years" - I've got 2-3 years left as I figure it, I realize what a fun trip it's been. It will be missed, for sure