CityFolk Festival Day 4

First up on our list for the day was Caroline Rose.

Today was another day of unknowns for me which is always fun when you get to experience new artists for the first time.

This US native has been on the scene since 2012 and recently released her Loner album. This album took a turn to pop-rock from previous works which were folk-country inspired.

First thing you noticed was Caroline’s set kit. Very unique and decorated to get us a deeper feel into her as an artist. Her band flanked her on each side as she struck up the guitar playing some of her signature tracks.

She even gave the fans a little bit of a sneak peek playing the first song off her newest album. Overall a very well put together show and great way to open up the day for us.

City stage was next with Lucy Dacus for CityFolk Festival Day 4.

Touted as a very important voice in the indie rock scene, Lucy had a very large stage to fill. She started out solo center stage with just a guitar and started to play her first track.

The crowd intently listening as her smooth voice played out over the speakers and captivated them all. After her first track she was joined by her “Cute Band” as she put it and they start playing a little more lively set. One thing I will say is that her mic should have been turned up a little bit as she was over shadowed by the instruments themselves which is unfortunate.

I don’t know if I was the only one who felt that but it made it harder to enjoy. I will for sure check out some of her other tunes to get a better feel of who she is as an artist.

Up next is The White Buffalo.

Now I knew nothing about this one what so ever except that he is a big guy who occasionally wears Hawaiian style shirts. One of the security team told me before it started he made sure he was stationed inside because he really wanted to hear this one and thought that it would be right up my alley as well. Well he certainly wasn’t wrong.

I enjoyed this one right from the start. Jake Smith came out in a signature flowered shirt and started right away with the energy. Flanked by his bassist and drummer he started belting out some of his signature tunes and instantly had the fans and myself hooked.

This was the first time in Ottawa for these guys and I think we gave them a pretty warm welcome.

After doing a little research I found out that White Buffalo songs where heavily featured throughout one of my favorite TV shows, Sons of Anarchy, which probably spoke to why I liked him so quickly.

This one was sure to be one of my favs for the weekend.  

It’s time for Dawes on the City Stage for CityFolk Festival Day 4 .

This band from LA has been on the scene since 2009 and have gone on to release 6 studio albums. They have performed on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and The Late Show with David Letterman.

These guys got to play the big stage and had a pretty nice crowd built up for them which just helped jack up their energy.

Front man Taylor Goldsmith came out with all kinds of energy. He shredded away on his guitar and pulled out the true guitar face akin to the likes of John Mayer. It’s always fun to shoot a dynamic front man like that.

The crowed ate up every minute of the performance and Taylor made sure to do a wonderful job interacting with them. He even made sure to shout out Robert Plant as one of his inspiration’s for getting into music.

These guys for sure made an impression on fans and I enjoyed their set.

The Ravenlaw stage was next up with Harrow Fair.

The duo of Miranda Mulholland (Great Lake Swimmers, Belle Starr) and Andrew Penner (Sunparlour Players) make up this strong country rock team.

This are very well versed in their instruments and makes for a dynamic and powerful expression in each of the songs they perform. The stage kit was nice and light with a simple kick drum, couple of guitars and a fiddle. They sounded really good together and I have always been a really big fan of a good fiddle player.

The overall set was really well put together and they made sure to engage with the fans which is key for any musician these days. Well done.

Closing out CityFolk Festival Day 4 is the one and only Robert Plant.

We learned early that we would not be able to get into the pit to shoot this show which is rather unfortunate. That being said pretty much everyone was going to stay and enjoy part of the show with this legendary musician. I made sure to get a place in the crowd to get some cell phone shots at very least and to take in some music.

Led Zeppelin

The place was packed by this time which was completely expected. Robert Plant is best known for his time in Led Zeppelin which to this day with one of the most well-known bands in 50 years. They are also the 4^th bestselling worldwide so you know this was something people would not miss out on.

The show started out with a moving piece on the world climate change issues which everyone quietly listened to. After that the music picked up and the cheer roared out from the crowd. Once the band took to the stage it was only moments away from Robert grabbing his mic. They started out with What Is and What Should Never Be and followed that with a mix of Zeppelin and over covers.

Fans danced and swayed along with every note and Robert looked great up on that stage. Flanked by the Sensational Space Shifters, this was one hell of a show from one of the most recognized front men in music today.

He finished off the night with a performance of In the Mood and finally Ramble On and that was it.

The crowd cheered and the night was over.