Gospel, Country and a little bit of Robots...

Day three of concert goodness actually didn't happen at the Dragonboat festival! Though there was a show happening there today, bands-I-already-love win out, so I was off to see the always entertaining Robots!EVERYWHERE!! at the fourth installment of the "4 in 1 acoustic sessions" , a series of acoustic concerts that happen in parks around Ottawa.

Due to a miscommunication about rain-change-of-venue (which led to our discovery of a previously unseen Canadian Navy monument, so that was interesting...) we missed the first band (André M. Bluteau) and arrived part way through the second.

J.M. Farr had a lovely deep voice. I feel like that sentence sounds odd, but I tried to figure out a different way of saying it and nothing else quite feels right. Seriously, his voice is lovely. And deep. But not that booming Graveyard Train kind of deep. The lovely kind. Alright, alright, I'm sure you get the idea...

photo credit: Ming Wu

As I said, we only got to hear a few of his songs, but the original material was beautiful, and the gospel numbers were perfectly pitched and wonderfully played. Each song was perfectly suited to the grey afternoon, cool and calm after this week's heat-wave. Its amazing how someone's voice can carry in such a wide open space, and yet still make you feel that kind of living-room-coziness usually associated with wooden rocking chairs and mugs of homemade beer...  J.M mentioned he was going to be in Ottawa for the summer, and I certainly intend to check out his full set sometime over the next couple of months.

Next up, and on the almost complete opposite of the musical spectrum, the aforementioned Robots!EVERYWHERE!! Now if you've read any of my other reviews of this band, you'll already know that I find Phil infinitely entertaining... today's performance was no exception. Beginning with apologies for his lateness (though we weren't late so much as almost late... still: "I'm sorry, I was in Peterborough and so hungover that my mom wouldn't let us leave without making me pancakes first..." makes it worth mentioning) and quickly transitioning to apologies for his out of tune guitar, one would think it was gonna be a bust, but one couldn't be further from correct (like my use of 'one' there? classy eh?).  Phil has a great talent for ... well for something! maybe for a range of somethings? Actually I'm not sure exactly what it is, he's just always really fun to watch. His songs are catchy, he doesn't take anything too seriously, and even when he messes up, its still entertaining. And Phil is always full of surprises. This time, it was using the infallible Josh Pruner as a makeshift playlist ("Pruner! What song is next?"), which  gave the whole thing a kind of 'mystery tour' meets 'choose your own adventure' feel. Continuing the adventure theme, we finished off the set in the kiddie pool. yep. Photo evidence below. I thought it would be difficult to top last time's Enrique Igalsius sing-a-long-pantomime/dance, but clearly I had forgotten the obvious: Phil is awesome.

photo credit: Ming Wu

Getting back to the quieter folksy theme; Landon AR Coleman took the stage with his acoustic guitar and selection of harmonicas ("I can never remember which one is the non-broken one..."). Playing several tunes off his album, he spent the between-song moments of re-tuning regaling us with stories  ("So yesterday I was trying to read in my room, and there was this plate of chicken...." long story short he fainted and fell into the plate of chicken. I love banter. No seriously, that sounds like sarcasm, but I really do enjoy good banter, especially when its one person having to banter with themselves. Fainting in chicken? That's golden).

photo credit: Ming Wu

Another lovely voice, suiting the grey afternoon to a tee, Landon played a few Dylan covers, stole a few lines from a Georgian poet ("Georgian like the country, not like... the other Georgian...") and otherwise just ambled through at an incredibly pleasant pace, leaving nothing wanting. This is the kind of folk music acoustic sessions were made for, and a nice slice of folk-bread to the salami of Robots!EVERYWHERE!! (Too much of a stetch? yeah I thought so, I just really wanted to make a Robots!EVERYWHERE!! salami sandwich metaphor... my apologies!)  Again in Ottawa for the summer, I certainly intend on checking him out again.

After a somewhat confusing start to the afternoon, the show was a really nice end to a fantastic weekend. Summer concert season is officially in full swing. Bring it on.