The line-up for this year's Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest has been announced, and as is to be expected, it's a doozy. The annual festival has managed to wrangle up some huge names from the worlds of indie, metal, classic rock and even a few back-from-the-dead surprises (well, those could fall under "classic rock," we suppose).
We'll put the entire list of performers below, but here's a quick sample of some random highlights. Artsy indie stars Arcade Fire, screamo kings Alexisonfire, Juno winners Metric and emo dudes Moneen are leading the Canadian charge. The longhairs are going to be stoked that legacy trad metallers Iron Maiden are making an appearance, as are prog metal kings Dream Theater. The greyhairs are gonna be excited that slow riders Foghat, legendary Band drummer Levon Helm and guitar god Santana are going to be in the house.
And, well, these bands have nothing in common, but the fact that they're cool: Weezer, Joan Jett, Blonde Redhead, Passion Pit, the Hold Steady and Crowded House will all be there. Oh, and we can't forget the Flaming Lips, Gord Downie and the Country of Miracles, Jimmy Cliff, and the Rural Alberta Advantage. Okay, just check out the full list of performers below.
The event goes down from July 7 to July 18 in downtown Ottawa, at six stages spread throughout the LeBreton Flats Park, the Canadian War Museum and the surrounding green space; five of the stages are outdoors. Tickets go on sale 10 a.m. on Saturday (April 24), and are available here.
Now, sit back with a drink in hand - here's the full line-up:
Alexisonfire, Anders Osborne & Johnny Sansone, Andrew Bird, AfroReggae, Arcade Fire, Aterciopelados, Babe Ruth, Basia Bulat, Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba, Bear in Heaven, Big Jeezus Truck, Big Soul Project featuring Roxanne Goodman, Bill "Sauce Boss" Wharton, Bjorn Berg, Blonde Redhead, Campbell Brothers, Caravan Palace, Carolyn Wonderland, the Cat Empire, Champion and His G-Strings, Charlie Winston, Coolooloosh, Crowded House, Culture Reject, Curtis Salgado, Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band, Down With Webster, Drake, Dream Theatre, Eamon McGrath, Elvis Perkins, Ethiopique, Faber Drive, Foghat, Furthur featuring Phil Lesh & Bob Weir, Garaga, Gipsy Kings, GOOD2GO, Gord Downie and the Country of Miracles, Great Big Sea, Great Lake Swimmers, Group 1 Crew, Grupo Fantasma, Iron Maiden, James Hunter, Jimmy Cliff, Joan Jett, Joe Krown Trio with Walter Wolfman Washington & Russell Batiste, John Butler Trio, John Hiatt, John Kilduff, Keith Urban, Ken Workman & the Union, Kevin Costner and Modern West, Kings Go Forth, Konono No. 1, Lady Tramaine Hawkins, Laurent Bourque, Levon Helm, LIGHTS, Loudlove, Lukas Nelson, Marc Cohn, Marcia Ball & the Voice of the Wetlands All Stars (featuring Tab Benoit, Cyril Neville, Anders Osborne, Johnny Sansone, Waylon Thibodeaux, and Big Chief Monk Boudreaux), Marianas Trench, Martin Sexton, Matt Andersen, Matthew Good, Matt Schofield, Metric, Moneen, Monster Mike Welch, NEWWORLDSON, Nicolas Collins, Occidental Brothers, Octoberman, Ozomatli, Passion Pit, Paul Rishell & Annie Raines, Planet Smashers, Renaissance, Richie Righteous, River City Junction, Robert Farrell Band, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Roger Hodgson, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Roy Rogers & The Delta River Kings, Rosanne Cash, The Rural Alberta Advantage, Ryan Montbleau Band, Santana, Septentrional d'Haiti, Slyde, Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes, Staff Benda Bilili, Steel Pulse, Steve Dawson's Mississippi Sheiks Project, Steve Hackett, Steve Winwood, That 1 Guy, That's the Spirit, Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience, the Aggrolites, the Budos Band, the Constellations, the Ethics, the Flaming Lips, the Hold Steady, the Lost Fingers, the Love Machine, the Mohawk Lodge, the Moody Blues, the Musical Box, the Swell Season, the Whigs, the White Wires, Timber Timbre, TJ Wheeler, Tommy Castro, Too Slim and The Taildraggers, Trevor Hall, Tye Tribbett, We Are Wolves, Weezer, Woodhands, and Yatkha.
And, amazingly, there are more acts to be announced.
We'll put the entire list of performers below, but here's a quick sample of some random highlights. Artsy indie stars Arcade Fire, screamo kings Alexisonfire, Juno winners Metric and emo dudes Moneen are leading the Canadian charge. The longhairs are going to be stoked that legacy trad metallers Iron Maiden are making an appearance, as are prog metal kings Dream Theater. The greyhairs are gonna be excited that slow riders Foghat, legendary Band drummer Levon Helm and guitar god Santana are going to be in the house.
And, well, these bands have nothing in common, but the fact that they're cool: Weezer, Joan Jett, Blonde Redhead, Passion Pit, the Hold Steady and Crowded House will all be there. Oh, and we can't forget the Flaming Lips, Gord Downie and the Country of Miracles, Jimmy Cliff, and the Rural Alberta Advantage. Okay, just check out the full list of performers below.
The event goes down from July 7 to July 18 in downtown Ottawa, at six stages spread throughout the LeBreton Flats Park, the Canadian War Museum and the surrounding green space; five of the stages are outdoors. Tickets go on sale 10 a.m. on Saturday (April 24), and are available here.
Now, sit back with a drink in hand - here's the full line-up:
Alexisonfire, Anders Osborne & Johnny Sansone, Andrew Bird, AfroReggae, Arcade Fire, Aterciopelados, Babe Ruth, Basia Bulat, Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba, Bear in Heaven, Big Jeezus Truck, Big Soul Project featuring Roxanne Goodman, Bill "Sauce Boss" Wharton, Bjorn Berg, Blonde Redhead, Campbell Brothers, Caravan Palace, Carolyn Wonderland, the Cat Empire, Champion and His G-Strings, Charlie Winston, Coolooloosh, Crowded House, Culture Reject, Curtis Salgado, Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band, Down With Webster, Drake, Dream Theatre, Eamon McGrath, Elvis Perkins, Ethiopique, Faber Drive, Foghat, Furthur featuring Phil Lesh & Bob Weir, Garaga, Gipsy Kings, GOOD2GO, Gord Downie and the Country of Miracles, Great Big Sea, Great Lake Swimmers, Group 1 Crew, Grupo Fantasma, Iron Maiden, James Hunter, Jimmy Cliff, Joan Jett, Joe Krown Trio with Walter Wolfman Washington & Russell Batiste, John Butler Trio, John Hiatt, John Kilduff, Keith Urban, Ken Workman & the Union, Kevin Costner and Modern West, Kings Go Forth, Konono No. 1, Lady Tramaine Hawkins, Laurent Bourque, Levon Helm, LIGHTS, Loudlove, Lukas Nelson, Marc Cohn, Marcia Ball & the Voice of the Wetlands All Stars (featuring Tab Benoit, Cyril Neville, Anders Osborne, Johnny Sansone, Waylon Thibodeaux, and Big Chief Monk Boudreaux), Marianas Trench, Martin Sexton, Matt Andersen, Matthew Good, Matt Schofield, Metric, Moneen, Monster Mike Welch, NEWWORLDSON, Nicolas Collins, Occidental Brothers, Octoberman, Ozomatli, Passion Pit, Paul Rishell & Annie Raines, Planet Smashers, Renaissance, Richie Righteous, River City Junction, Robert Farrell Band, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Roger Hodgson, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Roy Rogers & The Delta River Kings, Rosanne Cash, The Rural Alberta Advantage, Ryan Montbleau Band, Santana, Septentrional d'Haiti, Slyde, Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes, Staff Benda Bilili, Steel Pulse, Steve Dawson's Mississippi Sheiks Project, Steve Hackett, Steve Winwood, That 1 Guy, That's the Spirit, Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience, the Aggrolites, the Budos Band, the Constellations, the Ethics, the Flaming Lips, the Hold Steady, the Lost Fingers, the Love Machine, the Mohawk Lodge, the Moody Blues, the Musical Box, the Swell Season, the Whigs, the White Wires, Timber Timbre, TJ Wheeler, Tommy Castro, Too Slim and The Taildraggers, Trevor Hall, Tye Tribbett, We Are Wolves, Weezer, Woodhands, and Yatkha.
And, amazingly, there are more acts to be announced.