With 200+ acts in the line-up at this year’s Ottawa Bluesfest, there are bound to be several surprises but there were two bands I especially wanted to hear – no surprise, just great sounds…The SheepDogs (still to come this Thursday) and Bright Light Social Hour from Austin TX.

We were lucky enough to have them booked twice at this year’s Ottawa Bluesfest, I took in the second set on the huge mainstage. The little band from Texas took full advantage making their 4-piece band sound much bigger than it actually was.

One of my weaknesses is the sound of a keyboard through a Leslie speaker system (where the rich tube sound is modified by a revolving baffle). So BLSH had me from the beginning.

Here’s a quick pic of a typical Leslie open from the back if you’ve never seen one…

While Bright Light Social Hour is definitely rooted in the blues, what’s great about these guys is they are one of the latest bands to be a melting pot of influences from 70’s power rock through this decade’s fascination with dance music throwing in ample soul and blues – the trick is to pull it all off.

Not every song did pull it off completely, there were times when it dragged, other times when it looked forced…but the times it DID come together were PURE magic, creativity and originality unlike we see on the music scene today.

According to their website, their next stop is tomorrow night in Quebec City with non other than Aerosmith…not bad company is it?

Here’s a brief clip from Sunday’s Bluesfest performance…listen to the soul in the first few seconds!

Have you watched these guys before? Leave us a comment.