Press

Ottawa Bluesfest opens with Gogo

By: Peter Dudley
Date: 07/09/2004

Photo by: Peter Dudley David Gogo opened the Bluesfest in Ottawa with a performance on Friday July 9.

Canadian blues musician David Gogo opened the 11th annual Ottawa Bluesfest on Friday night with a thrilling 60-minute show that won't soon be forgotten.

The 35-year-old Nanaimo, B.C. resident played a variety of blues standards as well as his own compositions throughout the set. The crowd of beer-drinking, marijuana-smoking fans repeatedly got up to applaud his slide guitar playing.

Gogo - who has played the festival before - was in fine form, and appeared relaxed on stage. Wearing black jeans and a powder-blue cowboy shirt with white trim, he peppered his between-songs banter with local references such as Barrymore's Music Hall and Mello's Coffee Shop.

"It felt great to open the festival," he said. "We've been here before, but usually it's a last-minute fill-in for someone

"So to open it on the main stage, opening for George Thorogood, "

Bluesfest organizers estimated that 21,000 blues lovers attended the opening night festivities.

Gogo is one of the hardest working musicians in Canada. In 2003, he played more than 200 shows. He has a band in Vancouver and another one in Ottawa.

"In the old days when you were driving across Canada, that just kills you. But to fly back and forth and have the two bands, that "Gogo said.

He also does numerous solo acoustic shows on the west coast.

Things weren't always so good for Gogo. His first record deal turned sour when EMI record executives told him they wanted him to be a hard rock artist, but his heart was in the blues. They eventually let him go.

"I think the first album was too blues for the rock fans, and "he said.

Gogo eventually signed with a small west coast label - Cordova Bay Entertainment Group. He is happy with the relationship he has with them.

His seventh release, Live at Deer Lake, came out in 2003. It was a live radio broadcast, that wasn't supposed to be released, but soon started showing up on the internet illegally. Bootlegging forced the company to release it.

"I just hope that people realize that downloading music for free is bad. Sorry, but it is. A guy like me, I'm just looking to make enough money from my album sales that I can make another album. I'm "

He is pragmatic about the state of the music industry in this country.

"The reality of the Canadian music industry is that with the population there's only so many records you can sell and so many places you can play. You have to be realistic. It's difficult for a band that wants to get to the point where they've got a tour bus, and they've got a big crew and everything. There's only so much money you can bring "

He is also worried about media concentration in Canada, and its effect on getting airplay in this country.

"I don't see why if someone goes down to their local bar and sees a really good band, phones up their local radio station and says, 'I'd like to hear a song by our local band' and they say 'Sorry, we can't, because Toronto tells us what we have to play,' you know, that's "Gogo said.

"I think we need all the help we can get; whether it's Cancon "

Gogo is also adamant that blues music needs to get young people involved.

"I love all the traditional blues songs, but Lord knows we've heard them lots. I think what blues artists need to do is write more "he said.

Song writing is something that Gogo sees as very important.

"It's something that is getting easier for me. I didn't do "

Gogo will play in Toronto on July 25, the Navan, Ont. Fair on August 7, and will be in Kingston on August 25. He does not have any Belleville dates confirmed, but said he would like to play there.

The Ottawa Bluesfest runs until July 18.