Sarah McLachlan opening the Bluesfest

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Sarah McLachan returns to Ottawa on Thursday to kick off Bluesfest having tackled just about everything except music during the many pandemic moons away from the stage.

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During downtime, the Canadian singer-songwriter superstar not only perfected her sourdough bread recipe and made time to paint and draw, but also spent many days outdoors. She surfed as much as she could, while learning to skate and ski got her through the winter.

But in a recent interview from her home in BC, the 54-year-old career musician confessed to being overwhelmed by the idea of ​​writing songs during the pandemic.

“I was paralyzed when it came to making music,” McLachlan revealed. “It was overwhelming. For six months, it was like, ‘What’s going to happen to the world? Are we all going to implode? I definitely didn’t feel inspired to go to the music, which was interesting because it’s usually my first visit. This time I think painting helped calm the storm in my head.”

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Finally, McLachlan was able to focus on songwriting and now has enough new material to start recording. There may even be a new song thrown in with his hits during his Bluesfest show.

The lockdowns also made McLachlan realize another key thing about herself: The mother of two daughters identified a tendency toward introversion, a surprising character trait.

“That shocked me and surprised me because I love people and I am very social. I love being with people and being away from home,” she said. “But, as I get older, the amount of time I enjoy gets narrower and narrower. I love going to a party for an hour and then I’m done. Then I have to be alone or go back to the forest.”

That said, he still loves acting. McLachlan and his band, which includes the two main members of Whitehorse, Luke Doucet and Melissa McLelland, will touch down in Ottawa for McLachlan’s first Bluesfest performance after a handful of concerts in the United States, where he contracted COVID-19. 19 after the first appearance. .

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“I was very careful for two years, but as soon as I did a show, I brought COVID home,” she said exasperatedly, noting that the virus wasn’t “too terrible” for her, though it did leave her with some brain fog. After two more weeks at home, she was back on the road.

The highlight of that stretch was last month’s concert with Brandi Carlile at the Gorge Amphitheater in Washington state, where Carlile highlighted the influence of Lilith Fair, the all-female traveling music festival of the late 1990s that was founded by McLachlan.

Carlile told the crowd that she attended Lilith Fair at the age of 17 and it had a profound impact, making the young Brandi realize that she too could be on stage.

“Brandi gave a really beautiful speech when she introduced me,” McLachlan said. “She basically said that she is who she is today, largely thanks to Lilith. She was incredibly generous and was in tears before she had to go on stage.”

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Lilith’s influence will also be evident at Bluesfest, as organizers have put together a program that features a strong line-up of female artists on the main stage, with Toronto-area R&B phenom Alessia Cara and Vancouver’s Jessia playing before. of McLachlan.

Meanwhile, the Sirius XM stage on Thursday features Ottawa blues band Angelique Francis, followed by saxophonist Vanessa Collier and Tuareg master guitarist Bombino. Taking to the River Stage (formerly the Black Sheep Stage) on Thursday is Canadian newcomer Deanna Petcoff and two Australian acts: singer-songwriter Dean Lewis and psychedelic surf rockers Ocean Alley.

This year marks the return to business of Ottawa’s largest summer music festival, which kicks off Thursday and ends July 17 at its usual location in LeBreton Flats Park on the grounds of the Canadian War Museum. Two years ago, before COVID-19 took the music industry by storm, the 2020 edition was shaping up to be the biggest in history, with headliners Rage Against the Machine, Alanis Morissette and Marshmello, prompting good advance ticket sales.

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Featuring those three acts back on the bill, plus best-selling country music stars Luke Combs (July 9) and Luke Bryan (July 14) along with stalwart heroes Alexisonfire and Sum-41 (July 13) , surf-happy strummer Jack Johnson (July 8) and a night of ’90s hip hop presented by Ja Rule and TLC (July 16), this year’s edition is expected to be the biggest gathering in the capital in the country since the beginning of the pandemic.

And while it’s a typically eclectic mix of musical styles designed to offer something for everyone, you can be sure there’s something bluesy on the list. The festival’s namesake genre is represented by the Texas Horns, Texas’ resident trumpet section, Ottawa-born guitarist Sue Foley, Canadian blues rocker Colin James and Hammond organist Anthony Geraci, to name a few standouts.

Logistics-wise, one notable change this year that should help alleviate traffic issues around the site is the light rail system. For the first time, customers can take the train to travel to Bluesfest. The nearest station is Pimisi.

The music starts at 6 pm every night, except on July 11, when the stages will be dark. Doors open at 5 pm

For more information, visit ottawabluesfest.ca.

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