Welcome to the O-Town Hoedown 2012 website! For those not in the know, the Hoedown is a yearly concert series taking place in Ottawa, and showcasing all sorts of amazing alt-whatever country awesomeness. From rockabilly to cowpunk to folk-rock to bluegrass and every imaginable thing in between, there's a little something for everyone, except maybe the Rascall Flatts fans and the Juggalos.
O-Town Hoedown is 100% independent, with volunteer staff comprised of local musicians and music lovers. Everything we do is for the love of music, not money! The bands and songwriters we showcase are the best of the best indie-alt-whatever country music in Ottawa - catch these bands live before they attain Taylor Swift-levels of fame!
Long-time fans might notice we've downsized from the past. Last year the Hoedown was 10 days long which was, of course, awesome. However, we felt like maybe we didn't really need all the weekday shows in order to remain awesome, so this year we're trying "Hoedown Junior" for lack of a better term. There are still an assload of bands and solo performers, they're just a bit more condensed than usual.
Click around the website and check out the various bands and songwriters playing the Hoedown, and be sure to go watch their videos and "like" their facebook pages and all that other shit.
There are no all-access passes this year. As great of an idea as they are, we've never sold more than 5 per Hoedown - everyone gets along just fine paying at the door, so that's what we're doing!
Follow us on facebook or twitter for the latest in Hoedown news, the links are up top there somewhere.
Interested in performing at the Hoedown in the future, or volunteering right now? Questions? Love notes? Send 'em all to hoedown@leftymcrighty.com
Seeya at the Hoedown!
$10, 9pm, 885 Bank
Ray's sound incorporates influences as diverse as the cosmic space music of Gram Parsons, the Flying Burrito Brothers and The Byrds, the classic country of Hank Williams and Johnny Cash, the Americana of John Hiatt, Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley and the Canadiana of The Band, Hank Snow, Gordon Lightfoot and Neil Young.
“A very talented songwriter ... a fair way ahead of most releases these days...” - Country Music People Magazine (UK)
“The deep emotion of the lyrics is matched by a lived-in, dense instrumentation of guitar,
pedal steel, banjo and organ” - Fateema Sayani, Ottawa Citizen
"Hey, my name is Slo' Tom. I write traditional country songs and occasionally I play 'em live. Sometimes I play them with a full band, sometimes as a duo, and sometimes all by my lonesome... it all depends on how I'm feeling. I also try to record this stuff but, christ, it's a slow process. I put out a live record a few years ago and I'm working away on a new one. Lately, I've been working on stuff with Rey Sabatin and I've had the John Henrys back me up for a couple shows. Matt Ouimet is recording some stuff and I'm doing some home demos to boot. On my live record the band is comprised of Dave Dudley, Jim Bryson, Geoff Taylor and Graham Collins."
Mystery Pill formed in early 2012. Members had all been playing Ottawa’s music scene for years but came together to develop a new sound unique to the ensemble. Mystery Pill goes "off label" with a collection grassroots instruments. The band is currently working out the songs for their upcoming album which will be recorded this fall. The sound has been called everything from dark roots, to gypsy jazz and everything in between. The approach is to write new music with roots instruments...stay tuned for results.
"Brian Simms has been a fixture on the Ottawa scene for more than a decade. If you've heard his name mentioned, chances are it's been during the "introducing the band" part of the set. The self-taught guitarist is the person people call on to fill out their band. Ask around and you'll hear him praised for being the musician's musician. He is versatile, a quick study and content not to be the star. Vocally, Simms brings a cabaret tinge and a new wave splash to folk-pop tunes with simple metaphors that cover off the biggies: love, friendship and getting on in the world." - Ottawa Citizen
