Happy summer everybody!

It's Friday the 13th, and I want to say thanks to all of those who came out to a show in the first half of 2008, as well as our great performers, Chris Whiteley and Diana Braithwaite, Tony D, Andy J. Forest, Penny Lang, Amy Campbell, Sarah Johnston, and Coco Love Alcorn.

We've had a wonderful first half of the year, and I now encourage you all to go find more live music this summer at Westfest, Bluesfest, the Jazz Festival, the Stewart Park Festival in Perth, the Folk Festival, with Tony D's new project Monkeyjunk at Irene's, at the Sheep, or wherever life takes you.

We're taking the summer off, since we figure most people are going to be cottaging, vacationing, and festivaling, and since we want to do some of that too!

But rest assured, we will be back in the fall with some more amazing performers.

Penny Lang comes through.

We hit bottom around 9:30 Saturday morning, when someone who claimed to be Penny Lang called. But this person sounded, to put not too fine a point on it, like Mercedes McCambridge practicing for her role in The Exorcist.

"I've got this throat thing, and I don't know if I'm going to be able to perform."

Indeed she did have a throat thing. And we had a bunch of people coming for our first anniversary house concert. We'd ordered a cake. Argh.

But we had a couple of things in our favor. Thanks to our pal Ana Miura, we had a singer-songwriter named Amy Campbell coming to open. They had been doing dates together and had finished up their mini-tour, and Amy was coming to do a couple of tunes to get things started.

We also had our pal Sarah Johnston coming to help set up the house, and she plays, as those who saw her at our Chris Whiteley and Diana Braithwaite show know VERY well.

And heavy doses of slippery elm andVicks Vapo-rub infused steam later, we had a fine time of it. Penny didn't do full sets, and her voice was far from Penny's best. But Amy helped out (and impressed the hell out of us), and Sarah went from house-setter-upper to opening act. As you can also see, the show was held on the occasion of Earth Hour, and we did the first hour by candlelight. It was quite lovely -- more lovely than the pictures reflect.

Sarah rocked, Amy impressed, and Penny moved. And the cake was delicious. Then we collapsed in relief.

Chris & Diana full up

I think we're going to have to get a bigger house. Chris & Diana's January 19 show is totally full. So if you haven't yet been in touch, you're going to have to go on our waiting list (or take me to Marinoni to buy me a new bike, in which case you might get VIP admission...)

Best of luck to all the nominees in the Canadian Folk Music Awards, which take place tonight at the Museum of Civilization. I'm wishing particular good luck to some of the nominees who may well pop up at a house concert in 2008, like this person, or this one, or this one. There are others, but I'm too scared to say who they might be for fear they'll evaporate. Stay tuned ... it's going to be a great year.

2008 kicks off with Chris Whiteley and Diana Braithwaite

BobCat is starting the year 2008 off with a unique take on some classic blues with Chris Whiteley and Diana Braithwaite.

We got Chris and Diana's CD "Morning Sun" last spring from our friend and BobCat devotee François, and it immediately became a favourite. And when they played the Ottawa Folk Festival in August 2007, we were totally sold on them.

This duo -- more than talented enough as individuals -- have applied their creativity to writing an album of blues songs that are tributes to blues styles of the 30s and 40s, but bring wonderful energy, spirit, and maybe a little naughty innuendo that will make even the most rhythmically-illiterate tap a toe and snap a finger.

Chris Whiteley, part of the famous Whiteley family of musicians (Ken, Jenni, etc etc), has been playing profesisonal for more than 30 years. He's played with everyone from Leon Redbone and John Hammond Jr. to country stars Prairie Oyster and Stompin' Tom Connors. His own recordings have been recognized with a Jazz Report Blues Album of the Year, six Juno Award nominations, Maple Blues Awards and a SOCAN Songwriter of the Year nod. Chris's songs have been recorded by Prairie Oyster, Amos Garret, Cindy Church, Penny Lang, Quartette and Juno-winning blues band Fathead. He has also written for radio, television and film.

Dubbed as “Canada’s National Treasure” by Blues FM Radio Show Host Danny Marks, Diana Braithwaite is unquestionably one of the most authentic blues singers of today.

Born into a musical family in Canada, Diana's descendants on her mother’s side arrived in the country from the southern United States via the Underground Railroad where they were given an acreage of rocky land to farm in the Glenallen area. Diana’s career as a solo singer-songwriter emerged as a teenager and she has played with everyone from Albert Collins to Buddy Guy to Jeff Healey to Robert Cray to Pinetop Perkins. Sarah Mclachlan chose Diana as one from 400 singer/songwriters to open the 1999 Lilith Fair at the Molson Amphitheatre.

A recipient of the African-American Women in the Arts Award in Chicago, Diana's songs Bad Luck Man and Blame it on the Bourbon were on the soundtrack for the Gemini Award-winning film, GRACIE, and won a Yorkton Golden Sheaf Award for Best Musical Score.

Diana says: "I am the real thing because I am who I am. Keeping the blues alive. Making my own path and carrying on."

Together, their sound harks back to the Chicago's Bluebird Records, with performers like Sonny Boy Williamson, Memphis Minnie, Tampa Red, Big Bill Broonzy, and Lonnie Johnson.

Their show is warm, funny, and their skills as singers and musicians are formidable. And if you don't believe me, get samples of their sound at Amazon.ca.

Diana and Chris are coming to BobCat Saturday, January 19 for an evening concert. As always, mingling and munching at 7, a show at 8, and a break to snap up snacks (and CDs) in the middle. And as always, you are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item for the Ottawa Food Bank or, if you don't have any rice or pasta floating about, a dollar or two for the Food Bank jug.

E-mail for a seat, and do it quickly -- if our last show is any indication, we'll fill up fast.

The details again:

• Chris Whiteley and Diana Braithwaite @ BobCat House Concerts
• January 19, 7:00 pm mingling, 8:00 pm 'curtain'
• Suggested donation $25.00
• Reserve via e-mail, prepayment by arrangement or by using PayPal (please add $1 per payment for the PayPal service charge -- not $1 per person, but if you're paying for four, $101 instead of $100.)
  

See you in the New Year!