Check Out the Line Up for the 2013 RBC Royal Bank Ottawa Bluesfest

Last year, PeteHatesMusic took in many, many days of the always excellent Ottawa Bluesfest (final thoughts here). Today, the line up was announced for this July’s edition of the RBC Royal Bank Ottawa Bluesfest. Before some readers are turned off, the ‘bluesfest’ name can be a bit misleading – for example, Skrillex is playing Bluesfest for the second year in a row (and he was AWESOME last year).

Not many festivals can feature Dixie Chicks, followed by Wu-Tang Clan, followed by RUSH – in the same headlining slot, but that’s what the festival does this year. The line up features acts such as B.B. King, Dixie Chicks, Wu-Tang Clan, RUSH, Fun., The Tragically Hip and Skrillex Full Flex Express Tour as the bigger acts. Other big name and indie performers include Tegan and Sara, Great Big Sea, Weezer, Belle & Sebastian, Grand Funk Railroad, Baauer, Animal Collective, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Passion Pit, and She & Him. I needed to end the sentence somewhere, so why not on Zooey Deschanel? Other stand out acts in my final sentence include Solange, Killer Mike, El-P, Sharon Van Etten, Stars, Matthew Good, Atlas Genius, Ra Ra Riot, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Diamond Rings, Bahamas, and Cold Specks. Check out the website for full details.

As Rich aptly pointed out last year, Ottawa Bluesfest is a marathon, not a sprint – it’s a lengthy outdoor festival from July 4-14 in the Nation’s capital. Tickets go on sale tomorrow at 10am, with a whole variety of price points. Nothing sounds more cultured than a ‘bluesfest’ so be sure to check it out.