Kitchener Blues Fest relies on variety to stay alive, says artistic director
The Kitchener Blues Festival has unveiled this year’s lineup, and like in other years, some people are upset over it not being purely blues music.
Claude Cloutier is the artistic director for the county’s largest free blues festival and is responsible for booking the bands.
“This year we’ve got Pursuit of Happiness, The Box, Cooper Brothers, The Kings, Winter Sleep,” Cloutier said.
But he’s noticed people voicing their concerns over his bookings.
“I’ve always called them the Blues Police. But those are the people that really care about the blues and want to see it pure at the festival,” he said.
Cloutier says 70 per cent of the lineup is still blues, but adds the mixture of genres is needed to draw in more people and keep the festival going.
“Well it’s a challenging year for us because our costs across the board have gone up 25 - 30 per cent in everything. And our American funds are limited and it costs us a lot of money,” he said.
The festival is volunteer-driven and free aside from the August 8 fundraising concert. Given it costs them $1 million over four days to put it on, Cloutier is reminding people how quickly an event like this could disappear.
“The Limestone Blues Festival in Kingston was around for 26 years and they folded their tent this past fall. A lot of other festivals are feeling the pressure, and I see others going away soon,” Cloutier said.
Virgin Radio KW announcer Rae Kelly says she doesn’t get many requests for blues music since it is more niche.
“But let’s face it, if you want a blues festival in KW, you’re going to have to expand it. You want to introduce blues to other people by getting an artist they might enjoy and hey, they show up early for something and they stay late for something else,” Kelly said.
Cloutier is focused on fine-tuning the event to appease a variety of tastes for years to come.
“We’re going to be celebrating our 25th anniversary in 2025,” he said. “We want to be able to do that.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From AI running wild to collapsing ecosystems, government report outlines future disruptions
From artificial intelligence running wild to collapsing ecosystems, a new Canadian government report outlines 35 disruptions that could rattle the country in the near future.
B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton hospitalized after prison attack
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton was attacked and sustained life-threatening injuries in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a 'major assault.'
opinion Tom Mulcair: With Trudeau spiralling, Mark Carney waits in the wings
In his latest column for CTVNews.ca, former NDP leader Tom Mulcair argues that if there's an unofficial frontrunner in the eventual race to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader, it has to be former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney.
Toronto Blue Jays fan struck by 110 m.p.h foul ball offered tickets, signed baseball by team
The Toronto Blue Jays have offered tickets and a signed baseball to a fan who says she was struck in the face by a 110 m.p.h (177 km/h) foul ball at Friday’s game.
Matthew Perry's death is being investigated over ketamine level found in actor's blood, reports say
An investigation has been opened into the death of Matthew Perry and how the “Friends” actor received the anesthetic ketamine, which was ruled a contributing factor in his death.
OPP continues to investigate boat collision north of Kingston, Ont. that left 3 people dead
Ontario Provincial Police continue to investigate a long weekend fatal boat collision on Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont.
Police in Ontario say suspects charged in armed home invasion near Toronto part of 'larger criminal network'
Police in Ontario say a group of suspects charged in an armed home invasion north of Toronto last year were driving a vehicle stolen in a carjacking in Calgary just one month earlier.
Stolen septic truck swerves through traffic, spike belt needed to stop it: Manitoba RCMP
A 29-year-old woman has been charged after police say she stole a septic truck from a Manitoba community and drove erratically on the highway.
Orphan orca's extended family spotted off northeast side of Vancouver Island
Members of a killer whale pod related to an orphan orca calf that escaped a remote British Columbia tidal lagoon last month have been spotted off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island.