Photos and a Review of Ottawa Bluesfest Night Two (Part 2)

[More coverage from Ross MacDonald, Melody Maloney, Zachary Resnick, and Karen Coughtrey. – AC]

Day 2 at the River Stage: Vikki Gilmore/Amigo the Devil/The Dead South

Day two of Ottawa Bluesfest 2025 was even hotter than the first – for numerous reasons. The sun beat down mercilessly over the River Stage as crowds were treated to another day of fantastic live music. 

First up was Montreal’s own Vikki Gilmore, whose set started a little late. As she took centre stage dressed in a white cowboy hat and red heels, she jokingly apologized about making a “rookie mistake, leaving her guitar out in the sun” and apologized for making the crowd wait. All was forgiven when the snappy drums and breathy, achy vocals of “Doubt of My Mind” kicked in. 

“Stranded” started with delicate plucked strings and lyrics full of yearning. Gilmore invited the audience to sing along for the final chorus, then showcased her impressive vibrato in “Dashboard Blues.” 

We were all sweating bullets, Gilmore included, by the time she launched into a cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene,” starting slow but quickly picking up steam, with a folkier guitar than the original. 

“If I Wrote You” again contained themes of loss and yearning, present in much of Gilmore’s work. After “Mental Backroads” she and her band took a quick, cheeky selfie with the crowd as the backdrop – this was the biggest audience Gilmore had played to yet, after all. 

We were then treated to “Cowboy,” an as-of-yet unreleased track off an upcoming album. It was a sombre, wistful tune, notes lingering in the humid air. Is that a tear in my eye or just sweat? “Mountain,” the powerful “Claim My Throne,” and “Someone” (written when she was just 18 years old) followed. 

Gilmore closed out her set on a high note with “Little Red,” a high energy giddy-up, honkey-tonk style story, using familiar imagery from ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ to tell her tale. 

The setting sun gave us more shade to sit in as the masses eagerly awaited Amigo the Devil. This act drew the biggest crowd to the River Stage on day two, and for good reason – you’ve never seen or heard anything quite like them. Hailing from Nashville, Tennessee, and led by Danny Kiranos, fans (of which I am an ardent one) affectionately refer to Amigo’s music as ‘Dark Folk’ or ‘Murderfolk.’

The audience was practically salivating as Kiranos took the stage, banjo in hand, to thundering drums. Opening with “Once Upon A Time At Texaco Pt. 1,” steely riffs and bouncy tambourine whipped everyone into a frenzy. Next came “Dahmer Does Hollywood,” starting slow and menacing, a surreal creep towards insanity. 

Before playing “It’s All Gone,” Kiranos shared a story with the crowd about how just before starting this tour, his house had burned down and he half-jokingly insinuated he regretting even writing the song. His emotions were raw, the lyrics dark and sarcastic, the crescendo building. 

“Cannibal Within” had moments of introspection about self-destruction amidst its strong chords. Kiranos then sent the band for a little break, performing “I Hope Your Husband Dies” solo on stage, a ‘love’ song dripping with sarcasm and sweet notes. He then invited partner Gabriella onstage for a duet cover of John Prine’s “In Spite Of Ourselves.” Funny and sweet, it kept the crowd engaged and laughing. 

The band returned for “Cocaine and Abel,” a sad yet urgent dirge which again built toward crashing drums and raw, throaty lyrics. “Murder At The Bingo Hall” was a cacophony from start to finish with that signature storytelling that Amigo is known for. Following was “Hungover In Jonestown,” with distorted riffs creating an eerie feeling, almost hearkening back to early creature features. 

The crowd ate up the one-two punch of “I Wish I Could Be A Zamboni” and “My Body Is A Dive Bar,” swaying to the rhythm. “Small Stone” was the penultimate tune, before Kiranos sent the band away one last time. 

He closed out the set, solo again, with “Hell and You.” A personal, haunting goodbye that saw him offstage to a standing ovation, hoots, hollers, cheers, and whistles. 

The sun had set and the air had cooled off substantially for the River Stage’s third and final act of the day. Regina, Saskatchewan’s The Dead South took the stage, all four members dressed in their bluegrass finest – bolo ties and wide brims, in front of a projected cow skull backdrop. 

Now admittedly, this group is the one I’m the least familiar with, so apologies in advance to any die-hard bluegrass-folk loving Dead South fans. This performance did some heavy lifting on my appreciation of bluegrass as a whole, though. I’m with you now. I dig the whole ‘Carter Family meets Addams Family’ vibe.

We were treated to an impressive lightshow and equally impressive and harmonious string-work between fiddle, banjo, and cello, as the band opened their set with “Snake Man Pt. 2.” 

“20 Mile Jump” followed, a classic bluegrass tune with sweet lyrical melodies. The lights turned red for “Boots,” which featured that same strong and melodic plucking of the four string instruments. Midway through the song, both the lights and the tempo went way up. I was particularly enthralled by Colton Crawford’s banjo-kick drum combo playing. 

Next up, “Yours To Keep” was a stripped back tale, slower, almost cautionary. The crowd was nodding along to every word, toes tapping on concrete and grass. 

The red lights were back with a vengeance for the mysterious start to “The Recap,” which got the audience dancing with its faster pace before slowing down again to the rhythmic, almost hypnotic kick drum.

My pick of the set, as a now fledgling fan, was “Broken Cowboy,” the strings of the mandolin dripping with that signature Appalachian bluegrass flavour. A story of solitude in the 50’s and family life in the 70’s, it made me wonder if I too, could be cut out for frontier life. 

The mercury may have spiked for day two of Ottawa Bluesfest 2025, but at the River Stage, things couldn’t have been cooler.