Ottawa Grassroots Festival – Thursday April 24
The Dusty Drifters emerged out of Ottawa in 2008. Spending several years hosting the popular Bluegrass Sundays at Irene’s they became one of the region’s most celebrated and recognized Bluegrass bands. They’ve since produced an album and have played many local festivals where they continue to gain fans of all ages with each appearance. Their bluegrass/new acoustic sound is filled with a mixture of fresh arrangements of old favourites and original songs. The lineup includes Paul Roberto (guitar, lead vocals), Stuart Rutherford (Dobro, fiddle, vocals), Anthony Bacon (banjo, cello, vocals), Brent Weatherall (Bass, vocals), and Gilles Leclerc (mandolin, vocals)
The Barrow Gang Buskers, originally an all-acoustic busking band, is a 5 – 6 piece rotating cast of gang characters. Punctuated by their stage antics, they play a rockabilly mix of toe-tappin’ tunes including original songs written by George Stryker. George, once known for being the best pompadour in Ottawa, is a long-time Rockabilly singer/songwriting performer and fronts the group as Clyde Barrow with his guitar Bonnie. He began his career over 40 years ago as the leading man in several Rockabilly ensembles who opened for acts such as the Stray Cats, Meatloaf, Rosanne Cash to name a few. The remaining graffs and quipsters, AKA Blanche (Jill Shipley), Chuck (Kevin Smith), Baby (Cyndi Kennedy), and Buckles (Ken Hatcher), are notable long-time musicians from all walks of life with a passion for energetic and entertaining fun.