CityFolk Day 4: KALEO at Landsdowne Park, Ottawa

September 16, 2023 – Landsdowne Park, Ottawa

A relaxing Saturday evening on the Great Lawn

Day four of Ottawa’s CityFolk music festival turned the volume down a notch after the hard rock lineup the night before. The audience had their chairs and blankets out for an evening of folk, pop, blues, and soft rock performances. The festival has had a much more relaxed vibe than RBC Bluesfest, with short entrance lines and barely any waits for beer, food, merchandise, or for the bathrooms. And this evening was even more easygoing than the first three days.

See Also: CityFolk Day 3: Bush at Landsdowne Park, Ottawa

Kristine St-Pierre, a local and bilingual folk singer-songwriter, kicked off the relaxing evening on the Courtside stage. She soothed the audience with her sweet voice and blues tunes. She has released two bilingual albums, a francophone album, and she received a Canadian Folk Music Award nomination in 2018. She was the first of three female artists to perform on the Courtside stage, leading to an inspiring evening of female empowerment.

Andrea Ramolo, another Canadian folk singer-songwriter, was up next on the Courtside stage with more gentle and at times upbeat music. Ramolo sings in both English and Italian and is a multiple Canadian Folk Music Award nominee. She’s currently working on her 9th self-produced studio record.

Multi-award winner and GRAMMY award nominee Allison Russell from Montreal closed out the Courtside stage with a big crowd. She brought her musical circle of multi-talented women to the jam-packed tent and performed a powerful, heartfelt show. Russell previously performed at RBC Bluesfest earlier in the summer to a large audience as well, proving just how extraordinary she truly is. Russell just released a new album on September 8th, The Returner, and she is currently working on her first novel (a memoir based about her life).

Mikhail Laxton was first up on the main TD stage with a short but inspiring set. Originally from Far North Queensland in Australia, Laxton has made Ottawa his home. His raspy yet smooth voice spoiled early festival goers—don’t miss out on the opening performances, your favorite bands were once openers too! Laxton’s blend of folk and country made for a unique set of soul-folk tunes. Like Russell, he also performed at RBC Bluesfest in July.

TikTok sensation David Kushner, from Chicago, took to the main stage at sunset to perform for a crowd of screaming girls. “You’re so fucking hot!!!”, “I love you David”, etc., filled the air. It was simply him and his acoustic guitar, and the girls loved it. His deep and emotional voice and blend of folk and pop tunes fit in perfectly at the folk festival, and it gave the younger crowd a performance just for them.

Read More:
>> CityFolk Day 1: Iggy Pop at Landsdowne Park, Ottawa
>> CityFolk Day 2: Arkells at Landsdowne Park, Ottawa
>> RBC Bluesfest come to an end with a performance from The Smile

As the crowd grew and filled in the festival grounds, Iceland’s rock gods KALEO took the stage as the headliner. Frontman JJ Julius Son’s golden voice was the highlight of the night. The audience quieted to hear him and to not disturb the magical ambiance the band created under the stars. To the crowds delight, they closed the show with the GRAMMY nominated song, No Good.