Kitchener Blues Festival a celebration of women with plenty of ‘Sass’
The Kitchener Blues Festival announced its 2018 lineup Saturday with a focus on female artists covering the blues-rock spectrum.
“Every year we try to present something different and flavourful,” notes artistic director Claude Cloutier, who says 40 per cent of this year’s acts will appear at the festival for the first time. “There’s a lot of talk in the music community that women are under-represented, and there are so many great female artists.” This year’s percentage — 28 per cent — may not sound like a
lot, but it’s significant in a genre dominated by men.
“We have Sass Jordan, Ruthie Foster, Lee Aaron, Cecille DooKingue, Sue Foley and, of course, Miss Angel,” notes Cloutier, noting the fest’s expanding reputation helped secure top-grade talent.
“It’s a celebration of women in the blues.”
Among other notable headliners: Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Robert Gordon with Chris Spedding, Jack de Keyzer, The Last Waltz — A Musical Celebration of The Band, Ghost Town Blues Band, Sue Foley, Grammywinning African band Tinariwen and the Paul James Band. (For a full lineup go to www.kitchenerbluesfest.com.)
As a featured headliner, Jordan — one of 12 female acts at this year’s three-day celebration — is the consummate blues-rock crossover.
She was once considered, however flippantly, as a replacement for Sammy Hagar in Van Halen. She guested, with great enthusiasm from Dave Grohl, on lead vocals with The Foo Fighters.
And since she landed on the national scene with her debut album in 1988, her gruff, emotive rasp has been compared to everyone from Bonnie Raitt, Rod Stewart and Melissa Etheridge to Tina Turner, Janis Joplin and the woman who sang “turn around bright eyes” on “Total Eclipse of the Heart.”
“They’re way more famous and successful than me,” laughs the Montreal-raised belter, who made her mark on MuchMusic with high rotation songs like “Tell Somebody” and “Make You A Believer.”
“That’s why I get compared to them ... (reflective pause) ... although I have seen other people described as ‘Sass Jordenesque.’”
It’s a compliment, implying a raspy sonic texture that can wrap itself around a lyric with visceral force.
That she isn’t a household name in Canada will always be a mystery.
“The road crews always know me!” she laughs, content with her unconventional career arc.
“Half the time, the band will be ‘Who is she? Who is this Sass?’ and the crew will be going ‘She’s one of the most famous singers in Canada!’”
Also one of the most irreverent, which led to her reputation as the Phyllis Diller of Rock, a moniker (coined by me) that made sense 30 years ago when the larger than life comedy queen was still alive but is meaningless today.
“How about the Joan Rivers of Rock?” Jordan suggests when I press for a replacement.
“She’s dead, too,” I respond. “How about someone who’s still alive?”
“The Amy Schumer of Rock?” “She does capture your comic feistiness.”
“The Ricky Gervais of Rock? I love Ricky Gervais!”
“Maybe. If we consider indie film stars, you could be the Catherine Keener of Rock.”
She is, in the end, herself, a raucous Zeppelin-meets-Stones blues rocker, who flirted with mass fame in the early ’90s, served a six year judging stint on “Canadian Idol” and has diligently served her loyal fan base ever since.
“I think it’s the same thing that makes all the other people unique,” she muses when I ask what makes her distinctive.
“It’s your personal energy, your frequency, your vibration.”
It’s what landed the irrepressible stage ham — who recently remade her 1992 chart-topper “Racine” as a retro ’70s classic — a headlining spot at this year’s festival.
“I may rappel down from a helicopter!’’ she cackles uproariously when I ask what fans can expect. “But other than that, it’ll be a rock show where we enjoy the s--- out of ourselves.”
Jordan, ironically, has never considered herself a blues musician, but understands the genre once associated with African Americans in the Deep South has adapted to changing times.
“I find in this day and age blues has a lot more meaning,” she muses over the phone from Toronto.
“It’s not like Muddy Waters is coming anymore. And I do play a lot of stuff considered bluesrock.”
There was a time — a generation ago — when this music ruled the roost.
“It’s a classical form of music that I do,” she insists. “There’s always going to be an audience for it, but it’s not in fashion and I don’t know if — once my generation dies off — it will continue to have a place like Bach or Beethoven.
“It’s only relevant to the generation that grew up with it. Does it have a life expectancy past ours?”
One thing is certain; it not keeping her up at night. Unlike many rock artists obsessed with legacy, Jordan lives in the here
and now.
“When the rug gets pulled out from under you, you have to be creative,” she insists, citing a multitude of projects she has on the go. “I think you adapt to the times you’re in.
“Being able to communicate directly with people who like what you do (through social media) has certainly saved people like me who aren’t in the spotlight.”
At the end of the day, she confides, she’s glad she didn’t have that big American hit to put her over the top.
“Having that kind of success can be very disorienting,” she confides. “I don’t know if I would have had a very nice life if I was a huge rock star.
“A huge success like that is actually a curse. Look at Tom Petty — he was a drug addict. Prince, Chester Bennington ... it just goes on and on. These wonderfully talented people are complete wrecks. I’d much rather be more obscure.”
In light of the sexual misconduct scandal surrounding rock band Hedley — whose leader, Jacob Hoggard, came in third on the 2004 edition of “Canadian Idol” — I feel compelled to ask her impressions of him back then.
“From what I recall, he was cocky and funny and amusing, self-confident, a bit of a live wire ... a loose cannon,” she notes thoughtfully. “But in the years since then the energy thing became really unpleasant. It’s classic rock star type behaviour. You get what you give out.”
It’s been her philosophy for decades. And with the boundless enthusiasm that has always marked her career, it will likely continue.
“I’m still here,” she snorts happily. “I haven’t imploded or self-destructed.”
Big cackle: “I live in my own little bubble.”