Every year the organizers of Ottawa’s biggest annual music festival send out a game-like questionnaire, asking you to create your “dream lineup” for Bluesfest. Every year I’ve put Dope Lemon in that lineup somewhere.
Well, I guess part of my dream came true because this year, Australia’s Angus Stone and co. have not one, but two festival gigs in the Nation’s Capital — Thursday night’s Dope Lemon show in the tented confines of the Lebreton Stage, and again this fall with his sister Julia at the annual CityFolk festival.
Both festivals share the same administration. However, when I told festival CEO Mark Monahan this little story a few months ago when the lineup was announced, he seemed unaware that Stone was not only part of the beloved (and I thought, disbanded) brother-sister duo, but also the frontman and songwriter of Dope Lemon. Aren’t I just the big know-it-all?
In fact, before I met my partner nearly six years ago, I’d never even heard of Dope Lemon. As the best kind of people always do, she made me a playlist when we were dating. It’s an evocative playlist, let me tell you. It takes me right back to the fall of 2020 when we were still in the depths of the pandemic. I had just split with my wife of 15 years and put our house up for sale — which we were still awkwardly sharing — got diagnosed with ADHD, dropped 40 pounds, released a new album, and was falling in love. In a few months I’d face my alcohol addiction and quit drinking. It was a huge transition period for me. My Saturn return.
The song she put on the playlist was Marinade, from 2016’s Honey Bones. It might be “our song.” But even if you try to ignore the floods of emotions tied to that song, related solely to its role in my romantic renaissance, Marinade — and Dope Lemon in general — were and remain a major influence on me, my moods and my music. Dope Lemon are, in fact, dope. Self-medication. When I listen to Stone’s music on his five Dope Lemon albums, I’m always profoundly affected. Sometimes it motivates me to create, other times it comforts me with an indescribable sense of security and assurance that I’m OK, and maybe even awesome.
This was a theme Stone occasionally returned to Thursday night in Ottawa, telling the crowd of around 2,000 that we can all be happy and make the most of this life (or maybe the next one). He has the presence of your favourite stoner friend who doesn’t let uptight, moody, aggressive, fastidious or pedantic people change their outlook. You just keep on keepin’ on. You don’t have to make good time, just get there. Move to the music. And, when you have a beer with your bandmates by the shore of the Ottawa River, you notice that Canadian squirrels are cute. (He told us this).
Stone is quite capable in a variety of music formats. His own solo material as Angus Stone or Lady Of The Sunshine, is quiet, acoustic and personal. The material he does with his sister as Angus & Julia Stone is often similar, except it’s often poppier and features the extraordinarily pure-sounding Julia handling most of the lead vocals. Dope Lemon’s music is more varied: There are slow, trippy psychedelic songs, pop grooves, delicate acoustic songs, and indie anthems. I lost count of how many different guitars he used Thursday night. Among them were a Rickenbacker 425, a gold Les Paul, an acoustic parlor guitar, a bloody full-size sitar, a Telecaster, and what I believe was a Gretsch G542 Electromatic. He also used two different mics: One set up for natural vocals and the other treated with his signature heavy analog compression, tape saturation and slap-back delay. When using this option, he had to pick up a different mic off the stage floor to speak to the audience, as we probably wouldn’t understand him through the treated mic.
Dope Lemon performed for nearly 90 minutes, including an encore — about 30 minutes longer than most acts at this venue. Stone was augmented by a full band featuring a keys/harmonica player, a lead guitarist, a drummer, and a bassist. They mostly stuck to well-known tracks including the aforementioned Marinade, but also Coyote, Uptown Folks and Stonecutters, which served as the opener. All those were from the debut album, which is marking a 10-year anniversary. He played John Belushi, Electric Green Lambo and Golden Wolf from 2025’s Golden Wolf album. He played Hey You from 2019’s Smooth Big Cat. Home Soon from the 2017 Hounds Tooth EP was the encore. The only track I was hoping for but didn’t hear was Derby Raceway from 2023’s Kimosabé — a song I will never tire of due to its incredible, evocative chorus.
Throughout the show, female fans from the VIP section were invited to grace the stage as dancers, wearing a variety of furry-type mascot heads related to Dope Lemon songs -—there were a pair of gibbons, the signature horizontal lemon head, a golden wolf, a kitty, a smoking Jesus (I think?), a bear and others. This all just added to the playful, chillout, eccentric soundscapes.
Appearing before Dope Lemon was an act I would have gone to see even if Angus wasn’t appearing that night: Thee Sinseers. This is a nine-piece band led by Joey Quinones’ fantastic falsetto. Thee Sinseers are a Colemine Records group from L.A., and bring an authentic mid-’60s R&B sound. They’re authentic right down to the vintage production of their recordings and their slew of 7″ singles, complete with throwback indie-style labels. They’re right at home on a record label that specializes in authentic soul, but they are likeable, authentic humans as well.
Midset, a dude behind me collapsed due to a combination of drink and other factors. A handful of people including festival medics immediately surrounded him — steadying and reassuring him as he sat on the ground, two rows from the stage. The band stopped and Quinones called out to ensure someone was attending to the individual in distress. He asked if the man had water, and I shouted out that he did. But that wasn’t good enough for Quinones who asked, “Does he need a cold one?” — to which the crowd erupted. He quickly dashed to the side of the stage and returned with a chilled bottle of spring water which he tossed to me. After I placed it in the hands of the medics, the band decided it was appropriate to restart the song.
I immediately went to Spotify and pre-saved their upcoming release, Love Stories, which drops Sept. 18.
Incredible night, and just another “Wow, last night at Bluesfest…” story.
• • •
Area Resident is an Ottawa-based journalist, recording artist, music collector and re-seller. Hear (and buy) his music on Bandcamp, email him HERE, follow him on Instagram and check him out on Discogs.