American country rocker Marcus King drops out of CityFolk

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American country-rocker Marcus King has bowed out of his first Ottawa appearance, a move that freed up a spot for a local band to join the opening-night lineup on the CityFolk main stage .

With King’s team citing “unforeseen travel issues” as the reason for the cancellation, CityFolk organizers shuffled the main-stage lineup, moving Australian sensation Steph Strings into the spot vacated by King, and adding Ottawa funksters Blakdenim.

The main-stage headliner on Sept. 16 remains the same: It’s the soulful U.S. rock band Alabama Shakes, who are touring behind their first album in a decade, I Must Be Dreaming.

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The lineup swap also gives Blakdenim the honour of christening the festival’s new home at the RA Centre , 2451 Riverside Dr. After a decade at Lansdowne Park’s Great Lawn, CityFolk was bumped by construction associated with the city’s $420-million Lansdowne 2.0 renovation project. A new arena is being erected at the festival’s former site.

The gig marks Blakdenim’s second high-profile festival appearance of the summer, following a great showing at the Ottawa Jazz Festival where they opened for their hip hop hero, Wyclef Jean.

For King, who’s 30, the CityFolk cancellation comes on the heels of pulling out of an Australian tour in the spring, a withdrawal that was prompted by this year’s demise of the long-running Byron Bay Bluesfest. It was to be King’s first overseas tour.

At the time, the fiery, baby-faced guitarist issued a message on Instagram: “Hi everyone, there’s nothing in the world we hate more than having to cancel a show, let alone an entire tour,” he said. “But sometimes the business side of things just doesn’t line up with our desire [and] need to play for as many of you amazing folks as possible.”

He added that the Byron Bay Bluesfest gig was the “anchor” of the international tour, and “without that, it just isn’t possible.”