One staple of being in Ottawa every summer is Bluesfest which takes over 12 days every July. This year, based on the growing demand for electronic music, the organizers have added an Electro Stage near the Canadian War Museum. Salacious Sound will be on hand to conduct interviews and take photos from July 4th to 15th.

Musical pairings on the line up for Bluesfest can seem odd to first time attendees, but you get used to it.

Here is a run-down of who we are most excited to see:

July 4th: Tiesto returns to Ottawa after appearing at the Escapade Festival in 2011. Opening for him is Alan Doyle (Great Big Sea). Grunge, godfathers, The Melvins play on the Electro Stage.

Gotye – Somebody That I Used To Know feat. Kimbra (Tiësto Remix)

July 5th: There is a heavy focus on pop music on the main stages with Justin Beiber’s rising star Carly Rae Jepsen, Toronto’s Dragonette and party rock duo LMFAO finishing off the night. Legendary British DJ Paul Oakenfold is ready steady go on the Electro Stage with dVbbs and Mister Parker playing before his set.

Martin Solveig & Dragonette – Hello (SMASH Edit)

July 6th: Tommy Lee and DJ Aero play the Electro Stage while rock acts (Conor Oberst, David Grey, Sleigh Bells and City and Colour) dominate the bigger stages

July 7th: Metal is on the menu on Saturday evening with Alice Cooper and Iron Maiden. MSTRKRFT and Mustard Pimp play at the same time so it’s a tough choice in terms of who to see.

Deftones – You’ve Seen The Butcher (Mustard Pimp Remix)

July 8th: The reinvented Norah Jones takes centre stage with Seal while Chromeo and A Tribe Called Red play along the Ottawa River.

July 9th: So far no electro acts have been booked for Monday so you will have to settle for Nickelback instead. Maybe if you yell loud enough they will do a cover of ‘Robot Rock’.

July 10th: Probably going to be a popular night for hip hop fans as Lauren Hill, who strayed away from the spotlight since becoming a Marley, is performing before Snoop Dogg. Chali 2na of Jurassic 5 and Deltron 3030 (Dan the Automator, rapper Del tha Funkee Homosapien, and DJ Kid Koala) will bring their unique blend of hip hop to the festival.

Deltron 3030 – Virus

July 11th: The Offspring headline with Big Boi of Outkast.

July 12th: Russian trance DJ and up-and-comer Arty is on the Electro Stage while John Mellencamp whill probably be the main draw of the night.

Mat Zo & Arty – Mozart

July 13th: A solid line-up of Grandtheft, Drop The Lime and A-Trak play on the same stage while Our Lady Peace and Blue Rodeo return to the festival again.

July 14th: Electronic music takes centre stage with Tokimonsta, Diplo, Pretty Lights, and Skillrex. Metal fans will want to check out Mastodon on the River Stage.

Pretty Lights – You Get High NYE 2011 Denver Video Recap

July 15th: Probably the toughest night in terms of balancing who to watch. K’Naan’s set will overlap with Bzrk and Felix Cartal, meanwhile Wolfgang Gartner plays at the same time as Metric and The Trews. Choose wisely.

For tickets and full line up details visit: www.ottawabluesfest.ca