Twenty-Five years ago The Headstones released their debut album Picture of Health, heralding the arrival of one of the great Canadian rock bands of the 90s. They quickly made a name for themselves with an intense live show and exhaustive touring of Canada. This album remained so important to their repertoire that even, twenty-five years and nine albums later,  it still […]

 I first discovered Wild Planes at a late-night show during Canadian Music Week in 2017 at The Painted Lady. It was crowded, it was late, but no one left early as the band entertained into the wee hours. When I saw they were playing Ottawa, I made sure to go out and see them. The band played Café Dekcuf […]

 All good things eventually come to an end and, as such, this review covers the final weekend of RBC Bluesfest 2018. Day 8 – Friday, July 13th Country music is often a divisive genre. People seem to either love it or hate it, yet Sturgill Simpson is somehow different. To quote one patron overheard at Bluesfest, “I don’t like country […]

As in previous years, Monday following the first weekend was a “dark” day at Bluesfest with no shows on the schedule. This allows the festival to tweak the grounds as needed while pass holders get a day of rest. Below we share Days 5 through 7. Take a look back of the first four days over here. Day 5 – […]

 Ottawa’s RBC Bluesfest can be a logistical challenge to see everyone on your list. With the number of performers featured on the multiple stages at one time, schedule conflicts are inevitable. Since we couldn’t attend every gig, here are some quick highlights of memorable sets from the first four days of the fest. Day 1 – Thursday, July 5th It’s finally […]

Tim Horton’s Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival 2018 was recently held in the Nation’s capital. Having been in existence for a quarter century, the Festival has cultivated quite a following, drawing 200 teams from across North America. The sporting event hosts races in competitive, corporate, and community categories, and the Foundation raises funds to support local charitable organizations. The event is family […]

 The weather for the final day of Rockfest was perfect, possibly even a little too hot in the afternoon. Concert-goers enjoyed the cooling spray of the fire hose at the day’s most oppressive moments to keep from overheating. The bands on offer for Saturday covered many metal and punk sub-genres as well as a double dose of alternative rock […]

The 2018 edition of Montebello Rockfest again hosted an eclectic mix of rock music ranging from comedy rock to thrash metal, somehow taking all these disparate sub-genres and turning it into one gigantic party. The Thursday night crowd had to deal with inclement weather, but when I was able to attend on Friday the weather had turned pleasant. My day started […]

Toronto’s massive Canadian Music Week festival has wrapped up for another year. If you took in all it had to offer, you’re likely still catching up on your sleep. With 35 venues and over 600 artists, choices for how to spend an evening were almost endless. Our Part II of Canadian Music Week is a photographic revisiting of some of […]

Canadian Music Week, the annual Spring festival held in Toronto, has come to a close for 2018. With over 600 artists in over 35 venues, you’re likely still reeling from the fun (we are!). The options were expansive for each evening, but with a bit of bar hopping and pre-planning, you could see a ton of talent. Our Part I […]

Get With You | Single by The Damn Truth In the summer of 2017, a last minute schedule change at the Osheaga Music and Arts Festival introduced me to The Damn Truth. The band, taking over the River Stage, had a comfortable swagger, as they gave the crowd a solid taste of rock ‘n roll music and attitude and won […]

Shun Ng is the incarnation of joy. He plays his guitar with the enthusiasm of a novice and the intensity of a virtuoso. When he took to the stage at the Hojoko Tavern (The Verb Hotel) on April 3rd, the atmosphere was cold. People talked, uninterested in the drums and microphones set up before them. A couple arrived late, laughing […]

Birthdays is an underground venue in a bar in Dalston. Dalston is an area of London that seems to sport more mobile phone repair shops per head than any other part of the capital. It is real Eastenders country, although more grime than soap. Before the gig started, I had a chance to share a vodka and slimline with the […]

Words and photos are from Elissa Vinh, a photographer and writer based in Paris, France and London, England. An assertive, high-pitched scream from the audience filled the whole room as the band came up on stage. “We do it really soft”, Florist front woman Emily Sprague quietly replied in the microphone, alluding to her blend of calm folk and electronic […]

After playing several shows during SXSW, The Foreign Resort headed north for an 11-date tour in Canada, starting in Quebec City and driving across to Vancouver. On March 21st, the Danish post-punk/darkwave trio brought the show to the House of Targ, giving people a great excuse to bundle up and go out on a Wednesday night. The band was one of […]

On March 8th, a double dose of Canadian music makers stopped at TD Place in Ottawa. Matthew Good and Our Lady Peace, currently on a co-headlined, 20-date cross-country tour, gave the arena attendees a solid 2.5-hour performance. The wedding tradition of something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue seems a bit fitting to describe their collective sets.   Good […]

The last time I saw Grizzly Bear was June 2013 in Montreal when they co-headlined a tour with The xx. The outdoor venue was a make-shift one in an industrial part of the city, where parking was limited and the closest Metro stop was a kilometre away. Fortunately, the two performances were stellar. Five years later, Grizzly Bear find themselves […]

Rules Of Engagement by Ria Hall Every two years, one of the best arts and music festival in New Zealand takes place. Aptly called New Zealand Festival, the three-week extravaganza features the best international and national talent in theatre, film, and music, and the 2018 programs is the Festival’s most ambitious. On Saturday night, Kiwi singer-songwriter Ria Hall put on […]

Gig in a shop. Not a bad idea. Thirty years ago today, I was the Assistant Manager of an Our Price Music branch, which was a national chain of record stores in the UK that got rid of vinyl in favour of CDs and then got rid of those in favour of VHS and mobile phones. No wonder it no […]

If you’ve been following live music in Ottawa for the past ten years, it would have been difficult to not have run into The Balconies and impossible to have forgotten them. They were regulars in several of the local festivals as well as frequent performers in clubs, both as headliners and as an opening act for some international bands. They […]