Archive 1997-2016
By Vicki Newton
It takes only a second for Peter Hamil to remove the bar holding the door to Ottawa’s last manually operated elevator open and swiftly escort his passengers inside.
Hamil steers the closet-sized elevator with a lever. It holds up to five people with nothing but a cage-like door stretched across the frame. The 80-year-old elevator shoots up quickly past the floors.
By Spencer Ferron-Tripp
Most bands have to be seen to be heard. And the best place to be seen is in a live music venue.
But what if the fans don’t show? It’s a problem faced by many venues and bands, because music fans like to get their money’s worth. More often than not, that means hanging on to their hard-earned dollar if an unknown band takes the stage.
By Jared Adams
It’s a problem many musicians face: whether to break new ground or follow in someone else’s footsteps.
It’s the basic conflict between playing in a cover band and one that performs all-original music. One will make you large amounts of cash on a regular basis. The other just might make you a career.
By Jade Lock-Whitmore
A darkened room. Flashing lights. People dancing in a trance to their favorite performer. But the performer isn’t your traditional musician — he plays other people’s records instead of creating his own.
Hundreds of people in Ottawa are going to clubs to see and hear this new breed of musician.