Small city, big ambitions.
It’s an old story in the artistic world. But some local musicians are hoping they can make up for Ottawa’s smaller population by getting the community more involved.
“If you were a performer in Toronto or Montreal, you could have events every night of the week,” said Alex Millaire, singer-songwriter for the local folk band Moonfruits, which includes his wife Kaitlin Milroy.
That’s not an option in Ottawa, he said. The talent is here, the audience is here, but the funding is not. So his band has become part of a push to partner with local businesses to create new venues for music.
“Art making is a community affair,” said Millaire.
Moonfruits performed at the Wellington West bakery Bread By Us on a recent weekend to kick off its crowd-funding campaign to raise money for its second album, to be recorded in December.
While an unlikely place to hold a crowd-funding event, local musicians such as the Moonfruits say they depend on the collaboration of local businesses to host their events to provide exposure. About 40 people squeezed into the bakery on the chilly Sunday evening and listened to three sets of music performed by the band.
The folk band is based on the harmonies created by Millaire and Milroy’s combined voices, often accompanied by a banjo or a diminutive parlour guitar, as well as a variety of percussion instruments that create energetic vibe wherever they perform.
“Tonight was a total surprise,” said Millaire. “Sometimes you can advertise for weeks and still have expected more people to show up.”
Millaire said Ottawa musicians face challenges with few venues. And if it’s too cold and people aren’t sure what the venue’s like, they are likely to stay at home.
Jessica Carpinone and Sarah Alahdal, co-owners of Bread By Us, met the musical couple as customers when they opened in 2013 and said they were eager to host the crowd-funding event.
“The relationship between local artists and local businesses is synergistic,” said Carpinone. “It helps people get to know the bakery and gets people to know the musicians.”
Lack of venues, exposure and industry support are some of the struggles local musicians are facing, said Millaire. Having been immersed in the Ottawa arts culture for the past few years, Millaire says more than ever the city is on the cusp of being able to embrace emerging artists.
Earlier this year, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson announced a micro-grant program connected with the Juno awards, which will be hosted in Ottawa next year. The program is contributing a one-time $30,000 investment with the goal of bringing exposure to local artists in non-traditional music venues throughout the 23 city wards.
Although funding and grants from the City of Ottawa are helpful, Milroy said, really getting to the heart of problems local musicians face needs more investment than one-off funding.
Milroy said the need for dedicated annual funding can’t be overlooked when thinking of ways to expand and nurture the music industry within Ottawa.
Multipurpose venues, performance residencies where artist will be provided with opportunities to work with people who know how to hone the craft are essential components that will add more of an impact long term, said Milroy.