Building a bassline: Hip-hop showcase introduces emerging talent to a hungry Ottawa audience
The music collective 808s Creative State held a showcase in an Ottawa barbershop recently to introduce performers to a local audience.
Rising popularity of K-pop and K-dramas sparking a shift in perceptions of Korean identity and culture
Nukes. Bombs. War. North Korea. These are words Jenny Kwak, a 22-year-old Korean-Canadian, often heard when people discussed her heritage. Growing up in Toronto, she always felt like she stood out. Her food was different. Her features didn’t fit in. When she met people who weren’t from her community, she learned to steel herself for the stereotyping. Then came 2012,...
Bytown is “the best” for We Were Sharks guitarist Colin Jacques
We Were Sharks guitarist Colin Jacques explores his connection to Ottawa after performing in the city's biggest music festival.
Review: Father John Misty delivers dramatic, enigmatic set at Bluesfest
While the opening night of Bluesfest saw country music tearing it up on the RBC Stage, those who spent the late evening at the River Stage were treated to a performance by one of the most enigmatic songwriters working today. The Father John Misty persona is a creation of American musician Josh Tillman, who rose to prominence as the drummer...
Orchestra offers open-air music — and ice cream — at free summer concerts
You scream, I scream, we all scream for . . . the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra’s music and The Merry Dairy’s ice cream! To kick off the summer season, the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra is hosting a series of free open-air concerts in collaboration with The Merry Dairy ice cream truck to deliver six, two-hour concerts, filled with joyful music and icy...
Review: Metric delivers intimate, high-energy performance at Bronson Centre
Canadian alternative rock band Metric took to the Bronson Centre stage on Monday night to play their most iconic album for Ottawa fans. The show was part of a retrospective tribute to the band’s Polaris-nominated, Juno-award-winning 2009 album Fantasies. The record was Metric’s best-selling release ever and included some of their highest charting songs. Ottawa wasn’t originally a stop in...
Afrobeats jazz quintet aims to bring people and music together in a happy blend
The John Dapaah Quintet is sharing their unique fusion of African music and jazz with Ottawa this summer. “With every song we do, we try to mix it up in a sense. We kind of throw a popular song in there that the audience might not be expecting,” said John Kofi Dapaah, director and pianist of the quintet. “An example...
City seeks public input for five-year plan to transform Ottawa’s cultural life
The City of Ottawa has begun a major public consultation aimed at creating a new five-year plan for the development of the capital’s cultural life. “This is the first city-wide cultural planning exercise since 2012 and aims to help the city better serve the evolving needs of Ottawa’s culturally diverse populations,” according to the official announcement in late March. Everything...
Music Week to boost capital’s bid to be ‘Nashville North’ nighttime hotspot
Ottawa band Whiskey River played a live show at the Lowertown Brewery in the Byward Market on March 8. . [Photo © Gavin Ramnauth
Ottawa artists celebrate a ‘deep’ and ‘nuanced’ culture during Black History Month
As Black History Month winds down, many artists are gratified for the opportunity to celebrate Black contributions to the arts and to reflect on the work of those who came before.
NAC Orchestra plans landmark spring tour to South Korea, Japan
The National Arts Centre Orchestra is to embark on a monumental tour this spring, including its debut in South Korea and a return to Japan for the first time in 40 years. The orchestra has performed in every Canadian province and territory, but it is also known as one of the most accessible and collaborative orchestras in the world. This...
Harmony and Home: Persian music event unites local Farsi speakers
On a bitterly cold Sunday night in downtown Ottawa, Shirin Ghodrati stepped through the doors of Bronson Centre, her breath curling in the frosty air. Just four months into her new life in Canada, she had more than the weight of winter on her shoulders; she carried a longing for connection. Drawn by the soul-stirring melodies of a Persian music...