Ottawa to welcome legendary Canadian rockers, Rough Trade

 ABOVE: Church of Trees and Rough Trade will be at the Bronson Centre on April 27. (PHOTO: Church of Trees by Karen Bisson)  High School Confidential, All Touch/No Contact, For Those Who Think Young, Avoid Freud . . . These are monuments in Canada’s rich rock and roll history. Breaking taboos in the late

Weekend What’s Up December 17-19, 2021

 From holiday shopping to taking part in seasonal activities, check out our weekly roundup of things to do in Ottawa this weekend. We have a mix of fun activities including some free options, all are guaranteed to help you get in the festive spirit! 1. Leahy: A Celtic Family Christmas When: December 19,

Ottawa’s Neighbourhoods: Downtown Ottawa

 From the Parliament buildings south to the 417, we are looking at downtown Ottawa. This is the part of the city that makes Ottawa really feel like a major capital, from the centres of industry tucked into skyscrapers, to the most iconic historic halls of politics in the city, especially Parliament

Matthew Good powers on

 Life changes, and for Matthew Good that meant making his new record Moving Walls in his parents' garage. Good stripped much of the roar of his last record away to produce an intimate listen that shows a Good maturing more than ever. We caught up with Good ahead of his

Big Wreck Carry On

 Following their 2010 reunion, Big Wreck has been an unstoppable force of creativity and touring. Releasing their new record ...But for the Sun in the wake of guitarist Brian Doherty's death, the band carry on with a return to hard stomping rock. We caught up with member Ian Thornley ahead

BEST OF OTTAWA 2019: Live music venues

 After over 20-years writing about life in Ottawa, we think we have a pretty good idea of the best of what this city has to offer. In this weekly series, we share our picks with you — our top hotels, live music venues, local brews, bands and more. Check, share and discuss

Timber Timbre’s Fiction Becomes Reality

 Photo by Caroline Desilets After a decade of music and five albums, Timber Timbre looked to science fiction for inspiration. What they found however was that the reality was stranger than fiction, leading them towards  a dystopian, synth-rock. Flying out to France, the band huddled up in a bizarre studio,

The Rural Alberta Advantage Regroup

 The Rural Alberta Advantage have had quite the shakeup recently. As founding member Amy Cole left the band, they found new life with Robin Hatch, setting them on an interesting new course. Having to sort out their new lineup and dynamics on the road, they've managed to their new album

Death From Above Are Going Steady

 While Death From Above weren't even a band for a few years, they've returned and started writing albums more consistently than they ever did in the past. On their third album Outrage! Is Now they find themselves steering their album in a pop direction with weirder arrangements and more catchy

Hollerado DOES Shake the Bronson Centre

 Photos by Renee Doiron Returning for their first hometown show on their Born Yesterday tour, Hollerado found themselves quickly moved to a bigger venue to fit in all the fans. Playing the Bronson Centre Friday May 12 with Everett Bird and PS I Love You the local legends proved formidable

Hollerado Still Feel Like They Were Born Yesterday

 After a decade together Hollerado have been around the block, and things were getting repetitive. So after a few years off, which consisted of non-stop work to refresh their sound, they finally managed to make things feel fresh with their new record Born Yesterday. After a stepping stone record that

Learn Laugh and Listen at Recovery Day Ottawa Benefit

 Images courtesy of Recovery Day Ottawa People with addictions are weak. They bring it on themselves. They are just lazy.  They need to grow up. These are the types of stereotypical misconceptions people like Gord Garner strive to remove every day. As the Festival Producer for Ottawa’s annual Recovery Day, Garner

Against Me! Give It 100%

 Some bands are just so consistently great live that you can't help but get excited every time a tour date comes along. Playing the Bronson Centre on Friday March 24, Against Me! delivered better than ever. Opening the night Chuck Coles gave a more intimate acoustic set, playing with his

Showing Solidarity: Why We March

 Photos by Emily Cordonier “Love trumps hate” was the message echoing through Ottawa’s downtown core Saturday morning as thousands of people took a stand for women’s rights. I arrived along with my husband and two kids at the Ottawa Human Rights Monument, and I was immediately moved by how many

Riding the Rails on the Bragg/Henry Line

 All photos by Andre Gagne. It’s 1825 and an inventor named John Steven’s is placing down the planks of history around his summer home in Hoboken, New Jersey. Earlier that year he had built the first American steam locomotive and now it was time to test it. He would earn

On the Horizon of Ottawa’s First Zine Fair

 Poster by Morgan Sea. After enjoying years of underground popularity, zines are about to step out onto a whole new stage in Ottawa. The first Ottawa Zine Fair is taking over the Bronson Centre Saturday, June 4 in what will be the local zine community’s biggest mainstream outing to date.

Coeur de Pirate Brings Treasured Performance to Ottawa

 Photo by Etienne St. Denis. Béatrice Martin, better known by her stage name Coeur de pirate, will set sail on her global tour beginning with a show in Ottawa at the Bronson Centre on February 5. After growing up in Montreal, the young singer-songwriter brought a new face to Canada’s francophone music industry

Pilar’s Picks: The Head and The Heart

 This band is sure to capture your head and your heart, literally. The Head and The Heart originated in Seattle and met one another at their local pub, Conor Byrne. They were constantly trying to get customers' attention and approval. In 2011 they released an album through Sub Pop, their

V-Day Ottawa Supports Ending Violence Against Women with a production of The Vagina Monologues

 In support of the Global Effort to End Violence Against Women and Girls, V-Day Ottawa is announcing a special production of the Off-Broadway hit The Vagina Monologues. V-Day is an activist movement that works to end violence against women and girls. The global movement promotes creative events that raise awareness of

Mother Mother: Back to Basics on The Sticks

 At the peak of digital possibility, for every one artist capitalizing on the technology age, two are cursing its contribution to the demise of good music. For every Rebecca Black, there is a Neil Young – an established artist there to remind us that it didn’t used to be all