Live Events at Motel Chelsea – Until Sat. June 19th
Motel Chelsea offers you an escape to nature where locals, music-lovers, foodies, culture-seekers, and travellers intersect. Nestled in the Gatineau Hills, where the river and forest trails merge with a vibrant arts culture, the Motel Chelsea is a hub of natural and man-made beauty, and local community.
Here’s what’s on the lineup at Motel Chelsea.
LOVE TO FOLK 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒎𝒆 – Saturday, July 4th • Fred Eaglesmith • 8:00 pm – OVER 75% SOLD!
2ND DATE Added: Sunday, July, 5TH • 4:30pm!
𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐅𝐎𝐋𝐊𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒎𝒆 is our premium concert series of 𝐦𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐳𝐲, 𝟖𝟓-𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞! Your chance to experience world-class performances up close and personal— the way music was meant to be heard.
Fred Eaglesmith, the Canadian singer-songwriter and roots music icon, has spent over five decades carving out a singular path in the music world. Known for his raw, storytelling lyrics, gravelly voice, and unapologetic independence, Eaglesmith has become a cult hero to fans of Americana, folk, and country music.
Born in rural Ontario in 1957, he ran away from home at 15, hopping freight trains and living a nomadic life that would later fuel the vivid, working-class narratives in his songs.
With a career spanning more than 25 albums, Eaglesmith has earned a reputation as a prolific and uncompromising artist. His songs, often laced with wit, heartbreak, and a touch of rebellion, have been covered by legends like Toby Keith, Alan Jackson, Miranda Lambert and countless more.
Tracks like “Time to Get a Gun” and “Freight Train” have become anthems for the disenfranchised, while his live performances- equal parts rock show and revival meeting- have cemented his status as a must-see act.
Tickets: July 4 at 8:00 pm – https://www.showpass.com/
Tickets: July 5 at 4:30 pm – https://www.showpass.com/
Thursday, May 28 • The Sadies • 7:30 pm — OVER SOLD OUT
Friday, May 29 • Hannah & Nathan Album Release • 8:00 pm
Featuring pristine vocal harmonies accompanied by the earthy pulse of fiddle and banjo, Hannah & Nathan weave a rich tapestry of timeless songs and fiddle tunes grown from their love of old Appalachian music.
Based in Ontario, Hannah Shira Naiman and Nathan Smith are acclaimed songwriters and multi-instrumentalists, each with a strong national presence in folk music: both are Canadian Folk Music Award winners (Hannah for Traditional Singer of the Year, and Nathan for Instrumental Composer of the Year), and the two of them have spent over a decade performing and honing their craft.
Hannah & Nathan are celebrating the release of their debut duo album “Love and Labour,” a collection of original songs and treasured traditional gems.
“Hannah and Nathan are two of the finest acoustic musicians on the scene. Tight harmonies, inspired playing. Their deep love of Traditional music shines in their original compositions. Truly worth a listen.”
Tickets: https://www.showpass.com/
Saturday, May 30 • Tin Constellations + Macmono & The Stereotypes • 8:00 pm
A dynamic double-bill featuring Montreal songwriter Mark Robertson (Macmono and the Stereotypes)—known for his soulful, genre-blending sound and collaborations with artists like Kid Koala—and Ottawa indie-folk band Tin Constellations, celebrated for their lush harmonies, melodic storytelling, and captivating live shows.
Tickets: https://www.showpass.com/
Sunday, May 31 • Noah Derksen • 3:00 pm
Noah Derksen is a Canadian singer-songwriter whose heartfelt blend of folk, country, and indie shines with sincerity. A wanderer at heart, Noah draws songs from the motion of everyday life: moving between cities, listening to strangers, holding closely to moments that might otherwise slip by. His fourth album, Mercy on the Skyline(2026), explores healing and self-realization with luminous honesty. With an intimate yet soaring voice, Noah’s music flickers between tenderness and boldness, always pointing toward the mercy on the horizon. He was named Canadian Folk Music’s Emerging Artist of the Year, and a finalist on SiriusXM’s Top of the Country competition.
Tickets: https://www.showpass.com/
Thursday, June 4 • Live & Local with Joe Ray MacDonald • 7:30 pm
Live & Local is a free, community-centered music series celebrating the artists who live and create right here at home, with select Thursday evenings hosted by a different local musician bringing their own sound, collaborators, and creative vision to the stage. Each night features a full set from the host followed by an open, collaborative jam—no two nights the same, always free, always local, always live.
This is a pass-the-hat event—please help support and show your appreciation for the featured artist by contributing what you can.
Ottawa valley-bred singer/songwriter and guitar extraordinaire Joe Ray McDonald effortlessly weaves melody, emotion and precise flatpick-style guitar together like flowers on a finely tailored cowboy shirt. Joe performs numerous shows a year as a solo artist and as a band leader, and is known for his warm rapport with audiences, diverse musicianship and accomplished songwriting.
Friday, June 5 • Matthew Barber • 8:00 pm
Matthew Barber is a Toronto-based singer-songwriter who has been touring and making records for over two decades. He has released 11 albums, garnered two Juno nominations, several Canadian Folk Music Award nominations, performed extensively across four continents and racked up plenty of radio play and millions of streams. Inspired by 60’s rock and roll, folk and soul, 70’s singer-songwriters, old-time country and blues and 90’s indie rock, Matthew has carved out his own sound in the 21st century that has matured over the years.
These days, Matthew is equally at home performing with his band or solo when he’s not in the studio producing music for up-and-coming artists. His most recent release is an EP entitled “No Singing or Dancing”.
Tickets: https://www.showpass.com/
Saturday, June 6 • Minuscule + For Ernest • 8:00 pm
Anything but small, Minuscule is a five-voice army, striding into difficult conversations with equal parts therapy and harmony. They fearlessly explore playful and painful corners of the human experience, delivering the poeticism of Joni Mitchell and Gord Downie with the harmonic punch of Florence + The Machine and TuneYards. Audiences across Canada have been captivated by Minuscule’s invigorating live presence, summoning social responsibility and empathy through empowering anthems, riveting layered vocals, and tongue-in-cheek lyrics.
Tickets: https://www.showpass.com/
Sunday, June 14 • Rebekah Hawker & Claire Hunter • 4:30 pm
Rebekah Hawker is an Ontario-based folk-americana singer-songwriter and storyteller. One of ten kids raised in Barrie, ON, she brings the warmth, wit, and honesty of her big-family upbringing to every performance and song. With banter that’s one part kitchen-table conversation and one part self-deprecating humour, her storytelling draws you in and leads you on a journey of honest intention. Within a single song she can root you so firmly in the story that flashes of your own life rise sharply into focus.
She’s graced stages at the Mariposa Folk Festival, Summerfolk Music Festival, Live From the Rock Festival, and opened for artists including Langhorne Slim, Dean Brody, and The Good Lovelies. This summer she returns to Summerfolk Music Festival following a celebrated 2025 performance, and makes her first appearance at Folk on the Rocks in Yellowknife, NT.
This summer also brings the release of her newest single, “Taking a Look In” – a song that continues the honest, unflinching storytelling that has made Rebekah a rising voice in the Canadian folk scene. Her singles “Ticket” and “Take Me Back” have received airplay on SiriusXM’s North Americana channel and her music has been featured on CBC Music’s In the Key of C, Indie88’s Weekend Café, and college radio across Canada.
tickets: https://events.humanitix.com/
Thursday, June 8 • Live & Local with Sarah Segal-Lazar • 7:30 pm
Live & Local is a free, community-centered music series celebrating the artists who live and create right here at home, with select Thursday evenings hosted by a different local musician bringing their own sound, collaborators, and creative vision to the stage. Each night features a full set from the host followed by an open, collaborative jam—no two nights the same, always free, always local, always live.
This is a pass-the-hat event—please help support and show your appreciation for the featured artist by contributing what you can.
Fresh off a string of sold-out shows across Australia, Sarah Segal-Lazar hits Motel Chelsea with a show built to sweep you off your feet. A 2024 nominee for Folk Music Ontario’s Recording Artist of the Year, she’s quickly becoming an artist audiences don’t just discover—they follow.
This special performance kicks off a summer of coast-to-coast touring with two distinct sets: Songs of Land and Songs of Sea. Blending original material with carefully chosen covers, the night travels from grounded, earthy ballads to windswept, saltwater anthems—stories of home, longing, departure, and return. Expect marrow-melting vocals, captivating storytelling, and songs that you’ll be humming all the way home.
Friday, June 19 • Jim Bryson • 8:00 pm — Just announced!
Jim Bryson is a National Folk Award-nominated Canadian Singer-Songwriter and Record Maker. He has released a number of recordings in all kinds of popular formats and in places all over the map. His most recent project is “Combinations 1+1”, a “rotating cast singles project” which debuted with Jason Tait and John K Samson this last September of 2024.
Jim also has an ongoing project, a series of $30 singles called “Survival Tactics”, meant as an offset to the pennies per glass Spotify/Streaming world we now live in.
Jim’s 2000 Debut “The Occasionals” was recently named a Top 10 record of the 2000’s by Americana UK!
Aside from singing and strumming his own golden hits, Jim produces records out of his Fixed Hinge Studio Recordings shed. His production work has been acknowledged by The Juno Awards, The Canadian Folk Music Awards and The Americana Music Awards.
Recent releases of note are Juno Nominee Suzie Ungerleider’s “My Name Is Suzie Ungerleider”, Kathleen Edrwards’ “Total Freedom”, Ken Yates’ “Cerulean”, and Good Lovelies Singer Caroline Marie Brooks’ solo debut “Everything at The Same Time”.
In one of Jim’s former lives, he traveled extensively as a side player for artists such as Kathleen Edwards, The Weakerthans and The Tragically Hip.
In another of these former lives, he toured all across the basements and halls and legions and clubs of North America as a member of the Canadian Pop Punk band Punchbuggy (1994-1996)
tickets: https://events.humanitix.com/
