Alanis Morissette Uncovers her Family’s Holocaust History

 The seven-time Grammy Award winning, Ottawa-born musician Alanis Morissette uncovered shocking family secrets in season ten of the PBS program Finding Your Roots. The series features a team of researchers and genealogists who investigate information about celebrity backgrounds. The singer was raised Catholic, and her mother’s Jewish heritage was revealed

Album Reviews: Jehnny Beth, Vagabon, Krista Hartman and more

 Jehnny Beth — To Love Is To Live (Poitiers/Paris, France) Ever since Savages, there's been a raw intensity in Jehnny Beth's performances that was too shocking to ignore. And firing on her own again, her music is a raw and often pounding listen to assault the senses while saying something

Barenaked Ladies to be inducted into Canadian Music Hall of Fame at 2018 JUNO Awards

 The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) and CBC are pleased to announce the 2018 inductee into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame will be world-renowned rockers Barenaked Ladies - Ed Robertson, Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn and Tyler Stewart - alongside original member, co-founder and singer-songwriter Steven Page. The band celebrates their 30th anniversary this

Music & Beyond Looks at 150 Years of Canadian Music

 Ottawa Life’s Festival City Series is back! We'll provide a unique look at some of your favourite events. We’ll go beyond the music with artist interviews, volunteer profiles, concert reviews and spotlights on the tastes, sights and sounds of the festival season.  Your city! Your festivals and events! Like a good sunscreen,

Tough Age Talks Alanis Morissette and Surviving the Underground

 Feature photo via Facebook / show images by Joel Redekop Headlining the Megaphono’s Friday night showcase at the House of Targ earlier this month was Vancouver-by-way-of-Toronto bubblegum punks Tough Age. Escaping the noise of the venue, I met with Jarrett Samson (guitar), Penny Clark (bass) and Jesse Locke (drums) in Targ’s

Honey & Rust

 Photo by Toni van Eeden. Before she learned to talk Johanne Beattie was sharing songs. She’d sit in her bike-seat humming gibberish melodies as her mother rode through town. At seven she was reluctantly enrolled in piano lessons. As it was with her singing, her mother saw a natural gift in

Sarah Slean: Navigating the Mystery on Land & Sea

 Fifteen years on and Sarah Slean's list of accomplishments is as varied as it is impressive. Slean is something of a modern-day Renaissance Woman. During her career, she's released an exhaustive amount of work: her own albums, collaborations with other musicians, painting exhibitions, two volumes of poetry, acting roles in

Letter from the Publisher

 Twelve years ago when we started the first Annual Top People in the Capital issue, JDS Uniphase CEO Jozef Straus was our number one pick. Remember him? Do you even remember JDS Uniphase – the Halley’s Comet of Ottawa high-tech companies? Other picks in 2000 included then Prime Minister Jean Chrétien