Montreal: Magnificent at any time of the year

 Montreal’s Leonard Cohen has long been one of my favourite singers and this son of Montreal was known for his unparalleled love of his hometown. In describing the city that remains Canada’s greatest, he once said, “Some say that no one ever leaves Montreal, for that city, like Canada itself,

A Symphony of Choice! Get Classical with These Chamberfest 2018 Concerts

 Whether you’re a classical music aficionado well-versed in everything from Amadeus to Záviš of Zápy or you simply can’t tell Mendelssohn from Metallica, narrowing down which of the 80+ concerts you can see this year at Ottawa Chamberfest is a pretty daunting task. This isn’t Pokémon, my friends, and you

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

Sultans Return to Put More Swing into Your Christmas

 We know what you’re thinking, it’s a day after Halloween which inevitably means the flood of Christmas music will soon be pouring out over the speakers of your favorite mall and grocery stores. Hark, those herald angels shall sing forth an often repetitive mix of standards, auto-tuned coves, some scatterings

Six Hip Picks for Chamber Fest 2017

 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,

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,

Both Sides Now: The Music of ENiiD and Joni

 When the world becomes a massive mess with nobody at the helm, it’s time for artists to make their mark. -Joni Mitchell Carol, ENiiD and Joni, three names but all pieces of the whole that make up one Wakefield woman living her life surrounded by the songs of a music

Westfest Preview: The Return of Susan O

 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! Like a good sunscreen, Ottawa Life

Ron Sexsmith Charms at National Arts Centre Performance

 It’s always refreshing when a well-known artist with considerable talent strays from the norm, forgoing the bells and whistles of flashy lights or costume changes and making the music the center of attention instead of themselves. Even more so when said artist is self-effacing to a fault, which only ends

Q&A: Ron Sexsmith and the Last Rider

 Photos courtesy of Warner Music “To use a tired cliché, my career has been a roller coaster,” says Ron Sexsmith a few weeks after releasing his 15th album, one that showed hints that the 53-year-old singer may be looking to sidle off into the sunset, just a singer with his

Amazing Week For Canadian Music? JUNO-it!

 Photos by Kamara Morozuk What a great time to be a music fan in Canada’s capital, eh?  You could have thrown a Timbit in any direction and hit a musician as Ottawa became music city in the days leading up to the 2017 Juno Awards! Was that The Strumbella’s playing

JUNO Spotlight: Music on Canvas

 Any time I see a musician release a literary work, star in a film or open a restaurant, my initial reaction is a mix of skepticism and cynicism. Admittedly, musicians trying on other hats rubs me the wrong way: they already have one slice of pie – who said it

Plans of His Own – The Gordon Lightfoot Interview – Part 1

 Listen to part one of our interview with Gordon Lightfoot above. The singer lay silenced, his synapses struggling for some light within the darkness of the coma that had muted his voice. An eye flutter here, a possible movement there but the man who’s music meant much to many, a

Navigating the Rough Waters with Chantal Kreviazuk

 Two mothers share a piano bench, one is a two-time Juno Award winner and member of the Order of Canada, the other is an activist, former television host and spouse of the Prime Minister. Both are beautifully butchering John Denver’s “Leaving on a Jet Plane” like there wasn’t a captive

Inspiration From the Tower of Song: Remembering Leonard Cohen

 "There is a crack in everything That's how the light gets in" - Leonard Cohen  If, as a youngster, you are lucky enough to find that one teacher who inspires you, pushes your limits and alters your way of thinking you will carry that person with you all your life,

‘Canadian Songbook’ Tour Captures its Last Note in Ottawa

 All photos by Eric Murphy.  A journey that began three months ago will end this evening when classical crossover singer Eleanor McCain and the NAC orchestra strike the last note of the seven songs they’ve been recording together. The seven songs, all re-interpretations of Canadian classics and contemporary hits, are