July 19th, 2022 | by Aaron Kaiserman | published in Concerts
On a sweltering July night, Indie rock mainstays The National brought their own kind of heat to the Ottawa RBC Bluesfest main stage. Simmering Emotion “If you want to see me cry, play Let it Be or Nevermind” sang Matt Berninger on the show opener, “Don’t Swallow the Cap,” setting the stage for a band […]
July 19th, 2022 | by Aaron Kaiserman | published in Bluesfest locals, Concerts
An Intimate Setting The coffeehouse vibes of the Barney Danson Theatre in the Canadian War Museum made a perfect setting for OK Naledi’s heartfelt, joyful, and intimate set on the final night of Bluesfest. A local to both Ottawa and Botswana, OK Naledi (AKA Kimberly Naledi Sunstrum) brought her signature Afro house sound to a […]
July 16th, 2022 | by Scott Martin | published in Concerts
The headliner on day 8 was none other than Rage Against The Machine. It was the band’s first Canadian show since 1999. It was a busy night, probably the busiest of the whole festival, and not surprising, given that they were originally supposed to play in 2020. With the ongoing pandemic and the cancellation that […]
July 14th, 2022 | by Scott Martin | published in Concerts
Day 6 was the first heavy night of the festival with Alexisonfire headlining the main stage, supported by Sum 41 and Millencolin. There was a good sized crowd on hand for the evening of heavy riffs. Alexisonfire was touring in support of their first album – Otherness – in 13 years. The group last played […]
July 10th, 2022 | by Scott Martin | published in Bluesfest locals, Concerts
Jack Johnson was the headliner on day 2 of this year’s festival. I was looking forward to his performance as he had just released a new album recently. I’ve only seen him once previously, at Cityfolk back in 2017. His hummable mellow tunes are perfect for an outdoor show under the night sky. The surprise […]
July 10th, 2022 | by Scott Martin | published in Bluesfest locals, Concerts
RBC Ottawa Bluesfest got off to a great start this year with Sarah McLachlan closing out the evening on the main stage with a wonderful performance. While attendance on the first night was average, the thing that surprised me was the number of people showing up earlier. I don’t recall seeing that many people right […]
March 11th, 2022 | by Scott Martin | published in Concerts, Features
It was a great feeling to get back to a packed house for live music here in Ottawa as we come out of the 2 year long pandemic. Even better, is when it happens to be one of my favorite bands – Said The Whale! It’s been a few years since I saw them last, […]
November 17th, 2021 | by Aaron Kaiserman | published in Concerts, Features
Ottawans were treated to one of our first indoor concerts in some time. The sold out, social distanced, indoor show made for an exciting return to live music with the Steven Page Trio. The former Barenaked Ladies frontman was joined by Kevin Fox (Sarah Harmer) on Cello and Craig Northey (The Odds) on electric guitar, […]
September 25th, 2021 | by Scott Martin | published in Concerts, Features, News
Day 2 of Bluesfest was a mix of blues and some classic rock. No strangers to local music fans, Ottawa’s own Monkey Junk kicked things off with a solid set. While festival audiences quite often trickle in slowly, a large crowd showed up early to catch the openers. It was an older crowd on day […]
September 24th, 2021 | by Scott Martin | published in Concerts, Features, News
There was a large crowd on hand for the first night of this year’s shortened Ottawa Bluesfest. On and off rain through the early part of the evening eventually turned into a steady downpour by the time Half Moon Run hit the stage, drenching the crowd. That didn’t dampen spirits however, as the majority of […]