François is one of the co-founders of Apt613. Over the years, he's worn many hats for the organization. He currently sits on the Apartment613 Community Initiatives board and still bangs out the occasional article. He's most drawn to people and organizations that contribute to making this city better.
Music to heal the soul – that’s pretty much how Hearts&Mines began. Lead singer Matt Luloff is an Afghanistan veteran. He started to create music as a way to cope with the atrocious war memories. A first album came out in 2011 and in 2012, their EP “Panic” came out. That year, Hearts and Mines were […]
I’m beginning to think Gabrielle Giguere isn’t a summe person. Her profile photo and her album under the Her Harbour moniker (Winter’s Ghosts) all speak to a colder time of year. It may be fitting that her lush, folky sounds will be heard at the Barney Danson Theatre as opposed to one of the outdoor […]
The Hornettes must be doing something right because they’ve accomplished the rare feat this year of playing both Jazz Fest and now, Bluesfest. If you’re in the mood for classic Motown era tunes, The Hornettes will fill your fix. The band consist of two female leads and a five-piece backing. They were lauded as a favourite […]
Our own Sacha K.W. did a more in-depth interview with Steve Adamyk — lead singer of the Steve Adamyk Band — a couple of months ago right before the band’s Ottawa Explosion performance. He talks about their latest album Third, released this past February on Dirtnap Records, the sounds of punk and possibly touring Japan this winter. For those […]
Mindy Amelotte is Dynamite Motel. What’s in a name? Well, if you look hard enough you discover Dynamite Motel is an anamagram for Mindy Amelotte. She is a true DIY-er composing, writing and producing all her own music while currently managing herself. While a relative newbie to the Ottawa music scene, Mindy has been playing the guitar and […]
Ever since Passion Is Dead came out, FEVERS has been a bit of an indie music darling in Ottawa. They were of the mind to give their first album for free and are doing the same with the first single off their new album, Dance Cry Dance. We spoke with them last year when they were young pups, playing […]
These girls are good. While this is their first time playing Bluesfest, The Musettes won the 2010 Galaxie Rising Stars Award and secured a spot playing at the Ottawa Folk Festival that same year. Their sound is akin to another all female folk band, The Good Lovelies. The trio has a unique style, as all three girls […]
Nilton De Menezes aka NDMA is a name that’s been on my must-watch list for over a year now. It’s definitely not his fault that I haven’t seen him perform in person yet. The man has been everywhere, with NXNE, Bluesfest and Arboretum being the big shows for him this summer, but he’s played all over […]
Imagine this: It’s +35 C outside, all you want to do is cool down and enjoy some music. You might want to head over to the Barney Danson Theatre this Saturday to listen to the sweet sounds of Tara Holloway. She will be performing with other female artists in the finals of the the third annual […]
There’s a bit of a country flavour to this year’s Bluesfest with Dixie Chicks, Zac Brown Band and others. You can clearly see where Jordan McIntosh takes his influence. Heck, by the looks of his photo above, he could play a young Johnny Cash (if they were to do another movie on the man in […]
Kelly Sloan‘s a country girl at heart. She was born in the Ottawa Valley and still plays most of her shows there. Proof of this is her series of recent past gigs: Almonte, Perth, Calabogie, Ashton… so it will be a special treat to have Kelly at Bluesfest, even if it’s off-site at the Rideau […]
I can’t believe we’re already in the middle of festival season. That means that the biggest festival of them all is knocking at our door: Bluesfest. In spite of last year’s electro success with the young’uns, Bluesfest bosses have decided to tone down the electro-vibe and give us a more balanced line-up for 2013. What […]
Maybe Chris Page should have been born in Halifax, because when I listen to Camp Radio, it makes me think of old the East Coast. Camp Radio’s got that 90s Halifax sound to it. The band, made up of Chris Page, producer extraordinaire Dave Draves and are drummer Scott Terry able to play with the […]
The official billing is Sarah Jean and The Wild Vines but maybe it should be Sarah, Samantha and The Wild Vines as the band has not one but two female singers – Sarah Jean and Samantha Marie. Nevertheless, their career seems to be going really well. The band is back from a successful 3-country European […]
People tend to say Ottawa’s hip hop scene is small and tight – I know some of the guys, Flight Distance, Philly Moves, Cashtro Crosby – but then I discover a guy with smooth beats like City Fidelia and ask myself: Why haven’t I seen this guy live yet? Well, it’s maybe because the man […]
