It’s been over seven years since Elsa Jayne’s first, eponymous album. A collection of folk-rock tunes backed by strong songwriting, 2008’s Elsa Jayne was a snapshot of a young songwriter still trying to pin down her sound. Now, in 2015, she’s released a brand new album titled Heart, an EP of five synth pop songs. […]

After over twenty-five years practicing the art that is rock and roll, Finger Eleven still seem unwilling to let past successes weaken their resolve. The band has had something of a storied career, with numerous hits and Juno nominations under their collective belts (including one Juno win for Rock Album of the Year in 2008), […]

After sharing the stage with fellow local hip hop duo Flight Distance this past Wednesday, Buck N’ Nice are looking to make their upcoming Saturday set something special. With the promise of new music from as-yet unreleased album EMAG, alongside the strength of their stage show, that seems pretty likely—there’s very little in the way […]

Despite being featured in the Magnetic North Theatre Festival, Global Savages is not what one might traditionally call a “play.”  In fact, it doesn’t even take place in a theatre.  Don’t go expecting act breaks, set changes and understudies. But then, that would be a little like going to Bluesfest and becoming confused because “Kanye […]

For some, this one may hit a little too close to home. If you’re with young people who want to grow up to work in the public sector, The Public Servant, the latest thing to hit the GCTC stage this spring season, may be a little too, shall we say, real.  As part of the  Magnetic […]

If you’ve ever found yourself walking about this city and thinking something the lines of, “I’m simply not laughing anymore,” you might be in for a surprise treat this weekend. Why? Because this weekend will see a veritable explosion of stand-up comedy in the form of Comedy Explosion, a pre-Ottawa Explosion explosion of comedy! Featuring […]

Ottawa, we’re this close to getting a tool library. Don’t you quit on me now. I believe in you. With one week to go, the Ottawa Tool Library is looking for one last push. They’re rounding the bend on $10,000, and they only need $5,000 more to make it to their goal. $5,000! That’s about […]

The West End Well is many things. From the outside it looks like a normal grocery store, its stoop adorned with all manner of fruits and vegetables to entice the hungry passerby. But it is so much more than a simple grocery. A step inside reveals a space that is devoted half to produce and […]

A good story can be a powerful thing. It can connect, it can inspire, and it can provide meaning to a community. But in the hands of a gifted teller, it can take on a kind of magical quality, rising above mere words on a page. It is a magic that Ottawa Storytellers has been […]

After fifteen years of music, Kathleen Edwards has decided she’s done, at least for now. Tonight’s Jazz Festival performance is the artist’s final planned show. Whether or not this means she’s quitting music permanently is not clear, but Edwards is clear that she is stepping back from music for a sizeable portion of time. Since […]

This year, the Ottawa Jazz Festival has what can only be described as a monster of a lineup. Featuring musical legends Bobby McFerrin, Bela Fleck and Earth Wind and Fire, it is sure to start Ottawa’s festival season on a high note. But there’s much, much more to the festival than the headliners. The magic […]

Post by Jared Davidson and Scott. “Rather than doing what people want, you take it outside, do what you want, and then make that what people want… if that makes any sense,” says SawBuck, gesturing with a french fry. We’re in a pool hall. It’s a Wednesday night. What he says does make sense, but […]

Have you ever felt the urge to learn something new? For me, it’s a hunger that can only be quelled by the consumption of knowledge—hearty, metaphorically consumable knowledge. Sometimes, it’s enough to just read a Wikipedia article, but more often I feel the need for something substantial. Now, I don’t have the time to commit […]