Music Monday: Music Blogs

Photo by Active Steve Courtesy of Flickr
(Creative Commons).

The following article first appeared on Apartment613 on May 11.

Recently we profiled two local photographers who chronicle Ottawa’s music scene. In this week’s column, we expand our focus to include the numerous other music bloggers from the National Capital Region.

Music Writers

Most local bloggers probably don’t consider themselves to be journalists or writers in the strict sense of the word. However, given that many music-related blogs contain interviews, previews of upcoming shows, reviews of new releases, insightful analysis and interesting bits of information, it is fair to say that many area bloggers are producing work that is comparable to traditional music journalism.

As a case in point, Ottawa Showbox, which we have mentioned before on Tour de blogosphere, is a great blog for music news. (I reviewed OS on my local blog recently). Couch Assassin is another fantastic site where you can find, among other things, previews of upcoming shows and musician profiles. For punk rock lovers, Ottawa Explosion (alternative tumble site here) is worth checking out, while those interested in reading about classical music can link to The Heckeler. Music Inkorporated, meanwhile, is another blog that you can read to get news and music-related analysis.

Concert and Event Listings

Besides Apartment613, numerous local sites contain information about musical events in our region. If you are a fan of traditional Irish music, then the Irish Music Ottawa – blog is the place to go. Classical music fans can read Music and Beyond, while devotees of folk music should check out Spirit of Rasputin’s. For blues fans, Ottawa Blues This Week is an indispensable source of information, with its extensive list of shows and events.

Birdman Sound is another good site where you can find upcoming shows, along with posts that contain musical playlists. Hardcore and punk fans can read Ottawa Hardcore, while patrons of Raw Sugar Cafe can follow the hip cafe’s tumblr site to see upcoming shows. My Ottawa Show Listings was quite active last year, although it seems to be currently dormant. That said, this site is worth bookmarking in the event that it starts up again.

Blogging Musicians, DJs and Radio Show Hosts

Ottawa Live Music bills itself as the only interactive live music show in the city, while Harmony & Groove, who mix pop, funk R&B and soul, also have a blog. Ditto for local jazz vocalist and songwriterRenée Yoxon, who has a tumblr account, and piano player, singer and songwriter Tyler Kealey.

Local hip-hop innovators A Tribe Called Red have a blog, although it hasn’t been updated since this past January. Similarly, Brad Turcotte, who performs under the name Brad Sucks, has a web site / blog, though it appears to have been last updated in mid-March. The Souljazz Orchestra also has a site where they post news about their musical careers which is updated on a periodic basis.

Other blogs that you may be interested in checking out are the CKCU show Debaser, the site for DJ CPI, the blog of JayBizz LeFresh, and the one for DJ Hobo & Sweet Cheeks, who uses a SoundCloud account to post musical mixes.

Miscellaneous

Finally, Pearl Pirie, whose impressive blogging we have already profiled, started earlier this year the music-related site earworm curation.

Music Monday: Kings of Lowertown, Fire and Neon, Renée Yoxon, A Tribe Called Red

Photo by Nikita! courtesy of Flickr
(Creative Commons)

Happy Monday everyone!  Here are some music-related items from the local blogosphere to start your week.

New Releases and Reviews

Ottawa Showbox reviews the first single by Kings of Lowertown off their new album 60 More Miles that is scheduled to be released this coming October.  "The track, called 'Shotgun Preacher' is a short but sweet preview of what to expect form the upcoming album, and boasts dirty sounding blues riffs along with distorted vocals," says the post.

PhotogMusic writes about the new Fire and Neon album Intention. "Wow! They sure have come a long way from what I have heard like a year or two before seeing their live shows," reads the post.  "They sure have gone through the serious electro-synth pop-rock route.  Not really dark but more of a solid and tighter/proper sound in their music and lyrics."

Local jazz vocalist and composer Renée Yoxon posts on her blog some of the reviews for her album Here We Go Again.  For their part, Beau's brewing company has released a bubblegum pink vinyl record with tracks from five indie Canadian artists.

Upcoming Shows

The Big Beat notes that U.S. “proto-punks” Pere Ubu will be playing in Ottawa on September 16.

Finally, Ottawa Showbox reports that local, "pow wow step innovators A Tribe Called Red are going to be on the bill for this year’s Mad Decent Black Party."

Music Monday: New disk by Fire and Neon; Little Stella video; Her Harbour's new album

Photo by Jacob Earl courtesy of Flickr
(Creative Commons)

The local blogosphere is abuzz with several upcoming shows and new releases from area musicians.

Upcoming Shows

Spotlight Ottawa has a post on Fire and Neon's release of their their new disk Intentions on Friday, May 3, at Ritual.  Also playing will be The Love Machine, Zoo Legacy and DJ JFun.  Doors open at 9 pm and tickets are $12 in advance

Birdman Sound notes that Ottawa groups Eat Crow and the band whose name is a symbol will be performing on Saturday, May 4, at Pressed at 750 Gladstone.  Doors open at 9 pm and admission is $4.

Jazz vocalist Renée Yoxon writes on her blog that she will be performing with Mark Ferguson and Joel Kerr on Friday, May 10, at GIGSPACE at 953 Gladstone.  Tickets are $20.

In a separate post, Birdman Sound notes that Deniz Tek & the Golden Breed, with guests Voice Mail, will be playing at the Dominion Tavern at 33 York Street on Saturday May 18.  Tickets are $12 now and $15 at the door.

New Releases and Reviews

PhotogMusic gives a positive reviews of Winter’s Ghosts, the debut album by Her Harbour, the moniker for indie-folk songwriter and musician Gabrielle Giguere.  "Winter’s Ghost is a mix of indie acoustic and orchestral sound folk pop album," reads the review.  "The ways she sings is like slow moving poetry.  She pours her soul and emotion on this 9 track album.  It’s like stepping into a mystical land where it’s magical and mysterious.'

Ottawa Showbox, PhotogMusic and Apartment613 all have posts on the new video by Little Stella for their song "Bluff."

Finally, Ottawa Showbox has a post on the 4/20 show by four songwriters at Avant-Garde at 135 1/2 Besserer.

Some Ottawa history, (a bit of food, art and music news), and movies by area filmmakers

Photo by Mikey G Ottawa courtesy of Flickr
(Creative Commons)

Now that things have calmed down a bit I can get back to semi-regular blogging. Below are some interesting posts that I have recently come across.

Culinary News

The City Bites blog from Ottawa Magazine has a post on the recent opening of Slice & Co at 399 Elgin Street, Centretown's new pizzeria.  In a Nutshell has a review on the new eatery.

Art and Music News

Peter Simpson of The Big Beat reports that Elaina Martin, who created the great summer music festival Westfest, has won the City of Ottawa's top arts award.

Ottawa Showbox recommends some more local bands who are playing Bluesfest this year.  The post looks at FEVERS, Her Harbour, Iconoclast and Mehdi Cayenne Club.

Coach Assasin notes that FILM NATION will be screening at the ByTowne Cinema at 325 Rideau this coming Thursday, April 25, at 7:00 pm.  Tickets are $12.  The screening will showcase 21 years of the work of The Independent Filmmakers Co-operative of Ottawa Inc., which support Ottawa-based filmmakers.

History

GlebeSite has some great photographs from the 1920s of the Driveway, which shows what it was like to take a drive by the Rideau Canal almost 100 years ago.

Urbsite looks at the history of the Central Post Office on the corner of Sparks and Elign.

Finally, Ottawa Start blog notes that the old schoolhouse on Slack Road in Nepean is for sale for $950,000. (Here's the listing).  According to the post:

A faded stone above the door has a name "S.S. No 13" and a date "1897". It was better known as Merivale Public School, and operated as a one-room schoolhouse until the newer elementary school was built next door in 1955. After that it had a few uses including an Orange Hall and a Bhuddist centre.  There's a bit more about the history of the building here. 

... According to this page it's now owned by Public Works and is used for training by the Canada Border Services Agency.

Blog Review: Ottawa Showbox

Photo of Souljazz Orchestra by Alexandre Mattar
courtesy of http://blog.ottawashowbox.com

One of the great things about the Internet is that it allows regular citizens to become journalists.  In fact, I would argue that the blogosphere often contains better information and analysis than many mainstream news sites.  As a case in point, 15 years ago if I wanted to know what was going on in Ottawa I would read a daily newspaper or one of the then existing alternative weeklies.  Today, if I want to be informed about a new condo project, hear about the latest art exhibit, read a review with a local band,  or get a restaurant recommendation, I usually turn to the blogosphere first and the news media afterwards.

The above thoughts often come to mind whenever I read Ottawa Showbox, one of the city's top blogs for local music-related news.  Many moons ago, I used to work for an arts and entertainment weekly called Capital City that was based in Ottawa. At this newspaper, which has long been defunct, we extensively covered local music.  Fast forward more than a decade later, and Ottawa Showbox is doing work that is comparable to what me and my Capital City colleagues were doing years ago, or what the Ottawa (x)press wrote until it folded last year.

Founded in 2012 by Matías Muñoz, Ottawa Showbox focuses on the local music indie scene.  Eric Scharf  subsequently joined the blog to help with its coverage. Together, they produce a pretty impressive amount of work.  The site includes numerous concert reviews (see here, here, here and here for recent examples), as well as stories on new releases (see example posts here and here).  They also publish interviews with people in the music industry, such as this conversation with Benji Rogers, founder and CEO of PledgeMusic, as well as other articles, such as this review of local bands playing at this year's Ottawa Bluesfest.

In short, Ottawa Showbox is a great reminder of the power of blogging, and how people with good ideas and talent can harness the Internet to share their work.  If you are interested in knowing about indie musicians from the National Capital Region, then this is a site that you do not want to miss.

Music Monday: Miss Helvetica Bold, Ottawa Sucks Volume 1, changes at jazz festival

Photo by missionlessdays courtesy of Flickr
(Creative Commons)

Couch Assassin has an interview with Miss Helvetica Bold, founder of the local burlesque group Rockalily Burlesque and one of the pioneers of Ottawa's burlesque scene.

Apartment 613 previewed and Ottawa Showbox reviewed Ottawa Sucks Volume 1 that took place this past Friday at the Montgomery Legion on Kent.  "This was much more than just a concert," says the OS review.  "It was a gathering, a party for the underground.  The music might be angry, loud and destructive, but the people attending Ottawa Sucks were all hugs and high-fives.  Don’t let the spikes, the leather or the combat boots distort your perspective, there are very nice loving people in the Ottawa punk and hardcore scene."

Ottawa Showbox highlights four local bands that will be playing at this year's Ottawa Bluesfest that you should see.  The groups are A Tribe Called Red, Roberta Bondar, Loon Choir and Jack Pine & The Fire.

The blog Ottawawhatwhat?! notes that The Book of Mormon, winner of nine Tony Awards, will be in Ottawa in July 2014.

Peter Hum, the Ottawa Citizen's food critic and jazz blogger, writes that the jam sessions at Ottawa jazz festival could be eliminated.  In a recent post, he discusses the pros and cons of ending of these sessions.

Finally, Ottawa Showbox reviewed the show from this past Saturday by Ottawa's The Yips and Kings Quest, as well as Toronto's F Hood.

Blog Review: National Capital Rock

Photo of The Yips by Andrew Carver (copyright)
Show at Mugshots, March 22, 2013

Local photographer Andrew Carver has been documenting Ottawa's music scene for years.  Since starting his blog National Capital Rock in 2005, he has published more than 3,000 posts on his blogspot site.  When I asked Carver how many photos he has posted online, he estimated that about 15,000 photographs have appeared on his blog, given that each post contains multiple photos.  Whether it's images of local bands, or out-of-town groups playing in Ottawa, he has amassed a large and impressive collection of images that chronicle the city's musical history.

Photo of Roberta Bondar by
Andrew Carver (copyright)
Show at Mugshots, August 30, 2012

While his site can be classified as a photo-blog, it is also an indispensable source of local music news, as it highlights many, if not most, of the rock shows that take place in town.  For anyone who is interested in learning about local bands and seeing live music in the city, this site is an essential fountain of information.  The long list of labels and bands that can be found on this blog is by itself a musical encyclopaedia.  In my view, this site is one of the most important music-related blogs in Ottawa.

From a photographic perspective, Carver’s photos capture the raw energy of a live concert, and transport the viewer into the club, bar, pub or house party where the concert is occurring.  Whenever I log onto his site, it is easy for me to imagine being up on stage with the musicians, or dancing the night away in a festive crowd. 

In addition to his blogspot blog, he displays his photographs on Flickr and a Tumblr account.  He is also on Twitter.  If you are a music fan, I highly encourage you to view his prolific work.

Music Monday: New releases from Boyhood & Hamilton; Orleans Rapper wins U.S. contest

Photo from 2012 Ottawa Bluesfest by bouche
courtesy of Flickr (Creative Commons)

New Releases

Both Apartment613 and PhotogMusic have posts on the new music video by local band Boyhood of their song Thailand, which is set to appear on their soon-to-be released self-titled LP.  PhotogMusic, meanwhile, has an audio link of the new single Currency by Ottawa indie rockers Hamilton.

Upcoming Events

Spotlight Ottawa posts the list of shows for the LiVE 88.5 Big Money Shot Round 1, which starts on April 24 and ends on May 31.  Cover is $8 and all shows are at Ritual at 137 Besserer.

The Big Beat blog from the Ottawa Citizen reports that Kiss will be playing Scotiabank Place on July 25.

Local Music News

The Big Beat notes that Corey Charron, a 21-year-old rapper from Orleans, has won the “Freestyle Fridays” competition on the U.S. cable network Black Entertainment Television.  Charron, who has performed internationally and recently toured with members of the Wu-Tang Clan, took home $5,000 for winning the contest.

Ottawa-based bassoon player and blogger Andrew Burn announces on his blog that he will be auditioning with nine other bassoonists for a place in the European Union Baroque Orchestra 2013.  Good luck to Andrew in his audition

Interview

Ottawa Showbox has an interview with Benji Rogers, founder of Pledge Music, on the changing nature of the consumption of music by fans.

Music Monday: The Yips; Roberta Bondar; jazz guitarist Frank Koller; The Hornettes

Photo by raYmon courtesy of Flickr
(Creative Commons)

Given that I was out of town for the Easter long weekend, I was not able to search the local blogosphere in detail for music-related posts.  That being said, below are some interesting news items that I was able to find.

New Releases

Ottawa Showbox reports that local band The Yips have released their new self-titled EP on Ottawa-based label Bruised Tongue.

Ottawa Showbox and Apartment 613 reported on the recent release of Roberta Bondar's new EP Hiss

Peter Hum, the Ottawa Citizen's food critic and jazz blogger, has an interesting story on his blog about Frank Koller, the Ottawa-raised jazz guitarist who used to play before tens of thousands of people outside Parliament Hill on Canada Day.  His music career soon turned to journalism, however, as he became a CBC radio foreign correspondent.  Fast forward to today, and Koller, 64, has released the music from his 1980 recording Single Malt on iTunes, CDbaby and other digital retailers.

Review

Ottawa Showbox reviews the March 28 sold out concert by The Souljazz Orchestra and Ikebe Shakedown at Babylon Nightclub.  For those who don't know Souljazz, they have been called one of Ottawa's best known musical exports, with their sound that mixes latin, afro, soul and funk.

Photos of Music Shows

Music Inkorporated has some great photographs of Ottawa-based burlesque troupe Bourbon & Spice live on stage and behind the scenes.

PhotogMusic has photos from the March 27 show at the Mercury Lounge to raise money for Ottawa filmmaker Luca Furgiuele, whose equipment was stolen in early February.

National Capital Rock has pictures from the Fun Boy Club House.

Final Word

Couch Assassin has a post on The Hornettes, a talented seven-piece Ottawa band that play funk, soul and R&B.  While the post is a preview of the band's show that took place this past Saturday, it does contain a YouTube clip of the band playing that is well worth checking out.  If I had been in Ottawa this past weekend I would have made the trip up to Wakefield to see them play.

Music Monday: Fire and Neon, Loon Choir, Concerts in Old Ottawa South, La Traviata

Photo by Frederic Sune (copyright)

New Releases

Spotlight Ottawa reports that Kemptville's Fire and Neon has released Good Intentions, the first single off their upcoming album.  You can purchase the single for $1 (or more if you wish) from their group's bandcamp page.

Band Reviews

Couch Assassin profiles Ottawa's Loon Choir , a 7 piece indie-rock/art-pop band. According to the review, "2012 featured plenty of highlights for the band, including the release of their second record Fire Poems.  Many great things stemmed from their album release, including a release party at the Rainbow Bistro, two Ontario tours, an East Coast tour and a performance in Ottawa's biggest music festival."

The review goes on to say that the band has received a lot of support from CBC Radio 3, and was in the running for CBC Music's Searchlight contest for Canada's Best New Artist.  Click to the Couch Assassin story for more details.

Upcoming Shows / Concert Reviews

The Old Ottawa South Community Association posts information on the Lenten noon hour concert series for April and May at the Southminster United Church at 15 Aylmer Avenue.  Several exceptional young musicians are scheduled to play, including piano prodigy Suren Barry, star operatic tenor Dustin Hiles, harpist Caroline Leonardelli, and soprano Maghan McPhee.  Concerts will take place at noon on Wednesdays, are free of charge, and will start on April 10.

Spirit of Rasputin says that Ottawa folk trio Finest Kind is playing at the Westboro Masonic Hall at 430 Churchill Avenue on April 20 at 8 pm.  Tickets are $25.

Ottawa Showbox notes that Wednesday is one of the best nights to catch a live music show in town.  The blog goes on to offer up reviews of Wednesday night performances at the Château Lafayette in the Byward Market and Mugshots, the city's only bar located in a former jail.

Finally, Apartment 613 previews and reviews the opera La Traviata at the National Arts Centre.

Music News: Beau's Mixtape, The Balconies Interview, Choral Composition Contest

Photo by Frederic Sune (copyright)

Spotlight Ottawa reports on the launch of the Beau's Mixtape, which will be released every three months.  The inaugural tape contains 15 tracks, including by Ottawa's own Amos the Transparent, Hollerado and The Balconies.  A recent post from Ottawa Explosion, meanwhile, plays some tracks and an interview with New Swears on CHUO radio.

Ottawa Showbox writes in a recent post that they want to cover more punk, hardcore and metal in the city, hence the recent review of a concert at Club Saw.  A previous post from the site contains an interview with The Balconies.

Moving to more traditional sounds, the Irish Music Ottawa Blog has details on the Atlantic Voices Choral Composition Contest 2013.  Open to all residents of Canada, first prize is $500 and 2nd prize $200 for original choral works by Canadian composers.  Contest entries must be received electronically or postmarked no later than October 31st, 2013, and must must fall into one of the following categories:

• An arrangement of a folksong or set of folksongs from one of the Atlantic Provinces (Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, or Prince Edward Island);
• An original choral composition based on a text with an obvious direct connection to Canada's East Coast.  This may include a text by an East Coast writer or a text with Atlantic Canadian subject matter. 

Finally, PhotogMusic has photograph from recent concerts in town, including the "4in1" Ottawa Music Session, The Wilderness of Manitoba & Flying Horses show at Raw Sugar Cafe, and a show by Cold Warps and New Swears.

New Blogs: Music, Illustrators and Humour

Ottawa is a city filled with music lovers.  Up to now, however, I did not have a section on the blogroll dedicated to music.  Fortunately I found the time to correct this, and have now linked to various music-related blogs.  My intention is to add to this list in the coming weeks, with the aim of writing a post in the near future that focusses on the music-loving bloggers in the city.  In addition to music, I also created a section on the blogroll for illustrators and humour.  In regard to the latter, the only local comedy site I have found so far is The O Dot, although I have a suspicion that there are other funny people roaming in the local blogosphere.

Update: Sean McIndoe writes hockey humour at his blog Down Goes Brown, which I have added to the humour section. 

Update (March 16): I have added ELgiN StreEt iRReguLars, a quirky web site whose tongue is firmly planted in its cheek.