Fiery Folk: Union Duke Lights Up the Blacksheep Inn

 Matt Warry-Smith, a member of the Toronto band, Union Duke, has a tattoo on his leg of the words “Keep Music Evil” that’s visible below the cut off point of his Bermuda shorts. The audacity of the phrase, coined by Anton Newcombe, epitomizes the band’s fresh and furious take on

The Fantastic Phoenix Players

 Now in their 14th season, the Phoenix Players have been thrilling audiences with their entertaining and thought-provoking productions since 2001. The Players are a community theatre group on a mission to produce quality and an accessible theatre experiences for all. The group offers the opportunity for anyone to join the

The Fantastic Phoenix Players

 Founded in 2001 and now in their 14th season, the Phoenix Players are an unstoppable force in Ottawa’s theater community. The Players are a community theater group on a mission to produce a quality and accessible theatre experience for their members and audiences. The group offers opportunities for anyone to

Ariana Grande Lights Up the CT Centre

 The Ariana Grande show started with a bang, or more precisely, a “Bang Bang.” The hit song by Jessie J, nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards 2015, was the opener for Grande’s Honeymoon Tour in Ottawa, on August 7th. Screaming young girls, accompanied by

An Old Guitar and an Ottawa Bar

 Union Duke’s soaring vocal harmonies and throbbing beats have enlivened hearts and dance floors across the nation. The quintet is sure to have Ottawa concertgoers heel-stomping and hip-swaying with their performance at the Black Sheep Inn on July 31. Balancing a mixture of soulful indie rock, bluegrass and country, the

Understanding Communication

 By Professor Stephen A. Stuart Photo Credit: Ryan McGuire Philip Glass, arguably the most influential composer of the late 20th century, started his career with a question, “Where does music come from?” He spent the next six decades of his life trying to answer that question and, over the years

9th Hour Brings Comedy and Conflict to the Stage

 Above: Johnny Eaton, Mary Beth Pongrac, David Plouffe, George Dutch, Benoit Trudel, Robin Guy. Photo credit: Andre R. Gagne. The Ottawa premiere of Arthur Miller’s The Creation of the World and Other Business is here! 9th Hour Theatre Company is bringing this thought-provoking production to the Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre from July

Bluesfest Beats

 Photo courtesy of Steve G The RBC Ottawa Bluesfest is here! As the festival plays on, OLM will continue to highlight must-see performances by some of the acts that you may have not yet discovered–so Ottawa music lovers listen up! An exciting variety of bands and artists will rock the festival this

Bluesfest Beats

 Photo courtesy of Steve G The RBC Ottawa Bluesfest is here! As the festival plays on, OLM will continue to highlight must-see performances by some of the acts that you may have not yet discovered–so Ottawa music lovers listen up! An exciting variety of bands and artists will rock the festival this

Bluesfest Beats

 Photo courtesy of Steve G The countdown to the RBC Ottawa Bluesfest is on. As the weeks leading up to the festival go by, OLM will continue to highlight must-see performances by some of the acts that you may have not yet discovered – so Ottawa music lovers listen up! An

Bluesfest Beats

 Photo by Steve G The countdown to RBC Ottawa Bluesfest is on. As the weeks leading up to the festival go by, OLM will continue to highlight must-see performances by some of the acts that you may have not yet discovered—so Ottawa music lovers listen up! An exciting variety of

Canada World Cup a Success? Looks That Way

 On June 6, the world’s top rated soccer players arrived in Canada to compete in the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup.  After three weeks of competitive matchups, the stakes are set for the quarter-final round of the tournament, where the last eight will compete to become the top four. Among

O God Brings Spirituality to the Stage at the Ottawa Fringe Festival

 Audiences are encouraged to turn their phones off at most Ottawa Fringe festival but at O god they’ll be told to keep them on. Cast members of the interactive play, put on by Ottawa Faith and Arts, encourage the audience to tweet their thoughts on heaven and prayer before and

RBC Ottawa Bluesfest Celebrates Festival Fashion in New Campaign

 Photo credit: Alexander Vlad/Captivate Creative Music festivals are all about music…and fashion! Both on the stage and on the street, artists and audience members are embracing festival fashion, from Coachella to Osheaga and now RBC Ottawa Bluesfest! For the first time, RBC Ottawa Bluesfest is launching the I Love #RBCBluesfestFashion

Head to Hudson for a Great Blind Date

 It takes an incredible combination of wit and talent to create what Rebecca Northan has ingeniously done in her play Blind Date. It is an innovative piece of theatre that brilliantly mixes improvisation with traditional theatre. It has had successful runs in London, New York, Toronto and across Canada for

The NAC’s Needles and Opium Mesmerizes

 Photo credit: National Arts Centre Spectacular is the only way to describe Robert Lepage’s reproduction of his 20-year-old play Needles and Opium, currently playing at the NAC. Photo Credit: NAC The play centres around three characters. Jean Cocteau shares his thoughts and impressions on his first visit to the U.S.

Not Just Another La Bohème

 From its inception in 2004, the mission of Pellegrini Opera has been to make top quality operatic performances accessible to everyone in the nation’s capital. Founded by internationally acclaimed soprano Maria Pellegrini, the local, non-profit organization is dedicated to bringing opera to those who would not normally have the opportunity

Take Me Back to Coles Notes before Take Me Back to Jefferson

 Photo Credit: Katherine Fleitas Before you head to the NAC for its latest production, Take Me Back to Jefferson, do yourself a favour and dig out your high school English class copy of As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner, or at least your Coles Notes version if you still have

Silencing a Voice: The Closing Of Sun News

 Image: huffpost.com By Michael Coren It’s been a few weeks now since the Friday the 13th that I will never forget. That was the day – 5 a.m. to be precise – that Sun News closed down. I hosted a nightly show called The Arena on the network for almost

Outstanding Obaaberima

 Photo credit: Jeremy Mimnagh Looking for something incredible to do this week? Head to the National Arts Centre to see its latest production Obaaberima. Playwright and actor Tawiah M'Carthy won a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Best Outstanding Production in 2013 for his masterpiece. The play actually won three Doras in total:

Travel With the Tourist Company

 The Tourist Company is living up to their name this spring. Cities across Canada are welcoming the Vancouver experimental folk band throughout February and March as they tour the country. Be sure to catch the Tourist Company when they stop at the Raw Sugar Café in Ottawa on March 12.

The Strumbellas on music, tour life and making it big

 Photo credit: Heather Pollock “I know I’m supposed to say my favourite part of being on tour is meeting the fans,” says the Strumbellas frontman Simon Ward. “But really it’s trying all the different food from everywhere we travel.” If I wasn’t a fan of the Strumbellas before, you can bet

Shen Yun Returns to Ottawa for Ninth Season

 In Chinese, Shen Yun means “the beauty of divine beings dancing.” Indeed that is exactly what audiences can expect from the 2015 performance of Shen Yun at the National Arts Centre. “The show will be a lasting memory and the profundity of the Chinese culture will uplift their life,” says

Take a Trip with Alice Through the Looking-Glass

 It is often debated whether or not author Lewis Carroll was under the influence of some kind of narcotic when he created Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking-Glass. It is completely understandable to ponder the question as the stories are wacky, out-of-this-world, fantastical and outrageous.  They are equally

Craig Cardiff: Harnessing the Power of Music

 For Craig Cardiff, playing live music is all about the connection. Creating that electric moment when the audience connects with him, each other and the tune is worth the ups-and-downs of the musician lifestyle. Cardiff, the Arnprior based, Juno-nominated, Canadian folk musician, is stopping by the Black Sheep Inn on