Overflow Brewing to Host Focus Benefit Concert for Photographer Sean Sisk

 If you read Ottawa Life Magazine or have seen photos of any of the city’s great musical events like Bluesfest, Jazzfest, and CityFolk, chances are you have seen the work of Sean Sisk, one of the capital’s most talented photographers. Sean’s love for photography dates to his childhood when his

Otis Strange releases “Three Sheets” — dedicated to the memory of Tim Schoorl

 Above: Otis Strange band members Nelson Hursti, Jonny Olsen, and Dave Matsukubo dedicated “Three Sheets” to their friend and former bandmate, Tim Schoorl (pictured right). Tim Schoorl was an esteemed Ottawa-based singer/musician for the band Otis Strange. Schoorl, and his parents, passed away tragically in a Britannia house fire in April of 2020. Schoorl

Top 20 greatest Canadian bands

 by Madison McSweeney 20. Blue Rodeo The Toronto country rockers have released fifteen original albums since their formation in 1984, winning twelve JUNO Awards. Their 1993 album 5 Days in July went 6x Platinum With well-known songs “Hasn’t Hit Me Yet,” “5 Days in May,” and “Til I Gain Control

How Charles Cleyn Left a Six-figure Shopify Salary to Follow His Dreams

 Photo courtesy of Charles Cleyn What lengths would Charles Cleyn go to in order to share his music with the world? A. Quit his high paying job at Shopify to focus on his music career B. Film a video a day discussing music and his journey creating it C. Up

Looking Back, Gazing Ahead — It’s all Beautiful to Alan Doyle

 “They came to see you. So you be you and nobody else,” Gord Downie once told Alan Doyle. They are words he’s never forgotten. Words that remain as the one time member of Great Big Sea, Canada’s biggest party band, continues his career as a solo musician. Once, in what

One Nation Under Gord

 For a good life we just might have to weaken  And find somewhere to go Go somewhere we’re needed Find somewhere to grow -Gord Downie “Last night Gord quietly passed away with his beloved children and family close by” It's a sentence that brings tears to the eyes of a

Book Review: Tragically Hip, Twisted

 Tragically Hip, Twisted: Illustrated stories inspired by Hip songs By David Sachs 154 pages  • ISBN 978-0-9940102-6-1 Last year Gord Downie’s courage inspired many Canadians but for David Sachs the inspiration from Gord and the Tragically Hip hit him 15 years ago with an initial spurt of creativity that has

Amazing Week For Canadian Music? JUNO-it!

 Photos by Kamara Morozuk What a great time to be a music fan in Canada’s capital, eh?  You could have thrown a Timbit in any direction and hit a musician as Ottawa became music city in the days leading up to the 2017 Juno Awards! Was that The Strumbella’s playing

Plans of His Own – The Gordon Lightfoot Interview – Part 2

 Listen to part two of our interview with Gordon Lightfoot above. Part one can be found here. Gordon Lightfoot walks in on a young Bob Dylan hunkered over a typewriter, the poetry of his renowned lyricism passing through his fingers and onto the keys to be imprinted in ink on paper.

One Nation Under Gord

 Photos by Andre Gagne. “Thanks for listening in the back. Thanks for listening, period. Have a nice life.” -Gord Downie There are moments in time that unify a people, memories that become the history we look back on remembering where we were, what we were doing, who we were with.

From 12 to 20,000, The Hip Returns to Ottawa to Say Goodbye

 All photos by Andre Gagne ‘Til the men they couldn’t hang stepped to the mic and sang and their voices rang with that Aryan twang -The Tragically Hip (Bobcaygeon) On May 24 a collective gasp went out of a sucker punched nation. Gord Downie, frontman to The Tragically Hip, announced