Casper Skulls Make Songs From Skeletons

 Casper Skulls certainly don't shy away from the dark tones their name may suggest, but the debut album from this Toronto rock outfit shows a much deeper understanding of music. After a strong EP release, the band's debut Mercy Works shows a band not just ready to make a start

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

Raising the Barre

 If you’ve ever done a fitness challenge, you know how daunting just starting can be. All you can think about is just how long 30 days can feel and whether you’ll actually be able to stick with the process and produce the results that got you interested in the challenge

Hit the Links with the Ladies’ Foursome at Hudson Village Theatre

 Summer is here and that means that the Hudson Village Theatre (HVT) season has finally arrived. It is one of the true joys of summer because without fail, the HVT offers up stellar theatre. Ottawa Life will feature more about the HVT in the days to come, but for now

A New Paradise On Stage

 Actors rehearsing for the new 'Paradise' play.  Ottawa lawyers continue their fight for social justice outside the courtroom. Turning from the podium to a stage, members of the local legal community are coming together through theatre to raise money for The Ottawa Mission. Officers and civilians at the Ottawa Police

A terrific Saoirse Ronan calls a routine “Brooklyn” home

 Brooklyn Directed by John Crowley Written by Nick Hornby (based on the novel by Colm Tóibín) Produced by Wildgaze Films et al.     There are two scenes in Brooklyn that get at a fundamental truth of travelling long distances. In the first, recent Irish transplant Eilis (Saoirse Ronan) is

Slammin’ in the Capital

 Poster courtesy of Madeleine Kelly The Capital Poetry Collective brings the art of slam poetry to Ottawa. Their next show is Capital Slam, which takes place on Saturday, November 21 at Origin Studio at 57 Lyndale Ave in Hintonburg. A “slam” is a poetry competition in which poets perform original

Theatre: ‘The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God’

 All photos by Andrée Lanthier. There are two days left to catch The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God at the NAC.  If you have the chance, it’s definitely worth it. Book your whole night off thought because the show is very long. It runs two hours

Health Systems Around the World

 By Kathleen O’Grady Comparing the performance of health systems around the world just got a little easier. One morning, the media headline pronounces Canada’s health system should model that found in the Netherlands; the next week, we should follow Germany’s example, and yet another says Australia is leading the pack.

Dear Rouge, From Ottawa

 Falling leaves are not the only noteworthy shade of red in the city this week. Vancouver-based electronic rock band Dear Rouge will be showing its colours downtown with a performance at Mavericks on October 29. Dear Rouge is led by husband and wife duo Drew and Danielle McTaggart. The name

CityFolk Impressions

 ABOVE: Ewan Currie from The Sheepdogs plays at CityFolk. (Photo by Michael Wing)  This year’s CityFolk festival swept into the new venue at Lansdowne Park on the perfect weekend. It was warm and sunny most days, with as little rain as anyone could have hoped for. The festival line up

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

Taylor Swift Sparkles at the Canadian Tire Centre

 Photo by George Pimentel/Getty Images for TS “After five long years of not coming to see you, it is so good to be back in Ottawa," Taylor Swift told the screaming fans at the Canadian Tire Centre on July 6. The pop powerhouse and singer-songwriter stopped by the Capital along

Don’t Miss Craig Cardiff this Summer

 Craig Cardiff is coming back to Ottawa this summer! The Canadian, Juno nominated, singer-songwriter from Arnprior, Ont., known for his steady and smooth folk rhythms, is hitting the Ottawa festival circuit with performances on June 13 at Westfest and June 28 at the Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival. Don’t

The Two Travellers

 There were two travellers Who walked along a path one day The first was a dreamer The other a capitalist they say The dreamer watched the rainbow Where melodious songbirds fly Their symphony a command performance A ballet in the sky The capitalist saw no beauty Or value along his

The Kids are Alright

 Photo credit: David Hawe There is only one place you should be on Sunday night at 8 p.m. and that is at the National Arts Centre to catch the only Ottawa performance by Kids in The Hall (KITH). Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney and Scott Thompson have

Using Mental Rehearsal to Bring Your Sports Game to the Next Level

 Every athlete, from the beginner to the professional, can benefit from using mental rehearsal to improve their game. This holds true for athletes and competitors in every sport arena including the weekend warriors or duffers, to the skilled martial artist, dancer, bowler, dart player, hockey and / or soccer player.

The Musical Storm of Ash & Bloom

 The powerhouse folk duo Ash and Bloom, is bringing a musical storm to Ottawa. Echoing thunderous harmonies and striking bolts of brilliant songwriting, these two are a must-see act this spring. Hamilton-based Matt McKenna and James Bloemendal have been playing music together for almost a decade, originally meeting in the

Experiencing Wonderkind

 Learn what it means to feel “wonderkind” with the cross-Canada tour of Language Arts this spring. Toronto’s unique alternative jazz-pop band has been together for ten years, although it has been a rotating door in terms of members. Currently the band consists of classically trained Kristen Cudmore, drummer Neil MacIntosh, keyboardist Joel

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.

Liz Manley and friends fundraise for youth mental health in Ottawa

 Photo courtesy of Photographics Photography.  Canada’s skating sweetheart, Elizabeth Manley and other Olympic Champions will gracefully glide around the ice rink at Ottawa’s TD Place as part of a two-day fundraiser on February 13 and 14, 2015. A portion of the money raised will go to the Do It For

Joking around for over 30 years

 As a mainstay in the Canadian comedy scene, Yuk Yuk’s entertains audiences with laughter across the country. This past year marked the franchise’s 30th anniversary. A lot has happened in the last three decades. Formed with the intention of providing an outlet to local comics in Toronto, Yuk Yuk’s performances