Ottawa country star Nayana: Pretty Good To Be Here

 Ottawa Life had the pleasure to chat with Ottawa's up and coming country star Nayana about her ONE Artist contest win and her debut single "Pretty Good To Be Here".  Ottawa Life: Hi Nayana! So good to have you here! How did it feel winning the Ontario wide ONE Artist

Honey & Rust

 Photo by Toni van Eeden. Before she learned to talk Johanne Beattie was sharing songs. She’d sit in her bike-seat humming gibberish melodies as her mother rode through town. At seven she was reluctantly enrolled in piano lessons. As it was with her singing, her mother saw a natural gift in

One Giant Step for the Tourist Company

 L to R: Swindells, Parry, Levey and Quezada. All photos by Brian Chan photography.  Vancouver’s own The Tourist Company formed in 2013 after camp friends Taylor Swindells (singer/songwriter/multi instrumentalist), Jillian Levey (vocalist) and Brenon Parry (drummer) began playing folk music together. After recording the trio’s first album, Brother Wake Up,

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

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