Great entertainment, great location, great cause! See you there.

 “The amount of polish he brings to intricately arranged piano jams is impressive.” – Herohill

Montreal’s Ben Wilkins is in town performing on Wednesday night in support of his self-titled debut album. Ben’s music is a piano-driven pop sound that flashes back to the sounds of the early 70s (think Elton John, Burt Bacharach and Billy Joel vibe). He’s soaked up that era and it’s rhythm, textures and grooves and skillfully turned into something uniquely his own (OK maybe there’s a slight comparison to Ben Folds…just a little).

His lyrics are slightly quirky and that mixed in with a familiar pop piano sound…his is a music that draws you in and just makes you feel good. And happy.

If you qualify yourself as a music lover of any kind, you’ll want to check him out.

Ben was born and raised in Ontario and then moved to Montreal to study music at McGill and has composed string arrangements for several artists including Bran Van 3000 and Misstress Barbara.

Ben Wilkins

Wednesday, May 9th @ Zaphod’s

8pm, $7

ANNOUNCING THE 5TH ANNUAL AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL OTTAWA OPRY!!

The AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL OTTAWA OPRY is in it’s 5th year, and we are marking the occasion with another great line-up, and a new home at the Unitarian Congregation, 30 Cleary Ave in Ottawa’s West end (west of Westboro).

Joining Pat Moore and the Vinyl Frontier on stage are…(drum roll please….) Sneezy Waters, fresh from having just released a brand new CD; the amazing and versatile Keith Glass (Prairie Oyster’s lead guitar player and writer, and a great vocalist in his own right!); Ball and Chain, the zany and very talented duo who have captured Ottawa and Louisiana’s hearts; and Maple Hill, an award winning bluegrass band featuring Garry Greenland, a much sought after musician and teacher of all aspects of bluegrass… and again by popular demand Garry is back as our MC – keeping the show rolling.

The Amnesty International Ottawa Opry started in 2008, the idea of singer/songwriter Pat Moore, who was looking for a way to bring the old style entertainment package to the Ottawa audience, and at the same time raise some awareness and funds for Amnesty International.

Amnesty International is a global movement of over 3 million people committed to defending those who are denied justice or freedom. It’s very fitting that the 5th Annual Amnesty International Ottawa Opry will take place at the Unitarian Congregation on Cleary – as the congregation was instrumental in sowing the seeds for the creation of Amnesty International’s Canadian branch in 1974!

Many thanks to our Platinum Sponsor Tracy Arnett Realty Ltd, and to the Social Justice Committee at the First Unitarian Congregation!! Thanks also to Cedar Lane Studio, The Ottawa Folklore Centre, CKCU, Barbuzz, and Constant Sound Studio for their contributions.

Show time: Sat May 26, 8pm. Doors open at 7:30. Tickets are $20 in advance and $22 at the door. Advance tickets are available at the Ottawa Folklore Center, CD Warehouse locations, and online at www.patmoore.net.

For more info email Pat Moore at patmoore@patmoore.net,
or call 613-794-6301.

www.patmoore.net www.sneezywaters.com www.prairieoyster.com www.ballandchain.ca www.maplehillbluegrass.com

They are a thinking’s man metal  band along the lines of  Sabbath or Black Mountain. They will rock the park and those with even the slightest interest in  hard rock should catch this act.

As one person said on Mastodon…..Good Call Bluesfest.

Her two cds present great song writing, powerful lyrics and true originality.

An unknown gem who will surprise everyone who takes the time to discover this act. I hope you are there.

They have been high on the card at every major festival in the world and now it’s our turn. They have already made my top ten for concerts of the year and they haven’t performed yet.  Hope to see you there for this show.

Thievery Corporation – Main Stage

WEDNESDAY,  JULY 11 9:30 PM

For three nights only St. Paul’s Eastern United Church will be taken over by the hottest indie theatre artists in the city!

SubDevision is a celebration of devised, site-specific theatre. Live performances will take place in and around a massive party that unites independent artists and audience members in an immersive experience. Making indie theatre cool and accessible to Ottawa’s audiences, SubDevision features eight unique and concurrent performances specifically created for different subdivided spaces all within one alternative venue – St. Paul’s Eastern United Church at 473 Cumberland. 

Each ten-minute performance is unique in that it will be created with an individual performance space in mind – a kitchen, a closet, an elevator, even the sanctuary… Every piece is intimate and reflects the individual identity of the company that creates it. Each show plays over and over, over the course of the night so that audiences have the opportunity to take part in as many performances as they wish.

SubDevision puts choice into the audience’s hands – see all eight shows or one piece again and again, hang back at the bar for a spell and compare experiences with audience members of like or differing minds, arrive and depart whenever you like – you set your own schedule and create your own experience.  Along with dj’s and a licensed bar, this is the theatrical event of the season and certainly one not to be missed!

May 10-12, 7:30pm
St. Paul’s Eastern United Church – 473 Cumberland
Tickets:  http://subdevision.eventbrite.com/?ebtv=C

Ross Neilsen Changes Things Up and Moves Forward Into An Already Banner Year

Ross Neilsen has had a busy year. Semi- finalist in The International Blues Challenge, a solo album recorded in Clarksdale MS, performances in Mexico and a solo tour are just a few things Ross has been keeping busy with. Now, Ross Neilsen and his band are hitting the road for more than nine weeks over the spring months, taking them from coastal New Brunswick to British Columbia, and all points in between.

 While its business as usual for Neilsen, fans of the rocking, blues power trio will notice something different this tour. Neilsen has dropped the moniker Sufferin’ Bastards and has a brand new bass player. Neilsen says it was not an easy decision to let long time collaborator and friend, Shawn Worden, go last December.

 “It was a horrible decision to make. On one hand this was my musical partner in crime and best friend of thirteen years and on the other hand things were just spiraling to a bad place. Definitely one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. Shawn was a fan favourite and a great musician. He will be missed. We’re looking at this as a door opening though, not closing.” – Ross Neilsen

 The new bassist will join the line up for The Ross Neilsen Band’s tour schedule which begins April 26.

They’ve been busy bringing Pacey up to speed and have chronicled his joining the band in their on-line spoof mini series  “The Great Bass Player Search” found on Neilsen’s website, www.rossneilsen.com.

 “We’re getting our new bassist, Young Will Pacey, up to speed with this tour then we’re going to be writing for a new record. Will’s a great guy and a great player. We know folks expect a lot from our live show so we’re working hard to make sure we deliver when we hit the Canadian highway. We did this mini series so we could introduce him in a very comical way. We take our music very seriously but we try not to take OURSELVES too serious. We thought this would be a fun way to say introduce Will to Canada.”  - Ross Neilsen

 Neilsen recently journied to Memphis, TN, to compete in the International Blues Challenge where he finished a semi-finalist.  Long time influence and hero, Ray Bonneville, moved on from Neilsen’s room to win the Challenge. Directly after the competition Neilsen traveled to the home of the delta blues,ClarksdaleMS, to record a solo album withMemphisengineer, Kevin Houston. The album is slated to be released this September and features Neilsen on resonator guitar, stomp box and vocals. Never one to rest, Neilsen boarded a plane, to perform in Mexico, in February before his annual solo tour of Ontario, Quebecand the Maritimes.

 “Memphis was amazing as always. Ate lots of BBQ, met lots of great players and got to see Ray Bonneville perform three days in a row. Very educational! Recording with Kevin Houston in Clarksdale was easy and fun. Hard to believe we were working just down the highway  from the fabled crossroads of highways 49 and 61 where Robert Johnson is rumoured to have sold his soul to the devil. As if that wasn’t enough I got to play blues on a beach in Mexico watching the Pacific roll in under palm trees. Very surreal start to my year!”  -Ross Neilsen

See the trio live:

April 27,  2012

9.30 pm  

Irene’s Pub

So I’ve always been an alt rock music girl at heart and so my radar for the electronica music in the nation’s capital hasn’t been that far reaching.

But recently I’ve jumped in to that music scene and I’m continually amazed at the amazing electronic artists we have here in Ottawa.

And Novaspire is no exception to that rule.

Novaspire describes himself as an “Audio Visual Artist. Expanding creativity, imagination and consciousness is the prime motivation. I am only limited by the medium I choose.”

I’ve been listening to Novaspire ‘Holographic’ 11-track album for little over a week and I’m totally hooked. It’s a mix of beats and hooks and ambient sound waves that will have you all trance like after the first listen. That or wishing you were at a sweaty dance club with the strobe lights and crazy disco balls hanging from the ceiling. Seriously I’m good and ready to take a weekend trip to Ibiza.

Three stand out tracks that are a must to check out from Novaspire are Higher (Than Before) [very Daft Punkish....so loved it x 1000], Roll ‘N Rocka and Groupies.

You can download all 11 tracks for free here from BandCamp

Monday April 2nd, 2012, Crush Improv brings Canada to Ottawa.

Join Ottawa improv heroes Crush Improv as they host the 4th Annual Crush Cross Canada Showcase at Academic Hall on the U of O Campus with all proceeds going to help house the participating performers while they’re in town for the week to volunteer for the Canadian Improv Games’ National Tournament and Festival.

Every year, dozens of Canadian improvisers come to town to help run the National Tournament and teach workshops to the participating high school students. I don’t know why it took so long to realize that, with all these talented folks in town, we should be putting these people on stage!   

In past years, the event has been hosted at the Mercury Lounge – but this year, Crush is going bigger with the University of Ottawa’s Academic hall! There will be about 15-20 performers (still confirming performer arrival times) from literally coast to coast.  So if you’re interested in seeing British Columbians and Newfies and folks from all places in between on one stage, this is the place to be.

Tickets for the show are available online: $10 each in advance – 7:30 start time

http://crushimprov.com/2012/02/april-showcase/

Here are some photos of past Cross Canada Showcase shows: