Band: The Honeyrunners

Album: The Honeyrunners EP

Twitter: @thehoneyrunners

Website: The Honeyrunners

The Toronto-based band (known for their funky-edgy-soul energy and catchy songs ) called The Honeyrunners is touring Ontario this summer and they’ll be passing through Ottawa not once, but twice at the Rainbow Bistro [June 17th and June 27th].

If you haven’t heard of this rock band before…soon you will be.  Bacardi picked up the band’s debut single “Jet Set” for their ‘Champions Party 2013’ playlist and their track ‘My Garage [Bang Bang Bang]’ is set to appear on Coca-Cola’s ’52 Doses of Happiness’ social media campaign.

Plus they landed on CTV’s Canada AM in support of their upcoming album release and second single “Fool” .

If you want to get down with a Motown rock-band with a Canadian spin, check out the ‘The Honeyrunners EP’ here.

Connie Bernardi plays the role of radio announcer on MAJIC 100 in Ottawa, and full time music seeker of new music. Oh I still love the boy bands. Don’t hold it against me.

VerseFest, Ottawa’s poetry festival, is off and running, celebrating its third year with an enthusiastic and packed opening night this past Tuesday. Continuing until Sunday, March 17, VerseFest has something for everyone, whether it’s Kay’la Fraser’s spoken word, Lady Katalyst’s jazzy flow, Ken Babstock’s Griffin Poetry Prize winning poems or Matt Jones’ junk. More than 30 poets, performers and spoken word artists are showcasing their work at over a dozen events across the six days of the festival, which has grown in leaps and bounds since it began.

In 2010, Ottawa’s wide-ranging poetry communities, often gathered around the various reading series that dot the city, came together to form VERSe Ottawa. The goal of this collective was to draw on the strengths of these groups to see if they could put on something bigger. Which they did with their inaugural VerseFest 2011, which included written and spoken word showcases.

Magpie Ulyses: Capital Slam Showcase, Saturday, March 16

Artistic Director David O’Meara’s welcome message for VerseFest 2012 was, “We said we were going to be an annual event and we weren’t lying.” And it has become much more than an annual event, going global this year with three international showcases (Australian, Irish and Dutch) that will supplement the local talent. There’s also cross-country artistry from RC Weslowski and Magpie Ulysses (who represented Van Slam nationally and internationally) and Anita Lahey, Barbara Langhorst as well as Ottawa’s Christine McNair.

Most events are at the Knox Presbyterian Church (120 Lisgar Street), where the festival kicked off on Tuesday, March 12, with the Vox Australia reading at 7pm, followed by Arc Poetry Magazine Presents at 9pm. This year’s roster is filled out with events hosted by Voices of Venus, In/Words, Tree Reading Series, AB Series, Urban Legends, Plan 99, Capital Slam, KaDo Japanese forms and Dusty Owl. The Factory Reading Series is presenting a master class and the Women’s Slam Champions will also host an evening.

Greg Frankson and William Hawkins

A very special event this year will be the Hall of Honour, created to recognize people who have made important contributions to local poetry, and, importantly, to the poetry community in Ottawa. Greg Frankson (aka Ritallin) and William Hawkins are the first two poets to be inducted, on Sunday, March 17, 7pm.

One interesting feature of this year’s VerseFest was the Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign they recently ran. Supplementing other sponsorship, the campaign topped its target of $5, 000, offering donors items ranging  from tickets, T-shirts and cupcakes to a hand written and signed poem by Booker, Giller and four-time Governor General Award winner Michael Ondaatje.

With that kind of local, national and international support, VerseFest will only keep on growing.

Kay’la Fraser: Women’s Slam Champions, Thursday, March 14

VerseFest 2013: Tuesday, March 12 until Sunday, March 17. For full schedule details and ticket prices go to their website.

You can get more information on their Facebook page, or by following them on Twitter . VerseFest also has a YouTube channel, featuring past performances by the likes of David McGimpsey, SenseSay, Sarah Musa and a whole lot more.

Brendan McNally is an Ottawa based writer who runs the House Band Reading Series, which features performance word alongside a DJ score, adding special guests to round out the evening.

The Songwriters Association of Canada presents

BLUEBIRD NORTH

Where Writers Sing and Tell

Live in the nation’s capital!

 

Friday, March 1^st 2013

Westboro Masonic Hall

430 Churchill Avenue N
7:00 pm

Tickets available at Ottawa Folklore Centre and at the door

($15 advance and/or SAC members, $20 at the door)

 

Featuring

 Roxanne Potvin

   James Keelaghan

John Carroll

  Lyndell Montgomery 

Bluebird North is an intimate, interactive musical showcase that brings together some of Canada’s most inspiring songwriters to share their songs and stories.  On March 1^st,Bluebird North is presenting a diverse group of Canadian songwriting and spoken word talent in the nation’s capital.  Ottawa is proud to present an amazing group of artists including: Juno award nominated Roxanne Potvin, masterful story teller and Juno award winner James Keelaghan, Ottawa-based folk/roots artist John Carroll, and multi-instrumentalist Lyndell Montgomery.  Be sure not to miss the Ottawa performance in this intimate setting.

 

 ABOUT THE PERFORMERS

For fans of Roxanne Potvin, the Juno award nominated Montreal based singer-songwriter, two years might seem like an unbearably long time between albums, but just one spin through the songs on “Play” will be more than enough to convince them that it’s been worth the wait.

Back in 2009, after wailing around the blues for her past three albums – a journey that saw her work with luminaries such as Colin Linden, John Hiatt and Bruce Cockburn and tour with Sue Foley and Deborah Coleman – Roxanne decided it was time to pull back and reassess what she’d been doing.  She explains, “I’d left Toronto, moved back to Montreal to be closer to my family and began to accept the fact that I had no clue what I was going to do.” At first, she felt boxed in by her own expectations, but once she managed to shake free of them and started to enjoy playing music for the simple joy of it again, magical things began to happen.  “When I started out, I was heavily influenced by blues, soul and R and B and that was reflected on my first two albums.  The third album started showing shifts in direction as I explored further. I love listening to that kind of music, but if I was still only writing blues based songs, I wouldn’t be honest with myself because that’s not exclusively where I’m at anymore. Writing for this album gave me confidence to do something different.”   http://roxannepotvin.com

 

 

Called Canada’s finest singer-songwriter by one of the most respected music journalists of the last 50 years, James Keelaghan is an artist who has proven to be a man for all seasons. 
As the calendar pages have turned, for almost a quarter of a century now, this poet laureate of the folk and roots music world has gone about his work with a combination of passion, curiosity intent and intensity. His masterful story telling has, over the course of nine recordings, been part of the bedrock of his success, earning Keelaghan nominations and awards – including a Juno (Canada’s Grammy) - and acclaim from Australia to Scandinavia. Possessed of an insatiable appetite for finding the next unique story line, Keelaghan forges his pieces with brilliant craftsmanship and monogrammed artistic vision, making him one of the most distinctive and readily identifiable voices on both the Canadian and international singer-songwriter scenes.   
  
His journey has attracted fans of literate and layered songwriting to join him on his artistic expeditions, some of which weave their way through marvelously etched historical stories with underlying universal themes, others of which mine the depths of the soul and the emotional trails of human relations.     http://www.keelaghan.com/Keeloweb/Main.html

 

 

John Carroll is an Ottawa-based singer, songwriter, performer and recording artist who has explored music as his mode of expression for over 25 years. John and his band, The Epic Proportions, released their new album, ‘EVERYBODY SMOKES IN HELL,’ this year in January to a sold out show at The Black Sheep Inn.  This album has received attention from campus radios across the country, charting in the Top TEN on EarShot’s Folk/Roots charts.  Canada’s Folk, Roots and World Music magazine PENGUIN EGGS stated:

“If Hades had a telephone line to Earth, a call from down there would sound like John Carroll’s voice on Everybody Smokes In Hell.”

John’s first two full length solo albums, “The True Confessions of an Infamous Liar,” (2003) and “Lost Radio” (2008) were well received and sold to audiences all over Canada, the U.S and parts of Europe. John’s albums fit “comfortably into a variety of genres and time-periods, all the while synthesizing the eclectic elements” of “his music into a coherent, contemporary and colorful sound” (indieAndie.ca).

Whether its performing for national broadcast on Canada Live with his band (CBC Radio One & Two, 2008), playing solo for the packed house of his weekly at The Chateau Lafayette, or traveling to the many music houses across Canada, John’s music treats his audiences to the vibrational equivalent of coming home.  http://www.johncarrollmusic.com

 

 

Lyndell Montgomery, aka: Captain Dirt is a multi-instrumentalist touring machine.  She has toured, composed, arranged, recorded, booked, publicized and tour managed with countless artists around the globe.  Her musical experiences have taken her from India to Australia, Europe, USA, Canada, and beyond.

Lyndell is currently the producer of Beau’s Oktoberfest, an annual three day music/culture/beer festival located in Vankleek Hill, Ontario.  She is also co-author of the widely acclaimed book Boys Like Her; Transfictions. Aside from composition, live performance, management and production gigs, Lyndell works with Ottawa Blues Festival as a music educator for the Blues In The Schools program and is a music teacher with the Alberta’s based Rocker Girl Camp.

 

 

Friday, March 1^st 2013

Westboro Masonic Hall

430 Churchill Avenue N, 7:00 pm

Tickets available at Ottawa Folklore Centre and at the door

($15 advance and/or SAC members, $20 at the door)

Bluebird North: Where Writers Sing and Tell is produced by Amanda Rheaume for the Songwriters Association of Canada.  

For more information on the S.A.C.’s mandate, activities and membership programs please visit www.songwriters.ca

Bluebird North is endorsed by the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville.

 

Montreal’s bona fide alt-country balladeers, The Jimmyriggers, are bringing their signature reverb-drenched twang for two back-to-back weekend shows in Wakefield and Ottawa.

The Jimmyriggers’, veterans of the Montreal rock-root music scene, pick up the broken pieces of country music and put them back together with the glue of rock and roll, crafting clever songs with engaging arrangements and unique sound that flow seamlessly between light and dark, despair and redemption.  Think Tragically Hip meets the Blue Rodeo meets The Avett Brothers.

The Jimmyriggers are: bass player David Pearce, guitarist Andre Kirchhoff, drummer Lewis Handford, and guitarist Kevin Moquin.

The Jimmyriggers acclaimed sophomore release, “I Stand in the Weeds” brings the listener on a rich and varied musical journey. Recorded at Montreal’s Fast Forward Studios and in the band’s own rehearsal space with producer and multi-instrumentalist Mark Goodwin, veteran rock drummer R.D. Harris, and stalwart session men Rick Haworth and Eric LeMoyne, the twelve original tracks on “I Stand in the Weeds” also includes a Flying Burrito Brothers-esque take on the Rolling Stones’ tune “Connection”.

You can check their new album on Bandcamp.com

The Jimmyriggers have appeared at numerous events including the Fringe Festival, the Montreal Folk Festival on the Canal, and BOBFEST, a Bob Dylan 70th Birthday Tribute. Recently the band won the CHOM-FM Rock N’ Bull Rodeo Video contest, earning the opportunity to open for legendary American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revisited at Stade Uniprix. The Jimmyriggers have also taken their music on the road, with successful tours of Ontario and the Maritimes, and appearances at Canadian Music Week.

The Jimmyriggers play a full-tilt three set night at Wakefield’s Kaffe 1870 on Saturday, October 20th and share the stage in a roots rock triple bill with Phantom Shores and The Backyard Devils at the Elmdale House Tavern on Saturday, October 27th.

At first glance Tyler could be just another Canadian teen with a penchant for music and love for the ladies, but looking deeper yields surprising insight into this young entertainer. I sat down for a chat with Tyler during his stop in Ottawa for the Big Time Summer tour, and discussed his digital release, his career and impressive work with World Vision Canada. Later, Tyler hit the stage at Scotia Bank Place and taught everyone in attendance a lesson in showmanship.

Welcome back to Ottawa! How has the tour been so far?

I’m very excited to be in Ottawa again, I have a great fan base here and Ottawa is like my second home! I actually have some original members from my label that are here, and since I don’t get to see them that often this a treat.

Tell me more about your new digital release that dropped on September 7th

It’s available only on itunes right now, and it may also soon be available at my online store. This is actually an EP, so it’s really just to satisfy my fans until I can release my next full album and be happy with it. I don’t want my fans to think I have forgotten about them. That to me is really important because I want my next album to be 100% and so until that happens this will keep the fans excited. I try to bring something special to my lyrics and connect with my fans and I really enjoy the material I worked on for this EP.

Your big hit #QTEES is blowing up right now! What was your goal with this single?

I was actually in Miami at FloRida Studios when I was putting together this song. I love my fans so much, and wanted to connect with them and give them a song showing how much I appreciate having them. They’re always coming out and supporting me so it’s like a tribute. As for the name, I call all my fans “Qtee’s” and wanted this song to reflect what I’m always telling them at my shows. My fans are a big inspiration so the song came easy to me since I was making music about what I know.

Summer is almost over so what comes after this tour?

Working on the album for sure, down the road. Immediately after this tour, I’ll be heading to Sri Lanka and the Philippines with World Vision. I sponsored a child from Sri Lanka, and I’m trying to get others involved as well and raise awareness, hopefully others will sponsor a child too. It’s important to give what you can and I definitely respond to those in need. This organization is doing good things, and I’m excited for that tour as well.

Concert Review

Tyler started off his set with “Say I Love You” and faded into “#QTEES” which had no shortage of show-stopping choreography to match the lively lyrics. The deafening screams of fans in the front row added an extra air of excitement as Tyler began to break into “Favorite Girl” moving in time with his dancers to the new track that is just breaking out off of his TM release.

Flips and thrilling acrobatics were in full force onstage as well as Tyler’s trademark shirt lift for all the ladies looking to sneak a peek at his abs. At one point Tyler laid on the floor of the stage and then flipped up and over onto his feet while signing. It was clear during his performance of the international hit “Girlfriend”, that Tyler works very hard and has perfected the art of  showmanship as his voice was heard unaltered and yet still strong during his dance set. A welcome and pleasant surprise for many of the older fans toward the end of the show when Tyler covered “Step by Step” originally performed by New Kids on The Block. His take on the song was youthful with a modern edge, courtesy of his DJ accompaniment. Overall, Tyler’s performance was not only entertaining but clean and strong from start to finish. Many concert-goers and parents alike frequently noted on Tyler’s honed effortless and confident stage presence which belies his charming 17 year-old exterior.

Tyler’s album is available for purchase now on itunes, be sure and visit his website for frequent updates!

Special thanks

Tyler Medeiros

Manny Dion

Liz Reid (Strut Entertainment)

Photo Credit: CP records

Mark Martyre is a Toronto singer/songwriter/poet/musician who describes his music as a perfect fit for “cafes or house concerts”.  His gritty style instantly has you thinking Dylan and Cohen…some even have thrown the name Springsteen into that ‘who does he remind you of’ mix.

Mark has been making music, and writing for years. He published two books of poetry and prose “Wondering Down the Road” (2008) and “Drifting Magentically” (2009), and had some of his works published in arts and culture magazines.

After a busy 2011  of playing shows throughout Ontario, Mark has kicked off 2012 with release of a box set. Handmade out of wood, this unique box certainly stands out and has already made an impression on those who’ve eagerly picked up a copy. The box set contains six live bootleg CDs, recorded at shows in 2011, as well as photos, and other liner notes.  Each box set is signed by Mark, and comes with a pin.

Mark  has been engaging audiences with his lyrics and introspective songs, and his live performances have also garnered attention and praise from other notable songwriters such as Stephen Stanley, and Peter Katz, who said that Mark has, “fantastic lyrics,” and that, “he clearly has a really warm soul and a passion for writing and music.”

For more information about Mark or about his Live 2011 Box Set, please visit www.markmartyre.com

UPCOMING SHOWS

AUGUST 26 - SUNDAY MATINEE
Rebas Cafe & Gallery, Toronto
1pm

SEPTEMBER 28
Habits Gastropub, Toronto
8:30pm

Connie Bernardi plays the role of radio announcer on Majic 100 in Ottawa, full time music blogger and seeker of new music. Latest and greatest bragging right…a Canadian singer/songwriter by the name of James Struthers wrote a song about me. True story.

White Noise (photo courtesy of the Ottawa Fringe Festival)

It happens every year at the Ottawa Fringe Festival, for many reasons some shows fall below the radar and are not as talked about as much as others early on. Usually by this point (with 3 days left to go), word has gotten out that these productions are very much worth seeing.

Here are a few of these below the radar shows:

White Noise: Created by Margaret Evraire and Christina Bryson, White Noise tells the story of Nadia Kajouji, a carleton university student who committed suicide in 2008. The play is largely a movement piece and recounts the last days of Nadia’s life. Originally I was going to give this production a pass.  Plays based on relatively recent true life events can be very challenging to handle with appropriate sensitivity.  The buzz in the beer tent, however, was positive so I decided to go. I’m glad I did.

After the performance ended, the audience (myself included) was very slow get up and leave the theatre; obviously very moved by the play. I was also very impressed by the sophisticated staging and sound design. Make sure you see this one!

Gametes and Gonads:  This one man show created, by Jeff Laird, is a high energy whirlwind of a show in which he takes on a multitude of characters (seriously there are like a couple million sperm alone!). Laird skillfully handles all these roles and the show never loses its coherence. Gametes and Gonads is billed as Star Wars meets your genitals. It’s clever and fun. The last show is at 11:00 p.m on Saturday (June 23). Go see it!

Trashman’s Dilemma: Set in a dystopian future this play by (Bruce Gooch) delves into complicated themes revolving around language. Can agency/freedom exist without the words to express it? As an interesting twist, the three member cast rotates the roles for each performance. The last chance to catch this show is 3:00 p.m. on Saturday (June 23)!

There are only three days left in the festival! If you haven’t done so already, buy a fringe pin ($3) and check out a play(s) for ($10/ticket).

But in a month, Mother Tongue Books will close its doors forever.

Ottawa Tonite sent Bob LeDrew to tell the story of a part of Ottawa’s literary life.

The first event in the Celebrate Mother Tongue series will feature Giller Prize-winning author Elizabeth Hay (Late Nights on Air, Alone in the Classroom) and Ottawa favorite singer-songwriter Jill Zmud.

The evening begins at 7:00 on Friday, June 22 at Mother Tongue, Bank at Sunnyside (across from the Mayfair).

This year, I intend to see approximately 30 shows and I will tell you about my adventures over a series of three articles featuring brief postcard reviews.

At Fringe, I spend a lot of time in the beer tent and this year is no exception. As a reviewer, I get asked this question a lot: “What are your top picks for the festival so far?”

While I haven’t seen everything everything yet (I’ve attended 11 shows so far), here are two must see shows:

Ingrid Hansen in Little Orange Man (Photo courtesy of SNAFU Dance)

1. Little Orange Man- This is a brilliantly whimsical one woman show, created by Ingrid Hansen and          Kathleen Greenfield. It’s about Kitt, a high energy 12 year old girl who likes to recount folk tales told by her Danish grandfather. Kitt uses puppets in variety of different forms, some of them are even made out of her lunch, to tell her stories. It’s a really special show. Go see it! I recommend getting there early and sitting as close to the front as you can since the sight lines in her venue, St. Paul’s Eastern United Church, aren’t the best.

http://www.ottawafringe.com/shows/little-orange-man/

2. Heterollectual: Love and Other Dumb Ideas - This is a contemporary dance piece by an emerging Toronto dance company (Pollux Dance). Artistic Director Leslie Glen describes her show this way “It makes fun of love; it exposes sadness; it impersonates the irrational ways in which human beings behave.” It’s a special treat to be be able to see such a talented group of dancers for $10. I was impressed by this company’s athletic ability, grace, and skill.

http://www.ottawafringe.com/shows/heterollectual-love-and-other-dumb-ideas/

Photo courtesy of Pollux Dance

Another show I really enjoyed, but that won’t have as broad appeal as the two shows mentioned previously, Is Garkin productions’ Lonely Bear. Written by Ray Besharah, this one is dark, quirky, with a sense of humour. Smart, sharp, eccentric writing. Very much worth seeing.

So there are three shows to get you started.

Check out ottawafringe.com to read about the rest of the shows featured in this year’s festival.