Sonny Aiken is a cowboy and a clown. Just as entertaining off-stage as on, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better yodeller in all of Ottawa. Having completed a world tour with Cirque Eloize in the cowboy-musical ‘Saloon’, Aiken is back in Ottawa reestablishing roots. Nearly always performing as one half of a duo, Aiken has released music with The Noisy Locomotive, Aiken & Beggs, The Aiken Brothers, and most recently, he released his seminal solo album, Lost, Lonesome Cowboy in 2020. After more than a decade of touring and performing across Canada, Aiken’s latest venture is as one half of C.A. and Sonny.
Hailing from New Brunswick, C.A. Jackson has now firmly planted his feet in the Ottawa area. Although he has spent time performing in bands and other ensembles, Jackson has spent countless hours honing his craft. After a fateful year-long pilgrimage to Charlottetown where he spent his secluded days, nourished by his guitar alone, he has ventured back to society to accompany Aiken with his resolute harmonies and relentless fingerpicking.
- C.A. Jackson
- Sonny Aiken
Tin Constellations brings a mix of polished and rough-in-all-the-right-places brand of Folk/Pop to the indie airwaves. Colorful narratives, soaring violin solos, audience sing a longs, and solid song writing. The members have a long history in the Ottawa indie scene. Brent Smith, Rob Snasdell-Taylor, Brennan Pilkington and Andrew Robertson, have all gigged and toured in previous bands, releasing 7” singles, cassettes and CDs. They’ve recently released a new EP, A Cosmonaut’s Lament, recorded with Dave Draves (Jim Bryson, Kathleen Edwards) at Little Bullhorn Studios. That’s available now, from the side of the stage, or on all major streaming sites.
- Brent Smith – Guitar, vocals
- Rob Snasdell-Taylor – Bass, vocals
- Brennan Pilkington – Violin, vocals
- Andrew Robertson – Drums, vocals
Paul Weber is an engaging storyteller, singer and songwriter. He is a people’s poet of sorts, telling tales of past times, stories of the street, and community struggles. With one foot in the narrative folk tradition and another foot in the digital world, Paul frequently combines self-made videos into both his live and online performances, making for an engaging and sometimes educational show. Paul just released, “Ode to Gerry Barber”, a heartfelt collection of songs in a wide range of musical styles. In 2020 he was awarded a Bernard Grand Maître award for his musical contribution to Francophone culture.
- Paul Weber – Guitar, vocals
- Rob Lethbridge – Upright Bass
- Christine Fagan – Vocals
- Camille Forget – Vocals
- Trevor Lubin – Various stringed instruments
The Atomic Tempunauts play, as per the classic definition of ‘Surf’, instrumental, guitar-driven rock and roll… but are not beholden to any strict definition – the influences of funk, punk, rockabilly and jazz are palpable.
The players are no strangers to the stage either.
- Dr. Buck Naked – Guitar
- Les Finesse – Guitar
- Scotty P – Bass
- Bob MacAbre – Drums
Voted Music Group of the Year for the second year in a row in the 2023 Ottawa Awards, Evil Creek is a rock band that forges music honouring multiple musical traditions and appealing to a wide audience.
With a heavy groove behind energetic acoustic guitar riffs and eerie melodic vocals, Evil Creek’s unique high-energy sound leaves audiences in awe. Formed in 2017, the band unites a group of accomplished musicians who capture the power and authenticity of unplugged musical performances honed through years of road work and playing live.
- Mark Garrod – Lead vocals, guitars
- Cliff Chamberlain – Lead guitar, vocals
- Johnny McConnell – Keyboards, mandolin, percussion, vocals
- Rus Miller – Bass guitar
- Steve Thompson – Drums, percussion