Amanda Lowe

On Friday evening, Spectrasonic presented Montreal-born Béatrice Martin, known as Coeur de Pirate, for one of the first shows of her spring tour. The sold-out show filled the Bronson Centre to the rim, reportedly bringing over 800 people. Concertgoers ranged in age from 10 to 65, which proved not only the wide demographic of Coeur de Pirate’s fans, but of the Ottawa music scene as a whole.

Local singer-songwriter Amanda Lowe, originally from PEI, started the evening with an acoustic set. Lowe charmed the crowd with her warm personality, sharing anecdotes that inspired her emotive, handwritten songs. She sang in both English in French, and, much like her successor, brought joy into her performance of heartbreak songs.



After a well-received performance by Lowe, who boasted a unique, soprano voice, Beatrice Martin took the stage.

The concert’s theme was simple but glamorous. Martin wore a long, sheer black dress with her band in matching all-back ensembles. When a single spotlight wasn’t on Martin, images of flowers (reminiscent of her latest album, Roses) and geometric, abstract art were projected across the concert hall. The effect was a dreamy vibe that captured her haunting songs perfectly.

Martin danced throughout the set, accompanying her slower tracks with graceful movements. At one point, the band left the stage while she performed a short, choreographed modern dance.



Once Martin returned to the piano, she performed a solo piano rendition of “Francis,” a popular track from her debut album, before surprising the audience with a cover. Martin played a stylized version of Drake’s “Hold On, We’re Going Home.” “It’s a club song,” Martin explained, “but because I’m singing it, it’s going to be sad.” The result was not only an admirable twist on the song, but proof that Martin is a remarkably talented pianist who can alter any genre of music to suit her style.

The final performances of the night included “Comme Des Enfants,” Martin’s debut song that made her such an iconic Francophone artist. She invited the audience to sing and move along, bringing the large crowd together with ease. She then ended the set with a popular track from her latest album, “Carry On,” closing the night with an upbeat tone. Even if she admits to being a writer of sad songs, she managed to bring joyful elements to a stellar performance. - Ottawa ShowBox / Maitland Shaheen

I was told throughout the week that the Ottawa winter I had entered was mild by their standards. And rushing past the sad, completely empty Rideau Canal – usually bustling with ice skaters – on the way to the keynote address on Day One drove that point home.
So, waking up on Day Two of Megaphono and seeing a dusting of snow, the streets and sidewalks already slushy from the morning commute, was a reminder that snowy and bitterly cold are very much synonymous with Ottawa and Canada in general.
After participating in panels and networking events during the day, my show-going began at Pressed Cafe, a coffee and sandwich shop and the Folk Music Ontario-presented showcase featuring three singer-songwriters: Danielle Allard, Amanda Lowe, and Michael Feuerstack. Megaphono is heavily focused on Ottawa talent and thus I had only heard of a few bands heading into the festival and seen only one of them previously and that was Feuerstack.
Leading off the afternoon session was Danielle Allard. Through most of her set, especially the ones where she was playing guitar, I kept thinking how much she reminded me of Ingrid Michaelson, with an engaging voice that lies somewhere between Michaelson and Jenny Lewis. Allard’s humor and self-effacing nature made her set a winning start to a long evening of shows.
Sri Lankan singer-songwriter Amanda Lowe was next and played sweet and sad songs about ex-lovers. Feuerstack rounded out the afternoon singing smartly-worded songs over hushed acoustic guitar melodies. “You turn your head for half a second / And someone’s carrying them away to make somebody stay,” he sang on “Flowers in the City.” It was good to see him perform again having last seen him at Pop Montreal a few years ago.


Read More: Megaphono fest day 2 pics/review: Duchess Says, Andy Shauf, Boyhood, Michael Feuerstack, Merganzer & more | http://www.brooklynvegan.com/megaphono-fest/?trackback=tsmclip - Brooklyn Vegan / Dominick Mastrangelo

Amanda Lowe, an emerging artist on the Ottawa music scene, will be performing on Saturday September 19 as part of CityFolk’s free Marvest festival – showcasing local talent, food and beverages. Amanda has been singing, composing, and songwriting for 10 years now. To date, she has released only singles, but is currently working on her first EP Collarbone while she juggles her university studies and job at Patrick Artists (co-founded by local Ottawa artist Craig Cardiff).
The audience can expect an intimate and welcoming atmosphere during her performance at the Wild Oat Bakery on Bank St. at 9 p.m., with what Amanda describes as: “some really personal songs [you] may be able to relate to, a cover or two of some 2003 hit single, and lots of live looping and harmonizing to myself.”
This will be her first time performing at the festival though she has attended and volunteered at the Folk Festival before. She is glad that CityFolk has decided to emphasize more local and emerging artists, particularly through the Marvest shows that are easily accessible to everyone.
We asked Amanda about her thoughts or worries with the nontraditional venues for the Marvest shows. “The pros would be being able to play in [those] nontraditional venues, meeting new presenters, venue owners, potential fans, gaining exposure to a new market, and of course the possibility of having an incredible time!”

According to her Facebook page, Amanda can be found around town running open mic nights at venues such as Raw Sugar Café and Café Nostalgica. At CityFolk, you’ll likely see her listening to the Passenger, Evening Hymns, and Rich Chris concerts. Her Facebook page also links to her Soundcloud with some lovely covers.
Amanda Lowe plays at the Wild Oat Cafe on Saturday, September 19th. For more information visit: www.cityfolkfestival.com - APT613 / Marina Irick

Wild Oat Bakery (817 Bank Street)

9:00 – Amanda Lowe – If you’re looking to hear some tender music that can be sweet or heartbreaking, Amanda Lowe would be the top choice. Reminiscent of Lisa Loeb, the young Ottawan writes music well beyond her youthful years.

10:00 – The Gallop – Like a more melodic Sloan (which I guess would make them like Yukon Blonde), four-piece, indie-rock band The Gallop recently released a new EP, Tall Tale Tellers, which received positive buzz. Hear for yourself why this little band has some a chance to do some big things.

11:00 – Amos the Transparent – One of the gems of the Canadian indie scene is Amos the Transparent, who have caught the attention of notable artists such as Amy Millan of Stars. They’ve dabbled in indie-rock, indie-pop, and soulful pop of the ’60s, showing the band’s versatility and diversity. They also recently released an album of covers called The Undercover Sessions, on which they covered the likes of Radiohead, Neil Young, and Green Day. Makes you wonder what they’ll do tonight. - The Revue / Ben Yung

Ottawa, August 26, 2015 — CityFolk music festival organizers today confirmed plans to stage a showcase of exceptional musical talent under the banner of Marvest. The Ottawa area has a wealth of musical talent, and Marvest plans to reap the harvest. Marvest—a harvest of music, fun, food and beverages—is the newest initiative from the folks behind CityFolk. Marvest will highlight Ottawa’s best new sounds and celebrate the many talented musicians who have made Ottawa’s music scene so vibrant.

“Music fans in the region recognize that Ottawa has an abundance of world-class talent,” says CityFolk’s executive and artistic director Mark Monahan. “We see Marvest as an ideal opportunity to work with local businesses to showcase that talent and to enhance the CityFolk experience.”

Inspired by the city-wide explosion of music during Austin’s SXSW Festival, the focus of Marvest is to present residents and visitors to Ottawa with a feast of locally produced music, food and drink. Throughout the event, the sights, flavours and sounds of Marvest will spill out of various venues along Bank Street. More than 60 Musical acts have been confirmed so far, including Alex Silas and the Subterraneans, Amanda Lowe, Amos the Transparent, Baberaham Lincoln, Black Dogs, Bottle Hearts, Danielle Allard, Dynamite Motel, Harea Band, Her Harbour, Hey Buster, High Waters, Ilvekyo, Jack Pine and the Fire, James Leclaire and the Cable 22s, John Allaire, Jon Becker and the North Fields, Kaleigh Watts, Kelly Sloan, Kristine St-Pierre, LeMeow, Loon Choir, Lost Cousins, Lost to the River, MATT dorgan PROJECT, Monday I Retire, Moonfruits, Nightshades, Orienteers, Pith and the Parenchymas, Rich Chris, Silver Creek, Slo’ Tom and the Handsome Devils, Spencer Scharf, St. Stephens, Steamers, Steve Adamyk Band, Stone Age Man, Suits ‘N Toques, The Brook, The Maxim Cossette Combo, The Gallop, The Hornettes, The Kingmakers, The Lionyls, The Ramblin’ Valley Band, The Split, The Strain, The Vaneglory Farm, Three Times Lucky, Tindervox and Zoo Legacy.

More information about who’s playing where and when can be found on the CityFolk website by clicking on the Marvest logo or pasting the following URL into your browser: http://cityfolkfestival.com/onsite-attractions/marvest/

Marvest venues: The Wild Oat, Metro Music, Octopus Books, Black Squirrel Books, House of Targ, Kunstadt Sports, FarmTeam Cookhouse, David’s Tea, The Unrefined Olive, Original Burger, Whole Foods Market, LOCAL Public Eatery, Irene’s, and the Aberdeen Pavilion. The Aberdeen Pavilion will be the central hub of Marvest. Access will be free and will offer the best in local music, artisans, craft beer and culinary delights. Local breweries and wineries will be sampling their products.

Aberdeen Pavilion highlights include:

● FREE Live Music Performances, including the Marvest Album Release Program

● Metro Artist Lounge (with interactive artists SESSIONS and Autograph Tent)

● 15 Craft breweries (including signature draft beer provider, Beau’s Brewing Company)

● 14 Artisans

● Ottawa Farmer’s Market

● Coffee lounge

● Festival bar

● Food Eating Challenges

Marvest Album Release Program

In keeping with the theme of harvesting local music, nine Ottawa bands will release their newest albums as part of the free programming at the Aberdeen Pavilion. Participating bands include: Loon Choir (September 18th, 10 p.m. – All Of This and Everything Else); Alex Silas and the Subterraneans (September 17th, 10 p.m. – Tunnels); High Waters (September 19th, 10 p.m. – Goodnight Mara); Lost to the River (September 19th, 7 p.m. – Lost to the River); Ilvekyo (September 18th/ , 7 p.m. – Out Of Control); James Leclaire and the Cable 22’s (September 17th, 7 p.m. – These Weights); John Allaire (September 20th, 7 p.m. – South of Solitude); Moonfruits (September 19th, 4 p.m. – Carousel EP); and The Brook (September 20th, 4 p.m. – Sweet Talk).

“Aside from our mandate of showcasing Ottawa’s world-class music talent, we’ve also been making a big push to encourage local acts to produce new music, in recent years,” says CityFolk’s executive and artistic director Mark Monahan. “We see our Marvest Album Release Program as an excellent way of achieving that objective.” - SoundCheck Entertainment / Hendrik Pape

The second annual Ladies First! will take place at LIVE on Elgin Saturday night January 9th.

Ladies First! also marks the 4th anniversary of RockSteady Booking. RockSteady Bookings was founded by Andrea Desjardins in December 15th, 2011, and is a company that is fuelled by a passion for music. RockSteady works with local musicians booking shows and other various events, but the ultimate goal is to expose fans and followers to the local scene of talented, hard-working musicians Ottawa and surrounding areas has to offer.

Ladies First! will feature some talented local acts such as Riishi Von Rex, Coccinella, and Amanda Lowe. Rounding out the line up is Maya Killtron from Toronto and Ghostly Hounds from Montreal. Taking the event to the next level, RockSteady Booking has partnered up with Harmony House Women’s Shelter in Ottawa to help raise awareness regarding the services and options available to women who are hoping to escape abuse and violence.

In honour of the occasion, we had a quick chat with Andrea Desjardins.

WHERE DID THE IDEA FOR LADIES FIRST! COME FROM?
Ladies First came to be in 2014 when I was thinking of a fun way to celebrate RockSteady Booking’s (RSB) third anniversary. I wanted to have an event that was different than any other event I had up until then. I thought about the reasons I had gotten into booking promoting music in the first place, and the main reason was to be a driving force for the growth of Ottawa music. I then thought about what makes RSB different from other booking groups in the city, and one of the main obvious differences is that I am a female.

I don’t think about that often, if it all, because to me it does not matter what gender or age you are. If you are doing something that is going to benefit Ottawa music then that’s all that matters. But it made me think of how cool it would be to have a show that celebrates females in the Ottawa music scene, and what better way to celebrate the anniversary of a company run by a female. Thus, the idea of “Ladies First” was born.



WHAT MAKES THIS YEAR SPECIAL COMPARED TO LAST YEAR?
The 2014 edition was branded as RSB Turns 3 and I used the hashtag #LadiesFirst when promoting it. Once I saw how well the event did and how positive the reaction was from both performers and patrons alike, I knew it had to be an annual thing. Last year, the focus was more so on RSB’s anniversary and celebrating that, whereas this year, the emphasis is on the women of music. The other aspect of this year’s edition that differentiates it from last year is that this year, the event is partnered up with Harmony House Women’s Shelter. They are a second stage women’s shelter that provides safe, affordable transitional housing for women and children who are survivors of violence. While this event is not a full-blown fundraiser in the sense that all the proceeds will be going to the shelter, a portion of the proceeds as well as any donations made at the event will be going to them. A representative from the organization will also be on site and have a booth set up to give more information to those interested.



WHY DID YOU SELECT HARMONY HOUSE WOMEN’S SHELTER?
When I decided I wanted to partner up with a women’s organization of some kind for this event, my first thought was to go to Google and see what kind of resources we have in Ottawa for women in need. I especially wanted an organization who focused on helping women who have dealt with abuse and/or violence in some way because I think it’s an important issue that everyone could use more information about.

There have been so many stories and events surrounding violence against women, such as the subject of missing and murdered Indigenous women. While doing something like this is just a small drop in a vast pond, I feel it’s important to do my part and help bring violence and abuse against women to the forefront. One of the first search results that caught my eye was Harmony House. The fact that they are the only second stage shelter in Ottawa appealed to me because it means they probably have their work cut out for them trying to support and help all the women and children who are transitioning out of an abusive home. I think they deserve a lot of credit and this is just a small way that I can hopefully help bring more attention and awareness to their organization.



WHAT SHOULD PEOPLE EXPECT WHEN ATTENDING THE EVENT?
In short, girl power. The lineup consists of five extremely talented acts; Coccinella are a 3 piece all female blues pop band, Ghostly Hounds are a folk group out of Montreal fronted by the talented Francesca Daoust, Amanda Lowe is a prominent acoustic solo artist from Ottawa and she will also be the host for the evening, Riishi Von Rex frontwoman Riishi Von Rex will be performing solo, and Toronto based electro/hip hop/pop solo artist Maya Killtron will be hitting the stage. LIVE on Elgin is a great, intimate venue and is the perfect place to host an event like this, so expect great service from their bar staff and lots of room to dance. They also have seating which is great to have available for those who like to enjoy music while sitting comfortable, I know I do.

Donations to Harmony House can be made at the event so make sure you bring some cash and help support a great cause!

Ladies First! goes Saturday January 9 at 8 pm at LIVE on Elgin! and is a 19+ event. Tickets are available online for $5 plus service charges here or $10 at the door. You can find more information on their Facebook event. - Ottawa ShowBox /

Whether you know it or not, you’ve probably seen Amanda Lowe. You may have seen her at various fundraising events on campus, or as the Gee-Gees’ national anthem singer last year. You may recognize her as a local musician or a fellow student.

The singer-songwriter, artist management agent, and full-time psychology student says her attraction to the stage—whether it’s at a bar, a coffee shop, or campus fundraiser—comes from a desire to push herself out of her comfort zone and into the spotlight.

Growing up, Lowe’s had her fair share of lucky charms to give herself motivation. “But not anymore,” she says. “Now it’s just more like ‘It’s all on you.’’”

Lowe’s music teacher recognized her talents at a young age. Lowe kept singing for fun, taking every opportunity to perform at school, with a band, or at Christmas concerts. She even started writing her own original songs when she was 12 years old.

Lowe has since performed at venues like Ever Afters, Café Alt, Pressed Café, Umi Café, SAW Gallery, and multiple house concerts.

“I learned a bunch of instruments throughout every experience I had,” she says.

Along the way, she’s also developed a relationship with Juno Award-winner and fan favourite Craig Cardiff.

Lowe first met Cardiff two years ago when she opened for him at a Shinerama fundraiser. She made a great first impression, and Cardiff asked her to work with him at Patrick Artists, a booking and artist management agency.

She even helped him with a last-minute scramble, when she filled in the opening slot at one of Cardiff’s shows at the Black Sheep Inn a year later, and then rushed to an exam immediately afterward. She says the chaotic experience was well worth it.

“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, is this really happening?’” she says.

This time, her hobby, schooling, and work have come full circle as she prepares to open for Cardiff again, this time at the University of Ottawa for a Relay for Life fundraiser.

Lowe says it’s a meaningful show because she’s known people who passed away from cancer. “It’s something that’s dear to my heart, dear to whoever’s going to be attending,” she says.

The multi-instrumentalist learned to sing and play the guitar and piano on her own, learned the saxophone and clarinet in her school band, and picked up the glockenspiel and snare drum while she was a sea cadet.

Lowe hopes to encourage other artists to get involved in the music scene by performing at events like the open mic nights she hosts at Café Nostalgica on Thursday evenings.

“You never know who is scouting,” she says. “There are so many resources, especially with the Internet these days, it’s super easy to put yourself out there. You just have to give an extra push.”

Lowe dreams of going to medical school, but says she’ll still continue with her music.

“I’m always going to try to find a way to have performing incorporated into my life, no matter how busy it is.”

Lowe and Cardiff perform on Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. at 1848. All proceeds benefit Relay for Life - The Fulcrum / Diyinnah Jamora