Author Archives: Nicole Marie

Right before the world went into a near global lockdown thanks to a pandemic, we took a 12 hour road trip to see UK artist Dermot Kennedy at Place des Arts in Montreal. The car was literally cased in ice by the time we finished our nearly three hour drive – welcome to March inContinue reading “An Evening I Will Not Forget – Dermot Kennedy”

Three days after the release of their latest EP, In Your Heart, I saw The Franklin Electric play to a packed room in a dingy downtown bar for the first time. Now, that may sound unappealing, but honestly I was thrilled. The Franklin Electric was a band I’d heard of in passing for years, neverContinue reading “It’s only in your heart, in your head”

Nearly an entire month into the new year – January 31st – I saw Half Moon Run and Taylor Janzen at TD Place in Ottawa. I’ve seen HMR numerous times, the first being in either 2010 or 2011 opening for Of Monsters and Men at Virgin Festival in Montreal. It was pouring rain, and IContinue reading “Half Moon Run – The First Show of 2020”

Jan 12 – Panic! at the Disco, Two Feet, Betty Who Jan 29 – Matt Holubowski, Dan Mangan Feb 9 – Dear Rouge March 7 – Said the Whale, Mother Mother April 4 – Basement Revolver, Ellevator April 18 – Dizzy, Tokyo Police Club May 21 – Shaydid June 14 – Stars June 20 –Continue reading “50 Acts, 41 Unique Artists, 26 Shows, 12 Months – 2019 in Sum”

Here are the top ten songs I saw performed live this past year, in no particular order: 1. The Eighteenth Hole – Tim Baker, City Folk Festival 2. It’s Alright – Mother, Mother, Algonquin Commons Theatre 3. Basket – Dan Mangan, Algonquin Commons Theatre 4. Lightning Crashes – Live, City Folk Festival 5. Dying inContinue reading “Top Ten Songs – 2019”

One night, two shows. That was the mission on December 14th, our last night in Toronto. First up, we were seeing Dave Monks and Said The Whale again, on the final night of their Cascadia tour at The Phoenix. Having seen the tour in Ottawa exactly one week prior, we had already discussed that weContinue reading “Hollerado’s Retirement Weekend (Part Two)”

A little over a month ago, I wrote about Hollerado’s final hometown show. While that show was certainly amazing, their final show (a sold out, headlining night at The Danforth Music Hall in Toronto) was truly something else. Hollerado has been a part of my life for roughly ten years, and they’ve been a bandContinue reading “Hollerado’s Retirement Weekend (Part One)”

On my 25th birthday, I got the ultimate present. I was able to go to a show, in my hometown, put on by one of my favourite artists. I’m not new to Said the Whale shows. I just tried to count how many of their shows I’ve been to, and truthfully I’ve lost count. ThisContinue reading “Said the Whale, Dave Monks, Loon Choir”

“This is the story of how four boys from Manotick got to see the world.” A loose paraphrase from Hollerado’s last hometown show. The band sold out the Bronson Centre One Last Time this past Friday, as one of their final stops on their retirement tour. Ten years ago, the band won The Big MoneyContinue reading “RIP – Rest in Purple Pants”

Classical music has always given me goosebumps. I’ve been fascinated by how, even without words, a story can be conveyed through the combined instruments. This past Saturday, I was lucky enough to attend an absolutely stunning show where my love of orchestral arrangements and sentimental lyrics combined. Dan Mangan, and Vancouver singer songwriter, performed withContinue reading “Dan Mangan and the NAC Orchestra”