Live Music in Ottawa

Once nicknamed the "Liverpool of the North" for its sweet vocal harmonies, Ottawa has been producing consequential music since the 1960s, when bands like Five Man Electrical Band were cutting records and a coffee house called Le Hibou was drawing figures like Jimi Hendrix to its folk and blues nights. The city that helped launch Paul Anka, Annihilator, and Arcade Fire drummer Jeremy Gara keeps that momentum alive today across a range of venues: The Rainbow Bistro remains Ottawa's established home of the blues in the ByWard Market, Jazz@248 runs live jam sessions six nights a week, and Red Bird in Old Ottawa South anchors a more intimate end of the spectrum with dedicated bluegrass and open-stage nights. For a capital city, Ottawa punches hard on the live music front, and the RBC Bluesfest, which grew from 5,000 attendees in 1994 to 95,000 by decade's end, is the clearest proof of its audience's appetite.