Author: Kevin Bourne

On Friday, March 27, the Canadian Museum of Nature hosted their monthly party, Nature Nocturne. The theme was Invisible- Discover a hidden world as the invisible become visible. See the photos above. Also read: A NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: CULTURE AND FUN COLLIDE AS MUSEUM PARTIES GROW IN POPULARITY (photos by Kevin Bourne and Nyasha Mandiveyi)

On Tuesday, March 24th, King Empire Entertainment hosted a private cocktail soirée at the Hilton Lac-Leamy with their new artist B. Howard. Check out the official pictures above. (photos by Alexander Vlad for King Empire Entertainment)

Our Koliah Bourne and Vlad Jean-Gilles had a chance to chat with platinum-selling artist B. Howard at a private soirée at the Lac Leamy Hilton in Gatineau, Quebec. They got to know more about the man with a mission to uplift and inspire. Koliah: Alright so we are here at hotel Lac Leamy with B. Howard. So welcome to Ottawa or is this your first time here? B: This is definitely my first time and thank you for the welcome. Truly enjoying Ottawa and it’s very beautiful. Very clean and very brisk when you get off the airport. K: Very…

Last week, I had the privilege of meeting singer, songwriter, producer B. Howard at a soirée hosted by King Empire Entertainment. Who is B. Howard? Well, he’s a man on a mission to create uplifting music that will touch people of all kinds. He just signed a partnership deal with Ottawa’s King Empire Entertainment to launch his new single “One More Night”. Although you may not have heard of him before, he is no novice. He got his start after his mother, singer-songwriter Miki Howard, gave him one year to prove himself in the music industry. By the end…

This morning hip-hop artist turn business mogul, Jay-Z, launched TIDAL, his artist friendly music streaming service. The service launched with a video of the who’s who of the music industry, across all genres, gathering in one room as if to strategize without executives, managers, or any other business types present. The message is clear. The artists are taking back control of how they’re compensated and how their music is accessed. Today’s launch comes after the New York rapper acquired Swedish tech company Aspiro, owner of the TIDAL streaming service, for $56 million earlier this year. The service promises recording artists…

From living rooms to record stores, people are finding interesting places to listen to live music or have a party. So what are the newest and coolest party venues? Museums. Long known as stale and boring places, museums are finding new ways to engage with the public.  In recent years museum parties have grown in popularity from Paris to New York to San Francisco. All over the world museums have been hosting parties as a way to expose their collections and exhibitions to a crowd that otherwise may never have come through their doors. This trend hasn’t been ignored in…

In a time where artistry has taken a back seat to gimmicks and publicity stunts, City Fidelia’s latest project comes as a bit of a breath of fresh air. His latest project A Pisces World is a reflection of the many contrasting sides of the man. On “All In ($$ Bills)” and “Stress Free (Être Libre)” City reveals a more emotional and thoughtful side, then mixes it up with a highly sexual and unexpected track called “She Wanna” which runs the risk of catching you off guard at first listen. The album goes out with a bang with Evening Show,…

There’s something brewing in Canadian live music. It’s not a particular sound or gathering of people; it’s ambition. Last week John Tory, the mayor of Canada’s largest city, visited Austin’s South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival on a fact finding mission and to promote Toronto’s music scene. The mayor’s goal is to see Toronto’s music scene, and a related signature event, grow to become as important as film and the Toronto International Film Festival. The city’s new Music Sector Development Officer and members of their newly established Music Advisory Council, who also made the trip to Austin, are a reflection of…

SHIFTER Magazine had the privilege of taking in the Tasman Jude show at the Brew Bus Lounge in Ottawa during their Canadian tour. Our Koliah Bourne talked to lead vocalist, Caleb Hart aka Bravehart, about their most recent album and their success topping the iTunes Canada Reggae chart. Also read: INTERVIEW WITH FRESH IE, CANADA’S FIRST GRAMMY-NOMINATED RAPPER

Kingsman: The Secret Service, starring Colin Firth (Galahad) and Taron Egerton (Eggsy), is a cross between a James Bond-like spy film, with a supervillain and smooth British spies in tailored suits, and Kill Bill with graphic yet well-choreographed fight scenes. The story is centered around a relationship between master (Firth) and pupil (Egerton) à la Karate Kid. Galahad seeks to change his young protégé’s life by helping him evolve from a punk kid fighting off neighbourhood bullies in inner city London, to putting his intellect and survival skills to use as a spy. Taron Egerton, a newcomer to the world…

This past Valentine’s Day, SHIFT Magazine co-hosted the album release concert for GPM’s latest project, L.I.T.A. (Love Is The Answer). The event was co-emceed by our Koliah Bourne.

This week BuzzFeed Deputy Music Editor Reggie Ugwu wrote an article about the faith that inspires Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar. It gives us some insight into the mind of one of the world’s hottest recording artists (used with permission from the author). Save for the reliably blasphemous Kanye West, no rapper established in the upper echelons of popular music is more vocal about his personal religious beliefs than Lamar. Though he has never neatly fit the description of what would usually be termed “Christian hip-hop,” Lamar has often seasoned somber soliloquies of navigating the gang culture that birthed him with…