Author: Kevin Bourne

Home to Bluesfest, Winterlude, Canada Day, and the Escapade Music Festival, Ottawa has built a reputation as one of the leading festival cities in Canada and around the world. Although it’s November and snowing outside, the festival vibes aren’t done. This weekend, the first edition of CRANIUM, Ottawa’s latest festival offering, will be taking place from November 14th to 16th. Spearheaded by hip-hop vets and community staples Patrick “Jugga” McCormack, Justin “Dynamic” Gunderson, and Michael “Rookie” Kirton, the festival will be hosted at indoor venues across downtown Ottawa. Performers include local, national and international talent, including City Fidelia, Lia Kloud,…

Toronto rapper and global icon, Drake, is set to team up with Smith Falls-based Canopy Growth on a brand new cannabis venture, More Life Growth Company, borrowing from his 2017 release of the same name. This is Drake’s first foray into the cannabis business and Canopy Growth’s second partnership with a rap icon after their collaboration with Canopy Growth shareholder Snoop Dogg. In an official release, the company stated the partnership will be “centred around wellness, discovery and overall personal growth with the hope of facilitating connections and shared experiences across the globe”. Under terms of the agreement, Drake will…

This past Thanksgiving I made the long trek from Ottawa to my hometown of Mississauga, Ontario as I usually do almost every Thanksgiving. Our destination was my mom’s house on Bristol Road that I called home for 16 years. The city just west of Toronto has changed a lot since I moved there 28 years ago. The year was 1991 and I was 11 years old. We just moved from our apartment on Keele Street in North York and my sister and I weren’t having it. The sign welcoming us into our new home read “Population 383,000”. There was a…

Social media is buzzing about Kanye West, his album “Jesus is King” and his newfound faith in Jesus Christ. Along with that has come his request that those working on his album abstain from premarital sex and that his wife stop wearing revealing clothing. To some it may sound weird but I went on a similar journey 16 years ago. The year was 2003. It was Lent, an important season on the church calendar. My best friend (who would go on to become my wife) and I started asking God questions. Are you real? If you’re real then_________. One by…

A week before City Fidelia and Night Lovell were set to hit to the stage at Rolling Loud Hong Kong prior to its cancellation, another Ottawa act was shining on the international stage. Egyptian-Canadian Malak Sound recently appeared on the October 12 episode of singing competition show The Voice in the Middle East, also known as The Voice Ahla Sawt. She is the first Canadian to ever appear on the show. When asked what appearing the show has meant for her career, the Ottawa-based singer-songwriter told SHIFTER, “Going go The Voice was not only a big step forward for me professionally…

This month’s Ottawa Music Video Roundup includes Dip Black, Selekwa, Nathan Miles and two time Video of the Month champ, Dynamic! We’re continuing to ask you, the fans, to vote for the capital’s Video of the Month. Check out the videos below in order of release date, then help us crown the top video in the city for September. Special shout out to our sponsor Greg Campbell – Blue Panda Realty. Last month saw our largest voter turnout ever with over 900 votes! You voted and crowned “Big Fish” by SVLM as your Video of the Month by a three vote…

This is the album Ottawa has been waiting for. Last Friday, City Fidelia released his latest and most highly anticipated project to date, Painkiller. We’ve been hearing about this album for a long time so anticipation was pretty high. With rich content and very few features, what we were given was a work of art and one of the best albums to ever come out of the city. The capital has reason to be doubtful. It has grown used to seeing its top artists leave, find success and never return, but today more and more artists are coming out of the…

Ottawa’s on the verge of blowing up as a music city. Depending on who you ask, the capital is anywhere from three to 10 years away from getting the credit it deserves. Solo artists like Night Lovell, City Fidelia and Maurice Moore are leading the charge, but also following suit are some strong hip-hop and R&B crews and collectives that are heavily influencing the sound of the capital, perhaps even more so than their solo counterparts. Here are six hip-hop and R&B collectives shaping the sound of the capital. View this post on Instagram A post shared by…

September’s edition of Taste of the 6ix was a night to remember. The six artists showcased were undoubtedly talented in every aspect. In fact, I am still humming their songs. We started with David Sully, who created his rendition of Talk by Khalid, making the best of the loop pedal. He performed playing the acoustic guitar covering this masterpiece with his perfectly tuned and soothing voice. KRSRAGA poured-out her feelings over progressive bass lines immersing the public in her own space and time. Following KRSRAGA, the young Liv Mannara bravely showed she is poised and ready to walk into her…

Today SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne, aka KB The Boss, appeared on CTV Morning Live for the television edition of our local music video roundup. In case you missed it, here’s the segment and the featured music videos. Mischa – Up Now Taming Sari – Wake Up Boy Emma Lamontagne – Love Games DJ Prosper – Famous (remix) SVLM – Big Fish

The 10th anniversary of Ontario Culture Days (OCD) features an eclectic roster of free activities and events taking place across all of Ontario from September 27–29, 2019. This vibrant weekend of activities marks the official end of the summer and the kick off fall with family activities in various intersections of visual art, theatre, cinema, dance, and much more—plus there’s no cover charge.  One of the many interactive cultural experiences include the BIG Draw Festival, which brings together fourteen museums in Toronto to partake in the celebration of drawing and creative expression; a story-telling series hosted by the Toronto Public…

This month’s Ottawa Music Video Roundup includes Timal Garnier, DJ Prosper, SVLM and BLikeBrett! We’re continuing to ask you, the fans, to vote for the capital’s Video of the Month. Check out the videos below in order of release date, then help us crown the top video in the city for August. Last month you voted and crowned “Nothing To Lose” by Dynamic as your Video of the Month. Video of the Month (July) – Dynamic aka Ya Favourite Lightskin – “Nothing To Lose” Who will win for August? [Updated] Mischa Up Now Release date: August 2, 2019 Filmed by: Quest Edited by:…