About: Leigh Bursey

This past Thursday night, the Diamond Mine Agency packed the Bourbon Room on Dalhousie Street in downtown Ottawa for a hip-hop show with more flare than the “Nature Boy”, and our very own Leigh Bursey and Dave Di Ubaldo were there to catch all of the action. Being that Project Mantra opened up the show, Leigh asked for Dave’s help in delivering the review to bring some balance to the coverage.

The Brass Monkey is deceiving. You could drive right by it without ever discovering it was there. Surrounded by coffee shops, grocery stores, and doctor’s offices, the unassuming strip mall doesn’t seem like a likely candidate for an industrial metal revival, but in fact that is exactly what it offered a motley crew of music lovers on Wednesday night when they brought Powerman 5000 to Ottawa.

On a bitter cold night in the nation’s capital, a fire burned brightly at local watering hole and performance venue Maverick’s on Rideau Street. The Diamond Mine Agency hosted their annual holiday party, which included a food drive for local families in need, an ugly sweater contest, and even the infamous Egg Nog Olympics (which I am proud to say I partook in, and though I fought valiantly, I succumbed to the dairy Gods).

Canadian rock music has never been more relevant. The sights and sounds are full and crisp, and the talent pool is deep. Still, once in awhile a music snob like myself gets to head to a concert with a band that I am largely unfamiliar with, in hopes of being wowed. Seldom does this actually happen. Most times, the band (insert name here) brings a lot of energy and a few hook driven choruses to the table, and at about the halfway point I begin to count down to the end of the night.

First dates are nerve wracking. The anxiety. The cost. The hope. The expectation…well at least normally. Under most modern circumstances, dating is generally underwhelming. We all stare at our phones, judge others’ bad habits and fill our time with awkward silences.

Toronto based blues/disco/punk five piece July Talk have returned with a follow-up to their critically acclaimed self titled debut record. The new album entitled “Touch” is a ten song masterpiece, meshing their bygone era songwriting style with synth and keyboard sounds, punk and blues influences, and a disco feel that makes this the most danceable rock album of 2016.

Day four of CityFolk Fest offered clear blue skies, warm temperatures, and short shorts. Rounding out a weekend of unique musical experiences, the final day of this annual Ottawa tradition actually provided some of the strongest and quite possibly most dynamic performers.

Ottawa’s annual Folk Festival returned to Lansdowne Park for a second consecutive year on Thursday, and is continuing strong as we plow through the weekend events, with more to follow starting Sunday afternoon. The festival, now widely known as CityFolk has continued to grow in new and inventive ways, included an expanded lineup of incredible performers throughout Ottawa’s local bar and restaurant scene….Marvest.

To call me a fan of July Talk would be an understatement.

Here is a band that came into my life late last year, and has since enveloped a huge part of my personal music tastes, and I find myself often mimicking their sound and feeling when I put on my stage character with my group Project Mantra.