OPPORTUNITY FOR LOCAL MUSICIANS
Here’s a question. Why would a musician move from the Centre of The Universe to Ottawa?
Rory Taillon, a full-time professional musician, and his wife, Julie, who works in the health sector, moved from the GTA to the ‘TWA over a year ago. He says they made the move to our Nation’s Capital because the city offers more opportunities for work, hers as well as his.
“I’ve personally had a lot more opportunity in Ottawa than I did in Toronto,” he says. “There’s a lot of over saturation in Toronto because it was very much the place to move if you were a musician in Canada.”
“The city of Ottawa also gives more opportunity for the local musicians to play their major festivals like City Folk, Bluesfest, etc. City Folk had an off shoot festival called Marvest that went on at the same time. It placed local indie musicians in a huge number of local businesses performing at the same time,” he says.
Taillon is currently touring his new album, Only Whispers, across Canada. Ottawa gives him easier access, he says, to the East Coast, the west and south toward Toronto.
“Ottawa has been good for me as far as touring because it’s more central in the country. Toronto was great because it had a lot of places in close proximity that you can play, but Ottawa makes touring across the country more accessible. The East Coast is so much more attainable and Quebec is right there. It’s also the same distance to head west as Toronto,” Taillon says. For an independent artist, affordability and accessibility are key considerations. Ottawa offers both.