Ottawa’s Red Bird expands bookings to meet live music demand

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Geoff Cass, the owner of Red Bird, has spent much of the summer figuring out how to meet the pent-up demand for live music he sees in Ottawa. 

The problem is the capacity at his Bank Street venue is limited to just 80 seats, and concerts routinely sell out fast, often leaving fans disappointed. 

The trend has held true this summer even though the summer months are traditionally a slow time for club shows in the city as music fans divide their time between festivals, cottages and other out-of-town vacation destinations. 

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Still, it seems patrons can’t get enough of the soft-seat, high-quality listening experience at Red Bird, which opened its doors in 2022 as a hybrid music school-coffee shop-folk club. The booking policy does not aspire to nab major pop stars; instead, it focuses on singer-songwriters of all stripes from grassroots upstarts to established names. 

Sometimes the solution to the ticket dilemma is simple: Add an extra performance, so long as the artist and venue schedules align. 

This month’s calendar, for example, includes performances by folksingers Garnet Rogers and Archie Fisher on Aug. 14 and 15,  another two by bluesman Harry Manx (Aug. 22-23, both sold out) and a Saturday-afternoon matinee by the musical comedy trio Arrogant Worms on Aug. 17, followed by a sold-out evening show.

While a consistently full house is ideal, Cass is starting to spread his wings beyond the Red Bird nest to meet a demand he suspects has always been there. 

“The demand is there. All that’s really needed now is providing opportunities for people to see a concert,” he said. “If you bring a good artist to town, or, if you promote one of the artists we have locally, then people for sure come out to the concerts.” 

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For context, he points to the live-music situation of years past, when fans would drive 40 minutes north to see a concert at Wakefield’s Black Sheep Inn, which closed its doors during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Now we’re able to see them in town, which is nice,” he said. 

“Before Red Bird, I always said it was kind of frustrating that we had to drive to Wakefield or Burnstown to see a show,” he added, referring also to Burnstown’s Neat Cafe, another rural venue still going strong with some terrific shows this month, including Wintersleep, Martha Wainwright, Elliott Brood, Deep Dark Woods, Tom Wilson and Joel Plaskett. 

One of Cass’s first forays beyond Red Bird took place on Aug. 10, when he booked American singer-songwriter Steve Forbert into the National Arts Centre’s Fourth Stage. The gig was originally scheduled to take place at Red Bird, but tickets went quickly and a second date was not available. 

“We didn’t have the option (to add a second show), so it was a call down to the NAC, and they were quite happy to host,” Cass said, describing that endeavour as a trial run. “We were able to sell another 70 tickets or so and accommodate more of his fans.” 

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Cass says he’s hoping to work with the NAC to present additional shows at the institution in the coming months.

Meanwhile, he is not one to let the summer go by without tackling an outdoor concert. 

He’s helping to organize a family-friendly shindig on Sunday for a spot not designed for concerts, but well suited for them: the beach volleyball court at the Ottawa Tennis and Lawn Bowling Club on Cameron Avenue in Old Ottawa South. 

Headlining the show is Rum Ragged, a popular Newfoundland and Labrador-based folk group that has sold out Red Bird in the past. Also on the bill are Gatineau’s soulful songstress Mia Kelly and Nova Scotia’s indie-folk troubadour Daniel McFadyen. 

Cass says the concert has been in the works for more than a year, inspired by the desire to build a sense of community in the Red Bird neighbourhood. 

“It comes from wanting to bring a really cool show to the neighbourhood and wanting to work with other organizations and businesses in the area,” Cass said. Partners include Saunders Cider, Ashton Brewing Company and the Cameron, the restaurant at the tennis club. 

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The event is expected to attract about 400 attendees, with children under 12 admitted free of charge, though with a restriction of one child per adult ticket. Tickets are $59.95 plus taxes, available online at redbirdlive.ca. The music is scheduled to run from 5 to 9 p.m. 

If things go well on Sunday, you can expect a few more Red Bird-promoted shows at the tennis club next year, or the NAC or anywhere else with a few seats to spare. 

“I think there are lots of spaces in Ottawa that could host more shows with bigger capacities,” Cass said, “and it might just be a matter of Red Bird working with those venues to put on bigger concerts.” 

lsaxberg@postmedia.com

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