Mark Monahan, founder of Bluesfest, crossed Carleton’s convocation stage on June 12 to receive his Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies—35 years after he left.
Monahan returned to finish the two courses he had remaining in his degree, when he left Carleton during his final year in 1984. He went on to found the now-iconic Ottawa music festival 10 years later, in 1994.
Bluesfest is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year which will take place from July 4 to July 14.
The Charlatan spoke with Monahan before his convocation about his graduation, the festival and more.
The Charlatan (TC): How did it feel to return to Carleton after so many years?
Mark Monahan (MM): I think that I had a certain apprehension about coming back and thinking, you know, ‘do I know how to go to school again?’ because I hadn’t been to school in so long. So, there was some apprehension about it, but in the end, after coming back and going to a few lectures, it became very enjoyable because it started to become interesting. And so, the worries that I had kind of were alleviated.
TC: Your children influenced your decision to finish your degree. Can you tell me about that?
MM: When you have kids, you want to influence them to get an education. When I was talking to my kids—have been, obviously, for a long time—about how important it is to get an education, it was kind of hypocritical in a sense, that I hadn’t completed mine. There was this notion in my mind that, ‘jeez, I really should go back and complete that.’
TC: Why did you choose not to finish your degree back then?
MM: Actually it was slightly complicated, but back when I was going to high school, there was grade 13, [and] Carleton offered what they called the qualifying year. So, instead of going to grade 13, you’d go to Carleton. Not all of my credits could qualify for my degree, so I kind of found out in my last year that I didn’t have enough credits. And I was in the midst of starting a career, so I just decided to not complete them. I figured I’d do it later.
TC: What would you say to people that feel pressure to finish a degree or who are thinking about becoming students again later in life?
MM: I think you may be in a rush to get out and other things might be more attractive at that time when you’re trying to complete your degree. But really, it’s much easier to actually finish it at that time than think you’re gonna go back and do it later. Because often the things you put off in life don’t ever get done.
TC: I read you were the president of Sock n’ Buskin Theatre Company in 1982. How has that interest in performance and theatre evolved over time?
MM: I was—like many high school [students] and kids growing up—always interested in the arts and music. I acted in a high school play and eventually that translated to Carleton and being involved in theatre. And so, certainly there was always a high interest in the arts and I hoped to make a career somehow in the arts as well.
TC: Do you find the Ottawa music scene has changed a lot since the festival first started?
MM: There weren’t as many local bands. I think the scene locally has developed a lot more in terms of opportunities for artists. There are not as many people trying to leave to go to Toronto and make it somewhere else. I’d like to think to Bluesfest has contributed to that in some way, in terms of (creating) some opportunities for people and giving more visibility to music in Ottawa.
TC: Has Bluesfest changed or influenced your own taste in music?
MM: Absolutely. When I was running my music club in the 90s, I was really a blues guy … And then running the festival, you have to broaden your horizons. With Spotify [and] Apple music now, music is so accessible to everybody.
TC: What do you think about the idea that some people say Bluesfest isn’t blues enough or that the name of the festival should be changed?
MM: I think that we’ve invested in a brand, and the fact it’s called Bluesfest, it’s just a moniker … To get rid of that now would be kind of clueless … What would we call it? We’d have to spend another 25 years building another name.
Photo provided by Couvrette Photography
