Carleton students Emily Brett, Lusia Ji, and Emma Cochrane have joined forces with the local Ottawa movement 4in1 Music Sessions to help in opening the doors to community with music.
4in1 Music Sessions run free impromptu shows in off-key venues around the city. Founded early last year, the group consists of Ming Wu, Matias Munoz, Todd Brown, Ann Simmons, and the three Carleton students.
This past year they had great success running shows all over Ottawa. Leaving no stone unturned, 4in1 had shows in parks, on beaches, under bridges, and even in the water.
“I think its really nice that [we are] showcasing local artists, sometimes they’ll play small venues, like there’s Pressed and Raw Sugar and stuff but this is a free show so anyone can come out,” Brett said.
“It gets people exposed to new music.”
For these three fourth-year architecture students, music is an essential part of their lives. Being avid music fans they leaped at the opportunity to help after returning from their summer breaks.
Ji said that the shows put on by 4in1 “bring the population together.” These all-ages events are family-friendly and encourage crowd participation.
They have done shows with acts like Little Stella, Amos the Transparent, Erik Lind & the Orchard, and Roberta Bondar (the band, not the famous Canadian astronaut).
“It was very different from what we normally do but sometimes it’s good to get out of your comfort zone and it’s great that there is a community of people in this city that care to see indie music in its purest form,” said Jonathan Chandler of Ottawa alternative rock group, Amos the Transparent.
Their growing seniority around the city has proven to help 4in1 get a good foothold in the Ottawa music scene.
“At first it was a lot of bands we had seen locally and then we would talk to them, they are usually pretty enthusiastic to play. Now we have a lot of people actually asking us to play,” Brett said.
Having extensive experience outdoors, the group has adapted to the transient Ottawa weather and have moved the shows indoors for the winter months.
The 4in1 Music Sessions have habitually been acoustic but their last show at Carleton in December was completely amplified, and they have a noise complaint to prove it.
On Jan. 27, 4in1 is teaming up with popular Glebe pub the Arrow and Loon for another demonstration of just how loud they can be. The Fifth Avenue bar will be alive with the sounds of Ottawa musicians King’s Quest, Samuel Youngbuck, Corey Levesque, and Harea Band on an otherwise untroubled Sunday evening.
“We’re looking forward to it for sure,” said Arrow and Loon manager Scott Johnson. “They’ll bring a lot of people out.”
