Latest news with #CityFolk
Ottawa Citizen
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Ottawa Citizen
'Bubble man' comes to Ottawa Bluesfest
Article content If you've seen a cloud of bubbles floating above Ottawa Bluesfest crowds, it's probably Michael Lalonde. Article content It all started at a dollar store, where Lalonde bought a two-dollar, hand-pump bubble gun before a HOPE Volleyball event. Article content 'People loved it so much, they loved it, they were obsessed,' Lalonde said. Article content It was then that Lalonde decided to continue investing in more intricate bubble guns. First came a battery-powered gun. Then he upgraded to rechargeable bubble guns so he could sidestep the need for batteries that depleted too fast. Article content Article content Three years later, Lalonde's bubble gun fame has generated countless stories. Article content Article content At an Arkells show at CityFolk in 2023, lead singer Max Kerman took Lalonde's bubble gun and used it throughout the crowd. Article content 'It was a whole song. He did a full U around the crowd, and you can only see the bubbles,' Lalonde said. 'He posted: We must have more of the bubbles.' Article content But it's not just musicians that Lalonde gifts his bubble guns. He often gives them to kids who are at shows with thankful parents. Article content It's all good, however, as Lalonde carries a deep arsenal of bubble guns at home. 'I've had 20. I've given a lot of them away over the years.' Article content Lalonde, who is both a musician and co-owner of an Ottawa tech company, is something of a renaissance man who reinvented himself since the COVID-19 pandemic. In his 20s, Lalonde didn't attend many concerts, focused instead on working and paying down student debt. Article content Article content Then, around eight years ago, he joined as an owner of the upstart tech company PureColo. On July 17, the Ottawa Business Journal reported that the company had a non-binding letter of intent to be acquired by Vancouver data centre company Carrier Connect Data Solutions in a deal valued at $4.1 million in shares and $4.4 million in cash. Article content It was only four years ago that Lalonde taught himself guitar. Since then he has released an album with his Petty Cache project, which featured Jake Boyd and Nixon Boyd from Hollerado fame. Article content Article content 'During the pandemic, I got into music. I started going to shows and realizing the genuine connection and feeling that you can have and the people you can find,' Lalonde said, turning towards his girlfriend.
CTV News
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Here's the lineup for CityFolk at Lansdowne in September
CityFolk will be at Lansdowne from Sept. 10 to 14. (Photo credit: CityFolk) Alex Warren, Dropkick Murphys, The Pogues, Down with Webster and Melissa Etheridge and Indigo Girls will headline CityFolk this fall. Organizers announced the lineup for the 2025 edition of CityFolk on The Greta Lawn at Lansdowne Park, which will run from Sept. 10 to 14. The lineup also includes Gatineau's Mia Kelly, Ottawa's School House and Canadian acts Tyler Shaw, JunkHouse, Hanorah and Celeigh Cardinal. 'It's a great time of year to stage an event,' Mark Monahan, CityFolk executive and artistic director, said in a statement Tuesday morning. 'People are always up for one last chance to enjoy some great music under the stars, and the musicians always seem ready for more outdoor gigs before heading back to the indoor concert scene.' Here is a look at the lineup: Sept. 10: Alex Warren; Paul Russell; Tyler Shaw; Aaron Rowe; Mia Kelly; Hanorah Sept. 11: Melissa Etheridge and Indigo Girls; Junkhouse; Rum Ragged; Amble; Alex Nichol Sept 12: Morrissey; James; The Devil Makes Three; Kaia Kater; Mint Simon; School House Sept 13: The Pogues; Dropkick Murphys; Hurray For The Riff Raff; Celeigh Cardinal; Loviet; Catbite; Becks Sept 14: Down With Webster; USS; ToBi; BlakDenim; J Morris; Minuscule A one-day presale begins on Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. Tickets go on sale Thursday at 10 a.m. For more information, visit
