Latest News...

June 22, 2009 - US TOUR a great success ... Ontario and Quebec dates up next - John's recent flurry of shows took him across two provinces, 11 states, 7,000 kms, 75 driving hours, $57 in highway tolls, 19 shows in 21 days, two time zones and approximately 450 Egg McMuffins between John and Gilles (not really by choice). John played about 380 songs in that time period in places such as Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Nashville, Virginia Beach, West Virginia, Manhattan, Connecticut, and many points in between. Hundreds of pictures and 8 hours of video were shot. We will be uploading new pictures and a blog in short order. Stay tuned for that!

In the meantime, check out the shows page to see if/when John's playing in a town near you. And don't forget to show up early at Ottawa Bluesfest on July 18th, as John and the Campistas' set is at 1:30 pm on the "Subway Stage".

May 19, 2009 - First "Up Hill" review is in .. from David Yazbeck at NxEW. "I sure hope we'll hear plenty from this new release. Here are my first impressions: this is a great record. Excellent production, great sound, nice contributions from Tara Holloway and Amanda Rheaume. And a showcase for an evolving singer-songwriter pushing the envelope a bit but also doing what he does best: heartfelt troubadour songs about real people." See it here!

May 16, 2009 - John Allaire is Peter Simpson's "Critic's Pick of the week" in the Ottawa Citizen.

Apr. 22, 2009 - John to play Ottawa Bluesfest again this year - This just in... John and his band will be playing the Ottawa Bluesfest for his thrid consecutive year. He will be playing on Saturday, July 18th at 1:30 pm on the Subway Stage. Go here for more details.

Mar. 31, 2009 - Tickets for Ottawa CD Launch on sale NOW! - Tickets for John's May 22nd CD launch for "Up Hill ... Both Ways" are on sale now on this web site and will be available starting Friday, April 3, 2009 at Quinn's Ale House (Bank near Sunnyside) and Compact Music, Bank and Third Ave.) Buy them online securely here now!

The show will take place Friday, May 22, 2009 at Club SAW (in the same building as Arts Court with a separate entrance on Nicholas), 67 Nicholas Street, Ottawa. Doors open at 8:00 pm. Show starts at 8:30 sharp and will conclude by 11:30 pm. Opening the evening will be Brendan Flynn and the Terrible Liars. Tickets are $10 advance and $15 at the door if the show is not sold out. So pick them up soon for huge savings BECAUSE there is VERY limited capacity in Club SAW and this show will sell out!

Mar. 24, 2009 - Article in new Canadian music blog "North by East West" - David Yazbeck of CKCU FM Thursday Morning Special Blend fame has taken to print journalism and wrote a nice piece on John's upcoming new album "Up Hill ... Both Ways". See it here.

Mar. 9, 2009 - New album almost ready for mixing. US Tour dates, Blues in the Schools showcase and more... Recording for the next album is all but done and mixing will commence next week. Twelve new tracks have been recorded with many special guests, including the Campistas -- Jeff Tanguay on bass, Tony Dunn on keys and sax and Breeze Smith on drums and percussion. Anders Drerup (Silver Creek) has contributed some banjo, guitar, upright bass and pedal steel, and Nathan Smith has put down some pretty darn sweet fiddle tracks. Tara Holloway sings a couple of songs with John including an AWESOME folkie duet on Swing the Hammer Down. (Think Lucinda Williams and Graham Parker, with a dash of Pete Seeger!). Glenn Torresan has put down some slide guitar, and now that she has returned from singing for the troops in Afghanistan, Amanda Rheaume will be singing a duet or two with John! We're aiming at a May 2009 release, and in the meantime, look for some "teasers" in the days ahead on John's Facebook and Myspace pages.

The US Tour dates are coming together nicely for May-June 2009. Check the schedule often! But before all this touring stuff, John's playing a showcase show for all musicians participating in the "Blues in the Schools" program. The show is in Ottawa at the Bronson Centre and is free! 7 pm start featuring TJ Wheeler, Tony D, Steve Marriner, and many others.

And let's not forget John's last "regional show" before the US tour -- May 24th at the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield. It's a Sunday matinee at 4pm with JP Ranger in support of breast cancer research.

Jan. 8/09 - Ottawa Citizen keeping tabs on the studio work - This appeared in the Ottawa Citizen today... "Troubadour John Allaire will spend the rest of the winter in studio with producer/engineer Chad Nesrallah, finishing up the final tracks for his next release, scheduled for May. Allaire's backing band of Jeff Tanguay (bass), Tony Dunn (keys/sax) and Kevin Smith (drums) -- a.k.a. The Campistas -- returns, along with Anders Drerup, who guests on a few tracks playing banjo, guitar and pedal steel."

Dec. 5/08 - Campistas back in the studio - Here's the skinny to-date. Seven songs have been recorded and are down to their final tracking stages. The new songs recorded so far (that some of you may know from recent live shows) are: Highway 105, Candy Apple Killer (Whoop-dee-doo!), Swing that Hammer Down, What It Takes, St. Eugene, Reels and Breathes and Stranger Than Friction. Recording has been suspended for a week while producer/engineer Chad Nesrallah heads down south on his honeymoon! (Congrats Chad and Heather!). The plan is to record five-or-so more tracks in January-February for a May 2009 release.

The album once again features the Campistas, Jeff Tanguay on bass, Tony Dunn on keys and sax and Breeze Smith on drums and percussion. Anders Drerup is also playing some banjo, guitar and pedal steel, and we're revving up for some very special guest vocalists as well. Stay tuned for updates and sneak previews!

Nov. 28/08 - Compilation Charity CD getting press - Pick up your copy today at the Store.

Nov. 5/08 - John Allaire to appear on CBC Television’s Living in Ottawa

Living in Ottawa, your guide to living it up in the city is back for its third season on CBC Television. The show's new host Maureen Welch is your personal tour guide to the hidden gems, delicious eats and of course fun things featured right in your community. Watch for great tips on living well, and living actively starting with a fun guide to singing open mics in Ottawa. Update! See the segment here!

Folk rock singer John Allaire, who is no stranger to rocking out at local pubs and venues in Ottawa, shares his tips on how to have the best open mic experience with producer Dan Forgues. To check out the segment, tune in Thursday November 13th at 3pm on CBC Television. Missed an episode? No worries! All of our episodes are available for viewing online at www.cbc.ca/livinginottawa.

Remember you can watch Living in Ottawa every weekday at 3:00pm on CBC Television.
Channel 8 - Rogers Cable
Channel 208 - Bell ExpressVu
Channel 303 - Star Choice
Channel 4 - with antenna
Channel 2 - Videotron Cable - Gatineau

Sep. 30/08 - Tour is over... recording time - The end of September marks the end of John's tour across Canada. Many, many thanks to those who came out to see the shows and support our efforts. Also, thanks goes to String Bone, the band that was also on this tour from London, and Bill Toms, Pittsburgh singer/songwriter, band-mate with Bruce Springsteen, and all-round nice guy. Friends we met and played with along the way: HOTCHA from Toronto, Romney Getty from Collingwood, Duane Rutter from S. Ontario, Ginger St. James from Hamilton, Nick and Mike in Peterborough, Gary Farrell from Montreal, and of course, John's backing band, The Campistas.

Pictures of the tour are now posted on the Visuals page.

So this brings us to post-tour activities. John is hitting the studio starting in October to begin recording his next ablum, due out in the Spring of 2009. Those of you who have seen the recent live shows on this tour will have heard some previews of songs such as the train-beat shuffler Highway 105, the humorous Candy Apple Killer, and the rootsy St. Eugene already. Rest assured, studio versions of those songs and many more are in the works for the new release.

Again, as we hunker down to record, we'd like to send out a HUGE thanks to all those who have supported the "Ghosts" tour over the past year.

Ottawa Citizen - Sept. 25, 2008 - by Fateema Sayani

Aug/08 - John plays live and gets interviewed on CKCU - John talked to Pat Moore on August 1st on CKCU FM in Ottawa. Hear the interview on the "Podcasts" page.

July 9/08 - John promoting Ottawa Bluesfest on CTV News - John talked to Max Keeping about playing Bluesfest. See the video here.

July 2/08 - Ottawa Bluesfest Date/Time Stage change - John the Campistas will now be playing Thursday, July 10th at 6 pm on the Rogers Stage. Other acts that night in the main field are Three Days Grace and The Black Crowes! See you there!

July 1/08 - Compilation CD with other singer/songwriters to benefit charities - John has collaborated with Irish singer/songwriter Robin Averill and Halifax Order of Canada recipient and singer/songwriter Terry Kelly and has released a CD today, Canada Day . The CD, called Silver Lining, consists of previously recorded songs by the three artists and benefits Royal Canadian Legion charities, including the Canadian Council of the Blind and the Dave Smith Youth Treatment Centre. For John's part, he contributed four previously released songs from his last two solo albums for the cause. The CD is available for sale here on this site, as well as many banks, book stores, CD stores and Legion Branches across Canada.

June 3/08 - Takin' it outta the bars and into the community - John and his percussionist Breeze Smith will be hosting a really cool and intimate night of music called "Acoustic Odes" at the Southminster United Church on Friday, June 6th. Doors open at 7:30 pm and the show starts at 8:00 pm sharp. It's an all ages show, so bring the kids! And just a note for the adults, the gang will be heading over to Quinn's Ale House and/or the Barley Mow for drinks and snacks afterward ;). The evening, headlined by John, will also feature Toronto's Emily Weedon. Emily will remind you of Loretta Lynn, with her rootsy songs and her country charm. The evening will open with Ottawa's own Anders Drerup. Anders has toured the world with his own brand of folk and acoustic blues, thrilling audiences from Europe to Australia. The price at the door will be $10 for adults and $5 for youth under 16. See the article in The Oscar (page 10) for the full scoop.

Apr 23/08 - John and the Campistas playing 2008 Ottawa Bluesfest - As part of John's 2008 "Ghosts" tour, the Campistas will be joining John on stage at this year's Ottawa Bluesfest. Last year, John and the band opened for Todd Snider and Alejandro Escovedo. John also played a duet show with Anders Drerup. This year, John will be on the new "Roots" stage and will be playing before Harry Manx and Calexico. The show is Wednesday, July 9th at 6:30 p.m. Visit the Bluesfest site for ticket information.

Also on the same day, John has been asked to play the NCC's "Music Under the Bridge" series down on the Rideau Canal in downtown Ottawa (right by the NAC). It will be a noon-hour show. More details coming soon.