Week of Oct 5-11/26
The ALLAIRE SHOW is back for its 17th year!
Live. Original. And heading into its 17th year.
The ALLAIRE SHOW returns to Quinn’s this fall with another season of great songs, great stories and some of the finest original songwriters around.
Hosted by John Allaire, the Saturday afternoon series has always been about keeping things simple: a room, a stage, a few drinks, some laughs, and artists playing the songs they actually wrote. No backing tracks. No tribute acts. Just original music, up close and personal.
This season brings an incredible lineup to Quinn’s, 1070 Bank Street, including Tyler Kealey, Shawn Tavenier, Keith Glass, Catbird, Sherwood Lumsden, RW Haller, Kristine St-Pierre, Sean Tansey, Matthew Larkin and Gilles Arsenault — plus an opening-day reunion with John and Jeff from The Town Cryers and the annual Tibb’s Eve blowout on December 23.
THIS WEEK!
Surprise Surprise — finally on vinyl!
John Allaire and Jeff Tanguay of The Town Cryers kick off the new season with a special celebration of their 1989 album Surprise Surprise, being released on vinyl for the very first time.
The album features the ShareChez finalist “So Pleased To Meet Me” and “Never Bin Hurt B-4,” winner of the Canadian Top Independent Video Award. John and Jeff will revisit Surprise Surprise front to back, stripping the songs down to the way they began — two guys, two guitars and the songs.
And because it’s opening day, we’re throwing the doors open! The ALLAIRE SHOW Open House gives future guest hopefuls a chance to show us what they’ve got, while musicians among our regulars are invited to take a swing at the ALLAIRE SHOW stage.
Saturdays, 3–5 PM. Doors at 2.
Come early. Grab a seat. Have a pint. Hear something you haven’t heard before.
The ALLAIRE SHOW — your favourite songwriter series, now in its 17th year.
John’s playing a special Thanksgiving Sunday show at the Chateau Lafayette (the LAFF!) this week! 3pm-6pm! Always a hootenanny!
York St, Ottawa!
John’s first novel Motel Matchbooks
Motel Matchbooks spent 16 weeks at Number One on the Amazon Best Seller Chart!
Thirty days. One tour. A continent of dive bars, back rooms, sketchy motels, and stories that blur somewhere between insanity and legend.
Motel Matchbooks follows a Canadian songwriter chasing gigs across North America—through late-night highways, last-call confessions, questionable parking lots, and the strange, unforgettable characters that live just off the main road. It’s a world of cheap beer, broken strings, unexpected kindness, and the kind of chaos you only find when you refuse to go straight home.
Written with grit, humour, and a sharp outsider’s eye, this is more than a tour diary. It’s a reflection on music, survival, and the beautiful, unhinged rhythm of aging and life on the road.
If you’ve ever closed down a bar, chased a dream past reason, or found meaning somewhere between the miles—this story is for you.
It’s official — Motel Matchbooks is out in the world.
You can grab it on Amazon, Indigo online, or order it through your favourite local bookstore anywhere in the world via IngramSpark Distribution.
Thank you for supporting indie publishing—and this wild, beautiful story.
Go here for more info on The ALLAIRE SHOW!
Go Here for John’s complete schedule.
Don’t forget to Subscribe to John’s live schedule for info and reminders!
Chosen as opener for Neil Young on his “Love Earth” 2024 Tour
Winner of Americana Music Awards “Lyricist of the Year” – Nashville 2009
Winner of the Toronto Independent Music Awards “Live Act of the Year” 2009
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Site main image by Sean Sisk Photography