Sammy Hayes, Willem James Cowan, and Emma Schuster
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Doors at 8:30 PM , Show at 9 PM
Tickets: CAD $10 online, $15 at the door
Available on Sairyo
Show Description
Folk, rock, and country artists Willem James Cowan, Dennis Bouwman, and Campbell live at Art House.
Bios
Willem James Cowan: In a Willem James Cowan song, the entire world spills out from the smallest detail. He never sacrifices the vividness of the narrative for a borrowed platitude or a hackneyed phrase. Writing and recording in London, Ontario, Cowan draws inspiration from great wordsmiths like Elliott Smith, Dan Mangan, Joni Mitchell, and Sufjan Stevens. He lets his characters breathe in the verses and choruses, and he’s laser-focused on the emotion and authenticity tucked into the dark corners of his stories. In “Apartment” he sings of nostalgia and how we are haunted by the ones we’ve loved: “Three years from tonight / I won't remember your body / But I will remember your light / Alone in an airport lobby”. His taut hooks and driving rhythms draw us into the narrative, rooting for the characters as they careen toward salvation or demise. Cowan’s process is varied but often begins with a few chords and a mumbled melody until something sticks. Perhaps his focus on lyrics stems from his discomfort with placeholders. Where many songwriters start with nonsense or simple phrases and write the final lyrics in the editing stage, Cowan’s unfold as the song progresses. The story never takes a back seat to the overall creation, and the songs carry this clarity into the studio and the live show. Cowan’s alternately confessional and celebratory show has graced the stage of NXNE, VENUExVENUE, and Summerfolk where he left audiences wondering whether they want to cry sad or happy tears.
Dennis Bouwman: A true blue collar songsmith, Dennis Bouwman writes and sings with a gritty honesty rarely seen these days. Be it with or without his band, The Wild Roses, Bouwman’s combination of heart-wrenching lyrics, warm melodies, and a voice like the bottom 10 pipes on a church organ is sure to captivate you and make you feel.
Campbell: Campbell is a dark folk rock artist and contemporary eco-poet, wrapped in the leather of a rockstar. With strong Celtic roots and a poet’s tongue, she crafts surreal, protest-driven songs born out of small-town Ontario. Now based in Ottawa, her lyrics warn of ecological collapse while illustrating the patriarchal oppression of women and the land they live on. While cautionary, Campbell's music rises from an intimate love of the earth and the past, weaving Victorian romance motifs into her writing, giving her songs a timeless quality. Blending folk and rock inspirations, Campbell follows in the footsteps of strong female voices such as Florence + the Machine, Taylor Momson of the Pretty Reckless, and Luvcat. Focused on connecting to her Scottish heritage, Campbell performs Scottish folk music and is working on her language skills to eventually perform traditional music in Gaelic, Scotland’s traditional language. Campbell has performed across Ontario and is particularly interested in performing in unique or outdoor venues to enhance her music's connection to the natural world and community. Campbell was the first place recipient of the 2024 SOCAN Foundation and Future Skills Centre National Pitch Contest for Artist-Entrepreneurs. She also participated in the 2026 Canadian Music Incubator Financial Literacy Bootcamp in Ottawa. Campbell is currently composing a longform project about eco-grief and connecting Canadian Victorian era provincialist poetry to the modern era.
Social Media
@willemjamescowan
@dennis.bouwman.music
@_campbellmusic
Tickets: CAD $10 online, $15 at the door
Available on Sairyo
Your ticket guarantees you a seat in the house but not necessarily a seat with a direct line of sight to the performers. We recommend coming early to snag a spot or if you need accommodations, like a guaranteed seat for accessibility reasons, to please email us at [email protected] at least 72 hours before the event.
Limited quantity of tickets available. If the event has not sold out online, there will be tickets available at the counter.
Ticket refunds or date transfers are not available.
IMPORTANT ACCESSIBILITY INFO
We provide gender-neutral washrooms. We have one wheelchair accessible washroom. There is no wheelchair ramp. There is a set of 8 stairs to get into the building (7 steps, small landing, and then an 8th step). Once inside, the whole cafe floor is flat, with the exception of our small room to the side, which is a small step down.
We are licensed to provide alcohol, but serve a variety of non-alcoholic options.
This event takes place on the traditional unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin People.
Find out how to contact Art House through our website's Contact Page.
Tickets: CAD $10 online, $15 at the door
Available on Sairyo
Show Description
Folk, rock, and country artists Willem James Cowan, Dennis Bouwman, and Campbell live at Art House.
Bios
Willem James Cowan: In a Willem James Cowan song, the entire world spills out from the smallest detail. He never sacrifices the vividness of the narrative for a borrowed platitude or a hackneyed phrase. Writing and recording in London, Ontario, Cowan draws inspiration from great wordsmiths like Elliott Smith, Dan Mangan, Joni Mitchell, and Sufjan Stevens. He lets his characters breathe in the verses and choruses, and he’s laser-focused on the emotion and authenticity tucked into the dark corners of his stories. In “Apartment” he sings of nostalgia and how we are haunted by the ones we’ve loved: “Three years from tonight / I won't remember your body / But I will remember your light / Alone in an airport lobby”. His taut hooks and driving rhythms draw us into the narrative, rooting for the characters as they careen toward salvation or demise. Cowan’s process is varied but often begins with a few chords and a mumbled melody until something sticks. Perhaps his focus on lyrics stems from his discomfort with placeholders. Where many songwriters start with nonsense or simple phrases and write the final lyrics in the editing stage, Cowan’s unfold as the song progresses. The story never takes a back seat to the overall creation, and the songs carry this clarity into the studio and the live show. Cowan’s alternately confessional and celebratory show has graced the stage of NXNE, VENUExVENUE, and Summerfolk where he left audiences wondering whether they want to cry sad or happy tears.
Dennis Bouwman: A true blue collar songsmith, Dennis Bouwman writes and sings with a gritty honesty rarely seen these days. Be it with or without his band, The Wild Roses, Bouwman’s combination of heart-wrenching lyrics, warm melodies, and a voice like the bottom 10 pipes on a church organ is sure to captivate you and make you feel.
Campbell: Campbell is a dark folk rock artist and contemporary eco-poet, wrapped in the leather of a rockstar. With strong Celtic roots and a poet’s tongue, she crafts surreal, protest-driven songs born out of small-town Ontario. Now based in Ottawa, her lyrics warn of ecological collapse while illustrating the patriarchal oppression of women and the land they live on. While cautionary, Campbell's music rises from an intimate love of the earth and the past, weaving Victorian romance motifs into her writing, giving her songs a timeless quality. Blending folk and rock inspirations, Campbell follows in the footsteps of strong female voices such as Florence + the Machine, Taylor Momson of the Pretty Reckless, and Luvcat. Focused on connecting to her Scottish heritage, Campbell performs Scottish folk music and is working on her language skills to eventually perform traditional music in Gaelic, Scotland’s traditional language. Campbell has performed across Ontario and is particularly interested in performing in unique or outdoor venues to enhance her music's connection to the natural world and community. Campbell was the first place recipient of the 2024 SOCAN Foundation and Future Skills Centre National Pitch Contest for Artist-Entrepreneurs. She also participated in the 2026 Canadian Music Incubator Financial Literacy Bootcamp in Ottawa. Campbell is currently composing a longform project about eco-grief and connecting Canadian Victorian era provincialist poetry to the modern era.
Social Media
@willemjamescowan
@dennis.bouwman.music
@_campbellmusic
Tickets: CAD $10 online, $15 at the door
Available on Sairyo
Your ticket guarantees you a seat in the house but not necessarily a seat with a direct line of sight to the performers. We recommend coming early to snag a spot or if you need accommodations, like a guaranteed seat for accessibility reasons, to please email us at [email protected] at least 72 hours before the event.
Limited quantity of tickets available. If the event has not sold out online, there will be tickets available at the counter.
Ticket refunds or date transfers are not available.
IMPORTANT ACCESSIBILITY INFO
We provide gender-neutral washrooms. We have one wheelchair accessible washroom. There is no wheelchair ramp. There is a set of 8 stairs to get into the building (7 steps, small landing, and then an 8th step). Once inside, the whole cafe floor is flat, with the exception of our small room to the side, which is a small step down.
We are licensed to provide alcohol, but serve a variety of non-alcoholic options.
This event takes place on the traditional unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin People.
Find out how to contact Art House through our website's Contact Page.
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Where is it happening?
555 Somerset Street West, Ottawa, ON, Canada, Ontario K1R 5K1
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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Host or PublisherArt House
