Kathleen Edwards' musical tribute to Ottawa

q's regular segment, Block Party, features guests paying musical tribute to a city they hold close to their hearts. The guest will choose a number of songs that remind them of their chosen city and the results is an incredibly heartwarming and personal playlist.

So, when we landed in Ottawa for our live show, we knew we needed an Ottawa native to deliver a great block party. That guest was musician Kathleen Edwards.

Below are her song picks, which we played live for the audience to hear at the Bronson Centre Theatre.

Cowboy Junkies, 'Misguided Angel'

"I remember one of my first boyfriends would come and pick me up before school, and he was into music so he'd be like, 'You've got to hear this cool song by the Cowboy Junkies!' He loved that song."

Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, '49 Tons' 

"One of my first gigs ever was opening for Tom Wilson at the Black Sheep Inn because Paul Symes, who runs the place, was really good to local artists. He wanted to give them an opportunity. I became acquainted with Tom and then I became acquainted with Blackie and the Rodeo Kings and that was the first track on their first record. I just remember touring across the country in my first van, on my own, and that song was on repeat."

Blue Rodeo, 'Falling Down Blue'

"I used to sneak in to Barrymore's before I was of legal age to see shows there. Barrymore's is the great rock hall of Ottawa — it was where you went for a killer show. Blue Rodeo would play there and I remember I was standing there, I snuck in, and one guy who kind of knew me was like, 'When are you going to open for Blue Rodeo?' and I was like, never!" 

Jim Bryson, 'Satellite'

"Jim changed my life. He was a guy that started playing with me; we met at the Manx Pub. It's where artists go to talk and hang out."