Once on the brink of shutting down permanently, The Rainbow is now a thriving ByWard Market bar, giving back to the Ottawa community through charity fundraisers and stellar live music.
The Rainbow was established as a live music bar in 1984 by realtor Danny Sivyer. Many famous Canadian musicians have performed at the 76 Murray St. location, including The Tragically Hip, Colin James and k.d. lang. The bar also offers drag shows, burlesque performances and Indigenous programming.
At the end of 2021, The Rainbow was in danger of shutting its doors for good due to pandemic closures. Business leaders such as Calian Group CEO Kevin Ford and Kingsford Consulting President Andrew Penny wanted to keep the music alive, so they formed the Rainbow Bistro Business Amplifiers group to raise awareness and funds.
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Penny says he joined the group because The Rainbow is Ottawa’s last bastion for blues music, a genre that’s “essential to a city’s soul.”
“Ottawa was in danger of being sanitized,” he says. “Blues music connects people with the Earth, it’s rooted in reality, and it’s solid when a lot of music is transient or thin (in its meaning).”
Stacie Sivyer is The Rainbow’s general manager, music curator and the owner’s daughter. When the bar re-opened after COVID, Sivyer swapped the usual small nightly shows and occasional matinees for two to four large-scale performances with increased promotion.
This decision was initially made to save money, but it later allowed The Rainbow to reinvest in the community that was so pivotal to its success.
“People ask us if they can host a venue, (for which) we give anywhere from 25 to 50 per cent of our door revenue to charity or fundraisers,” Sivyer says, adding that the organizer earns the remaining proceeds.
Through such events, The Rainbow has made donations to the Ottawa Food Bank, Parkdale Food Centre, Cornerstone Women’s Shelter, the Shepherds of Good Hope, OrKidstra, and Camp Misquah. It also presented an indoor concert in collaboration with Winterlude 2024.
Sivyer says many event organizers are musicians who need support themselves, while others are Algonquin College students or individuals who see the importance of community aid.
“If everything is hunky-dory and you have a great job, you might not be thinking about your community-based needs. If you’re a struggling musician, maybe you’ve gone to the food bank or you’ve used the 811 mental help line,” she says. “In the same way, we’re a flailing live music club familiar with what it’s like to struggle.”
One of The Rainbow’s missions has been to provide an environment that’s approachable for new and emerging musicians. Such was the case for 2024 Juno nominee Talk, who Sivyer says played on stage for the first time at The Rainbow as part of a high school band.
Penny says this makes The Rainbow like a second home for many artists. Since the staff have worked there for so long, it can feel safe and familiar for regulars.
“Not to borrow from Starbucks, but it’s a home away from home for a lot of people,” Penny says.
On April 25, Memphis-based Ghost Town Blues Band will travel to Ottawa for a show at The Rainbow. Canadian singer-songwriter and MonkeyJunk member Steve Marriner will accompany guitarist and harmonicist Big Dave McLean on May 3.
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