Live music spilling onto the sidewalks of downtown Kingston often leads back to one name: Nolan Hubbard.
Raised in nearby Gananoque, Nolan’s musical journey began with an acoustic guitar at an early age. “I got my first guitar when I was 11, kind of on a whim,” he says. “It took me a couple of years to really get into it, but by grade six or seven, it became an obsession.”
Since then, Nolan’s journey has taken him through musical theatre, to music school in Mississauga, and onto stages across the country. But performing live has always been the heart of it all: “That’s what gets me going. Playing music in front of people, that’s the thing that’s never left me.”
After bouncing between Kingston and Toronto for years, Nolan settled back in Kingston full-time in 2022. “Kingston has always been really good to me as a working musician,” he explains. “I’ve got a great network of venues and event planners. I feel lucky to do it every time I play here.”
You can catch him every Tuesday at The Brass Pub and every other Thursday at The Caesar Co., where his mellow performances have become a staple for locals and visitors. Nolan describes Kingston as a place that “fills his cup,” a community that embraces local talent and creates space for artists to thrive.
When asked about his favourite local spots to play, Nolan lights up when he talks about venues like Musiikki Café, The Mansion, and The Caesar Co. “There’s this grassroots energy in Kingston,” he says. “You can tell people really listen here. They’re present. There’s a mutual respect between performer and audience.”
His sound is hard to pin down, and that’s by design. Nolan describes it as “indie pop rooted in the blues,” but you’ll hear hints of folk, bossa nova, and even country in his songwriting. After recording and releasing his debut album “Luminosity” in Nashville in 2017, he leaned into the DIY approach, teaching himself how to record and produce his own tracks. That self-sufficiency has led to a string of particularly proud releases, including one of his latest singles, “Touch” which serves as the lead track for his upcoming second album, an entirely self-produced record slated for release this fall.
Outside of his solo work, Nolan thrives on collaboration. He’s a founding member of the band A Little Place Called Aspen, a monthly songwriting collective that grew from a night of casual jamming with friends. He also regularly collaborates with local artist Sit Still, with several joint releases already out and more in the works. “It’s just easy with him,” says Nolan. “We finish each other’s musical sentences.”
Looking ahead, Nolan is planning a national tour to accompany the release of his second album. But Kingston will always be home. “There’s something about this place,” he says. “People are just… appreciative. The pace is a little slower. When you play music here, it means something. You’re not just background noise; you’re part of the community.”
You can find Nolan’s music on all major platforms, or better yet, see him live at one of his regular shows in Kingston. To follow along or join his mailing list, visit nolanhubbard.com.
