Summer is Not Over: Ottawa-Gatineau Events to Start September!

Be careful what you say, because summer is NOT over. Yes, you (or your kids) may be headed back to school, vacation has come to a brutal end and the nights are slowly but surely becoming cooler , but September still equals summer so enjoy it while it lasts people! And be ready for fun times because September is actually a pretty busy month event-wise. There’s a bunch of things happening throughout the month and it’s just getting started

Here are some event suggestions for the first week of September!

Taking place today, September 1, is the first-ever Ottawa Rhythm Festival celebrating the best in Carribean, Latin and Soul music from around the world. The inaugural event aims at celebrating the Jamaican and Trinidadian 50 years of Independence, with special performances by its leading artists.  The event takes place at Twin Elm Rugby Park in Nepean. You can get all the details by clicking the poster below.

A reminder that the the 25^th edition of the Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival kicked off this Friday, August 31 and runs until September 3 at the Parc de la Baie. This annual festival, which celebrates hot air balloons of different colours, shapes and sizes, also offers an array of on-site activities including shows, a classic car exhibition, buskers, fireworks and an amusement park. This year’s headliners include Simple Plan, KC and the Sunshine Band and Eric Lapointe. This event guarantees to be packed with entertainment for everyone! Get more info by clicking the image below.

Another festival starting this week is the FOÉ also known as the Festival Outaouais Emergent, a 5-day event that puts emphasis on local emerging talent from around the Outaouais region. Now in it’s 5th year, the festival has grown to include programming which combines music, visual arts and performing arts. This year’s highlights include performances by Ariane Moffatt, Qualité Motel, La Bronze, Nomadic Massive and Tricia Foster just to name a few. Although festival bracelets are $35, there are several free activities worth attending throughout the 5 days so enjoy the FOÉ and discover new sounds emanating from Québec!

To encourage local talent, what better way than to attend an album launch? This Thursday, September 6, La Cavale, a new group from Gatineau, will be launching their first album entitled Le Coureur des Voix at La Basoche in Aylmer. The happy-folk-meets-Bob-Dylan sounds so unique to La Cavale will surely enchant you! Take the risk and take a dip into the unknown musical world of La Cavale The show is free and as a bonus there will be an art exhibition by local artist Dinorah Catzalco. Get all the details below!

If you love folk music then you definitely don’t want to miss the Ottawa Folk Festival, which happens between September 6 and 10 at Hog’s Bag Park. This year’s edition presents four days of live performances by some big names of the folk music world including Ben Harper, Matthew Good, Bon Iver, Dan Mangan, Great Big Sea, and Patrick Watson. We the people have been excited about this lineup ever since it was released by the festival organizers. It might help that the mastermind behind Folk Fest is Mark Monahan, the man responsible for the Ottawa Bluesfest Love it and live it Ottawa-Gatineau. This is sure to be a good one! More info if you click below.

Brace yourselves Wu Tang affiliates, Wu Wednesdays is back in full force with Jon Deck starting this Wednesday, September 5 at Mugshots. This night solely dedicated to the Wu Tang Clan won’t disappoint the sleeping Shaolin ninja in you. All Wu-bangers, all night long. Grab all you need to know by clicking the poster below.

This Friday, September 7 head to Ritual for Fortune if you’re looking for hip-hop because DJs Dave Cee and Laocapone promise the very best in hip hop music from classics to the obscure to the most current club bangers. If you want more info, simply click the poster below.

A Tribe Called Red is back with another Electric Pow Wow happening at Babylon next Saturday, September 8. This special edition will feature Montreal-based musician Boogat and his unique French and Spanish urban music. This is a guaranteed good-time if you’re looking to dance the night away.  Check out the event’s Facebook page by clicking the Electric Pow Wow poster.

Event Review: Electric Pow Wow with A Tribe Called Red and Ryan McMahon

This past Friday, I attended the Electric Pow Wow at Babylon on the occasion of the Asinabka Film and Media Arts Festival. This special edition featured the DJs from A Tribe Called Red, creators of Pow Wow Step and the EPW, and Ryan McMahon, an Ojibway/Metis comedian who’s gaining more and more recognition amongst the Aboriginal community and the Canadian comedy scene.

It was McMahon’s second public appearance in Ottawa after having collaborated with ATRC last year for an Electric Pow Wow special that took place at Ritual nightclub and that introduced us to the Clarence Two Toes character. This time around, McMahon, who’s a graduate of the prestigious Second City Conservatory in Toronto, presented all new material and tested this fresh show on his Ottawa audience. To my greatest disappointment, he didn’t bring out Clarence Two Toes for this performance, however he did pull out some pretty funny jokes involving grocery store separators and jacuzzis. He tried something different this time and mainly presented jokes that pertained to his daily life as a comedian and father of two living out West. He did however omit to include what he’s best known for in my opinion: presenting the “Native dude” perspective on the realities of modern society. That’s what people love him for along with his Clarence Two Toes character.

Ryan McMahon is the first Aboriginal comedian to get his own hour-long standup comedy special. The show called UnReserved will air on CBC August 18.

Right after the comedy show, Deejay Shub, Deejay NDN and Bear Witness immediately jumped on the turntables to do what they do best: make the crowd dance to their irresistible beats! It didn’t take long before they had people moving to the sounds of Pow Wow Step and Reggae/Moombahton infused rhythms. The Electric Pow Wow has been a successful event since its inception in 2008 and the movemement keeps growing in Canada and abroad. The boys from A Tribe Called Red, who made the Polaris Music Prize long list, play Bluesfest on the Electro stage on July 8. Be sure to check them out and represent your city!

Photo Credit: Mallory Whiteduck

Ryan McMahon and I at the Electric Pow Wow 

Start Summer in the Nation’s Capital with the Asinabka Festival, Porter Robinson, the Ottawa Jazz Festival, and l’Outaouais en Fête

This week brings its load of events starting with the launch of a new arts festival celebrating aboriginal film and media art called Asinabka. For its first edition, this festival gives itself the mandate to “allow independent artists (national, international, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal) to share, present, and disseminate their work. It is is also to screen films by Aboriginal peoples and films about Aboriginal topics/issues; to support artists and filmmakers; to promote Aboriginal cultures and languages; to educate people about Aboriginal issues in Canada, and about Indigenous issues internationally; to provide a space where Aboriginal peoples can tell their own stories and see their own cultures reflected back at them; and to entertain and be innovative”. The festival starts today, June 18 and continues until Sunday, June 24 and it takes places at various locations around the downtown core. You can get all of the details and the schedule of events by clicking on the image below. Be sure to check it out!

 

For the fans of electronic dance music, DNA presents Porter Robinson at Barrymore’s this Wednesday, June 20 as part of the Language Tour. Porter Robinson will be accompanied by Mat Zo and The M Machine and tickets are still available for $25. You can grab all of the info by clicking the poster below.

 

For those who planned on going to see hip-hop artist and producer MF Doom at Ritual this Thursday, June 21, Kapacity Entertainment has had to cancel the show after MF Doom cancelled his entire Canadian tour. You can get all of the details and obtain refund options by clicking the poster below and accessing the Facebook event page.

 

Another festival that starts this week is the Ottawa International Jazz Festival which runs from June 21 to July 1 at Confederation Park. This year’s edition promises to blow you away with a lineup that includes Chris Botti, Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Janelle Monae, and Ziggy Marley with his Wild and Free Tour. I’m really looking forward to seeing Janelle Monae and Ziggy Marley perform live as I particularly enjoy both artists’ music. You can obtain the entire festival lineup and all other details on the festival website by clicking the below image.

 

This Friday, June 22, there will be an Electric Pow Wow with A Tribe Called Red and comedian Ryan McMahon aka Clarence Two Toes as part of the Asinabka arts festival. The event, which takes place at Babylon, will start with Ryan McMahon at 10pm and will continue with the DJs from A Tribe Called Red who will make you dance all night to their unique and catchy Powwow Step sounds. All the information is available on the Facebook event page here.

 

On Saturday, June 23, Ottawa will be host to the first-ever Hip-Hop Karaoke event taking place at Mugshots, the HI Ottawa Jail Hostel bar with host Atherton and beats by DJ So Nice. The event starts at 9pm and if you’d like to sign-up for a song visit http://www.HHKOTT.com

 

Also this weekend are the Outaouais en Fête celebrations on the occasion of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Quebec’s national holiday. The festivities kick off on Friday evening and last until Monday, June 25. I’m especially looking forward to seeing Vincent Vaillieres (for free!) on June 23 and Malajube and Quebec legend and singer-songwriter Jean Leloup both on June 25. This year’s celebrations include tons of family-friendly activities in both Aylmer and Gatineau and they offer a variety of shows that are sure to please everyone gathered to celebrate Quebec and its culture. All of the details are listed on the official website and you  can access them by clicking below.

 

Festival Season Begins in the National Capital Region

Here we go, the moment I’ve been waiting for all year is finally here: festival season! Woot! Woot! Now you have to understand that I have two favorite times of year: Christmas and Festival Season in the National Capital Region and I look forward to both with great anticipation Not only are the usual suspects back for their annual rounds but new festivals are surfacing in the region which is a good thing!

For example, this Thursday, June 7 is the unveiling of a new festival called Arboretum celebrating the best and most progressive forms of art, music and food of the Ottawa-Gatineau region.  The event description sounds promising and I look forward to finding out more at Thursday’s reveal which will include a line-up announcement, food, drinks, music and the chance to chat with the founders who will be on hand. With the growing number of festivals taking place in the region, I’m curious to see if Arboretum will be able to define and distinguish itself as a must-attend for festival goers.

This Friday, June 8, the monthly edition of Grillz and Glam is planning a special tribute night in memory of MCA of the Beastie Boys who recently passed away. You can expect to hear everything from Licensed to Ill  to The Mix-Up without forgetting hits from Hello Nasty. A must event for Beastie Boys connoisseurs. More details available below.

Starting this Friday, June 8 and running until Sunday, June 10 is Westfest, Westboro Village’s free festival of music, arts and life. Claiming to be the ‘biggest free street party in Canada” no less, this cultural gathering’s programming includes Hidden Cameras, Steven Page, Liam Titcomb, DJ Lakes District and Ottawa’s-own Amos the Transparent. Now in its 9th year, Westfest is growing, evolving and more and more interesting You can get more details if you click on the image below.

Also starting this Friday June 8 is the Canada Dance Festival which will held at the National Arts Centre, La Nouvelle Scene and the Arts Court. This annual festival is a great way to experience dance in many shapes and forms at an affordable price. You can grab the entire program and more by clicking below.

This Friday, June 8, There’s a Knew? Disco! event at Ritual with Ottawa’s-own DJ Illo, Kid SL, and Matt Tamblyn playing the best in disco house and knew disco starting at 10pm.

This weekend, there’s also an Electric Pow-Wow with the boys from A Tribe Called Red Saturday, June 9 at Babylon. This is always a fun night and definitely the place to be if you want to dance it up!

Last but not least, Piknic Electronik Gatineau starts on Sunday, June 10 and goes until September 16 in the park behind the Museum of Civilization. The weekly-outdoor family-friendly gathering allows you to dance in the grass while listening to electro DJs from the region and beyond while perhaps enjoying a refreshing beer and taking advantage of the BBQ or even say, a picnic! The first edition features Isa Ghio, Steve Martin, Zoltan Kontes and Daily 2%. The full programming is available online by clicking the below poster. Enjoy!

More May Coming Your Way: Doba, A Tribe Called Red, Steve Angello, Rakim and Elage

As we head into the second week of May, the weather’s getting nicer and the events are plentiful!

This past weekend was ideal for festival-goers who checked out the tulips at the Canadian Tulip Festival. The weather was simply sublime which doesn’t seem to happen often for the annual festival, so people took advantage of this to discover the new sites that have been included this year including Chinatown. You have until May 21 to check it out.

This Thursday, May 11, Doba, who used to be part of the Dobacaracol duo, will perform songs from her latest self-titled album at La Basoche in Aylmer. The show starts at 8:00 pm and tickets are available through Ovation here. You can also get further details on the City of Gatineau’s website here (in French only).

This weekend, A Tribe Called Red will DJ in their Ottawa home-town as part of their Canadian tour. The boys will be at Babylon Saturday, May 12 for the Electric Pow-Wow and I recommend you come early become this is sure to be a busy night! Doors open at 11pm and that’s about all the info you can get at this point in time…! But really all that matters is that this is the place to be if you want to shake your bootay. See you on the dance floor

 

For those who love biking and all things related, the MEC Bike Fest is taking place this Sunday, May 13, which also happens to be Mother’s Day (that’s right, you only have a couple of days lefts to get her something…!). Bike lovers will converge at Lebreton Flats for an entire day of family-friendly activities and demonstrations. More details can be found on the MEC website here.

The LOX fans rejoice! Next Monday May 14, Styles P and Sheek Louch will be in Ottawa to do a show at Ritual as part of their D-BLOCK Canadian Tour. Tickets are $30 and you can get all the info by clicking on the poser below.

 

On Thursday May 17, Babylon presents Montreal-based Jah Cutta with special guest Errol Blackwood for a night of reggae music and dancing. Doors open at 10pm and tickets are $10. Known as the Canadian King of reggae, Jah Cutta will be performing songs from his sophomore album A Me Dis along with a variety of others from previous year.

 

For Hip-Hop heads, Kapacity Entertainment presents the legendary Rakim on Friday, May 18 at Ritual Nightclub. The NY rapper also known as The God MC will perform alongside Borden and Ottawa’s Bigg Ceasar & TheNamesMillen. Tickets are $35 in advance and you can grab more information below.

Also Friday, May 18, DNA in collaboration with the Canadian Tulip Festival present Steve Angello of Swedish House Mafia on the occasion of the Size Matters tour with special guests Nicky Romero and Third Party. The electro-house event takes place at the new CE Centre and tickets are still available online at $49.50 here. You can obtain more info if you click the poster below.

 

On Saturday, May 19 in the Vieux-Hull section of Gatineau, Senegalese singer and drummer Elage will perform at the Petit Chicago as part of the show-bar’s summer programming. Elage, who is also a musician with Mighty Popo, mixes traditional West African sounds with modern music. The show is set to start at 10pm and tickets are $10 and available here.

Much more coming your way next week…!

A Week of Music: Tiken Jah Fakoly, YACHT, Great Bloomers and More…!

Winterlude may be over and the canal closed for the rest of the season, but that doesn’t mean you have to give in to the winter blues. Get ready Ottawa because this will be another week packed with events for the National Capital Region!

First off, I found out last week that singer and musician Tiken Jah Fakoly will be in Ottawa at the Shenkman Arts Centre of Orleans this Wednesday, February 22. The African Bob Marley was scheduled to perform at the same venue last year, but the show was cancelled the day before for reasons I can’t recall. So, when I realized the Ivory Coast artist would be back, there was no question about it, I most definitely have to attend! Tiken Jah is just one of those artists that speaks from the heart and isn’t afraid to point the finger at the rampant injustice present all over modern Africa. It’s feel good music with a social conscience I just can’t wait to travel back to the Motherland with him through an evening of music. Tiken Jah Fakoly performs this Wednesday night at 8:00 pm and tickets are still on sale as I type this. If you love African reggae and want to see this legend in the flesh, visit the Shenkman Arts Centre website for more info.

Also on Wednesday night, the electronic group YACHT will be at Ritual with Silkken Laumann and Jeffrey Jerusalem. YACHT describes itself as a band, belief system, and business conducted by Jona Bechtolt and Claire L. Evans of Los Angeles, California, Marfa, Texas and Portland, Oregon, USA which embraces eclectic but playful blend of electronics, accoustic percussions and noises of all sorts. I’ve never seen them live, but apparently their show at Ritual 2 years ago was very entertaining! Check out the event details here.

On Thursday, the Up and Up Concert Series present Drumhand at Babylon starting at 9pm. Drumhand is a Toronto power-house of rhythms from hot climates complimented by the melodic spirit of of New Orleans’ style jazz horns. The group was in Ottawa last winter as part of the Ottawa Jazz Fest’s Winter line-up. Now they’re back in town on a tour supported by the Ontario Arts Council. Click on the poster below for details.

If you want to check out some indie folk roots rock this weekend, Spectrasonic and punkottawa.com present The Wooden Sky and Great Bloomers this Friday February 24 at Ritual. These  two bands from Toronto will be in Ottawa playing live sets from their albums entitled “Every Child a Daughter, Every Moon A Sun” and ’Speak Of Trouble’. For further information on the event please visit the event page here.

Great Bloomers

Here are more events taking place around the city this weekend…! Click on the poster for event details and enjoy the next few days!

January in Ottawa: The Weeknd, ASAP Rocky, Winterfest, Daft Punk Tribute…

For my first post of 2012, I’d like to start off by wishing you all a happy, prosperous and healthy New Year! I hope you started the year on a high note and that you enjoyed the celebrations and festivities to the fullest Resolutions or not, I guarantee that you will enjoy an eventful year in Ottawa as 2012 promises to be quite exciting on that front.

To kick things off, January offers a glimpse of what 2012 has in store for the National Capital Region. The new year starts perfectly for Ottawa as the National Capital welcomes THE hottest underground R&B artist of the moment, no other than Abel Tesfaye aka The Weeknd. I can’t even begin to explain how excited I am for this show, it’s pretty ridiculous. I feel like a 15 year-old girl all over again. After an attempt at a first show scheduled for December 10, Pink Lips Entertainment confirmed that the postponed event will now take place January 20 at Barrymores Music Hall. That’s 10 days away I’m a happy camper to say the least. For those of you who are still unfamiliar with The Weeknd, please do yourself a favor and go download all 3 free mixtapes at www.the-weeknd.com. The Weeknd’s music is like no other: completely captivating, intoxicating, unique and…I could go on forever, but that’s not the point. The point is, this show will simply be off the hook and probably the best and most-anticipated one of the year. A clear indicator that this event is a must is the fact that tickets sold out after just 2 weeks! If you intend on attending the show and still don’t have tickets, limited quantities will be available at the doors between 8-9pm, but unless you show up before 6pm, don’t count on it. It’s that serious, best believe the hype!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then on January 21-22, 93.1 CKCU-FM & Metro News present W I N T E R F E S T 2012, an all-day festival of music featuring live performances from various established, and up-and-coming recording artists, live visual art performed on location, a DJ battle featuring some of Ottawa’s hottest on the one’s and two’s, artist and management workshops with established recording artists and industry leaders, various fundraising activities, and more!

The concept behind Winter Fest is simple: to provide and foster an environment which will provide artists the opportunity to showcase their skills beyond their regular fan base.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you discovered ASAP Rocky in 2011 and like what you heard, you’re in luck because the Harlem-born rapper will grace the city with his presence when he takes the stage at Ritual on January 28. You may know the tracks that put him on the radar: Purple Swag and the excellent Peso.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also in January, if you like Electro music and Daft Punk, there will be a tribute night at Ritual on January 21 with THE MAKEOVER. The Daft Punk Tribute is basically a “9-piece band who reinterprets some of the world’s most popular electronic dance music with a horn section, rhythm section, vocals and electronics. The DPT emerged from Toronto’s esteemed Humber College jazz program in 2009 and have been melting faces at Canada’s most prestigious clubs and concert halls ever since.” In other words, if you want to dance, you know where to go!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you’re just looking for a laid-back night on the town, hit-up The Brig Pub in the By Ward Market on Fridays for pub food, good drinks and guaranteed good beats provided by Ottawa’s-own  Jon Deck (formally known as Deejay Frame). Here’s the weekly event poster and event page

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh! And this Saturday, A Tribe Called Red invites you to the first Electric Pow-Wow of 2012 at Babylon on Bank St. As previously mentioned, this bi-monthly event always gets me dancing from beginning to end  Other upcoming events will be posted soon!  Enjoy January and please share any events that you’ll be attending in the NCR that you think is worth mentioning!

Holiday Happenings in the National Capital Region: Part One

For this entry, I sat down with a nice big glass of Amarula on ice (a South African drink made of marula fruit and cream, sort of like an exotic version of Baileys for those of you who are unfamiliar with it) to get into full holiday mood. To be quiet honest, I’m already in the holiday spirit despite the lack of snow (that white stuff that we love to hate)  in the National Capital Region, since I had the privilege of attending George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker Ballet presented at the National Arts Centre (NAC) last weekend. There’s really nothing better than this classic holiday story combined with Tchaikovsky’s beautiful music to get you into the Christmas spirit! This particular version of The Nutcracker was ever-so beautiful and colourful! The dancers were extremely gracious and perfect in their roles. Balachine’s costumes and decor were simply splendid, bringing the story to life from beginning to end. A yearly must if you love the Holiday Season!

This weekend and the next, if you’re looking to get into the Christmas spirit or simply looking for unique gift ideas for friends and fam, you should check out Christmas markets in and around the Capital like the one below taking place at the Museum of Civilization just across the river!

There’s also this market taking place as part of  Kwanzaa celebrations and which offers tons of beautiful and original gifts of African and Carribean cultures that you won’t find anywhere else in Ottawa! This market is taking place at Bronson Centre this Saturday, December 10 between 11:00 am and 6:00 pm. See details below:

If you happen to have some free time and are the least bit interested in history, world civilizations and gaining a better understanding of religious/spiritual beliefs and how people experience their faith on a day-to-day basis, I recommend that you check out an extremely interesting Museum exhibition also taking place at the Museum of Civilization called God(s): A User’s Guide. The exhibition looks at 27 religions and faiths practiced around the world through artifacts, video and audio-visual material to demonstrate the universality that ties these beliefs and people together. Here’s the signature design used to promote it:

Last but not least, this Saturday, I’m headed to my favorite night at Babylon, with some of the best Djs in Ottawa, the boys from Tribe Called Red for the Decembeeerrrr Edition of the Electric Pow-Wow! This is a guaranteed night of amazing music and tons of dancing Always looking forward to it!

Event Review: Electric Fields: Polytectures / Electric Pow Wow & DJ Vadim @ Mercury Lounge

It’s already Monday, and I haven’t seen the past couple of days go by. Why you say? Cause I’ve been busy having fun at events in and around the National Capital.

As mentioned in my previous post, I had the pleasure to attend the Electric Fields Festival for the first time this year and truly enjoyed myself and appreciated the creativity and ideas presented through the relationship between sound and space. Some of the region’s most interesting spaces were redefined through sound and music to enable the public to experience and perceive them in a new and different way.

I began exploring our city’s architecture through sound thanks to Polytectures. Poly-what? Polytectures: a narrated soundwalk by Antoine Bédard ( aka Montag) through downtown Ottawa that explores the connection between music and architecture. 10 local composers/ musical groups translated key buildings on the walk into pieces of music/sound compositions that together created a sonic portrait of the Capital’s center. This is probably not for the average lazy person since it requires considerable preparation. Well, since I’m not lazy and almost always willing to try anything when it comes to events, I was a good sport and downloaded the prerequisite playlist onto my Ipod, printed the map and went downtown to discover what this was all about. My first mistake was to do this in the evening, just when it’s sort of too dark to really see the buildings unless they are lit up by some sort of lighting. Some of the buildings were lit up like the National Arts Centre (NAC), the first stop on the itinerary, which I fully got to enjoy, but others, like the Supreme Court, were rather in the dark and were hard to see. Having said this, the  NAC “stairs” that the narrator asked us to take were closed off to the public and as a result that part of the soundwalk was off limits. Also, some of the soundtrack’s narration talked about the buildings when seen in daylight. I wish they would’ve developed a day-time and a night-time version to provide suitable commentary like they did for the Montreal-version of the soundwalk called Mutations. As a result, I couldn’t fully take in the soundwalk and was a bit disappointed. Nonetheless, Polytectures was a very worth-while experience and I’m glad I went out of my way and braved the ‘cold’ to complete this one-hour musical visit of downtown Ottawa.

The second event I attended presented by Electric Fields was the Electric Pow Wow with A Tribe Called Red at the Canadian Museum of Civilization.

Electric Pow Wow Poster at CMC

Being a HUGE fan of ATCR and the Electric Pow Wow ‘project’, I had high expectations for this event and envisioned it a certain way since it was taking place through Electric Fields, a festival that focuses on  audio-visual performance/installation, music and new media by presenting artists that have increasing technological engagement in their work. I was really excited about the fact that there was live traditional singing performed over electronic beats by two amazingly talented Aboriginal women. The result was truly outstanding and unique-sounding. A real delight to the ears! ATCR’s music  was irresistibly excellent as always and made me move my hips all night. I was however, somewhat disappointed by the lack of lighting and visual presentation that I was hoping to see as part of the event. You see, I’ve seen the Grand Hall with all its decorum lighting and lit-up totem poles and have experienced the magic that this venue possesses with its fancy shoes on. This space has enormous potential. Here’s a picture of the Grand Hall with some of its decorum ligthing: just look at the backdrop, ceiling, walls, columns and totem poles, its completely different  and so much better when its dressed up! But, for partly budgetary reasons, Electric Fields and ATRC had to do without this beauty.

Grand Hall with lighting during the 2011 Valentine's Gala

That’s what I was expecting for this particular event not only to maximize the atmosphere, but to symbolically demonstrate how ‘that was then, and this is now’ with regards to past traditions in relation to current aboriginal people living in an urban contemporary context. I think it’s extremely important for museums to step away from that stereotypical mould they are constraining aboriginal people and cultures in to contribute to the dialogue of mutual understanding and appreciation. Canadian museums often seem to freeze Aboriginal cultures in time without staying current with today’s reality. History shouldn’t just offer a picture of the past. And this contributes to perpetuating stereotypes for Canadian residents and International tourists. No longer are First Nations walking around on a day-to-day basis with ceremonial headdresses and making pemican to survive the cold winter months or whatever else. Some may, but in a much different context and reality. Didn’t our cultural institutions get the memo? We are in the 21st century right? But anyway, enough with the ranting for now, this blog’s about events afterall. Having said this, in the end the venue does contribute to the general feel of the event and the message that is communicated through it. No matter what, I always have an amazing night at the Electric Pow Wow as it brings together people from all backgrounds through the sound of music. Thanks to the ATCR boys for bringing it  again and again, Ottawa loves you!

Last but certainly not least, I got to see DJ Vadim live at the Mercury Lounge on the occasion of their 15th Anniversary! And, this was another fantastic time of dancing to non-stop good beats all night long

DJ Vadim during his set @ Mercury Lounge on November 25, 2011

Although Vadim quoted on his Facebook page that he got “THE EQUIPMENT FROM HELL. A ROTARY MIXER. I HATE THEM. WELL i hope i can do something tonite! otherwise i may just be a ipod. not my fault. terrible misscomunication!!!!” he delivered. Despite technical issues, he still offered bangin beats as a professional DJ would Vadim, you just gained a new fan and congrats on just ending your North American tour!!

Reminder – Tonight and tomorrow night: Ghostface Killah at Ritual, an event not to be missed by hip-hop heads around town!

Next weekend is my Christmas staff party and the Nutcracker at the National Arts Centre presented by the Pennsylvania Ballet, which I am really looking forward to attend as it’s my favorite ballet and children’s story: a definite classic over the holiday season. I’m getting into the Christmas spirit and full holiday mode starting Friday…Stay tuned for more reviews and upcoming events around the NRC!

Electric Fields: Polytectures and Electric Pow Wow / DJ Vadim @ Mercury Lounge / Ghostface Killah @ Ritual

Well, Ottawa/Gatineau, I must say we can’t call you ‘boring’ this week looking at the broad spectrum of exciting events taking place in your clubs and Museums this week. Clubs and Museums, that’s interesting, could there be a trend starting when dealing with events with buzz in the National Capital Region? Perhaps. Or, it may just so happen that the NCR simply got lucky. Having said this, the week ahead is nothing but exciting if you love dancing, music, audio-visual effects/installations, and progressive ideas and you live in and around Ottawa!

I’ll begin by letting you know about the 2011 Electric Fields Festival organized by Artengine taking place between November 23 to November 26, 2011. Electric Fields 2011 basically “focuses on the relationship between sound and space. They have commissioned a number of artists to develop projects that engage with specific spaces around the city: a public pool; a basilica church; civil service buildings; iconic national architecture. Electric Fields will use your ears to redefine your perception of the spaces around you”.

As part of Electric Fields, I’ll be attending Polytectures on November 23 at the Bytowne Museum and a very special edition of the Electric Pow-Wow with A Tribe Called Red taking place on Saturday, November 26 at 9:30 pm at the CMC, which I am really looking forward to attend. And that’s actually a major understatement. You see, I’ve been wanting the Electric Pow-Wow to take place in the Museum’s #GrandHall for a while now and it’s finally going to happen for the first time thanks to Electric Fields and everyone at Artengine, which I am most thrilled about. Described by Artengine with this bit “a space is more than just a building, and you cannot talk about space without considering the role of culture in shaping it. A Tribe Called Red have been building a new cultural space in the nations capital for a several years with their Electric Pow Wow parties. On the surface is original dance music that brings people together for a great time. Below the surface is a motivation to create a cultural space for the urban aboriginal that is authentic and progressive. For this special edition of the Electric Pow Wow, the ATCR crew will integrate traditional singing into their performance and re-organize the dance floor in a special location, rich with its own spacial history” This is one of these events that you don’t want to miss and you can expect an event review after the fact.

Then on Friday, November 25, I have the pleasure of going to Mercury Lounge to dance to a live set by DJ Vadim on the occasion of the lounge’s 15th birthday. This will be a first for me and I am definitely excited to see this critically acclaimed DJ perform live in the nation’s capital. To hear DJ Vadim visit http://soundcloud.com/dj-vadim.

Last but certainly not least, Ottawa will be graced by the presence of the Wu-Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killah for not one but two shows taking place back to back on November 28 and 29 at Ritual. Ottawa is the only city in Canada to host 2 Ghostface shows during the same tour! For those of you who are true Wu Tang fans, you can imagine what this will be like. Having seen RZA, Raekwon, GZA, U-God and Method Man perform in the past, I’m greatful that we get to welcome this hip-hop legend in the 613 during his Canadian tour. This shall be grand and a must for all the heads