Festival After Festival: There’s No Shortage of Fun in June in Canada’s National Capital

If you’re looking for fun and exciting things to do around Ottawa-Gatineau this coming week, look no further, you’re at the right place. Not only is festival season in full-swing, so is summer season and vacation. If you’ve got some time to spare and wish to attend a few events in the days ahead, check out Eventful Capital’s hand-picked highlights below.

The people behind Ottawa Explosion have prepared a series of shows leading up to this year’s Ottawa Explosion Weekend. As part of this lineup, Danish post-punk group Iceage will be performing live at Babylon this Monday, June 17 alongside Ottawa’s own Pregnancy Scares and Lower. This will be Iceage’s first time in Canada, so if you’re into punk music, be sure to welcome them to Ottawa in large numbers!

If you’re single, looking for a date and want to try something new, then Summer Fling Speed Dating might be just for you! Two Guys With Beards invite you to partake in two nights of summer speed dating on June 18 at the Hintonburg Public House and on June 20 at Shanghai Restaurant. Tuesday, June 18 is specially dedicated to men and women between the ages of 30 and 40 while June 20 is tailored for people who situate themselves between the ages of 25 and 35.

The second annual edition of the Ottawa Explosion Weekend runs from June 19 to June 23 at various locations across Ottawa including Club Saw, Mugshots, Mavericks, Cafe Dekcuf, and Avant-Garde Bar. This young music festival which features underground indie bands from Ottawa and beyond will present over 75 groups, the majority of which you’ve probably never heard of but that you should definitely discover and encourage nonetheless. This is what Ottawa Explosion is all about.

The Ottawa Dragon Boat festival is celebrating it’s 20th anniversary this year with tons of free family-friendly activities. Namely, the organizers are offering a series of free live shows featuring the Sam Roberts Band, Born Ruffians, Raine Maida of Our Lady Peace, Sloan, and Great Lake Swimmers among others. Get the full programming by clicking on the below banner. 

Ottawa’s largest theatre festival, the Fringe, is back for its 17th season this year from June 20 to June 30 at 14 different downtown locations. The 2013 edition will feature over 300 performances half of which are local-based productions. The Fringe is one of the city’s most accessible festivals with tickets for performances priced under $11. New this year, festival organizers will introduce a series of free outdoor concerts for which beautiful posters created by Pascal Huot are available below.    

To kick off the 2013 Fringe Festival, organizers invite you to a complimentary launch party with the PepTides at the Arts Court Courtyard. The PepTides, a local favorite avant-garde pop group, will be performing live alongside Ottawa DJ Sweet Cheeks.

On Thursday, June 20, the Ottawa Fringe Festival presents Blue Sky Miners live at the Arts Court Courtyard. The second free concert of the series, organized as part of Fringe, will feature Blue Sky Miners, a Toronto-based folk group from BC. 

Later this month, on June 27, it will be The Elwins’ turn to take over the Arts Court Courtyard for a free live performance. The Ontario-based indie pop quartet will be performing in Ottawa in an effort to promote their latest album And I Thank You.

For the last free concert of the series, Fringe organizers invited Ottawa’s own StillNative to perform live at the Arts Court Courtyard. The local rock duo will be giving a live show on July 1, which is none other than Canada Day, in front of what is sure to be a packed audience.  

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves and get back to what’s happening this week in the National Capital: the launch of the Ottawa International Jazz Festival. This year’s eclectic lineup includes headliners Dr. John & The Nite Trippers (see below poster), Willie Nelson, Macy Gray, David Byrne & St. Vincent, Boz Scaggs, The Heavy and Mavis Staples among others. Organizers have also included several local acts to the roster namely The Souljazz Orchestra, Florquestra, The Hornettes and Sax Appeal. The After Dark series is also back this year with some fantastic acts including The Herbaliser, Gregory Porter, Tin Men & The Telephone, Carmen Souza and Young Galaxy. Check out the full lineup by clicking below.

The third annual Summer Solstice Aboriginal Arts Festival & International Competition Powwow is being held from Friday, June 21 to Sunday, June 23 at Vincent Massey Park in Ottawa. The 2013 edition, which offers free admission to all, will feature a variety of traditional powwow dance competitions along with free music shows (namely a performance by Holly McNarland), a drum contest, a children’s village, workshops, artisans, crafts, a selection of traditional aboriginal foods and more. 

On Friday, June 21, Spectrasonic and punkottawa.com present Ivan and Alyosha, Neulore, and Bronson Novella live at Zaphod Beeblebrox. If you enjoy a mix of indie folk rock and folk pop, you may want to check out this show and click below for more info.

Just in case there weren’t enough festivals happening in the National Capital Region, ELE aka Everybody Loves Everybody will soon be born. According to the ELE Fest Facebook Page, this is a project “run by young people, showcasing young talent” and who’s goal is to “encourage the rise of original music in Ottawa”. The new music festival is set to inaugurate in September, but in the meantime organizers invite you to the ELE launch party at Babylon this Friday, June 21. To give you a taste of what’s to come, The Lionyls and Madison & Fifth will be performing live alongside beat-providers Neegus, Jarett Lopez|Black Jesus, Wolfie and J.A.H.

As part of the Ottawa Jazz Fest, the Mercury Lounge proudly presents LAL live this Friday, June 21. The Toronto-based electronica/down-tempo/soul trio which weaves Asian, African and diasporic rhythms into its sound will be giving a live performance alongside Mercury Lounge resident DJ Lance Baptiste. 

Also this Friday, June 21, Hip Hop Karaoke Ottawa is celebrating its 1-year anniversary at Mugshots. Hosts DJ So Nice and Atherton invite you to partake in the monthly hip-hop party by either performing a track or by encouraging the Jay-Zs and Lauryn Hills of the night. To sign-up or to get details, simply click below. 

On Saturday, June 22, Ottawa-based multi-disciplinary artist Rise Ashen will be launching his new album titled Music in the City at the Mercury Lounge. Rise Ashen will be live for a Mercury Lounge Locally Grown Edition to bring attendees on a journey across futuristic deep global house and club music. The album launch will be followed by live disco beats provided by resident DJ Trevor Walker.

 

Other noteworthy events happening this week in the National Capital include Wonder Geeks Activate! 3: Retro-Active taking place at Zaphod Beeblebrox this Monday, June 17. Simply put, this event is an 80s and 90s themed night where you have to sport you’re most colouful fanny-pack and neon leggings, where you need a side pony-tail to get in, and where you’ll be able to play old school Nintendo games all with 80s and 90s throwbacks provided by DJ Lowpass.

If you’re into Canadian metal, there will be a show at Cafe Dekcuf this Wednesday, June 19 featuring live performances by Rainbow Pony Power, Striker, and Descendant.

If you want to check out some EDM, head over to Ritual on Friday, June 21 for Flex Friday featuring a live set by Frederik Mooij, an eclectic DJ based in Mexico that mixes House/Electro/Progressive and Hip-Hop sounds.

On the Quebec side this Friday, June 21, D-Track and Kalibre will be performing live at the Petit Chicago alongside Le R. D-Track, a local rapper and slammer, will be joined on stage by his partner Kalibre and Le R, a West African rapper now based in Quebec who’ll be presenting material from his first solo EP Maktub. 

So there you have it Ottawa-Gatineau: you certainly can’t say that the National Capital Region is boring with the amount of amazing events happening in and around town in the days ahead. Wether you’re a resident of this city, a student temporarily living here for school, or visiting from outside, be sure to enjoy your week in our eventful capital!

Too Soon For the End of June: Ziggy Marley, Escapade Music Fest, Ajapai and DJ Premier

So it’s already the end of June, where did the time go? With the amount of exciting events, shows, festivals and other activities that took place this past month, no wonder it’s almost July!

Before we leave June behind us though, there are a couple of noteworthy events that you should be aware of as we get closer and closer to Canada Day festivities.

The five-time Grammy-winning musician, actor, artist and humanitarian Ziggy Marley will be performing at the Ottawa International Jazz Festival this Tuesday, June 26 on the occasion of his Wild and Free tour. The eldest of Bob Marley’s sons, Ziggy is expected to present songs off his latest solo studio album titled Wild and Free along with classics and perhaps some pieces from his legendary father’s repertoire. If you love reggae music, don’t miss out on this performance, which promises to be memorable!  The show is set to begin at 7:30 pm and tickets are still available online on the festival’s website.

Later this week, lovers of dubstep music have the chance to see Ajapai live at Ritual on Saturday, June 30. This japanese DJ and producer hailing from Tokyo has built a solid reputation amongst the international bass/dubstep scene and it just keeps growing as he consistently releases hit tracks on the charts. Ajapai will be joined by Liondub, Vilify & Maysr, and Rainman. You can grab all the details by clicking on the poster below.

Also this week is the start of the Escapade Music Festival dedicated to celebrating Electronic Dance Music in its many shapes and forms. Now in its third year, this festival has grown exponentially since its inauguration and has now moved to the Ottawa Stadium to accomodate the growing number of festival-goers that attend the 2-day event. Headlining this year are the likes of Avicii, Eric Prydz, Afrojack, Alesso, Chuckie and more. 70% of tickets are now sold out so if you intend on going make sure you grab yours fast! You can get more details by clicking the festival poster.

Happening on Saturday, June 30 is the Grind Pre-Canada Day Party at Babylon which begins at 11:00 pm. This edition of the monthly event will feature resident DJ Jon Deck and Montreal’s D.R.one. For those who attend Grind, you know that the music is off the hook and that it tends to be one heck of a night. That’s about all the info available at this point.

On Sunday, July 1st, to celebrate Canada Day, Kapacity Entertainment presents the legendary DJ Premier alongside Bumpy Knuckles aka Freddy Foxxx. Having seen Premo in Ottawa twice I can guarantee that this is sure to be an amazing Canada Day party and if you’ve seen him too you know I’m not lying. This is definitely the event to attend if you love hip-hop and Gangstarr because it doesn’t really getter better than this. Premier is basically one of the best producers in hip-hop history if not the best.  You can get all the info by clicking the poster below.

Also on Canada Day is the Piknic Electronik taking place in the River Park behind the Museum of Civilization in Gatineau from 2 to 9pm. This Sunday’s edition will feature Manalogue, The Gulf Stream, Math Rosen and A Tribe Called Red as the headliners. Entrance is $10 and there is a BBQ and beer available on site. You’ll get all the details if you click below. Enjoy!

Event Review: Janelle Monáe and the Wondaland Arch Orchestra at the Ottawa International Jazz Festival

Photo Credit: Ottawa Jazz Festival

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending the Ottawa International Jazz Festival for the very first time in order to see Janelle Monáe. The soulful R&B singer from Kansas City offered an immensely pleasant performance in the heart of the national capital accompanied by her band, the Wondaland Arch Orchestra.

From the very first song, she graced the crowd with her beautiful voice and contagious energy. Monáe certainly delivered her material in a sublime manner performing pieces like Dance or Die, hit-song Tight Rope and Cold War, a personal favorite. She also included a Prince cover and did the classic song by Michael Jackson, I want You Back to everyone’s delight!

Photo Credit: Ottawa Jazz Festival

Her performance was highly energetic interspersed with a few mellow tunes, and she managed to eventually get the sea of people who were seated in chairs standing and dancing. If there’s one thing I can complain about is that there were way too many chairs and ‘reserved sections’ with chairs that stopped us from getting closer to the stage.

At one point, Janelle Monáe even took out a canvas on which she painted while singing. At the end of the show, she gave the painting to a man who’s birthday it was. It’s really the kind of performance that gets you on a natural high and makes you feel most alive and I’m glad I was there to experience it.

At the end of the show, the crowd definitely wanted more and everybody made enough noise for Monáe and her orchestra to come back on stage for 2 final songs. She concluded by saying she would be back and I’m already looking forward to it!

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.