From January to February: Winterlude , Winter Jazz Festival, the Daft Punk Tribute and more!

With the frigid weather giving way to more seasonal temperatures, it’s now the perfect time to enjoy winter in the National Capital Region. The Rideau Canal Skateway, a Unesco world heritage site, officially opened last week and is currently fully accessible and in good to very good condition. For daily ice conditions, visit the National Capital Commission’s website here.

Among other things this week, the Revealed Canadian Bus Tour stops in the Capital City as Hardwell, named the #6 DJ in the world by DJ Mag Top 100, is set to perform live at LS Live alongside supporting acts by Dyro and Dannic. The event, which takes place this Tuesday, January 29, is sold out, however tickets can be purchased  online by people who are selling theirs. For more info, click on the poster below.

This Thursday, January 31, the Up and Up Concert Series presents The Marlow Beat Kings live at the Mercury Lounge. The psychedelic R&B soul funk boogaloo experience guarantees to make you groove to the rhythms of the Marlow Records house band. According to the organizers, during a single night, you can hear the instrumental organ trio jump from rhythm & blues to classy hard bop, from funk to boogaloo, from hypnotic rocksteady to psychedelic rock, all without missing a single beat. Grab details on this event by clicking on the poster below.

This Friday, February 1, the Ernest Dawkins New Horizon Trio will be performing live at Mercury Lounge as part of the Ottawa Winter Jazz Festival, which takes place from January 31 to February 2. You can catch the trio, made of up saxophonist Ernest Dawkins, bassist Junius Paul and drummer Isaiah Spencer starting at 10:30 pm. For ticket information and details, just click the below poster. 

To access the entire Winter Jazz Festival lineup and to purchase tickets, you can visit the official website by clicking the poster below.

The 35th edition of Winterlude kicks off this Friday, February 1 and runs until February 18. This annual festival which celebrates the joys of winter, will take place at several key locations namely Confederation Park, Jacques-Cartier Park and the Rideau Canal Skateway. The annual event will include the classic ice and snow sculptures competitions, the snow slides and playground for the youth and young at heart and Winterblast, a weekend of events for teens and young adults. This year’s opening ceremony will be held at City Hall on Friday, February 1 and will feature local DJ Collective A Tribe Called Red. You can access the full programming by clicking below.

This Friday, February 1 is the 3-year anniversary of Frenzy and it all goes down at Babylon starting at 11pm. For the festivities, special guests Kaytranada and High Classified of Montreal and Illo and Iggy Smalls of Ottawa will be doing a special 2 vs 2 sets. Grab more info by clicking below.

This Saturday, February 2, DNA Presents and theknwldg.com present Downlink at LS Live. The Canadian dubstep producer will be performing in the National Capital for the first time for a live set. For details on Downlink’s performance, just click on the event poster.

Also on Saturday, February 2, The Daft Punk Tribute will be back in Ottawa for live show at Ritual.  If you like electronic music and Daft Punk, this is an event you won’t want to miss. The Daft Punk Tribute is basically a 9-piece band who reinterprets Daft Punk’s music with a horn section, rhythm section, vocals and electronics. Based in Toronto, the band is known for throwing contagious dance parties at Canada’s most prestigious clubs and concert halls. In other words, if you want to dance, you know where to go!

Lastly, singer-songwriter Elisapie Isaac will be kicking off her Travelling Love Tour this Saturday, February 2 with a live show in the Theatre at the Canadian Museum of Civilization. If you like folk, pop and electronica music, you will definitely enjoy Elisapie Isaac’s English and Inuktitut melodies. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by clicking on the poster below.

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Chilly January in the Capital City: From Nature Nocturne and the Winter Beerfest to the Independent Music News Launch Party

As we approach a series of bone-chilling days in the Capital City, what better than to keep warm by dancing your heart out at one of this week’s music events or by sampling a variety of micro-brewery beers at the Gatineau Beerfest. Eventful Capital has a great lineup of events for you in the coming days so read along and check out this week’s selection.

Kicking things off this week is XXYYXX who’ll be throwing a live set at Ritual this Wednesday, January 23. The Orlando-based producer of Relief In Abstract Records will be joined by Ottawa’s Iggy Smalls, Sticks & Stones Dubs, Alien Rainforest, and Madd Fresh. For details, click on the poster below.

Starting this Thursday, January 24 and taking place until Sunday, January 26, beer lovers will want to head over to the Festibière d’hiver (less commonly known as the Winter’Ales) of Gatineau. The second winter edition of the Gatineau Beerfest, which was inaugurated two years ago, will be held at the Château Cartier in the Aylmer sector. The festival will feature over 60 varieties of artisanal beers made by micro-breweries from around the country. For those who like to eat and be entertained, there will be food along with activities such a dog sledding, ice skating and musical shows. For further information, visit the official website by clicking below.

The Ottawa Art Gallery celebrates its 25th anniversary this Thursday, January 24 with a Silver Celebration. Guests are encouraged to wear silver clothing and accessories to partake in the festivities. The evening will feature music by saxophonist Ralph Hopper, an oyster bar courtesy of Darcy McGee’s Pub along with goodies from Thyme & Again. There will also be a Meet the Artists activity, sketching of live models with Dr. Sketchy, and a karaoke after-party hosted by Chinadoll of Shanghai restaurant. For more information on this event, simply click below. 

Also this Thursday, January 24, the Mercury Lounge will be host to the Independent Music News Magazine Launch Party. The new publication aims to highlight independent music from Canada and the UK and hopes to start a series of local shows that feature independent artists. Copies of Independent Music News should be available at the launch event. The night will include live performances by Go Long (!),  Twin Voices, The AK47’s, and The Pelts. Get everything you need to know by clicking the poster below.

The Canadian Museum of Nature is trying something new with its Nature Nocturne series. The idea behind Nature Nocturne is to attract the young and hip of the National Capital Region and create an out-of-the-ordinary after-hours dance party that will allow guests to enjoy a night of drinking and dancing while visiting the Museum. The party will take place across four galleries and feature DJ TDot, multimedia exhibits and art installations. The first Nature Nocturne soirée will take place this Friday, January 25 after which a monthly edition should follow if the event proves to be successful. Grab all the details on the Museum’s website by clicking below.  

This Friday, January 25 is the monthly edition of Double Barrel at Mugshots with DJ Magnificient and guest DJ Michael Caffrey, an important contributor to the local music scene. The two DJs will be playing nothing but the best 45s in Soul, Funk, Motown and vintage Reggae. You can get more info by clicking the poster below. 

This Saturday, January 26, Kapacity Entertainment and NRML present DJ Neil Armstrong who’ll be spinning live at Ritual. The Worldwide Adidas Ambassador and former DJ for Jay-Z, will be doing a live set with special guests DJ Illo and Laocapone. Prior to the event, DJ Neil Armstrong will be at NRML Clothing from 3 to 5pm to sign copies of limited edition 10-year anniverary box sets of his classic mixtape series. More details are available if you click the event poster below.

This Saturday, January 26 is the monthly edition of Grind Party at Babylon nightclub. The January edition will feature D.R. One alongside resident Jon Deck. If you’d like more info, get it by clicking the below poster.

DJ Pierce Fulton of New England will be doing a live set at Era this Saturday, January 26 as part of DNA Presents Privé series featuring Big DJs in a small venue. Details for this event are available by clicking below.

Event Review and Interview: Alexis Normand’s Mirador Album Launch at Club SAW

This past Tuesday, January 15, I had the pleasure of attending the Mirador Album Launch at Club SAW. Mirador, which means focal point in Spanish, is the fruit of the close collaboration between Saskatoon singer-songwriter Alexis Normand and visual artist Zoe Fortier. Normand, who wanted every song to be accompanied by a visual representation, teamed up with Fortier and consulted her throughout the entire creative process to ensure that the project incorporated both art and music.

Once I arrived at Club SAW for the launch, I was soon greeted by the organizer who offered wine and a selection of tasty sandwiches, cheeses and marinated goodies. Some of Fortier’s artwork was hanging on a nearby wall, a demonstration of the pieces created for Mirador. Along with paintings, Fortier creates live visual projections that change from one song to the next as Normand performs.

Normand began her set by greeting the sizable crowd and thanking the public warmly for their presence after which she presented a few songs from the album. Her roots folk and at times jazzy sound was pleasing to the ear and she not only sang, but played the piano, strummed her acoustic guitar, and even brought out a ukulele for one song. Although the pieces on Mirador are mostly in French, she did perform one song in English, made an effort to speak English between songs and provided the public with leaflets containing the lyrics in both official languages. This multi-talented francophone artist, who performed with a band composed of a drummer, bassist and pedal steel guitarist, has a beautiful stage presence and  gives off a comfortable charismatic vibe thanks to the numerous gigs and open mics that she previously performed at.

While Normand gently unveiled the songs from Mirador one by one, Fortier supported each of them with a unique live projection meant to provide visual support to the stories being presented. Together, they brought the crowd to their native Saskatchewan and allowed us to perceive their shared environment through a combined creative perspective.

After the launch, I had the opportunity of asking Alexis Normand a few questions related to Mirador and the creative process involved to produce it.

Elly: Mirador is the fruit of a close collaboration between your music and the artistic creations of Zoé Fortier. You both consulted each other during the creative process to ensure the project represented both visual art and music. How do you ensure that both sides of the project are brought to the forefront? 

Alexis Normand (AN): Zoé and I decided to share a creative journey and see what happens when music and art come together. There are three independent results from this collaboration: an album, a series of paintings and a live concert. Although each result stems from a shared creating experience, they also exist independently and bear the traces and signature of the artist responsible for the work. In other words, the paintings are distinctly those of Zoé Fortier: one sees her fauvist approach to colour and her use of motives and patterns and the contrast of bold and thin lines. They are her interpretations of the same subjects I explore on the album, which bears my jazz-folk and intimate colors.  Since Zoé is included on stage with the other musicians, the live show is where we see it all come together at once: we hear the songs as Zoé manipulates visual projections in real time during the show.

Elly: Having won a theme song contest organized by Radio-Canada and the Assemblée Communautaire Fransaskoiseen and having studied at l’École nationale de la chanson in Granby, you have quite an interesting career path for a young artist. Not all singer-songwriters have the opportunity to mix with big names of the music industry at the Granby National School of Song like you have. What is the most important lesson that you have learned so far since you’ve started your music career?

AN: The most important thing I have learned is to keep on keeping on in order to become more confident in my creating process. I have learned to start ignoring the “what ifs”: “What if my songs are terrible? What if there is no crowd at a show? What if no one ‘gets’ it? What if…?”… Fuck the what ifs! Part of paying less attention to these questions is due to the acceptance of who I am as an artist and musician and being confident in what I have to say and how I decide to express myself. The process has also become more personal as I explore topics that are closer to me; ones that vibrate heartstrings other than those that resonate to heartbreak and love stories.

Elly: As a Franco-Saskatchewaner artist in a bilingual country, you put alot of effort to ensure that your show incorporates English. What is the biggest challenge for you who works primarily in French in a province that is principally English? Would you like to work in English more often or do you prefer to continue in French to honor your first language and reach out to Francophone communities across the country?

AN: I write my music in French because it seems to be what comes easiest and most naturally. I am really enjoying the opportunities to meet people from francophone communities across the country and the world. This is what lights my fire and I think I will always continue songwriting in French. I am just beginning to launch my francophone project and am really enjoying all that I have learned in the process.

That said, given the anglo-majority situation in Saskatchewan, where I am currently based, I have developed ways to adapt my show for a bilingual or mostly anglophone audience: I speak in English to provide context or anecdotes that relate to the themes and messages of the songs. I also made booklets with the translated lyrics so that people can follow or read through them before or after the show.

I am also part of a side project called Rosie and the Riveters: we are a 4-piece female quartet who sings folk-gospel music in English. We each enjoy an active solo career in addition to the Riveters. So, I guess I have a foot in each pond!

Elly: Where can people purchase the Mirador album?

The album is available on bandcamp at http://alexisnormand.bandcamp.com/, on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/mirador/id592516375 and after a live performance of course!

Elly: Now that Mirador has been launched nationally, what are the next steps for you?

Tour tour tour! I’ll hit the road in Manitoba in February and will pass through Ontario and Quebec in March and more dates will be added over the next few weeks. I invite you to sign up to my mailing list at alexisnormand.com for the most recent information and to find out about upcoming shows.

Mid-January Events Around Ottawa: Salva, Snowstock, & the Souljazz Orchestra

This week in the National Capital includes several notable events that are worth highlighting. From the Mirador Album Launch to the Souljazz Orchestra live at Babylon, there’s sure to be something of interest for the most picky event-goer.

This Tuesday, January 15, join Francophone singer-songwriter Alexis Normand for the national launch of her album Mirador. The launch, which takes place at Club SAW from 5:30 to 7:30 pm, will present songs found on Mirador and will feature live projections by Zoé Fortier, a Saskatchewan artist that Normand teamed up with to highlight the existing synergy between musical and artistic creation. For more information and to RSVP, simply click on the image below.

On Thursday, January 17, Straight Goods, THEKNWLDG, Kapacity and Good Problems present Salva live at Ritual Nightclub. The LA DJ will be joined by Brenman of NYC along with Ottawa’s own Iggy Smalls and Krom. For all the details, clic, on the poster below.

Also on Thursday, January 17, head over to Babylon Nightclub for the monthly edition of Hip Hop Karaoke with DJ So Nice and Atherton. The two hosts promise a night of fun with this twist on traditional karaoke that steps away from the conventional “mom n’ pop video screen bouncy ball read-a-long half-assed last-minute-plan-with-your-girlfriends-in-korea-town karaoke jam”. If you think you got what it takes to rap along to your favorite hip hop song, sign up for HHK! Check out all the details by clicking the poster below.

Herd Magazine invites you to celebrate the launch of its second issue this Thursday, January 18 at Babylon starting at 8pm. The evening will include deliciously catered food, tasty drinks, dancing, live music, and cash &  carry art. For more info, just click the poster below.

On Saturday, January 19, the Souljazz Orchestra will be performing live at Babylon for the first time since the group has returned from an international tour promoting their latest album Solidarity. The Ottawa-based band will be accompanied by DJ Zattar who will take care of the opening set. For everything you need to know, click on the poster below. 

Also this Saturday, January 19, the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO), Straight Goods and Kapacity Entertainment present Snowstock 2013, a one-day event showcasing 5 DJs on one stage. The Snowstock lineup features Lunice, Thugli, Ryan Hemsworth and Iggy Smalls. To find out more on this event, simply click on the below poster.    

This Saturday, January 19, Thomas Gold will be stopping by LS Live as part of his  Fanfare World Tour. The electro house DJ from Germany will be throwing a live set alongside resident DJ Ariyan. Early bird tickets for this event are sold out, but there are more available online and through promoters. Grab details by clicking the poster below.  

Local DJ Zoltan Koltes will be doing a live set at Era this Saturday, January 19 as part of DNA Presents Privé series. The Ottawa-based DJ will be accompanied by Ryan Labelle. Details are available by clicking below.

Start January in Ottawa-Gatineau: From Freshly Chopped Supper Club and Yamantaka/Sonic Titan to Torro Torro

After taking a week off for the holidays, Eventful Capital’s weekly blog posts of event suggestions are back in full force! To kick January off on the right foot, here are some ideas if you’re looking for something fun to do in the coming days.

If you’re single and looking for a date, but are not into the bar scene or online dating, you may want to check out Speed Dating 20:20 at Shangai Restaurant this Wednesday, January 9 starting at 8pm. The concept is simple: you pay $20 to go on 20 speed-dates with people between the ages of 25 and 35. This may be the concept for you! For more info on this event, simply click on the poster below.

Also this Wednesday, January 9, Kapacity Entertainment and THEKNWLDG.COM in conjunction with Rockstar Energy Drink present The Firepower Reloaded Tour with Datsik, Brillz and Barron. This event, which goes down at Ritual is the place to be for fans of Dubstep music. Grab everything you need to know by clicking on the poster below.

This Friday, January 11, Spectrasonic and Ottawa Explosion present Yamantaka/Sonic Titan and Boyhood live in concert at Zaphod Beeblebrox. Yamantaka/Sonic Titan, a performance art/experimental group signed on to Toronto’s Paper Bag Records, will be performing live alongside Ottawa punk band Boyhood. For details, just click the below poster.  

Spins & Needles is back this Friday, January 11 with a night entitled Everyone’s A Winner taking place at Pressed Cafe. Get your creative juices flowing and join DJs Jason Pelletier and Meterman starting at 8pm for a night of music and art-making. For details, just click on the poster below. Also this Friday, January 11, if you want to try something new, I suggest you head over to Grounded Kitchen & Coffeehouse for Freshly Chopped Supper Club Season 1 Episode 2. This unique music and menu evening will feature the eats of Chef Leroy of Jean Albert’s Soul Food and beats by DJ Memetic of Timekode.

The idea is simple: Chefs and DJs are paired based on their specialties and expertise; The Freshly Chopped crew works with them to deliver a collaborative unforgettable dinning experience for your eyes, ears and tastebuds. Attendees get to have fun eating, listening, and enjoying the service and intimate vibe of the Freshly Chopped Supper Club for $40. This week’s edition is themed around Detroit food and music. To get all the details, visit the event’s Facebook page by clicking below.

If you want to dance off all the yummy food and drinks you consumed over the holidays, you may want to hit up Mansion Nightclub for their weekly Loud event featuring the best in local and international electronic music. This week’s special guests are Toronto’s own Torro Torro. The duo guarantees to make you dance the night away to their contemporary party music remixes and productions influenced by hip hop, electronic dance music and tropical riddims. To know more about this event, simply click on the poster below. Catch you on the dance floor!  

If you’re a fan of A Tribe Called Red, head over to Babylon this Saturday, January 12 for the first Electric Pow Wow of the year. This party with Ottawa’s favorite local DJ collective is guaranteed to make you dance the night away to the infectious sounds of tropical riddims and pow-wow step! Grab details by clicking the poster below.

Last week, DNA Presents launched a new series of intimate parties with big DJs called Privé. The series will take place at Era Nightclub on Elgin Street and promises to showcase big names for a small price. This week’s featured DJ is Ben Gold of London who’ll be throwing a live set filled with electronic dance music. Grab details by clicking the poster below.

To finish off the week in style, Kapacity Entertainment presents Riff Raff of Mad Decent Records live at Ritual on Sunday, January 13. The eccentric Houston-born rapper (some would beg to differ) will be performing live alongside special guests Slightly Famous, Kay Kass & Amy DD. For more info, click the poster below. 

Enjoy the start of January Ottawa-Gatineau! Catch next week’s blog post with more event suggestions to enjoy this month.

Cheers,

Elly

Eventful Capital: Elly Reviews Around The City