Tis the season, ladies and gentlemen. Here’s to another week filled with holiday parties, music shows, dance monthlies and events of all kinds taking place in and around Ottawa-Gatineau. Wether you’re into live music, dancing, craft shows or visual arts there’s sure to be something to quench your event-going thirst. Take a look at Eventful Capital’s weekly picks below to help plan the days ahead.
Whitehorse-based folk newcomers Dogwood will be giving their very first show at Pressed Cafe this Tuesday night. For this “inauguration” of sorts, the band will be sharing the stage with The Noisy Locomotive and other special guests.
California folk/punk musician Chuck Ragan will be performing live at Mavericks this Tuesday night alongside Little Rock folk/rock singer-songwriter Adam Faucett and Edmonton punk/indie artist Eamon McGrath. 
This Wednesday night, the recently-renovated Mercury Lounge celebrates 10 years of We Love 2 Hump at the club. The party will feature DJ Grace Panda and hosts Eva Darling and Jasmine Diamond as well as a special performance by guest Sandy Duperval from Montreal. Happy birthday Hump!
This Thursday at Pressed Cafe, Spins & Needles is holding it’s 2014 Holi-DIY edition. DJs Jason Skilz and guests D-Mass (On Da Floor) and Grumpy B (FAU MARDI) will hit the decks throughout the night spinning some jackin’ house, funk and techno beats while you get in the holiday spirit and work on holiday-themed projects. How fun! 
Ottawa post-punk/dance-rock band Those Gulls will be celebrating the release of their debut album Forevermore this Thursday, December 18 at House of Targ. For the occasion, the local group will be joined on stage by Ottawa shoegaze/dream-rock band Kings Quest and Ottawa psychadelic/brass-rockers Saint Clare. 
There’s a new series kicking off this Thursday night at Babylon called SPOOR, bringing parties aimed at Ottawa’s audacious and venturesome party-goers. On the menu: some of the finest DJs & producers from the scenes of Techno, House, Acid and more with a program that explores the intersection of sound, light and video projection. Bringing it all together will be a live set by Adam Saikaley & Gary Franks (Ceremony), Mathieu Thibault (FauMardi Collective) and WOERKS (Tadellos, Berlin; The Deep End), as well as video projections by Sasha Vreca (FauMardi Collective).
Local indie rock bands The Wicked Mercy, Cold Capital and Suns of Stone have teamed up to bring you a night of live music at the Blacksheep Inn in Wakefield this Friday. Ugly holiday sweaters are strongly encouraged.
Remember jamming to Sandstorm? Well Darude, the DJ/Producer behind that extremely popular dance/trance hit from 1999 will be making an appearance in the National Capital Region this Thursday night. The Finnish DJ will be giving a live set at the Kristal Supper Club in Gatineau if ever you feel like taking a dancing trip down memory lane. If you’d rather wait til Friday, you can check out Darude at FlyBar in downtown Ottawa. 
Art Battle Ottawa is celebrating the holiday season with an All-Stars Art Battle happening at Arts Court this Friday night. Several of the best painters of the National Capital will take part in this very special event at which all the great paintings created will be auctioned off to lucky bidders. 
Garage rock/grunge pop band Nightshades will be releasing a tape (!) this Friday night at Pressed. The local DIY trio will be sharing the stage with local garage bands Average Times and newcomers Sailor Jupiter, not affiliated with Sailor Moon. 
The good people at Ottawa Showbox are presenting a new series of shows over at Mugshots to showcase some of the region’s talented musicians. This Friday night, they’re featuring a night of music with Ottawa/Gatineau power folk group Steamers, Ottawa indie folk artist Jonathan Becker and Ottawa indie folk musician Chris Snow. 
This Friday night at Zaphods, The Dead Bees present a night of live music with Porcelain Records. The show will feature the amazing sounds of Jonny Debt and Laura Cole and will be rounded out with Ottawa’s own The Flats. A great night of music for those who love this form of art.
A quartet version of Amos the Transparent will be stopping by the Record Centre for an intimate acoustic set this Friday night. For the occasion, the alternative folk rock band will be performing songs from its new album “This Cold Escape”. It will also mark the first day that the new LP will be available for purchase on vinyl. 
This Friday, December 19, Mercury Lounge presents RAW TIME: the Official Album Launch of “Comfort Must Die”. Toronto-based artist Raw Edition will be premiering the new music in his hometown of Ottawa equipped with a full live band, a late 90s inspired sound and an unpredictable delivery. 
Local hip-hop artists En-V, Diamond, Moun Fou, Eddie Quotez, King, Poetic Elements and others have joined forces to help raise much needed funds for the Ottawa Food Bank. The National Capital rappers will be performing live at Ritual this Friday night in an effort to give back to our local community. 
What happens when the two most popular hip-hop/r&b monthlies join forces? A festive crazy dance party ensues. And that’s exactly what’s happening with the Ho Ho Ho edition of 90s or Bust and Silk going down at Babylon this Friday night. You’ve been warned. 
This Saturday, there will be a pop-up shop in the heart of Wellington West featuring some of the greatest local brands. Shop for those last minute gifts, or treat yourself with jewelry, paper goods, accessories, apparel, edibles, home goods, among other products. Hashtag #YOWHOLIDAYSHOP on Twitter and Instagram.
Local visual artist Dom Laporte is presenting a series of new works in an exhibition called Face To Face being shown at Fall Down Gallery this Saturday, December 20. The show will feature over 50 portraits of mostly renowned hip-hop artists like KRS-One, Talib Kweli, Nas and Foxy Brown as well as other legendary artists like Maya Angelou and Frida Khalo and some local celebrities like the guys from Flight distance. Makes perfect holiday gifts for the art lovers!
Metal heads rejoice, Mavericks has the perfect holiday show for you. This Saturday night, check out We Wish You A Metal Christmas with live performances from Greylights, Of Reverie, The Thirteenth Floor, From the Deep, Deathrow6, Below6, and Walls of Troy starting at 7pm. Tickets are $12 at doors $10 if you bring a non-perishable donation. What’s more, there will be an ugly holiday sweater contest, so if you plan on attending, dress for the occasion.
If you’re more into punk rock, fear not, Cafe Dekcuf, just above Mavericks, has got you covered with its all-ages xmas show. The night of live music taking place on Saturday will feature sets by Suits N’ Toques, The Tenenbaums, Randy Shenenigans, Capital City Carnage and Broken Foot. Also, this Home Alone-inspired poster rules.
Zaphods is another venue hosting a holiday-themed show this Saturday night. Presented by Beau’s All Natural Brewery & Spectrasonic, the rock n’ roll xmas party will have you dancing and drinking to the sounds of local bands We Were Sharks, Eagleson and Old Rules.
Over at the Petit Chicago in the Hull sector of Gatineau this Saturday, December 20, celebrate the holidays in music with the talented new 4-piece Bonhomme Sept Heures. The Outaouais rock band will be headlining the show and for the occasion, they’ll be sharing the stage with guest artists Anne-Marie Charron and Natasha Liard who’ll be taking care of the opening sets.
The Avant-Garde bar is jumping on the holiday bandwagon and presenting The Xmas Awesome Show this Saturday night featuring live music by the Tall Trees, Greg Ball and the Toast of the Town. Part of the proceeds for this show will go to the Ottawa Food Bank. Spread the love.
Local rap Queb fans will be served: this Saturday night at the Bistro over in Hull, Les Anticipateurs will be performing live as part of Tru3 N1ght$’s Xmas Edition. The colourful and satirical Sorel-based hip-hop group affiliated to Mook Life will be giving its first show in Gatineau alongside local newcomers Real Talk Matters (RTM).
Internationally-renouned DJ Drama will be touching down in the National Capital for the first time this Saturday, December 20. The Atlanta-based DJ and Producer who rose to fame as rapper T.I.’s deejay, will be giving a live set inside Ritual alongside a solid lineup of local DJs including Mes, Roc Steady and Tytus.
