Eventful Capital’s Weekly Picks: From John Jacob Magistery and Boogat to Alaclair Ensemble and the Plaid Parade

This Monday, November 6, the Girls to the Front Songwriters Circle is back at Irene’s Pub along Bank St. Hosted by local singer-songwriter and musician Julie Corrigan, the latest edition of this monthly event will feature live sets by local artists Kim Kingbit and Caitlin Dolan.

This Tuesday at Pressed Cafe, you should check out the Moon Market, a special craft show featuring a variety of unique vendors selling jewelry, art, tarot, pins, home decor, hand poke tattoos, candles and lots more.

Mokomokai will be making a stop in Ottawa this Wednesday as part of their Party In The North Tour. The Peterborough heavy metal band will be playing live at House of Targ with Toronto metal three-piece Villain and Ottawa sleaze rockers In Heat.

Montreal alternative folk artist John Jacob Magistery is playing live at Cafe Dekcuf this Thursday, November 9 in an effort to promote his new EP Harmoney. For the occasion, the singer-songwriter will be sharing the stage with local bands Cold Capital and Mad Ones.

Roadtrip Poétique is an evening of spoken word presented at La Nouvelle Scène this Thursday, November 9. The event will feature Jacques Jacobus of Radio Radio, Franco-Ontarian artist Cindy Doire, interpreters Marilyn Perreault and Stef Paquette, who’ll be performing texts by Patrice Desbiens accompanied by live music played by musician Daniel Boivin.

New York psych pop explorers Zula will be giving a live show at Bar Robo this Thursday, November 9 as part of their 6 Passes Tour. Joining them for the Ottawa leg of their tour will be local artist Sheehan.

If you’re into synthpop sounds, be sure to head over to Pressed Cafe on November 9 to catch French project Halo Maud live. The Parisian 60s vibe/dreampop artist will be joined by Ottawa ethereal electropop musician PIPPA and Ottawa experimental psyche artist Trails.

Montreal sludge metal band The Great Sabatini is playing live at House of Targ this Thursday night alongside Nashville grind sludge group Yautja, NYC extreme metal heads Pyrrhon and Ottawa hardcore sludge metal project Black Oak Decline.

YAS! is an art symposium being held in Ottawa Nov. 10-12, designed by youth working in collaboration with five galleries from across Ontario. Registration includes presentations, youth-led discussion groups, artist workshops and an all-ages art party like no other to close off the three-day event.

Mexican-bred artist Boogat, who’s music merges cumbia, reggae, salsa, and hip-hop, will be back in Ottawa this Saturday night, and this time around the JUNO award winner will be performing live at the Mercury Lounge in an effort to promote his third album San Cristobal Baile Inn.

This Friday at the Algonquin Commons Theatre, there’s the Guitars for Vets – Play Your Part Songwriters’ Circle, that’ll feature live performances by musicians Joel Plaskett, Sarah Harmer, Jeremy Fisher and Sean McCann.

Kinki After Dark is celebrating its 2-year anniversary this Friday with The Prince & Michael Jackson Experience, featuring DJ Dave Paul from San Francisco. You can expect to hear album cuts, b-sides, un-released tracks, remixes, 12″ versions and hits from the two artists, as well as songs by ancillary acts. Opening sets courtesy of DJs Mace & RayRay.

Toronto indie post rockers Do Make Say Think are performing live at the Bronson Centre this Friday, November 10 as part of their Stubborn Persistent Illusions Tour. For the occasion, Ottawa/Montreal instrumental project Flying Hórses will be opening the show.

The Christmas Market season is upon us, and one of the first ones is happening this Saturday at the Ferme Moore in Hull, and it’s presented by Etsy Outaouais. You can expect to find a bunch of locally hand-crafted products that will make for great holiday gifts.

If you’re into psychobilly and punk rock, don’t miss Montreal psychobilly band The Creepshow live at Mavericks this Saturday night. Joining them as part of a stacked bill will be Burlington punk rockers The Penske File, Ottawa rock group Alanna Sterling and the Silvers, Ottawa punk rockers The Lindbergh Babies, Ottawa punk rock project Quinnzelle and Ottawa skate punks Sidelines.

If you prefer hardcore, there’s a show for you at Cafe Dekcuf this Saturday. It’ll feature live sets by Toronto hardcore band Sparrows, New Jersey hardcore group Gatherers, Ottawa melodic hardcore outfit Mayfield, Montreal hardcore/metalcore project Find The Missing Word and Ottawa metal formation Sinful Ways.

Quebec rap super group Alaclair Ensemble, who stood out at this year’s ADISQ Gala by taking home several prizes, is back in Gatineau this Saturday, November 11. The collective, who is getting more and more recognition and support will be performing live at the Minotaure with Montreal hip hop artist Loud, of the now-defunct Loud Lary Adjust trio and Ottawa rapper Squrel Noir. It’s going to be epic, as it always is when the boys are in town.

Feel The Neil, a Neil Young birthday bash tribute show, is going down at Backdrop Food & Drink this Saturday, November 11. Hosted by Ashley Newall, the night of live music will feature Ray Harris, Danielle Allard, Aaron Ray, Banjo Scuffs, Lefty McRighty and more. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Ottawa Food Bank.

Monowhales is a Toronto-based indie pop group that you can check out at Live on Elgin this Saturday as part of their Big Bang Tour. The band will be sharing the stage with Toronto electro pop outfit Featurette and Ottawa future pop project FTRSL.

Ottawa soul band Slack Bridges is releasing its debut LP Joy of Joys this Saturday night at the Rainbow Bistro with a big funky party to celebrate. For the occasion, the guys will be playing live alongside Ottawa garage rockers Mushy Gushy and TIMEKODE co-founder DJ Zattar.

If you enjoy salsa, cumbia, disco and sambafunk, head over to the Petit Chicago on Saturday to check out Tropikombo. The Ottawa-based 5-piece conjunto led by Phil Motion is giving more and more live performances around town, and although I haven’t caught their set yet, I’ve heard nothing but good things about this fairly new project.

Ottawa singer-songwriter and pianist Megan Jerome will be sharing new tunes with the Together Ensemble this Saturday night at Kaffe 1870 in the lovely town of Wakefield. Join the charming musician and her band as they transport you through a night a music drawing from traditional gospel, stoner jazz and meditative classical sounds.

The first-ever Artisan Market Christmas Edition is being held this Sunday, November 12 at the Tom Brown Arena on Bayview Road. Forty-two local artisans will be showcasing their talent  and there will be door prizes and free admission for those in attendance.

Wish you had the opportunity to rock your plaid shirts and accessories proudly for everyone to see while riding your bike? Well, this is your chance to bring all your plaid out at Ottawa’s 5th annual Plaid Parade taking place this Sunday, November 12. After the parade, there will be a pancake breakfast and open house at the Causeway Work Centre.

If you want to finish off the week with some thrash metal, you can catch old school trash metal band Atrophy, Montreal thrash/death metal group Canceric, Ottawa thrash metal Project Ominous Eclipse and Ottawa thrash metal heads Infrared.

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Eventful Capital’s Weekly Picks: From Jill Barber and The Acorn to Alaclair Ensemble and Dragonette

This Wednesday, November 9, the Ottawa Jazz Festival is presenting a special fall event showcasing Jill Barber in concert. The two-time JUNO nominee singer-songwriter will be performing live at Southminster United Church in Aylmer and all profits raised form the show will go to supporting the upcoming 2017 Ottawa Jazz Festival.

For the first time, the Celebrity Marauders are bringing the party to Ottawa this Wednesday night. The guys are bringing that house party vibe to Kinki and it’s bound to be one for the books. Music from all eras & genres courtesy of DJs Kardinal Offishall, Scratch, Mace and several others. A guaranteed good time!

SoCal punks Face to Face will be hitting up the Bronson Centre this Thursday, November 10 and for the occasion they’ll be performing live with Ottawa punk/metal band Crusades, and Ottawa punks The Valveenus.

Edmonton folk/punks Audio/Rocketry are playing live at Bar Robo this Thursday night as part of their 2016 Tour. The band will be sharing the stage with Ottawa folk/punks Jonathan Becker & The North Fields and Ottawa folk/punk musician Jon Creeden.

This Thursday, November 10, Nashville emo rockers Secret Stuff will be making a stop at Live on Elgin and they’ll be giving a show alongside New Jersey indie band Hodera, Ottawa semi-aquatic surf emo project Swim Team, Ottawa emos Castlefield and Ottawa alt/indie/rock/soul artist Paul Crupi.

Ottawa valley indie rock/soul band The Acorn will be playing live at Babylon this Thursday night and this time around these local faves will be joined on stage by Toronto power pop/rock musician Taylor Knox and Ottawa experimental pop project Trails.

The Ottawa-Gatineau tattoo expo is back for the 8th year in a row and this time it’s being held from November 11 to 13 at the Hilton Lac-Leamy in the Hull sector of Gatineau. Dubbed “Gathering Of The Titans”, this edition will feature live performances and novelty acts, side show entertainment, burlesque as well as a bunch of tattoo artists and vendors.

The metal heads who are looking for a show to check out this week should head over to Mavericks this Friday to catch Swedish melodic death metal legends Dark Tranquillity as well as Finnish doom metal band Swallow the Sun, Swedish thrash metal group Enforcer and American metal outfit Starkill.

Welland indie/folk/country musician Spencer Burton is bringing his The One Before The Next One Fall Tour to Ottawa this Friday night. He’ll be playing live at Bar Robo alongside Ottawa indie folk singer-songwriter André M. Bluteau, who hasn’t performed live in a while and who recently came out with a new album, so it’s sure to be a real treat.

This Friday night, Ottawa hip hop artist DRAE invites you to join him for his E/scape album release show happening at the Mercury Lounge. For the occasion, the Ottawa rapper be joined by special guests FTRSL, Yusso and Aron The Alien. Support local hip hop ♥

The 12th Annual Remembrance Day Canadian Legion Benefit Show will be held at the Dominion Tavern this Friday, November 11 with live performances by In Heat, Ape City, A Staggering Pace, and Sons of Scotland . As always, proceeds raised from the event go to helping veterans in need along with their families.

It’s hard to believe it’s already been a year (!): Kinki After Dark Fridays are celebrating their 1st birthday this November 11 with a party that’ll feature a set by special guest DJ Jayemkayem who’ll be down from Toronto, as well as resident DJs Mace, RayRay, and Eazy El Dee. Come celebrate the one-year anniversary and congratulate the crew behind the successful After Dark Series.

Electronic music lovers will want to hit up City this Friday night to catch a rare Ottawa appearance by Amsterdam DJ/Producer Technasia. The Parisian-born beat-maker will be joined by DJs Shalbeats, Saa Andjelic and Aga.

Quebec rap super group Alaclair Ensemble will be back in Gatineau this Saturday, November 12 to kick off L’Osstidtour in an effort to promote their latest album Les Frères  Cueilleurs that came out this past September. The collective who seems to only be getting more and more recognition and support will be sharing the stage with Ste-Eustache rapper Koriass and Montreal hip hop newcomers Brown, who’ll be in the region for the very first time. It’s going to be epic, no doubt.

Toronto pop band Dragonette is currently on tour and making a return to the national capital this Saturday night in support of their brand new album Royal Blues that’s out November 11. The Universal Records signees will be sharing the stage with Toronto/London dance pop artist Lowell.

This Saturday night at Mavericks, it’s the third instalment of Capital Punishment, which will showcase some of the best battle rappers in the country. Capital Punishment will be an epic night featuring seven rap battles with two main events that have the potential to be classics. There will also be live performances and special guests.

Ottawa punks New Swears have reason to celebrate: they recently signed to Dine Alone Records and just released a new EP called Brand New Spot/Sugar Heavy Metal. Catch them at Zaphods this Saturday night alongside Montreal doom pop project NOBRO and Ottawa garage rockers Puffs.

Over at Bar Robo this Saturday night, there’s an all-vinyl party dubbed Get On Up. DJ Breakthru will be spinning a mix of funk, soul, rock, Motown, hip hop, disco and whatever makes you move and groove.

Ottawa swamp roots rock band MonkeyJunk will be celebrating the release of their fifth album Time To Roll with not one but two hometown release shows happening at the Rainbow Bistro. The first show will be held on Saturday night and the other one is this Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m. It’s always a fun time with this trio of talented musicians!

Members of local activist and artist collective Babely Shades are having an art show at Pressed Cafe and the vernissage is being held this Sunday evening. If you can’t go to the launch, but want to check out the show, the artworks will be up until the end of December.

Fans of EDM will want to head over to Barrymores this Sunday, November 13 for The Journey Tour, which will feature live sets by DJ/Producer Seven Lions as well as Grum and Unlike Pluto.

Rap Queb Radio: A Quebec Hip Hop Radio Special

Elly Laberge hosting a Rap Queb Radio special on CKCU 93.1 FM

This week, I had the opportunity to host my very own 30-minute radio special dedicated to Quebec hip hop, ou comme on l’appelle le Rap Queb. Those who know me, know that I’m passionate about hip hop in general, but Quebec rap holds a special place in my heart, and so it was a real honour to get to play some of today’s Rap Queb ambassadors on CKCU FM. These artists rap in both French and English, and it’s dope af. Have a listen!

Program Rap Queb Radio Hosted By Elly Laberge Date 6:00 PM on Jul. 11th, 2016

Artist	Album	Track
Rainmen	Armageddon	Pas D’Chilling
Eman X Vlooper	XXL	M.A.D
Loud Lary Ajust	Blue Volvo	Tiens mon drink
Rednext Level	Argent Légal	Argent légal
Alaclair Ensemble	Toute est impossible	Fastlane (Produced by Kaytranada)
Koriass	Love suprême	Blacklights
Brown	Brown	Black White
Canadian content		New release

 

From the Outaouais and Beyond: The 2014 FOÉ Keeps the Focus on Emerging Artists

Those who attended this year’s Festival de l’Outaouais Émergent, held from September 4 to 7, all ended up with a similar conclusion: the local cultural scene in Gatineau is certainly alive and well. Affectionately called the FOÉ, the annual festival that’s progressively growing, does a fine job at giving centre stage to emerging artists from the Outaouais and beyond in an effort to celebrate homegrown talent from a variety of artistic disciplines.

This year, on top of the shows presented at the main festival site, organizers made great use of existing venues in the Vieux-Hull sector to offer a series of late night sets that allowed downtown bars, restaurants and art galleries to host a welcoming amount of festival-goers. A sure sign that the FOÉ is spreading its wings and expanding towards wider horizons.

It was the first year that Eventful Capital got to cover the festivities, and overall I walk away with a very positive experience, and it somewhat felt like Gatineau’s equivalent to Ottawa’s DIY Arboretum festival.

Philippe B giving an intimate acoustic set as part of the 2014 FOÉ © Photo: Eventful Capital

I jumped feet first into the FOÉ on Friday by catching Philippe B’s set at the AXENÉO7 art gallery located a stone’s throw away from the main stage. Because of a power outage, the talented folk pop singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based out of Montreal gave an intimate acoustic performance in a constricted muggy room piled with about 70 attentive festival-goers. Although Philippe B ended up playing a shortened 30 minute set given the circumstances, it was extremely special, moving and a rare occasion for both the artist and the audience. In this case, less was certainly more. Joined by two vocalists who complimented the performance with beautiful harmonies, the artist humbly offered the songs La complainte du scaphandrier, Ornithologie II, Archipels, Nous irons jusqu’au soleil, Les prisonniers du Lac Dufault, Petite Leçon de Ténèbres, Calorifère, and a cover of Gainsbourg’s La chanson de Prévert. The crowd unsurprisingly called him back for an encore, which he gladly delivered. 

Local singer Gabriella Hook performing live on the Main Stage as part of the 2014 FOÉ © Photo: Eventful Capital

Following Philippe B’s unique set, I crossed the street to see Gabriella Hook who was opening the night on the main stage.  The pop jazz singer-songwriter and musician originally from Chelsea was in great shape and gave a noteworthy performance to warm up the crowd gathering for headliners Half Moon Run. Armed with a good stage presence and accompanied by a drummer and keyboardist, the lovely Hook delivered material from her debut album “Build a Storm” including the songs Don’t Put Your Hands Down, Miles, and Barrels and Bears.  

Alexandre Desilets keeping the crowd moving on the Main Stage as part of the 2014 FOÉ © Photo: Eventful Capital

Soon after Hook, it was Alexandre Desilets’ turn to take the stage. The 30-something Montreal-based pop rock artist originally from Gatineau, was joined by his band and together they jumped right into their set with tunes from Desilets’ latest studio album “Fancy Ghetto” including the title track, Perle rare, and Bat toi mon coeur along with older songs like Le repère and Si loin. Desilets, who was clearly happy to be back home performing in front of a local audience, delivered a high energy performance complete with great stage presence. He had just the right amount of interaction with the crowd and had festival-goers singing and dancing until the end.  

Milk And Bone giving their first full performance as part of the FOÉ © Photo: Eventful Capital

I returned to the FOÉ on Day 2 just in time to catch Milk And Bone at AXENÉO7 and I’m really glad that I chose to arrive early to see them because they surely didn’t disappoint. The electro synthpop duo from Montreal comprised of Laurence Lafond-Beaulne and Camille Poliquin, gave an intimate set in front of about 60 people and for artists who performed their entire repertoire in front of a live audience for the first time, they sounded flawless. Their sound, somewhat reminiscent of Purity Ring, Blue Hawaii and Jessy Lanza, was mesmerizing, combining hauntingly beautiful harmonies with simple synth melodies and drum beats. The duo, who’s currently working on a debut album, gave a solid 45-minute set including the tracks New York and Sochi. The whole thing was extremely candid and honest and it just felt right. Look out for Milk & Bone and keep them on your radar, because they girls are definitely going somewhere.

Mastik performing live as part of the FOÉ © Photo: Eventful Capital

After Milk And Bone, I made my way over to the main stage for Mastik, a Franco-Ontarian indie rock trio based out of Ottawa. The guys, who are about to release their  first full-lenght album, previewed some of the new material to those gathered at the FOE to discover them. Mastik delivered a respectable performance, however there was something missing that I couldn’t put my finger on, either from their stage presence or their overall sound.

Les Trois Accords headlining the 2014 FOÉ © Photo: Eventful Capital

After a well-deserved lunch break, I returned to the main stage to check out headliners Les Trois Accords. A rather big name for a relatively small festival, the pop/punk rock band from Drumondville, Quebec attracted lots of fans to the FOÉ and did what they do best: entertain. Bringing tons of energy to the stage, the trio interacted with the crowd throughout the set and clearly had fun with festival-goers who seemed to love every minute of it. It’s always a good time with them and there’s never a dull moment so it was certainly a good move from festival organizers to book them as they were sure to bring in a good crowd. The group’s set features the songs Saskatchewan, Le Bureau du medecin, Lucille, Elle s’apellait Serge, Tout nu sur la plage, Son visage était parfait, and Dans mon corps among others.

Alaclair Ensemble keeping the party going at Bistro as part of the FOÉ © Photo: Eventful Capital

It’s at the Bistro that I chose to end Day 2 of the FOÉ, by checking out the live performance courtesy of Quebec “Franglais” hip-hop supergroups Alaclair Ensemble and Dead Obies. Judging by the lineup outside the bar and the ever-growing buzz around these two groups, Bistro was definitely the place to be on Saturday night. And what a party it was! The minute Alaclair Ensemble hit the stage, the young crowd lost it and went wild. It was a packed house and everyone in attendance was singing along to their favourite tracks and bouncing to the beats. Alaclair Ensemble are known for clowning around and offering high-energy performances without taking themselves seriously and that’s exactly what they did on Saturday. The boys had fun with the crowd and couldn’t be bothered by much. They performed a variety of tracks from their repertoire namely Babouine, Snare Drum, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mon Cou and Capoté including the ridiculous slow song Calinour, to which I shamelessly danced to with the good-looking Claude Begin, one of the group members, as though I were still in 8th grade. 

Alaclair Ensemble member Claude Bégin © Photo: Eventful Capital

Dead Obies hit the stage right after Alaclair and received the same warm welcome from the pumped up crowd. The energy inside the Bistro was at an all-time high. It was the second time that the Montreal-based post-rap collective gave a show in Gatineau, and for the occasion, they delivered tracks from their debut album including crowd favourites Montréal $ud, Do or Die, In America and What It Is.

The Dying Arts performing live at the Petit Chicago © Photo: Eventful Capital

For the final day of the FOÉ, I concentrated my efforts at Petit Chicago where I caught The Dying Arts, Eldorado, We Are Wolves and Ill Scarlet.

I arrived just in time to catch The Dying Arts, a Toronto-based garage indie punk rock band. The 4-piece group started out somewhat slowly and tame, but quickly built up their set to a lively in-your-face punk rock revival. Having done my homework and listened to the debut EP at home before making my way over to the Petit Chicago, I was quite pleased with the raw punk rock that I heard and the rowdy energy that I saw live. The Dying Arts performed material from their self-titled EP including Fame, Scratch and Snake in the Grass and I could’ve gladly listened to a longer set.

After a short intermission, the show continued with Eldorado. Performing at home in familiar territory, the band was right at ease and exuded confidence. The boys rocked out to songs from their debut album “Gin Vinyle” including the catchy Corvette 67. It’s obvious that the Gatineau-based rock/rock n’ roll 4-piece has great stage presence and energy to boot, but there seemed to be a disconnect with the crowd who barely reacted to their set. It was disappointing to see such a lack of response from the audience towards a local band.

We Are Wolves giving a live set at Petit Chicago as part of the FOÉ © Photo: Eventful Capital

The 2014 edition of the FOÉ closed off on a high note with the excellent We Are Wolves. The Montreal-based electro/rock trio who’s no stranger to the FOÉ or the Petit Chicago made a triumphant return to the Outaouais to the delight of their fans. By the time they hit the stage, a good crowd of people had gathered at the Hull venue to catch the magic operate live.There’s something really special about this band aside from their contagious charisma and electric stage presence. Whenever they perform, they exude talent and give out so much energy that it’s impossible to remain still. We Are Wolves gave a generous 60-minute set including the songs Angel, Sun, Paloma, Night, Snake in the Sand and We Are Made of Fire. Although they weren’t technically supposed to, they came back for an encore with the Black Sabbath cover Paranoid as the crowd danced and cheered on.

FOÉ organizers can pat themselves on the back for a job well done as a 7th successful edition has come and gone, attracting a larger crowd and continuing to make ample room for local and emerging artists that deserve a place in the spotlight.

Alaclair Ensemble @ Le Petit Chicago

Last night, I joined some friends who were headed to Le Petit Chicago in Gatineau, Quebec to attend a rather entertaining show to say the least.

People trickled into the bar slowly until there was a sufficiently decent crowd to start the night with the opening act. The show itself started with D-Track, a local artist who has been around the Quebec Slam Poetry and Hip-Hop scene for some 10 years and who primarily delivers his lyrics in French. D-Track charmed the crowd with his witty rhymes and live band comprised of a drummer, a guitarist and keyboardist, which he often encouraged the public to applaud and give props to. It was my second time seeing him perform, the first being when he offered some slam accompanied by a violinist, a very unique and beautiful mix!

To hear D-Track visit http://www.myspace.com/dtracke

After D-Track’s 30-minute performance, the main act, which most had come to see, soon followed. Now how can I possibly describe Alaclair Ensemble appropriately and do them justice for those of you who are unfamiliar with Quebec hip-hop? Well, here’s a photo to give you a taste…

The boys, who are all from somewhere between Quebec City and Montreal, stopped through Gatineau as part of their Lower Canada tour and presented pure entertainment and over-the-top craziness from start to finish as they jumped around and did the chicken dance on-stage and delivered track after track of highly comedic hip-hop. Many would say, Quebec’s rap at its finest!  Their bizarre style and unique approach certainly left a strong impression on me who had vaguely heard of the group before venturing out to discover Alaclair Ensemble. These guys definitely can’t be taken seriously as each one brings a unique persona to the Ensemble from the token black guy to the DJ with alien goggles. The group gave a highly energetic performance and the crowd seemed to love every minute of what the guys had to offer, many reciting with Alaclair the lyrics to their favorite songs. Overall, a great discovery for those who enjoy French rap! Big ups to Le Ptit Chicago for putting together another great indie music show on the Quebec side 🙂

To hear what Alaclair Ensemble sounds like visit http://alaclairensemble.bandcamp.com/