Eventful Capital’s Weekly Picks: From Beirut and The Cat Empire to Bike Love and Drake Night

Another week, another blog post featuring hand-picked events happening in and around Ottawa-Gatineau over the next seven days. If you’re in town and wondering what’s happening this week, check out the sample of great ideas below.

Want to check out a hardcore/punk show this Tuesday night? Hamilton post hardcore/emo band Downstream, Halifax post hardcore group Sleepshaker, Ottawa alt rockers Slip, Ottawa pop punks The Great Diversion, Ottawa solo emo project Caves and Ottawa newcomers Swim Team will all be giving live sets. The venue? It’s not Pressed, so just ask a punk.

Brooklyn-based band Beirut will be returning to Ottawa this Tuesday, July 26 to play at the Algonquin Commons Theatre. The indie folk/world/baroque pop band will be sharing the stage with Montreal indie folk musician Little Scream who’ll take care of opening the show.

Local powerhouse Bella Cat will be performing live at Kinki Lounge this Wednesday, July 27 and the show is entirely free to check out. The soul/blues singer-songwriter with the incredible voice will be sharing a special night of music with those in attendance.

This Wednesday night, over at the Petit Chicago in the Hull sector of Gatineau, there will be a live show featuring Toronto melodic punk/rock band Broomfiller, Ottawa/Gatineau ska punks Taco Bandits (best band name ever) and Ottawa punk rockers Pop Culture Icons. Check it.

Halifax’s Cousins is back in Ottawa and this time it’s to perform solo at Bar Robo this Thursday night. This time around, the garage rock project will be sharing the stage with Ottawa new-wave psych pop/rock band How Far to Mexico.

Another big show happening at the Algonquin Commons Theatre this week is going down on Thursday, July 28. This one will feature Australian jazz/ska/rock group The Cat Empire who will play alongside Canadian new-wave indie pop/folk artist Sarah MacDougall.

For something more mellow and intimate, head over to Cafe Dekcuf this Thursday night to catch Saskatchewan indie alt/pop band Friends of Foes live. The group, who’s on a cross Canada tour, will be playing with Gatineau indie folk outfit Bitterly Healed and Ottawa indie alt/rock project Bitter North.

This Thursday night, House of Paint presents Retr-O Graff, a special tribute night dedicated to highlighting some of the National Capital Region’s best graffiti artists over the years. Find out about the city’s grafitti history while you take in some live art by FallDown, Venise, Dom Laporte and Coblou.

Art by Snake Boy and Dixon

Gatineau-based r&b/blues/soul band Majortom is back after taking some time off. The 5-piece group will be making a return to the stage this Friday, July 29 at the 4 Jeudis in the Vieux-Hull and sharing new material with those in attendance.

This Friday evening at Maker House Co., there’s going to be a special event to celebrate the beauty and style of the classic bicycle. With free beer samples from Bicycle Craft Brewery, a demo by Right Bike, handmade bike accessories and live music among other things, this free event promises to be good times for bike lovers.

Are you a fan of ska, reggae and rocksteady? If so, be sure to make your way over to House of Targ on Saturday night for Voice Of The People’s 1-Year anniversary party. This fun monthly that was launched last year will feature music selections courtesy of DJs Longshot and Lord Snappy as well as a live performance by Ottawa’s own The Sentries and Toronto ska/jazz band Sound One.

At Gabba Hey this Saturday, there’s an all-ages show featuring Philly’s own Alex G live. The lo-fi beach artist will be sharing the stage with Stouffville, Ontario dream pop artist Nicole Dollanganger, and Ottawa dream pop project Herons Wake.

Montreal instrumental post rock band Appalaches are returning to Ottawa this Saturday, July 30 and for the occasion they’ll be performing live at Avant-Garde with local post rockers Clavius Control and local ambient post rock artist Jean-Mo.

If you’re looking for a night of rock n’roll with some hints of country this weekend, head over to the Minotaure on Saturday night to check out Montebello/Gatineau punk/rock/country 4-piece Les Chiens Sales. The local veterans will be joined on stage by Montreal blues/stoner rock group Machines Géantes.

Toronto’s tex-mex chainsaw rock n’rollers White Cowbell Oklahoma are back in Ottawa this Saturday and this time it’s to play House of Targ in an effort to promote their latest album and new stage stunts. The guys will be sharing the stage with Ottawa sleaze rock band In Heat and Ottawa psychobilly punk band Hot Snake Handlers.

An entire night dedicated to the 6 God? Drake fans rejoice, you read correct. The 1-year anniversary of this popular dance party, at which you can expect to hear nothing but Drizzy jams and tracks from OVO affiliates, is going down this Saturday night inside Babylon. Happy birthday Drake Night!

This week is the Ontario civic long weekend, so if you’re looking for a club party to hit up on Sunday, look no further than City Nightclub for the Rewind Sundays party featuring DJ RayRay, who’s bound to get the club bumping by playing a mix of old school hip hop and r&b and new club anthems and bangers.

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Eventful Capital’s Weekly Picks: From Down With Webster and The Souljazz Orchestra to Railbender’s Grand Opening and Bruised Tongue’s 5 Year Anniversary

Another week, another slew of events happening in and around the national capital. Grab a drink, sit back and enjoy Eventful Capital’s weekly picks for ideas on noteworthy events happening in Ottawa-Gatineau over the coming days. As usual, if you want details, just click on each event poster below for more info.

As part of Black History Month, the Algonquin Students’ Association presents Shaun Boothe live at the Algonquin Commons Theatre this Tuesday, February 11. This free all ages event will feature the award winning hip-hop artist and talented orator along with special appearances by local spoken word poets Just Jamaal, Prufrock Shadowrunner and Brad Morden.

Down With Webster will be giving a live performance at the Bronson Centre this Wednesday. The Canadian hip-hop/pop/rock formation, who’ll be making a stop in Ottawa as part of the Party For Your Life Wintour, will be joined on stage by special guest artists Son Real of Vancouver and D Pryde of Toronto. 

Over at Raw Sugar Cafe this Wednesday, Toronto indie folk singer-songwriter Megan Bonnell will be giving a live show. Toronto-based artist Emilie Mover will be joining her on stage for the occasion along with Ottawa-based folk/pop project Peas& Carrots.   

If you’re into progressive blues rock sounds, you may wanna head over to the Rainbow Bistro this Wednesday, February 12 to check out local groups Twisted Planet, Creep Like Thieves and 3MD perform live. 

If you’re a fan of metal, you don’t want to miss the show happening at Mavericks this Thursday night. Blackwidow Promotions brings you Bay Area thrash metal group Death Angel live at the Rideau Street venue this February 13. The band, who’s currently on tour in support of its latest album “The Dream Calls For Blood”, will be sharing the Ottawa stage with folk metal group Týr and local melodic metal formation Signs of Chaos.

This Thursday, February 13, the Radioactive Series features By The Lights live at the Mercury Lounge. The ambiant pop/rock duo from Ottawa will be performing alongside special guest Dave Bean.  

Valentine’s Day falls on a Friday this year, and wether you like it or not, that’s the perfect excuse for organizers/promoters to offer event-goers a variety of thematics to choose from. Playing on this idea, Mansion presents PLUR Palace this Thursday, February 13 featuring an extended dancefloor until 5am among other v-day related things. 

If you’re not about Valentine’s Day, be sure to head over to the Heartbreak Hotel this Friday at Ritual for a special edition of The Convo with DJs Jon Deck and Frank Play fulfilling your musical needs all night long.

Ottawa’s favorite DIY label Bruised Tongue is turning 5 years this weekend and the celebrations promise to be nothing short of fun. The good people behind Bruised Tongue invite you to join the party over 3 nights of bands, DJs, and all around good vibes.

This Friday, the Niyamah Collective presents Artistika: The Love Art Party, at the Rideau Curling Club. This eclectic event, meant to celebrate the arts and artist in all of us, will feature zumba, hooping, poetry, live music, body art and face painting, a massage booth and a photo kissing booth among other things. A celebration of love without the commercial bullshit. 

For those of you who thought you’d never get to see Rusty live, think again. The Toronto 90s alt-rock group who broke up in 2000, is doing a comeback reunion tour and stopping in Ottawa for the occasion. The boys will be at Zaphods this Friday alongside The Superlative and Dead Air Republic.

If you’re into indie music, head over to Cafe Alt this Friday as CHUO and the Cafe Alt Concert Series present a live performance by Amanita Bloom of Montreal alongside Ottawa-based groups Heavy Bedroom and Slippies. 

The underground Gabba Hey venue (for which the address is always divulged at the last minute), will host a garage punk show this Friday featuring live sets by Halifax group Cousins, and local bands Average Times and Bonnie Doon. 

The Valentine’s Day edition of Kitchen Party is being held this Friday at the Rochester Pub. If you’re looking for a good time, this is a sure bet as DJs Hobo & Sweet Cheeks are known to select the best in funk, soul, disco, electro, and everything in between for your dancing pleasure.

The Silk dance party is celebrating one year of R&B jams this Friday. The event will  be taking place at Raw Sugar Cafe with usual suspects Matty McGovern, Matt Tamblyn and Eric Roberts playing your favourite R&B tunes all night.

The second annual You Now Have Valentine’s Day Plans edition of Girlz & Glam is going down this Friday at Bablyon. For the occasion, the Grillz & Glam fam is dedicating the night to celebrating the ladies of the 613. As per usual, local DJs Brains4brkfst and Philboy will be taking care of your musical needs and providing the soundtrack to your Vday.

Weird Canada invites you to the Ottawa launch of Wyrd Distro, the first non-profit online store and distribution service dedicated to emerging and experimental Canadian music, art and ephemera. The kick-off of this cool new project, taking place on Saturday, February 15, is going down at Pressed Cafe. 

This Saturday, the Hintonburg area welcomes a new addition to its growing neighbourhood. The Railbender Tattoo Studio & Art Gallery celebrates its grand opening and first group art show this Saturday, February 15. As part of the festivities, Beyond the Pale will be serving brew while Herbivore at the Door will supply tasty bites.

This Saturday, Ottawa-based Kalle Mattson, recently back from a European tour, will be launching his new album “Someday, The Moon Will Be Gold” at Zaphods. For the occasion, the indie folk musician and his band will be performing alongside Paterson Hall and Pith and the Parenchymas.

Over on the Gatineau side, Party Twist presents Brazilian Fever this Saturday in the Grand Hall of the Canadian Museum of History (previously the Canadian Museum of Civilization). This celebration of Brazilian culture will immerse you in a carnival atmosphere inspired by Rio de Janeiro by featuring live entertainment from Banda Bracatum, Batucada Carioca, Bateria de Escola de Samba, Capoeira Camara and Dance Migration. “Caipirinha” cocktails and Brazilian appetizers like “coxinhas” will also be available for purchase. 

Hometown favourites The Souljazz Orchestra are performing live at the Petit Chicago this Saturday in an effort to promote the launch of their latest album ‘Inner Fire’. The Ottawa-based six-piece, known for its contagious soul, jazz and afro-latin sounds, will be kicking off an international tour with the Gatineau show. If you miss out, you can also catch them at Babylon in Ottawa on March 15. 

Colour & Sound presents an all hip-hop night at the Daily Grind this Saturday. The event will feature live performances by G-Xplicit, Poetic Elements, The Adding Machine, Odcmplx (aka Fly On The Waltz) while Prufrock, Swayze and DJ D-Mass take care of playing your favourite hip-hop tracks. Art by Krissy Kay, Julia Churchill, Andrea Warren, Keturah Johnson and Mique Michelle will also be on display for the occasion. Admission is free.

There’s another metal show happening this week and this one is being held at Ritual on Sunday, February 16. Chicago-based metal 5-piece Born of Osiris will be headlining the night and the band will be accompanied by opening acts I, The Breather, City in the Sea, Killitorous and Infiltration. As of today, promoters warned that there are only 50 tickets left for this show, so act quickly if you plan on attending.

End of September in the National Capital: From the Bernie Worrell Orchestra and Zeds Dead to the One World Film Festival

If you’re around the National Capital Region this week and you’re looking for events to check out, you’ve come to the right place. Wether you’re into music, film, art, slam poetry or all of the above, there’s bound to be something fun for you happening in the days ahead. Take a look at Eventful Capital’s weekly picks below and click on the event posters for more info.

Jackpine & YouRockRed are presenting Ottawa’s first Polaris Music Prize screening party streaming live from Toronto. Come support Ottawa’s own A Tribe Called Red by watching the screening with fellow local Canadian music fans at Babylon.

San Francisco indie/experimental group The Dodos will be performing live at Mavericks this Wednesday, September 25. The American duo will be joined on stage by Halifax indie, Noyes/Youth band Cousins for the occasion.

EDM lovers will be happy to know that Zeds Dead is back in Ottawa this Wednesday, September 25 following a well-attended set at Bluesfest this past July. This time around the Toronto-based duo will be giving a live DJ set at LS Live alongside Paper Diamond as part of the Altered States Tour.  

The annual One World Film Festival, which features thought-provoking documentaries on issues impacting our communities and our world, is being held from September 26 to September 28 at Library & Archives Canada. The festival’s 24th edition, centered around the themes of peace, freedom, wealth and justice, will include film screenings, panel discussions, and filmmaker Q&As.  

Soul Journey, made up of acoustic guitarists Raymundo Pizana & Tohyd Beigi, will be giving a live performance at the Mercury Lounge this Thursday, September 26. The guitar duo, who’ll be joined by special guests for the occasion, will be presenting original compositions of new age fusion with echoes of world music.

Those of you who enjoy local indie music should check out Justice R.F. live at Pressed Cafe this Thursday, September 26. The Ottawa-based alternative folk musician will be joined on stage by guest Rob Waddell for the occasion. 

Hip hop heads may want to head over to Ritual Nightclub on Thursday, September 26 to catch Chali 2na of the group Jurassic 5 perform live alongside special guest Kayo. The Los Angeles rapper, who’s performed in Ottawa several times already, will receive local support from BlakDenim and Antiks among others.

The Up & Up Revue, World Famous Music and House of PainT have teamed up to present the Bernie Worrell Orchestra live at Babylon on Thursday, September 26. The co-founder of Parliament-Funkadelic, synth pioneer of the Talking Heads and source of countless Dr Dre samples is bringing his new 9-piece orchestra to Ottawa and Phil Motion and the Easy Lo-Fi will open the night to get the crowd warmed up.

The September edition of Double Barrel is going down this Friday at Mugshots in the courtyard. For this month’s installment, resident DJ Magnificent will be doing a solo set as he gears up for the 4-year anniversary of Ottawa’s favorite all funk, soul, Motown and vintage reggae night happening in October.

Culture Days is a 3-day long celebration of Canadian culture that invites everyone and anyone to participate, create and celebrate with tons of activities organized at various locations across Ottawa and Gatineau.  The primary purpose of Culture Days is to ensure that culture is accessible and enjoyable for Canadians from all walks of life. For a full list of scheduled activities, click on the below image. 

The 2013 punkottawa.com flea market is back this Saturday, September 28 at Mac Hall inside the Bronson Centre. This is the place to go if you’re looking to buy and sell records, clothing, crafts, jewelry, vegan treats, toys, video games, trinkets and more with proceeds going to the Cat Rescue Network, the Wild Bird Care Centre and Westminster Pet Sanctuary. 

This Saturday, September 28, Engineers Without Borders Ottawa present spoken word artist Brandon Wint and South African multi-instrumentalist HA!Man live in concert at the University of Ottawa School of Music. HA!Man will also be joined on stage by Belgian improv artist Joke Debaere with whom he’s currently touring. This promises to be a unique event bringing together 3 distinct art forms on to one stage for an artistic evening of music, poetry and theatre. 

Beat-boxing poet, punk pianist and outlaw harmonica player C.R. Avery will be performing live at the Elmdale Tavern this Saturday, September 28 alongside Ottawa’s own John Carroll who’ll take care of the opening set. This is a great opportunity to experience a live show by this unique and dynamic multi-talented Canadian artist.

The National Capital Region’s favorite afro latin, Caribbean, soul, jazz band the Souljazz Orchestra will be performing live at the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield this Saturday, September 28 after 5 years of absence. The group will also be celebrating drummer Philippe Lafrenière’s birthday so it’s guaranteed to be a fun night of live music.  

Other noteworthy events happening this week in and around the National Capital include a live outdoor backyard performance by Born Gold this Wednesday, September 25, the 2013 Capital Slam Team featured at Words to Live By, Wannabe: The Spice Girls Tribute Band giving a live show at Zaphods, and the Urban Legends Poetry Slam featuring MC, DJ and Poet Prufrock Shadowrunner.

There’s also the Anticon Records Tour with Jel, Sole, Serengeti & Factor at Ritual on Friday, September 27, The Night Watch and The Visit performing live at the Mercury Lounge, the Pony Girl Album Release Party at La Petite Mort Gallery and the Roda de Samba at the Petit Chicago on Saturday, September 28.

So there you have it, these are Eventful Capital’s event suggestions for the days ahead. Be sure to enjoy your week in Ottawa-Gatineau and to take in some of the fun events happening in the national capital over the next 7 days.