Event Review: The 2013 Festival Franco-Ontarien Ends on a High Note with 3 Days of Live Music and Fun in the Sun

Buskers roaming around Major Hill Park during the 2013 Festival Franco-Ontarien © Photo courtesy of the Festival Franco-Ontarien

The 38th edition of the Festival Franco-Ontarien, held from June 13 to June 16, has ended on a high note with three days of fun in the sun and live francophone music enjoyed by a crowd of around 20,000 people, 5000 more than in 2012. Themed around the 4ooth anniversary of Champlain’s passage in the region, this year’s Franco, as it’s called for short, offered a winning formula combining youth-friendly shows and activities along with a variety of performances and animations to please the older public.

The annual festival, which celebrates Francophone music and culture, especially Ontario’s Francophone community, was once again held at Major Hill Park, an ideal location compared to the previous one situated in front of the Ottawa City Hall where festival-goers felt somewhat constrained. The open park concept at Major Hill allows for a nice balance between the stage, crowd, food vendors, VIP section, kids zone and buskers.

Mother Nature turned up for the entire duration of the festival, to the organizers’ relief, and so did the crowd who got to cool off with complimentary freezies courtesy of Air Canada, a nice touch from the major sponsor. It was certainly encouraging to see this many people attending, considering past years have been rough financially. Then again, ever since Groupe Simoncic (the production company that runs the festival) took over the Franco, people have been coming in large numbers to hear live Francophone music at an event that proves to be accessible and family-friendly year after year.

For the 2013 edition, members of the public had the opportunity to discover emerging talent from the National Capital Region and beyond and to sing along to their favorite songs from veterans of Francophone music. There were also returning artists like the Remesha-Drums, Swing and Damien Robitaille, local favorites who’ve performed at the Franco on several occasions.

The only down-side to point out is the lack of originality and variety with respect to this year’s half-time shows, which are meant to entertain the crowd while the main stage is preparing for following acts. This year, organizers partnered with a local dance school who presented a variety of amateur choreographies, most of which were mediocre and cute at best. Instead of pumping the crowd, these dance performances ended up creating a lull when they should’ve been warming up the audience for upcoming acts. What’s more, the same performances were presented on both Saturday and Sunday, which proved to be dull for festival-goers attending all three days.

To kick off this year’s installment, festival organizers presented a colorful night dedicated to the 400th Anniversary of Champlain’s passage with a special l’Echo d’un peuple presentation and a “kitchen party” complete with a lively performance from legends of Quebec folklore, La Bottine souriante who were joined on stage by Swing.

Damien Robitaille charming the crowd at the 2013 Festival Franco-Ontarien © Photo Courtesy of the Festival Franco-Ontarien

As for Friday, June 14, Billy Love Band, an emerging local rock group from the Outaouais region, opened the evening by introducing the public to material from their first EP titled Au Delà du Pain aux Bananes. Lead by singer-songwriter and violinist William Lamoureux, also member of local group La Cavale, the Billy Love Band offered a respectful set to a receptive audience.

Following Billy Love Band, local favorite Damien Robitaille took to the stage with his group of musicians to the delight of many fans who had gathered at Major Hill Park to see the Franco-Ontarian singer-songwriter perform live. Robitaille has a charming personality and great stage presence which makes him enjoyable to watch. A definite crooner, he also threw in a good dose a humor throughout his set which included the songs Serpents et échelles, Porc-épic, Ta maman m’amadoue, Mot de passe, La danse du drapeau, and Mètres de mon être among others.

The night concluded with a special performance by veteran Francophone group Les Colocs, who premiered Les Colocs pour la vie, a reunion show that will be taking them across the province of Quebec this summer. The guys from the now-defunct folk/rock/reggae/blues group were joined on stage by special guests Loco Locass, Elage Diouf, Mara Tremblay, Seb Plante of Les Respectables, and Marc Déry who took advantage of the occasion to celebrate Les Colocs’ musical legacy. The set list included the popular hits La rue principale, Julie, Bon’yeu, and Tassé vous de d’la among many others from the repertoire.

The final day of the festival was clearly geared towards a younger audience, a bold move from the organizers which proved to be successful. La Bronze, a Montreal-based electro/rock/pop group whose founding member and lead singer-songwriter, Nadia Essadiqi, is originally from Gatineau, kicked things off with an energetic and engaging performance combining music and choreographed dance. The set list included a couple of covers along with the tracks Tes cheveux de feu and La course nue dans les prés from the group’s self-titled EP. It was a captivating, refreshing and intriguing show and it definitely sparked the crowd’s curiosity despite being a bit progressive for many.

The evening continued with Coeur de Pirate, whose presence attracted an impressive crowd of fans. Sitting behind her piano for the majority of the set, singer-songwriter Béatrice Martin, humbly admitted to giving her first group performance in a year as she’s been on a solo tour for the past months. True to Coeur de Pirate’s mellow style, the set started off rather smoothly, and picked up towards the end to finish on a solid note with the hit single Comme des enfants, that the audience happily sang along to.

To conclude the annual festival, Misteur Valaire headlined the final night in front of a primarily young crowd gathered to dance and groove to the sounds of the eclectic electro-jazz group. Presenting new material from their upcoming album to be released in September, Misteur Valaire started their performance with Bellevue Avenue, the title-track off of the group’s latest project. They gave an energetic show to a fun audience and concluded their hour-set with the popular Ave Mucho. 

It’s safe to say that festival organizers can be pleased with this year’s turn out while taking note of the good and not-so-good moves for future years. There’s not doubt that the 2013 Festival Franco-Ontarien will go down as a memorable edition for every one in attendance.

Festival Season Kicks Off in Ottawa-Gatineau: From NXNE and the Festival Franco-Ontarien to the Rockfest in Montebello

As you’ve probably noticed, festival season is now well underway in the National Capital Region and it’s a very exciting time to be in Ottawa-Gatineau. This week is packed with tons of fun events happening around the city when it comes to festivals and music shows. If you’re into indie, then trust me when I say you’ll be served. There’s lots of goodies and they’re just begging for you to check them out. Want to take part in the fun but you’re not sure where to start? Read on to get great suggestions on some of the exciting events taking place in the National Capital in the days ahead.

The Mercury Lounge has teamed up with Toronto festival NXNE to present a series of shows with a variety of eclectic artists. As part of this collaboration, the venue brings you The Crackling with special guest Michael Cassidy who’ll perform live this Tuesday, June 11. The Crackling, a Vancouver folk-rock band, will be performing songs from their new album Mary Magdalene in an effort to promote their latest studio effort.

Tuesday, June 11 also means that Fau Mardi will be taking over the Petit Chicago with special guest DJ Sylv3st3r who’ll specially be mixing warp records to highlight the release of the highly anticipated new album by Boards of Canada.   

While we await Ottawa Explosion Weekend, which takes place June 20 to June 23, the festival organizers are presenting a pre-Ottawa Explosion show this Wednesday, June 12 at Pressed Cafe. The show will feature live performances by Seattle-based group Big Eyes, Male Nurse Band and Tropical Dripps, both of Ottawa. This is a good way to preview the sort of bands that you’ll be able to catch during the festival if you’re not sure wether you want to attend Ottawa Explosion.

This Wednesday, June 12, Indie Montreal presents We Are The City (Indie Rock), Highs (Indie Afro-Pop), and Hannah Epperson (Orchestral Folk/ Alternative Indie Pop) live at the Raw Sugar Cafe. If you’re interested in checking out this show, you can grab details by clicking on the event poster below.

Another NXNE-related event happening at the Mercury Lounge this week is Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes featuring High Waters. The two alternative rock groups will be performing live as part of NXNE, an eclectic Toronto-based festival which celebrates variety in music, film, comedy, and art.

The Festival Franco-Ontarien kicks off this Thursday, June 13 and is being held until Saturday, June 15. The 2013 edition will celebrate the 400th anniversary of Champlain’s passage in the Ottawa/Outaouais and it’ll continue to present popular francophone musicians from French Canada including Damien Robitaille, Les Colocs, Coeur de Pirate and Misteur Valaire. Check back in on the blog next Sunday, June 16 for a full coverage of Friday and Saturday’s performances.

Los Oxidados is yet another group of NXNE showcasing artists performing live in Ottawa this Friday, June 14. Joining forces with the Embassy of Mexico in Canada, the Mercury Lounge welcomes the instrumental rock four-piece for a show of live music induced with surf, western, and garage vibes à la Tarantino.    

If you enjoy indie rock, you should head over to Mavericks this Friday, June 14 to check out Wintersleep. The Halifax-based group will be performing live alongside Data Romance, an indie electro group from Vancouver.

The people behind Ottawa Explosion and Kichesippi Beer bring you the second edition of Funhouse this Friday, June 14 at Mugshots Jail Bar. DJs Craig Peru, Barb and Kristina will be  spinning choice punk tunes and new wave tracks. Apparently this is a ‘really cool time’, so check it out for yourself! 

This Friday, June 14 and Saturday, June 15, Amnesia presents the 8th annual Rockfest in Montebello, Quebec, just 45 minutes away from Ottawa. The festival promises 150 groups on 5 stages including headliners Rise Against, The Offspring, Marilyn Manson, and Alice Cooper. The organizers offer an on-site camping option for those who wish to attend both days and stay overnight.

On Saturday, June 15, the Capital Poetry Collective invites you to the Night Watch album release. The Ottawa-based cinematic instrumental group will present their first full-length album in its entirety. The musicians will be joined by spoken word artists who have been chosen by the group to create pieces to accompany every song. Each poet will be performing their pieces, followed by the performance of the corresponding song. This unique show is sure to be a beautiful mix of instrumental music and poetic majesty. 

Ottawa’s original pantsless party, the 6th annual No Pants Dance Party is happening this Saturday, June 15 at Babylon. With music by DJ Lowpass, the event will feature performances by Rockalily Burlesque, Glitter Galore, Donna Dee Dead and Frank N Beans. If you’re worried about what you’re going to do with your pants, don’t, there will be a pants check. 

So there you have it Ottawa-Gatineau, this is my selection of noteworthy events being held in and around the National Capital Region in the coming week. Be sure to enjoy the days ahead by attending an event or two in our Eventful Capital because there’s certainly no shortage of music shows and festivals happening this week.