Mid-May also means that the Victoria Day long weekend is just around the corner in Canada’s national capital and so if you’re sticking around for the week ahead, you won’t be disappointed by the nice variety of events taking place throughout our lovely city.
First off, if you enjoy spoken word and poetry, I encourage you to go out to Pressed Cafe this Tuesday, May 14, for the Ottawa Youth Poetry Slam Finals with a featuring by Greg “Ritallin” Frankson, the co-founder of Ottawa Youth Poetry. If you’d like more info on this event along with any other suggested event just click below.
The weekly Fau Mardi is taking place this Tuesday, May 14 at the Petit Chicago in the Hull sector of Gatineau, just across the bridge from downtown Ottawa. This week will feature funky breakbeats selected by DJs Lakes District, Mr. and resident Phil Beauch.
In conjunction with the Canadian Tulip Festival, DNA Presents brings you Electrik Tulipe, an outdoor event featuring a live DJ set by W&W, a trance duo from the Netherlands. W&W will be joined on stage by Ariyan this Thursday, May 16 at the Ottawa City Hall Plaza. 
On Thursday, May 16, The Jessica Stuart Few will be in Ottawa in an effort to promote the release of their new album Two Sides to Every Story at Pressed Cafe. The Toronto-based folk/jazz trio will be accompanied on stage by Ottawa’s own Three Little Birds.
Bay Area legend Andre Nickatina will be stopping by Ottawa this Thursday, May 16 on the occasion of the Nickatina Experience Tour. The San Francisco rapper, previously known as Dre Dog, will be performing live at Ritual alongside guest Roach Gigz.
Hip Hop Karaoke Ottawa is now on Fridays and the May edition is happening this Friday, May 17 at Mugshots Courtyard. As of now, the monthly event will be back outdoors for the summer season with your regular hosts DJ So Nice and Atherton. If you’d like to sign-up to perform or if you simply want more info, click on the banner below and check out Eventful Capital’s Special Feature on the monthly night.
House music lovers will want to head over to the Mercury Lounge on Friday, May 17 to check out special guest DJ Jason Hodges. The Canadian-born DJ will be doing a live set full of hard-hitting beats with deep grooves to make sure you dance up a storm from the moment you step in the door.
The Queer Mafia presents Offbeat this Saturday, May 18 at Babylon. Offbeat, Ottawa’s newest gay dance party will feature special guest DJ Pat Scott from Atlanta. There will also be visuals and a photobooth courtesy of BustedLimb. 
Wether or not you work on Monday, you may want to check out the live performance by Rock Snake at Babylon Nightclub . The 70s rock cover band from Ottawa will be doing a 90-minute set as part of Mod Club. After the show, the regular Mod Club night will follow with DJs Emmett and Gaz.
Also on Sunday, May 19, Missing Linx and the Nationless Minds Crew invite you to Nationless Nights: Edition Zero at the Rainbow Bistro. The lineup for the night will include Slim Moore of Slim Moore and The Mar-Kays, Jaguar Priest, The Key Components along with special performances by Candice Bruchhaeuser, Elle-P and DJ Shadowrunner on the decks.
For the poster alone, a painting by Ottawa artist Jennie Lynn MacDonald, I decided to include the Manx Pub’s lineup for Manx Music: May to give you an idea of what this beloved neighborhood pub has to offer with respect to weekly live music. Every Sunday and Monday night, Manx Music has something different for you. Check out the May offerings below! 
Other noteworthy events happening this week in the Capital City include a live performance by SOA Jazz at the Mercury Lounge on Thursday, May 16. The trio, comprised of singer Chrystelle Maechler, pianist Eric St-Jean and percussionist Moïse Yawo Matey, will be in Ottawa to promote their EP A New Life.
For those of you who like R&B, you should check out Silk on Saturday, May 18 at the Raw Sugar Cafe. I8A4RE, Eric Roberts and Matt Tamblyn will be playing the best R&B anthems from the 1990s to today.
If you have a penchant for contemporary visual arts, the 5th edition of Chinatown Remixed is kicking off this Saturday, May 18 and running for a full month at various locations along Somerset Street West. This annual celebration of art highlights an eclectic group of local artists in an array of neighborhood settings.
On the Quebec side, local band Les Mosquitos will be performing live at the Petit Chicago this Saturday, May 18. The reggae/ska/ ragga group from Aylmer will be giving a show in an effort to promote their latest album Chasing the Dragon.
Also this Saturday, May 18 at the Blacksheep Inn in Wakefield, The Split will be debuting their project presenting the launch of the region’s newest neo soul band. Don’t miss this if you’re a fan of soul music.
So there you have it Ottawa-Gatineau! I hope you find something fun in these suggestions that makes you want to go out to see a show and try something different. Enjoy your week in our eventful national capital!
