Eventful Capital’s Weekly Picks: From MEGAPHONO and Cracking Up the Capital to Art Battle and the Winter Jazz Festival

Who said festivals were only for the summer season? Because there’s plenty of them happening this month, and we’re only in February. That and art battles, comedy nights, music shows, and film screenings ought to keep you busy and entertained if you’re in the National Capital Region this week. Check out Eventful Capital’s Weekly Picks below for a glimpse into what’s up in the days ahead.

Dubstep/trap/house DJ and Producer Borgore is bringing his The Buygore Show Tour to Ottawa this Tuesday, February 3. The Israeli electronic dance music producer will be giving a live set at Barrymores alongside Ookay, Jauz, Dotcom and SHAKE. 

The first-ever MEGAPHONO festival is being held from this Tuesday, February 3 to Thursday, February 5 at various locations across the capital city. This music festival, meant to showcase the National Capital Region’s local talent and help our artists connect with music industry professionals, is going to feature an interesting series of workshops, panels, networking opportunities and, of course, live shows, presenting a solid lineup of artists from the National Capital. As part of the festival, Eventful Capital is proud to present the official closing party, the MEGAPHONO MELTDOWN, happening at Mercury Lounge this Thursday night with hip-hop heavyweights Flight Distance, rap newcomers KingsCollege, electro-pop supergroup The PepTides, Franco artist FLO, and DJ Zattar of the famed Timekode parties.

Cracking Up The Capital is celebrating 11 years of support for mental health with its 2015 edition being held from Tuesday, February 3 to Saturday, February 7. This year, the comedy festival will present a night with CBC Radio’s Laugh Out Loud featuring some of Canada’s best stand-up comedians,  a free Improv show, a Francophone comedy night with Montreal’s Derek Seguin and a Finale featuring Mary Walsh, Mike MacDonald, Dave Hemstad and more.To get the full lineup and program, just click below. 

Alestorm is bringing its 2015 PirateFest to America with a stop in Ottawa scheduled for this Wednesday, February 4. The Napalm Records pirate metal band will be performing live at Mavericks alongside USA grind/death metal group Swashbuckle, South California pirate group The Dead Crew of Oddwood, Ottawa instrumental progressive metal project The Night Watch and Ottawa metal 5-piece Aenigma.

This Wednesday evening, join Greg Houston and Randy at Raw Sugar Cafe for Brew Ha Ha as they welcome your jokes and songs to the stage. The monthly Comedy and Music Open Mic will feature comedy headliner Travis Maplesden and musical headliners Gavin Dyke and Black Dogs. 

SAW Video’s members are a vital part of Ottawa-Gatineau’s media arts community. This Thursday night at the Mayfair Theatre, their talent is being celebrated with the 2015 edition of Resolution, SAW Video’s annual screening of new members’ work. This eclectic event showcases Ottawa’s vibrant filmmaking scene with something for everyone, including drama, documentary, animation and experimental video art.

Metal heads will want to head over to Mavericks this Thursday night to check out UK grind band Napalm Death, Quebec thrash group Voivod, USA grind formation Exhumed, hardcore punk project Iron Reagan and USA death metal band Black Crown Initiate.

Local artists should definitely take advantage of the Bluesfest School of Music & Art event happening this Thursday, February 6 from 7 to 9 pm. Titled “Who Owns It? Navigating the Music Publishing Frontier” the event will teach musicians how to get paid for their music and license their work as a songwriter in radio, TV, film, and more. The evening will be lead by an expert panel featuring Jeremy Fisher, Avi Diamond, and Mark Edwards and will be moderated by Samantha Everts of YouRockRed. 

This Friday night, the FAU MARDI crew celebrates winter with an audio-visual night showcasing the best talent of the Ottawa-Gatineau region. From 7pm onwards, bring your skates and show off your moves on the Ruisseau de la Brasserie to the tunes of Grumpy B, Sylv9st9r, Chris International and Greg Reain. Then, starting at 10pm, bring your dance shoes next door inside Axeneo 7/Daïmôn to keep the party going. 

Ottawa emo rock band Safekeeping will be giving a live show at Leaky B’s Lava Lounge this Friday night and sharing the stage with Ottawa indie emo/rock newcomers PINE, Montreal indie rockers Riverbeds and Ottawa indie rock group Old Rules and Ottawa pop punk project Portside. 

Ottawa’s own BlakDenim is embarking on a mini-tour of Ontario and Quebec and it all kicks off in Ottawa this Friday night at Mavericks. The local hip-hop/funk/rock/soul fusion group will be performing live alongside local soul/funk/rock band Old Stereo.  This is guaranteed to be a good time! 

Halifax’s In the Dead of Winter Music Festival, which has been having a Wakefield edition since 2009, is once again being held at the Blacksheep Inn from February 6 to 8. Giving centre stage to acoustic music, this year’s instalment will feature live performances by Spencer Burton, Kalle Mattson, Laurent Bourque, Folly & The Hunter, Amos The Transparent and Breagh MacKinnon.

Local power-wave duo Jaguar Saint will be making an appearance at Fall Down Gallery this Friday night alongside experimental freak folk project Pith and the Parenchymas. If you’re into new sounds and exploring music beyond traditional sonic boundaries, this should be a very interesting night of music!  

Montreal’s The Beatdown will be performing live at House of Targ this Friday night. The ska/reggae/rocksteady band will be headlining the show alongside ska opening act The Sentries of Ottawa. To top it off, Double D Soundsystem will be spinning all ska, rocksteady, and reggae vinyl while you enjoy all the pinball and arcade games you can handle. 

The Ottawa Winter Jazz Festival is kicking off this Friday, February 6 and runs over two weekends until February 15. This year’s eclectic lineup will include performances by the excellent Oliver Mtukudzi, The Lost Fingers, Reuben and the Dark, Martha Wainwright, Esmerine, locals Fet.Nat. and several more. Check out the entire programming by clicking on the poster below. 

Ottawa metalcore/sludge metal group Iron Golem will be giving an all-ages live show at Leaky B’s this Saturday night. For the occasion, they’ll be sharing the stage with Niagara Falls’ doom/grind metal band Ism, Ottawa/Barrie hardcore/heavy metal formation Contempt, Toronto hardcore project Ransom and Ottawa hardcore newcomers Stuck.  

For the art lovers out there, the monthly Art Battle Ottawa is taking place this Saturday at the Orpheus Musical Theatre. This unique concept organized across Canadian cities, brings 12 local painters together for a live painting competition. An annual National Championship eventually goes down in the summer to crown the top Canadian painter of the year.

New York avant-garde/improv trumpet player Peter Evans will be giving an intimate live performance at Raw Sugar Cafe this Saturday, February 7. The musician, who’s heavily involved in NYC’s music community, will be sharing the stage with local artist Adam Saikaley and saxophone player Linsey Wellman. 

Fryquency, the pay-what-you-can series that exhibits emerging and experimental Canadian music, is hosting a show at Mugshots this Saturday night. The night of live music will feature performances by local future folk duo Bosveld, Ottawa ambient post-rock/dream pop project Herons Wake and Montreal experimental noise punk band Skin Tone. What’s more, all ages are now welcome.

Tribal Threat Music, in partnership with House of PainT and in collaboration with Black Artists’ Networks in Dialogue (BAND), presents a Black History Month series called “Our Musical Roots- Here & There”. The first of three events, titled “Origin of Beat”, will feature musical performances by Toronto DJ Tk Smoothe (Afro fusion) and Ottawa DJ duo Tribal Threat (House). Happening at Maxwell’s, the event will start at 10pm.

Fever, the only disco dance party of its kind in Ottawa, is going down at Babylon this Saturday, February 7. The monthly night promises all the glitz and glam of the 70s & 80s and tons of disco hits provided by DJ Illo. An awesome way to dance the night away!

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Eventful Capital’s Weekly Picks: From Chuck Ragan and Darude to SPOOR and Art Battle Holiday All-Stars

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).

If you love the sound of Studio One and Trojan Records, then the new Bangarang night is for you. This new series comes as a response to people who normally go to DOUBLE BARREL!! OTTAWA and want more 1966-1975 era reggae. The focus will be on reggae, rocksteady and ska from Jamaica’s exciting 1966-1975 period with a heavy focus on 1968-1971. Happening at Raw Sugar Cafe with residents DJs Magnificent and Longshot, this first edition will feature special guest Bjorn Late aka Scott Birksted who’s home from NYC for the holidays.

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.

Eventful Capital’s Weekly Picks: From the Ottawa Film Fest and Kalle Mattson to the Ottawa Implosion Weekend and the Souljazz Orchestra

If you’re in the National Capital Region this week and have time to check out some events, there’s no shortage of things to do. Take a look at Eventful Capital’s weekly picks below for a glimpse into the number of events happening in and around Ottawa-Gatineau in the days ahead. This week, I’m keeping it short and sweet, so be sure to click on the event posters below for more info and all the down-low. Catch you around town! 

Also, exciting news: Eventful Capital will now be collaborating with CKCU 93.1 FM’s Indie City Madness on Mondays between 5 and 6 pm bringing you music from local artists and showcasing noteworthy upcoming events happening in and around the city. Be sure to tune in to discover talent from our region and to keep up with the many events being held in the area.