Eventful Capital’s Weekly Picks: From the Casino Lac-Leamy Sound of Light Fireworks and JamDay 2015 to the Ottawa Taco Fest and the Hintonburger Birthday Block Party

Another week, another slew of events happening in Ottawa-Gatineau in the days to come. Check out Eventful Capital’s weekly picks below for a glimpse into the number of events taking place in and around the National Capital Region in the next few days.

Staring this Tuesday, August 5, the Pipedream Tour will be making a stop in Ottawa. For the occasion, Toronto hip hop artist Luxe Taylor will be performing live at Pressed Cafe alongside Ottawa hip hop artists A-Dub, Juvi Da Gemini and Mo Illz. 

This Wednesday evening, PDA Projects is turning one already and to mark the occasion the gallery invites you to celebrate its birthday at the opening of its upcoming exhibition FACE/OFF, featuring over 30 Canadian artists. 

Over at House of Targ this Thursday, August 6, there’s going to be a live show featuring Ottawa funk/rock/ The Ven Dreddies. This time around, the trio, who’s nothing short of entertaining, will be sharing the stage with hometown indie rock group Muelkik and rock n’ roll.

UK Black Butter Records duo Gorgon City will be making an appearance in Ottawa this Thursday night at Barrymores. The guys will be giving a special 2-hour DJ set after their show as part of Motion and they’ll be getting support from Ottawa’s Iggy Smalls, So Durand b2b Sacha Foster to warm up the crowd. 

Anomaly Vol. 4 is happening at House of Common this Friday night. Audio sounds will be provided by Réservoir and André et Michèle while VJ, Cinetik and Mawt Trood will be handling the visual projections. 

This Friday night at Raw Sugar Cafe, there will be an intimate live show featuring sets by Peterborough band The Lonely Parade, Ottawa devotional punk project Weed Mom, Peterborough garage punk group BEEF BOYS, and experimental dream pop outfit Scary Movie Noah

Toronto power-punk band First Base will be playing live at Pressed Café this Friday, August 7. The group, who’s signed to Hosehead Records, will be performing alongside Ottawa garage punks Average Times and Toronto/Montreal garage surf punk rock trio Brat Kings who are back in the capital after playing Ottawa Explosion Weekend in June.

For the metal heads out there, there’s a show going town at House of Targ this Friday night as part of the summer onslaught of metal and this one will feature headliners Vancouver crossover thrash rippers The Golers, Toronto thrash metal band Thrashards, and Pisser, Saint Catherine’s newest and finest. What’s more,  DJ Valhalla will be spinning metal classic on the turntables before/after in between sets.

Looking for a night of dancehall, roots, foundation, and lovers reggae?  Look no further, DJs Magnificent and Select have just the party for you and they’re taking it to City Nightclub this Friday night. The two Ottawa friends have joined forces to bring you a solid dancehall/reggae dance party dubbed Higher Level and for the occasion, they’ve enlisted the help of DJ RayRay whose vinyl reggae collection knows no boundaries. 

JAMDAY is a one-of-a-kind event happening every year in August featuring the rich culture of Jamaica including live reggae music, folk dances, songs, traditional food, a children’s village, crafts and much more. Hosted by the Jamaican Community Association, this year’s edition will be held on Saturday, August 8 from noon to 10 pm at Mooney’s Bay and will feature live performances by headliners Gyptian, Fabian Marley, and Luciano among others.

Burgers, Bands and Beers, Hintonburger’s 5th annual birthday party is happening this Saturday as of noon and this year’s it’s turning into a full-on all day block party. On the menu, there will be live music from local bands and CKCU DJs, craft beer, great food and lots more. Happy birthday Hintonburger! 

This Saturday, August 8, Privé presents Ottawa’s second annual taco festival. The city’s best taco makers will unite under one roof at the Ottawa Shaw Centre to showcase their culinary take on this foodie favorite. All food is priced between 2 and 5 dollars and goes to support local businesses. 

Ottawa is home to a vibrant spoken word scene which has two top competing teams featuring super talented slam poets: Capital Slam and Urban Legends. This Saturday at Pressed Cafe, the two poetry slam teams will face off against each other before they face off against the rest of the country at the 2015 Canadian Festival of Spoken Word in Saskatoon. All proceeds from the event will help the teams pay for travel costs.

California post-hardcore/rock band A Skylit Drive will be performing live at Ritual this Saturday night. For the occasion, they’ll be sharing the stage with Ottawa post-hardcore group Of Reverie, Ottawa metalcore formation Violent Tides and Ottawa metal project Vesuvius. In case you didn’t know, Ottawa’s own Michael Labelle is the newest member of A Skylit Drive, and this is their first show in Ottawa since he joined the band so come give them a warm welcome to the capital. 

Over at Avant-Garde Bar this Saturday night, there will be a lineup of live music featuring a diverse mix of punk, metal, rock, and more. It’s the perfect show for those with musical A.D.D and/or those who like it heavy. The bill includes post punk/blues duo ONFIILM, Toronto experimental metal band Saprophyte and Ottawa punk newcomers Pistols At Dawn. 

This Saturday night at the Atomic Rooster, Samples From the Scene returns with special guests John Carroll and Birdie Whyte who’ll present the Frank & Birdie Show. The evening will feature music that is guaranteed to titilate your ears and pleasure your senses with a unique blend of folk and old school blues as well as live art from painter Adam F. Davidson. Mixing slide guitars, banjos and more, this is a well-known Ottawa duo that is not to be missed.

The Casino Lac-Leamy Sound of Light fireworks kick off this week along the banks of the Canadian Museum of History. The 20th edition of this annual event will feature four international pyromusical fireworks shows from Spain, Belgium, Greece, and Venezuela including a Grande Finale, which will offer an explosive ending presented by all four countries. If you plan on attending, why not arrive earlier to check out the Museum or have dinner on site? For more info, tickets and programming details, just click below. 

Event Review: Nationless Nights Edition Zero Sets the Rainbow Free

A blank canvas hung by the windows of the Rainbow Bistro this past Sunday, May 19, inviting attendees of Nationless Nights: Edition Zero to immortalize the night by leaving their mark of love on the white surface.

Organized by Ottawa’s Nationless Minds crew, the inaugural night of music and poetry featured a variety of local artists who gathered under one roof to celebrate community, love, and freedom through the arts.

It was encouraging to see the crowded venue right from the get-go and the great turn-out demonstrates that the tightly-knit Ottawa arts community supports the launch of Nationless Nights in large numbers.

To kick off the night in music, Slim Moore, front-man of Slim Moore and The Mar-Kays and of Ranking Yout and The Dub Pilots, performed a soulful song entitled Sleeper Awake, which set the tone for what was to come. Partly acting as MC, Slim Moore returned to the stage several times throughout the night to either perform or to introduce the next performers.

Candice Bruchhaeuser, a local slam poet, followed Slim Moore’s opening performance with a lovely piece of poetry after which Toronto-based rapper Rosie Monday aka Elle-P, took to the stage with a dynamic set during which she reached out to people with her lyrics, concluding with the strong track United We Stand. Although she was a bit difficult to hear at times, Rosie Monday delivered a powerful performance fittingly in tune with the night’s theme.

V’s poetry came next, intertwining the musical performances with an in-your-face piece proclaiming, namely, her disdain for Fendi and Prada.

Following V’s high-powered piece, Slim Moore returned for the ‘half-time’ show with additional material, this time performing catchy reggae tunes from his new project Ranking Yout and The Dub Pilots.

After Slim Moore’s intermission set, it was The Key Components’s turn to perform for the audience. Comprised of members Aspects Bloclawz and Moun Fou, the acoustic hip-hop duo presented several original tracks along with a couple of cover songs including Aloe Blacc’s I Need A Dollar. Based on the crowd’s response and overall reaction however, The Key Components were not the high point of the first edition of Nationless Nights. Having said this, kudos and cookie points for the effort and stage presence.

Once The Key Components wrapped up their set, Prufrock Shadowrunner, a local spoken word artist, rapper and DJ, took a break from his DJ duties to perform a hilarious poetic piece on douche-bags after which Candace Bruchhaeuser came back on stage with yet another beautiful piece of poetry while Jaguar Priest set up the stage for their performance.

Saving the best for last, Jaguar Priest, by far the highlight of the night, came on stage towards the end of the show. Comprised of rapper Hyf the GypsySun, accoustic guitarist Balam Santos, bassist Salomon Carrillo and percussionist Denis Kashi, the newly-formed Ottawa group opened the door to their sound and invited the attentive audience into a unique world of afro/flamenco/hip-hop music.

Balam Santos alone, the lead guitarist, was simply humbling to watch and listen to as he vigorously strummed the strings of his acoustic guitar, producing beautiful harmonies reminiscent of the graceful touch of Spanish flamenco guitarists. His expressive body language, clearly feeling every note being played, made it an even more engaging performance to watch while Hyf the GypsySun brought his soul on to that stage, delivering a high-energy performance full of passion and dynamism, clearly giving his all to the public.

Jaguar Priest’s overall performance somewhat resembled a ceremonial rite of passage into the world of music inviting audience members to embrace one another for an inspiring night of lyrical unity. It was lively, refreshing, engaging and invigorating all at once and it’s surely only the beginning for this talented group of musicians. There’s no doubt about it, Jaguar Priest made quite an impression.

Towards the end of the show, the white canvas that I’d seen when I arrived at the Rainbow had been filled with inscriptions by community members who understood the importance of capturing the essence of such a great night of artistic freedom.

It’s safe to say that Nationless Nights: Edition Zero has made a name for itself and paved the way for future artistic gatherings of the sort in Ottawa. It’s still unclear when and where the next installment will be, but one thing is certain: it’ll turn you nationless, if only for a moment, a song, or a poem.

Event Review: Urban Legends Poetry Slam Featuring The Messengers

This past Friday, I had the pleasure of attending the Urban Legends Poetry Slam featuring The Messengers at Carleton University. This bi-monthly event, hosted by Ottawa spoken word artist JustJamaal, allows local poets to express themselves and share their work and usually features a particular poet, writer, or collective. This past week, it featured The Messengers Slam Poetry Collective. Hailing from Toronto, The Messengers is a talented group of youth spoken word artists who have won numerous titles and slam competitions.

For the occasion, The Messengers sent members Brian Millado, Patrick De Belen, Marcus Lomboy and Sheila “Jubilee” Brewster to feature some of their best work. All four poets offered up solid and inspiring poetry both with solo and group pieces. After the first poem, it was clear that the audience loved them and that they wanted to hear more from all four. The Messengers delivered several strong pieces and proudly represented their collective with professionalism and great energy. It was refreshing to hear such great poetry from such young individuals. It was The Messengers first performance in Ottawa and based on the audience’s response, it sure won’t be their last! I’m already looking forward to hearing them slam again.

For those of you who are interested in slam and spoken word, Urban Legends hosts an evening of poetry every second Friday of the month at Carleton University in the Architecture Building. You can stay in the loop by liking their Facebook page here.

Event Review: 2012 House of PainT Festival

This past Friday and Saturday, I had the chance to attend the 2012 House of PainT Festival, which celebrates urban arts and culture in the capital. Well needless to say that I was pleasantly surprised to see that the urban arts and culture in the National Capital Region are alive and well and thriving and also that the community is only growing.

Friday was the perfect rainy evening to head over to Shopify, the old Capital Music Hall which has now been turned into a creative office space, to check out the Grand Slam 500: House of PainT Poetry Slam. This turned out to be an amazing spoken word competition with 12 talented poets who competed for the 1st place and for a chance to win the $500 grand prize. Competing poets included King Kimbit, V, Festrell, Loh El, Dimorphic, ArRay-of-Words, JustJamaal, Hyf GypsySun, PrufRock, Sense-Say, CauseMo and Jenna Tenn-Yuk. As for the jury, it was composed of guest judges Peter Simpson, Adrienne Codette, Open Secret and Maestro Fresh Wes.

Although the event started an hour late, it allowed for everyone to pile into the venue and get a good view for the competition. Performing in front of a full house, the poets delivered their material one after another in a 3-round face-off in which the public got to vote for their favorites. After 2 rounds of eliminations, only 2 poets were left standing and it was up to the guest judges to make the final decision as to whom would win the coveted 1st place. In the end, Hyf GypsySun took the win with a performance that definitely left me wanting more!

Hyf GypsySun takes 1st place at the House of PainT Poetry Slam!

Congrats to all of the poets who performed for presenting such beautifully written and eloquent pieces that resonated within many of us that evening. I shall see you at upcoming slam poetry events, I’m now hooked 🙂

To finish the night on a high note, the one and only Maestro Fresh Wes surprised us with “Black Trudeau”, a refreshing new piece that he chose to present to the public who had gathered for an inspiring night of spoken word.

Maestro Fresh Wes performing “Black Trudeau” at the 2012 House of PainT Poetry Slam

The following day, I made my way over to Brewer Park to check-out the House of PainT main event: the annual 4 disciplines of Hip Hop Jam complete with break-dancing battles, graffiti art, deejaying and emceeing.

Although the day started with some rain, the sun quickly took over and warmed up the crowd. It was great to see people from all walks of life who had gathered to take part in this annual community event. Even Mayor Jim Watson made an appearance to enjoy the urban arts and culture in Ottawa. It was nice to see that he takes interest in what goes on in his city.

Bboy crews competing against one another during the 2012 House of PainT Festival

Several kiosks were set-up for various artists who were selling their work. A couple of food vendors were also on site to ensure that festival-goers had something to eat and drink throughout the day.

What stole the show for me was to have the opportunity to see various bboy and bgirl crews competing against one another for a chance to win the $1000 grand prize while graffiti artists worked on a giant House of PainT mural in the background. It was a beautiful sight to say the least and it reminded attendees that hip hop culture is really for everyone regardless of age and background.

Congrats are in order to the organizers, partners and performers for putting on a well-executed festival for all to enjoy! I’m already looking forward to next year for House of PainT 2013!

Graffiti artists working on the 2012 House of Paint mural at Brewer Park