Easter long weekend is up ahead and that means days off from work and/or school for many of us, which also means more free time to enjoy the city’s cultural scene. Whether you’re looking for concerts, dance parties, an art show or film screening, check out Eventful Capital’s weekly picks below for a selection of noteworthy events happening around Ottawa-Gatineau in the next few days. If you’re into hip hop and you enjoy visual arts, you should check out Mean Muggin’ 3, a selection of new artwork by Al Bender. The exhibition vernissage is happening at Irene’s Pub this Monday, March 30 from 7-9pm, but if you can’t go then, the show will be up until April 26.
New Brunswick trash folk singer-songwriter Lisa Leblanc will be returning to the Nation’s Capital this Wednesday night. Leblanc, who last performed in Ottawa in November 2014, will be at Ritual once again to perform material off of her new English EP “Highways, Heartbreaks and Time Well Waisted” as well as older tunes. She’ll be joined on stage by Montreal male/female rock’n roll duo Les Deuxluxes.
The Ottawa Fringe Festival is putting on a fundraiser this Thursday, April 2 at the Arts Court Theatre & Studio. Dubbed Stiff Quickies: Short Films, Tall Drinks, Deep Pockets, the event will feature a screening with works by several artists and represents a great occasion to support the local cultural scene.
Legendary Metal pounders Anvil tear through Ottawa this Thursday, April 2 with special guests Ottawa thrash metal group A Darker Day, Ottawa thrash metal band Vyc Vypyr and Ottawa metal project Aenigma. If you like raw, old school metal, this is a great opportunity to relive the good ol’ days with Anvil.
Over at Leaky B’s this Thursday night, catch local alt rock/folk noir The Heavy Medicine band alongside Ottawa indie rock group The Haig, Ottawa alt rock n’roll project Onionface and grunge/blues/folk singer-songwriter and guitarist Tariq Anwar.
Electronic music lovers will be happy to know that Jokers of the Scene, sometimes called JOTS, are making a return to Ottawa to give a live set at Mercury Lounge this Thursday night. The Toronto duo, known for tracks like Baggy Bottom Boys and Revolting Joks, is no stranger to the national capital and is sure to deliver a solid night of non-stop dancing.
Wu-Tang’s very own Ghostface Killah, GZA and Cappadonna will be performing in Ottawa this Thursday night. The legendary NYC rappers will be live inside Ritual alongside special guests Killah Priest, the Moon Crickets, and Lord Fury among others. GZA rarely does live shows these days so this is a rare opportunity to see him perform. This event is bound to sell out so grab your tickets ahead of time if you can because door tickets will be limited.
Sit With Us, a Celebration of Women in Pop Music, is going down at Babylon this Thursday night. From Grimes and Lana Del Rey to Sia and Banks, DJ Matt Tamblyn will provide the soundtrack to your dance party while you celebrate music and girl power.
Switzerland Black/Death metal band Samael will be live at Mavericks this Friday, April 3 and for the occasion they’ll be playing their album “Ceremony of Opposites” in its entirety. Montreal dark metal group Beast Within, American metal band Black Crown Initiate, Ottawa death metal project From the Deep, Ottawa metal formation Damnus and Ottawa black death metal group Accursed Creation will also be performing and sharing the stage with Samael.
At Black Squirrel Books this Friday, there’s going to be an all ages pre-Targ party featuring two of the best and brightest in new Ontario solo experimental pop music: Toronto atmospheric folk pop project Anamai and Ottawa ambient pop psychedilia artist Pipahauntas.
This Friday night, the FAU crew celebrates spring with an audio-visual night showcasing the best talent of the Ottawa-Gatineau region. From 8pm onwards, head to Daïmôn and enjoy the tunes of the Fau crew, Jas Nasty, Rabieto and more as well as visual projections courtesy of VJs Daisy, Sacha V and Bourg.
If you’re into punk rock, a good place to go this Friday night would be House of Targ for Portand punk rock band Divers, Toronto punk/rock/grunge project MASS and Ottawa garage pop group Nightshades. Oh and you can never go wrong with pinball and perogies.
Ottawa pop/jazz/blues outfit Monday I Retire will be giving a live show at the Rainbow Bistro on Friday, April 2 and for the occasion the local band will be sharing the stage with Ottawa ska/punk 6-piece Suits n’ Toques and Montreal funk/swing group Static Gold. If you’re looking for some live music to dance to, this is probably a good pick.
This Friday, April 3, the Mercury Lounge presents the return of renowned Brooklyn producer DJ Spinna who will be giving a 3-hour set filled with hip-hop, break beats, R&B, rare grooves, classic soul, funk, jazz, disco classics, house and vintage garage tunes. The perfect place to go if you’re in the mood to dance this Friday night. Fryquency, the all-ages pay-what-you-can music series that exhibits indie and experimental Canadian bands, is happening this Saturday inside Mugshots and this edition will feature live performances by Toronto cinematic project Del Bel, experimental doom folk/punk band Year of Glad and Hull experimental post pop/rock trio Scattered Clouds.
Rap Queb heavyweights Loud Lary Ajust will be returning to Gatineau this Saturday night, this time performing at the Bistro in the Hull sector. With a new album under their belt, the Montreal-based hip-hop trio will be giving a live set with local acts Righteous, Le Grimaud and others. This is sure to get turnt up.
Those of you who are fans of bass and trap will want to go to Ritual this Saturday night to check out Stooki Sound’s live set. The London-based production and DJ duo Stooki Sound, known for blending genres, will be bringing their take on UK bass, hip-hop and trap to Ottawa as part of the Infinity Tour.
Underground hip-hop fans will be happy to know that Atlanta rapper Rittz will be making a stop at Ritual this Sunday night in an effort to promote his latest album “Next to Nothing”. For the occasion, the Strange Music signee will be sharing the stage with Story Tellers, Mace Milly, and M.I.M.E.
It looks like the Petit Chicago has a new monthly event on Sundays featuring a drag show and this Sunday’s edition will include live performances by queens Dixie Landers, Hyddie Hoe, and Kiki Coe.