End of October in the National Capital: From Black Milk and Hydraulix to SUUNS and Alice Russell

Wether you want to check out live music, enjoy some spoken word poetry, or attend a dance performance, there’s plenty happening in the National Capital in the days ahead. Take a look at Eventful Capital’s carefully selected event ideas listed below for suggestions on what’s noteworthy in the coming week.

To kick off the week in hip-hop, Black Milk will be performing live at Ritual this Monday, October 14 as part of his No Poison No Paradise Tour. The Detroit producer and MC, recognized for his soul-influenced jazzy beats, will be joined on stage by live band Nat Turner as well as special guests Quelle and DJ Sober. 

This Tuesday, October 15, Bruised Tongue presents Peach Kelli Pop live at Pressed Cafe. The rock and roll group originally from Ottawa will be playing alongside punk band New Swears.

On Wednesday, October 16, local artist and birthday boy Justice R.F. is giving a free live performance at the Atomic Rooster. The alternative folk musician will be accompanied by acoustic pop folk trio The Musettes and funk soul singer-songwriter Joy Phillips.

If you’re a fan of EDM you may want to head over to Ritual this Thursday, October to catch a live DJ set by Hydraulix. The dubstep and trap DJ/Producer from Sydney, Australia will be in Ottawa as part of the Booty Bounce Tour.

If you’re into dance as an art form, you should check out the Ottawa Dance Directive’s performance and fundraiser titled Too Near. Choreographed by Yvonne Coutts, the dance presentation will feature live music by Joël Delaquis, Andrée Préfontaine, Dominique Saint-Pierre. The event is taking place at the Arts Court from October 17 to October 19. For more information on this event, simply click on the image below. 

If you’re looking for a place to hear local music on Friday night, Pressed Cafe has got you covered with a live show by 4 local bands. Ottawa indie rock trio Dreamphone, folk trio Heavy Bedroom, post punk group Bonnie Doon and Hamilton indie pop rock band WTCHS will be performing live starting at around 8pm.

On Friday, October 18, Montreal indie band SUUNS will be performing live at Zaphod Beeblebrox alongside indie rock group We Are Wolves and Ottawa-Gatineau indie/experimental trio Scattered Clouds. This is a great show to check out if you’re into discovering new indie music. 

Please note that this show has unfortunately been cancelled as the venue is temporarily without a liquor license. The Elwins and Dialoog are performing live for free this Friday, October 18 at Cafe Nostalgica. The Elwins, an indie pop rock four-piece from Keswick, Ontario will be joined on stage by Dialoog, a Dutch duo from Rotterdam known for its fusion of hiphop, electro, funk, jazz, and classic genres. If you’re looking for new sounds this is a show to see!  

Over in Wakefield this Saturday, October 19, check out Claude Munson & The Storm Outside at the Blacksheep Inn. The roots, folk rock group from Ottawa will be performing live alongside musical guests Shannon Rose & The Thorns and The Archers. 

British Soul singer Alice Russell will be in Ottawa this Saturday, October 19 performing live at Ritual. Presented by World Famous Music, Russell is bringing her stripped down six-piece band to the national capital for one night of powerful soul. Ottawa’s own Souljazz Orchestra will warm up the crowd alongside Deejay Zattar.

The 4 in 1 Music Sessions are back with a Harvest Edition taking place this coming Sunday afternoon.  The October 20 instalment, being held at the Beyond the Pale Brewing Company, will feature live unplugged performances by Paterson Hall, Craig Mainprize and Pony Girl. Check out Eventful Capital’s review of the August 4in1 Music Sessions for a better idea of what to expect. 
On Sunday, October 20, head over to Pressed Cafe for a live intimate performance by Saskatchewan folk musician Zachary Lucky. The Saskatoon-based artist will be joined on stage by local singer-songwriters HerHarbour and Alanna Gurr. Click on the below poster for event details.

Other noteworthy events happening over the next week in Ottawa include the launch of the Ottawa Rocks! exhibition retracing the story of Ottawa’s music history at the City of Ottawa Archives, the Artistic Showcase at Pressed featuring Ian Keteku, Lishai, Sarah Bradley and Keturah Johnson, Teen Daze live with a full band at the Mercury Lounge, the Live 88.5 Big Money Shot Finals happening at Ritual on Friday,  and the Elevate Gala & Yoga fundraiser.

There you have it, enjoy the days ahead in the National Capital Region!

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Event Review: Teen Daze Live at the Mercury Lounge

Vancouver-based DJ/Producer Teen Daze was in Ottawa this past Friday, March 29 on the occasion of a mini-tour of Eastern Canada that is taking him to Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto.

Around 40 to 50 people gathered at the Mercury Lounge on Good Friday to catch the artist for a live  DJ set.

True to the Ottawa scene, doors opened at 8:30 pm and the show was set to start at 9:30 pm, but since so little people had arrived at that time, Teen Daze waited until 10:00 pm to begin his set as there were no special guests opening for him despite what the event poster indicated.

Teen Daze started with more mellow and ambient sounds and he gradually picked up the tempo with composed and well-arranged tunes as people progressively gathered onto the dance floor. He played tracks from All of Us, Together along with newer ones from The Inner Mansions among others.

Unfortunately, as it can often happen with technology, the music was cut off three times throughout the set and wether this was a problem from the venue’s side or from Teen Daze himself, it didn’t tamper too much with the crowd’s mood who seemed to enjoy what they were hearing.

Although he regularly uses a microphone during his live performances to project vocals that overlay some of the tracks, Teen Daze didn’t do so this time around as it was solely a DJ set. Having said this, something was missing from the overall look and feel, perhaps it was a visual component that would’ve projected the music’s emotion onto a screen as if to spill the artist’s soul on a canvass for our eyes and hearts to absorb. This could’ve potentially driven the audience closer to the music during the performance, both physically and emotionally. Thankfully, the Mercury Lounge’s in-house lights, lazers and smoke machine helped create the ambiance.

Granted, whether instrumental or vocal, his music is certainly not for everyone and caters to a precise niche audience, one that enjoys meditative, sometimes contemplative chillwave sounds that allow you to drift off into other realms of consciousness. It’s music that makes you want to move while immersing you into a dream-like world of beautifully arranged sounds.

Despite the lack of live vocals, visuals and repeated technical difficulties, the Ottawa crowd embraced the chillwave tunes played by Teen Daze and had fun throughout the set as they danced the night away.

If you’re into ambient/lo-fi/electro-pop/dance sounds, then be sure to check out Teen Daze’s music via the artist’s bandcamp.

End March in the National Capital with Masta Ace, Spirit Tracks, Teen Daze and Double Barrel

There are only a few days left in March, and although it’s been a good month in Ottawa-Gatineau, it’s also been a bit rough since Winter is lingering and very slowly making way for Spring.

With the end of March comes an early Easter Break, and as we’ve come to realize, long weekends usually equal numerous exciting events to choose from. So if you’re sticking around the National Capital Region this weekend, you’ll be happy to know that there is no shortage of shows and fun events happening.

For example, this Tuesday, March 26, Kisagiyan is taking place at Pressed Cafe as of 7pm. Kisagiyan, which means love in Algonquin, presents an eclectic evening of spoken word poetry, flamenco guitar, aboriginal songs, theatre performance and more. The event will feature artistic performances by Moe Clark, Balam Santos, Naomi Athena, Jeremy Sills and Jacqui Du Toit. If you’d like more information click on the poster below.

Also on Tuesday, March 26, Fau Mardi is taking over the Petit Chicago for a FREE night of electronic music and visuals. This week’s event will feature Andre et Michele, a collaboration between Singer/Songwriter Michael Glenwright and DJ/Producer Andrew O’Malley. Combining an array of instruments, from retro synth sounds and club beats to soaring melodic guitars, Andre et Michele weave together real-time improvised soundscapes using live performance looping. Fau Mardi will also include Guillaume Nolin and residents Phil Beauch and Sacha Vreca. For more info, just click below. 

This Wednesday, March 27, DNA Presents and TheKnwldg.com bring you the Execution Tour featuring Excision of Rottun Records alongside special guests Paper Diamond and Vaski live at LS Live. The Execution Tour is described as a new submersion into bass music accompanied by an intense audiovisual experience that will completely blow you away. For details on this event, click on the below poster.

On Thursday, March 28, the Mercury Lounge presents Bombay Records Sessions WMC Closing Party with special guest DJ Awaaz of Bombay Records. DJ Awaaz, known for his musical style mixing Tropical, House,  Afro, Soul, Deep Disco sounds will be spinning live alongside resident DJ Lance Baptiste. Grab details by clicking on the wildly beautiufl event poster below.

Also on Thursday, March 28, on the hip hop side of things, Masta Ace will be performing live at Ritual Nightclub as part of the Son of Yvonne Canada Tour. This hip hop pioneer from Brooklyn will be joined on stage by Wordsworth, Stricklin, The Bundies and Canadian artists Citizen Kane, Grindhouse Project and Ill Tone & The Kids.  For more info, click on the event poster below. 

Over on the Quebec side, Les vendredis complètements malades present Party de Perruques at the Petit Chicago, a fundraising event to raise for Cancer research. The organizers encourage you to bring your wig to dance the night away to the sounds of DJs Jas Nasty and Grumpy B, all for a good cause. If you would like additional information, simply click on the event poster. 

Also on Friday, March 29, Artengine and the Electric Fields Festival present Spirit Tracks: a special twist on the Electric Pow Wow with A Tribe Called Red, Cris Derksen, Rhonda Doxator, and Lorenzo. The unique event, taking place at St. Brigid’s Centre for the Arts  will premier a new collaboration between aboriginal artists from across the country and re-organize the dance floor in a special location, rich with its own spatial history. For everything you need to know, click on the event poster below. 

Also on Friday, March 29, Vancouver-based DJ/Producer Teen Daze will be doing a live set at Mercury Lounge thanks to a collaboration between IndieMontreal, CHUO FM and the venue. Teen Daze, known for his ambient/dance/electronic/lo-fi/pop sounds will be stopping by the National Capital to promote his second full-length album The Inner Mansions. If you would like to know more on this event, click on the poster below.

If you’re looking for something more vintage, head over to Mugshots this Friday for Double Barrel, Ottawa’s only night of soul, funk, retro reggae and motown strictly played from 45s. The March edition of Double Barrel will feature special guest DJ Eric Roberts of Timekode.  Grab details by clicking below. 

This Saturday, Mach 30, World Famous Music presents Boogat live at Ritual Nightclub. The Montreal-based artist characterized by his unique take on latin hip hop will be performing live in Ottawa in an effort to promote his latest album entitled El Dorado Sunset. Boogat will be accompanied by opening acts Missing Linx of Ottawa and DJ Nom de Plume of Radio Radio. For details, click on the poster below. 

If you’re looking for a great place to go dancing on Sunday night, look no further than the Mercury Lounge for the Afro Beat party with a live performance by special guests the Berekete Afrobeat Band.  Afrobeat, which is a mix of jazz, funk, psychedelic rock and African rhythms, is guaranteed to make you move your feet. If you want to know more, just click below on the event poster.

Other noteworthy events happening this week include the Journey of Nishiyuu that Ottawa will be welcoming this Monday around noon. This is a group of originally six courageous Cree teens under the age of 20 accompanied by a very wise guide who walked from Whapmagoostui in Northern Quebec to their final destination of Canada’s National Capital. Many others have been joining them along the way from Cree & Algonquin communities on their path. The youth are essentially partaking in this walk to raise awareness regarding pressing First Nations issues and parallel to the Idle No More movement. Find out more information on their arrival and get involved in the celebrations being organized to welcome them to Ottawa.

If you like to support local artists, check out Jazz and Poetry at Pressed Cafe this Saturday, March 30.  This event will feature young jazz vocalist Renee Yoxon and guitarist Mark Ferguson along with spoken word artist Brandon Wint who will deliver a performance of original poetry.

Another event worth mentioning this week for the hip hop heads out there is Pac Div live in concert at Ritual Nightclub on Sunday, March 31. The trio originating from Southern California will be performing in Ottawa for the first time in an effort to promote their latest album entitled GMB. Pac Div will be accompanied by After The Smoke and Johnny Polygon.

So there you have it, these are my suggestions of events for the upcoming days. I hope you enjoy your week wether you’re in Ottawa or the Gatineau area and that you have the opportunity to attend some of the exciting events happening in the days ahead in our eventful National Capital.