Eventful Capital’s Weekly Picks: From YouthCanSlam 2014 and Capital Pride to BlakDenim and Cam’ron

If you’re in the National Capital Region and looking for fun things to do around Ottawa-Gatineau this week, you’ve come to the right place. Wether you’re looking for a music show, a festival, slam poetry or a dance party, take a look at Eventful Capital’s weekly picks below for all sorts of noteworthy event ideas.

YouthCanSlam, Canada’s first national youth poetry festival is holding its second edition from Tuesday, August 12 to Saturday, August 16. Teams of young poets from across the country will compete in a series of slams for a shot at winning the National Youth Poetry Slam Championship Team. The festival will also feature a variety of workshops and showcases. If you’re into poetry and spoken word, you definitely want to take part in this inspiring festival and help support local initiatives like this one.

Frenzy on a Tuesday? That’s right, your favourite monthly dance party at Babylon has teamed up with Monster Energy to hold a special edition featuring guests What So Not coming all the way from Australia as part of a Canadian tour. The afrobeat/dub/house producing duo made up of members Emoh Instead and Harley Edward Streten (better known as the excellent Flume..!) will be giving a live set in Ottawa alongside local DJs Illo, Iggy Smalls and Foster. If you plan on attending, be ready to get down and get sweaty.

Australia death metal band Thy Art Is Murder will be performing live at Mavericks this Thursday, August 14. For the occasion, they’ll be joined on stage by Ottawa death metal group Accursed Spawn, Gatineau metal/hardcore formation Standing On Oblivion, Ottawa death metal project Fumigation, and Cornwall djent/metal 5-piece Here Comes Bigfoot.

Those of you who enjoy hip-hop and want to support local artists should head over to Babylon this Thursday night for the Survival Of The Illest Ottawa show. The live competition will feature sets by Ottawa hip-hop artists Precise, Fysh & Chyp, Yu$$o, Kingkon, Buck N Nice, Mista Mean and King as well as performances by special guests Philly Moves and Quotez. 

Finish What You Started is celebrating 5 years this weekend and they’re inviting you to join the party from August 14 to August 17 to bask in the greatness that is the Ottawa underground punk/hardcore/indie/music community. The celebrations will include a bunch of live shows by a number of rad local and not-so-local bands. Rage on!

 

This Friday August 15, Locally Grown presents special guests Tribal Threat live at the Mercury Lounge. From hip hop, EDM, soul, funk, jazz, moombahton, house, and afrobeat, the Ottawa-based duo promises to make you dance the night away to the universal language of music.

 

If you’re into rock and want to check out a live show this Friday night, why not try out the Rainbow Bistro? The lineup for August 15 will feature local blues rock band Bearshark, blues folk rock group Cold Capital and heavy soul/folk and roll 4-piece The Heavy Medecine Band. 

Beer lovers won’t want to miss the third edition of the National Capital Craft Beer Festival taking place from Friday, August 15 to Sunday, August 17 at Marion Dewar Plaza in front of the Ottawa City Hall. The now-annual festival allows you to discover the wide selection of craft brewed beers available across the National Capital Region. Thsi year’s programming also features mouth-watering culinary creations offered by artisanal eateries, a speaker series focusing on craft beer and artisanal food, and live musical entertainment presenting regional “Home-Brewed Talent”.

Ottawa’s annual LGBTQ pride celebration and most colourful festival, dubbed Capital Pride, is taking place from August 15 to August 24 this year under the theme “Free To Love”. The 29th edition of this important community celebration will feature Grammy Award winner DJ Hex Hector, New York trans performer Amanda Lapore, American rapper Cazwell and a live performance by RuPaul’s Drag Race season six runner up, Adore Delano. New to the programming this year, there will be the ‘Free to Learn’ GLBT Conference, an International Film Series, and an expansion of the International Marshal Program. The festival launches at the Canadian Museum of Nature this Friday night with a special pride edition of Nature Nocturne. There’s a slew of events being held in conjunction, so be sure to check out the full programming by clicking below for complete details.

There are a few noteworthy dance parties happening around the city this Friday night namely Space Jam featuring music selections courtesy of DJ/Producer Max Zims of the Unlikely Futures duo. If you’re into new sounds and the latest remixes, Ritual is the place to be this Friday.

Perhaps you’re feeling nostalgic and prefer dancing to 90s hip-hop and R&B. If that’s the case, then be sure to make you way over to Babylon this Friday for the 90s or Bust NBA Edition. Not only will you get to party to the Space Jam soundtrack, you’ll also get to check out old school video footage from the classic 90s movie White Men Can’t Jump. 

Mugshots and Harvey & Verns have teamed up to present SODA SHOP, a summer night’s dance party in the spirit of Soc Hops and Rock n’ Roll. Fill your hands with pomade and slick back that hair, throw on your best polka dot dress and head over to Mugshots this Friday night to dance to best Doo Wop, Bubblegum & Rock n’ Roll courtesy of DJs Gina Vinelli, Matty McGovern and Matt Tamblyn. The films American Graffiti, Crybaby and The Outsiders will also be projected on the wall for your enjoyment. 

The Ottawa Mini Maker Faire is back this Saturday and Sunday at the Science and Technology Museum. Presented by Artengine, this two-day family-friendly event brings together enthusiasts across the spectrum of technology from robot makers, 3D printers, and engineers to aviation specialists, knitters, woodworkers and solderers to inspire, entertain and allow attendees to learn and experience the joy of creating. 

Over at House of Targ this Saturday night, Ottawa indie/electro group Fevers will be giving a live performance alongside Toronto indie group The Box Tiger and Ottawa indie/post-punk project Those Gulls. 

Ottawa’s own BlakDenim is hosting a hip-hop show at the Rainbow Bistro this Saturday, August 16 in an effort to highlight some of the city’s finest hip-hop artists. For the occasion, there will be live performances by Poetic Elements, Eddie Quotez, and William Mansion who’ll share the stage for what is sure to be a great night of music. This Sunday, the Floorplay Group brings the Partio beach party over to Ottawa for its first 613 edition at Mooney’s Bay. The event, happening on the patio of the new Beach House Bistro Bar, will feature a mix of tech, house and hip-hop music courtesy of DJs Henreet, Ryan Labelle, Ray Ray and Undercover as well as live drumming by Omar Drums. 

Hip-hop heads who are fans of Dipset and The Diplomats will want to be at Ritual this Sunday night to catch Cam’ron for his first Ottawa performance. The Grammy-nominated, multiplatinum-selling rapper from Harlem will be in the capital city as part of his The First Of The Month Tour and he’ll be joined on stage by special guests that still haven’t been announced. This will probably sell out so your best best is to purchase tickets in advance if you plan on attending. 

Central Pennsylvania indie pop rock group Kingsfoil (ex Frankie Muniz’s Band) will be giving a live show at Cafe Dekcuf this Sunday night as part of the Brave Love Tour. For this concert, Kingsfoil will be joined on stage by Lindsay, Ontario acoustic musician SayWeCanFly, Ottawa pop rock group Keek, North Carolina acoustic pop rock band Rookie Of The Year, and Ottawa alt rock formation City Limits. 

August in the Capital City: From YouthCanSlam and Cirque Bizarre to Lindy Vopnfjörð and DJ Boddhi Satva

If you’re around the National Capital Region this week and you’re looking for events to check out, look no further! Wether you’re into music, art, food, slam poetry or all of the above, there’s bound to be something fun for you in the days ahead. Take a look at Eventful Capital’s weekly event pick below and click on the event posters for more info.

YouthCanSlam, Canada’s first national youth poetry festival is holding its inaugural event from Tuesday, August 20 to Sunday, August 25. Teams of young poets from across the country will compete in a series of slams for a shot at winning the National Youth Poetry Slam Championship Team. The festival will also feature a variety of workshops and showcases. If you’re into poetry and spoken word, you definitely want to take part in this exciting new festival and help support local initiatives like this one.

On Tuesday, August 20, Ottawa-based spoken word artist John Akpata invites you to his Album Release/Listening Party taking place at the Mercury Lounge. The evening will feature poetry, sax, djembe, bass, and special guests performers along with food from Stone Soup Food Works and visual projections by Jamie Janx Johnston. There’ll be lots happening! 

On Wednesday, August 21, the first annual P.R.I.D.E Project is taking place at Babylon as a fundraiser and in celebration of aboriginal arts. The event will showcase various genres of art forms from within the community including music, comedy and dance and all proceeds garnered from it will go directly to The Native Friendship Center of Montreal.

If you’re into indie post rock you may want to check out The Almighty Rhombus, Trees, King’s Quest and High Waters live at the Rainbow Bistro this Wednesday, August 21. The four Ottawa-based bands will be performing live at the downtown venue starting at 9pm.

If you’re more of a indie folk rock fan, head over to Pressed Cafe on Thursday, August 22 to see Manitoba-born musician Lindy Vopnfjörð. The Canadian singer-songwriter, who has performed both as a solo artist and as a member of the indie rock band Major Maker, will be in Ottawa in an effort to promote his latest album titled Young Waverer. 
The 2013 Wakefest is being held from Thursday, August 22 to Sunday, August 25 along and around the banks of the Gatineau River in Wakefield. The annual community festival celebrates local artists with live music, literature, film, theatre, dance, vernissages and workshops.

The House of SAS presents the return of Cirque Bizarre as part of Ottawa’s 28th Annual Capital Pride Celebrations. The 3-day boutique festival, which is in its second year, will span across multiple indoor and outdoor venues and will feature a variety of talented DJs and performers from across Canada.

There’s lots happening this coming Friday night. For one, New Jersey band Screaming Females and Ottawa-based groups Organ Eyes and The Yips are performing live at Gabba Hey, an undisclosed location yet to be confirmed. This is a great show to check out if you enjoy indie punk rock and garage bands.

Ottawa-based hip-hop nerdcore group ANTIKS has just released a new album titled The Thing Is and they want you to come check out the music live at Fall Down Gallery this Friday, August 23. The album release party, hosted by comedian Greg Houston, will feature performances by Street Scholar (from Just Poets), Aron the Alien, G.Grand, and The Apollohs with special appearances by Dynamite Motel, DJ Greg Reain, and VJ Ina Zara A.

Ottawa’s own Fevers have a busy weekend ahead and they invite you to join in their 24 Hour Fever.  A local favorite, the indie electro group, who had the opportunity to perform at Bluesfest this summer, will start the night on August 23 with a minimal acoustic set with local group Loon Choir at Mugshots. Following this, they’ll be giving a live DJ set also at Mugshots alongside J-Fun and Atherton.  

On Friday, August 23, Kronenbourg 1664 and the Mercury Lounge present special guest DJ Boddhi Satva. Hailing from the Central African Republic, Boddhi Satva will bring his mix of timeless African rhythms and ancestral soul to the downtown venue alongside Balanced Records JUNO-nominated DJ Rise Ashen of Ottawa. 

Following the Mugshots gig, Fevers will be performing live as part of 4 in 1 Sessions on Saturday, August 24 at Jackpine. They’ll be giving a show with local groups StillNative, Ilvekyo and Greg McEvoy for the occasion. Last but not least, Fevers is having an Album Release Party for No Room For Light taking place at Mavericks on Saturday night, August 24. The band will celebrate the release by giving a full set alongside Ottawa indie rock group The Love Machine and Toronto singer-songwriter Greg McEvoy. Fevers is on a roll! 

If you plan on attending 4 Pivot’s Sake on Saturday, August 24, prepare to have your belly full and your liver satisfied as four local chefs pair up with four local breweries to create a dish that celebrates local cuisine and the talent of our brewers. Proceeds from the event will support the “For Pivot’s Sake” program, a community initiative designed to get a little more life out of used old skateboard goods by recycling them to help out low income youth across the City of Ottawa. 

This Saturday, August 24, The Queer Mafia and Venus Envy present Oh My Jam priding dirty edition being held at Babylon. Ottawa’s biggest queer hip hop/dancehall/RnB jam will feature a solid mashup of DJs from Toronto and Montreal going head to head to get you moving all night. 

If you’re a fan of fibre, yes, fibre as in  the kind that may be spun into yarn, then you’re in luck because the Twist Festival is happening this weekend on August 24 and 25 in St-André-Avellin, a municipality that’s about 45 minutes away from Ottawa-Gatineau. The two-day annual event serves as a showcase for the fibre world and is intended for the general public, enthusiasts, fibre producers, fleece animal breeders, transformers, artists, artisans, professionals and semiprofessionals. It’ll feature dozens of workshops, activities, a textile art exhibit with a modern twist and over 80 exhibitors from all trades of the fibre industry.

Other noteworthy events happening this week in and around the National Capital Region include a Strip Spelling Bee this Thursday at Babylon brought to you by Capital Pride and PTS Ottawa, a special R&B SILK edition at Open Air Social Club, the annual Capital Pride Parade being held along Bank Street, along with an evening of soul and jazz classics by vocalist Welilie Nxumalo and band at the Mercury Lounge on Sunday, August 25.

What’s not to like here? Enjoy your week in Ottawa-Gatineau and be sure to check out some of the fun events happening in and around our eventful capital in the days ahead!