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Weekend roundup: What to do in Ottawa

Written

on Thursday, February 2, 2012

Photo of Gatineau Park courtesy photoexpo on Flickr.

Even those of you who are only mildly interested in federal politics probably know that the House came back this week. It’s not the only crazy political antics to have recently returned, though: Question Period The Musical! is back in town for one day only, after a successful Fringe run last summer.

What else have we got going on? Well, Jeremy Fisher and Chris Velan are not just playing two shows at The Black Sheep, they’re heading out on a cross-country ski trip and want you to come. The Ottawa Winter JazzFest kicks off tonight, with Oliver Jones and Megan Jerome just two of the headliners appearing over the weekend. Tonight’s also the first ever show of Ottawa’s Burlesque Collective, down at Maxwells. Yamantaka // Sonic Titan will bring some psychedelic fusion to Babylon Friday night, while across the canal Static Revolt and The Bankrobbers will take to the stage at Avant Garde bar. The Johnnies are throwing a release party on Saturday for their latest 7″, and will be joined at the Dominion by the garage rock/pop sounds of The Polymorphines and The Shakey Aches. Sheezer is also playing that night, so if you’re needing to revisit your love of Buddy Holly, head on over to Zaphod’s. For those of you looking to hear a bit of vinyl, you can find it at Raw Sugar Saturday with the Reggae Dancehall Edition of Stars on 45. Also that night? A little bit of goth country and some heart beats.

We’ve got a bit of a love-theme happening in the art world this weekend: I LOVE YOU opens at Patrick John Mills tonight, with the artists stopping by, while Karen Jordan’s Slow Dance opening reception happens down at Karsh-Masson. If the way to your heart is through your stomach, this community dinner is right up your alley – plus, it’s a night to hear Three Little Birds and Poetic Speed perform.

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stars on 45 – reggae dancehall edition

Written

Katie

on Wednesday, February 1, 2012

stars on 45 presents

the reggae dancehall edition
with special guests

wide-eyed sound system

the coldest month of winter brings the hottest of riddims as Stars on 45! keep things warm and heavy with a night of Jamaican 7″s!

Things spin faster on Sat. Feb. 4th with sounds from rocksteady to dub to ska to dancehall and all the reggae in betweens.

Regular hosts DJ Daisy and Chris International invite very special guests,
the Wide-Eyed Sound System
to Raw Sugar for a night of head nodding grooves. Pulling from their deep and serious collection of Jamaican jams, this night promises to hold steady at 45rpm. Strictly 7″s non-stop!

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Weekend roundup: What to do in Ottawa?

Written

Karen

on Thursday, January 26, 2012

First, Ottawans: let us know the real hotspots in the city by filling out our Big Sexy O-town Survey! Will the new Rink of Dreams become a different sort of dreamy spot? Or will the Hill be your tried, tested and true make-out location? Let us know…

In other hot news, we’ve got a few great bands coming to town this weekend. For some alt-rock/bluesy sound, Solomon Dean is your man – he’ll be at the Elmdale with Electric Blankets tonight. There will be a little bit of folk going down tonight at the Mercury Lounge, with the UP & UP Concert Series’ latest installment featuring Claude and the Storm Outside. Friday, Sunfields stops by Raw Sugar – they’ll bring some indie rock with a psychedelic twist to the stage. You might as well just get a room at The Black Sheep for the whole weekend: tonight, it’s the catchy tunes of Elliott Brood (it’s their ‘Oh Alberta’ video above), Friday KIDSTREET stops by with Ottawa’s clever duo The Peptides, and then Saturday and Sunday features a double dose of the stylings of Buck 65. The Mackenzie Rhythm Section brings horns and beats to the dance floor at The Rainbow on Saturday. Also Saturday? Camp Radio pumps things up at Irene’s, while locals Organ Eyes and The Matt Ferriers add to the indie music playlist of the weekend.

If you’re looking for a bit of variety in your evening, head to Rooster’s at Carleton for Fresh Tracks, a night of Indigenous hip hop, spoken word and folk music on Friday. For those of you with a competitive streak, the Women’s Slam Championships is Saturday, while Once Upon a Slam takes place the night before.

Looking to get dressed up? It’s time for the Red Death Masquerade, where you’ve got to hide your identity – masks are not optional! If your idea of dressing up includes hiking boots, then the Ottawa Valley Nature Hike is probably a better spot for you to stop by. Clothing will likely be optional for the performers at Girlesque Ottawa Sunday night, where they’ll have some international and hall-of-fame guests in the house.

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One big happy family: Ottawa’s Burlesque Collective comes to Maxwells

Written

Veronica

on Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Burlesque in Ottawa has been an unstoppable force in recent years. Most fans know the Sin Sisters or Rockalily to be the Godmothers of Ottawa burlesque, both having hit the scene about 5 years ago. But let’s rewind to 2002: some may recall the Devil Dolls, Maxwells’ resident burlesque babes, who often shared the spotlight with local legend, Johnny Vegas.

Bella Barecat, co-founder of the Devil Dolls and proud Browncoat as of 2010, is back and making waves after her five year break from burlesque by forming the Ottawa Burlesque Collective. The Collective brings together local troupes for a grandiose one night affair at Ottawa’s original burlesque venue, Maxwells.

“I’ve pictured [Maxwells] as a cabaret club many times before so I reached out to them and they were stoked on the idea.”

It’s no secret that not all the troupes get along with each other as famously as they might like to. Former Sin Sisters are now Bourbon and Spice, Capital Tease used to be part of Rockalily, and there are a few solo performers who prefer to avoid troupe politics altogether.

“It’s hard to get a large group of people together without having any tension. I approached all the troupes individually and everyone had similar reactions to my proposal. The idea was very well received and I am impressed by the absolute professionalism as well as the enthusiasm of all of the troupes involved.”

Barecat attributes her inspiration behind the Ottawa Burlesque Collective to the most recent Nuit Nude Blanche, an all-night burlesque-a-thon held at the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto.

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Once Upon a Slam

Written

Katie

on Saturday, January 21, 2012

The next Once Upon A Slam is on Friday, January 27th at the Mercury Lounge. Doors open and slam sign up at 6:45, show at 7:15 PM, $8 cover, free for slammers.
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OST Partner Once Upon A Slam is pleased to have Luna Allison as our feature for January. Luna was to perform for us last May, but a bike accident meant postponing. She is hale and hearty now and is ready to debut a set of stories called ‘Girl Fail.’ What happens when you don’t fit into society’s notions of how a girl/woman should look, behave, and think? Join us for a set exploring what it means to not live up to expectations. Lego for girls? Ha!
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Luna Allison is a spoken word artist, poet, writer, journalist and storyteller based in Ottawa. Her work ranges from jazz-infused musical poetry to playwriting but Luna has always been a lover of storytelling. Her storytelling theatre piece ‘FallingOpen’, an exploration of the impact of sexual abuse, is part of the Undercurrents theatre festival February 7 – 19th.
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As usual, in addition to the feature, we have the actual story slam. There are 8 spots open for slammers who each get 5 minutes to tell (not read!) their story. The 5 judges, who are randomly selected from the audience, will score each story and the highest score wins.

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Migrating Landscapes – Canada’s Entry to the 2012 Venice Biennale in Architecture – Lecture and Reception

Written

Katie

on Saturday, January 21, 2012

Johanna Hurme, MRAIC, a member of the Winnipeg team organizing and curating Canada’s official entry at the 2012 Venice Biennale in Architecture, will be in Ottawa January 23 for a lecture at the National Gallery of Canada. The talk is part of Carleton University’s Forum Lecture Series.
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Migrating Landscapes is a nationwide competition and series of exhibitions that explores how Canadian architects and designers ages 45 and under have been influenced by migration and immigration.
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A series of regional exhibitions across Canada will culminate in a national exhibition at the Winnipeg Art Gallery in March/April 2012. Winners, selected by a jury made up of Eleanor Bond, Ian Chodikoff, FRAIC, Anne Cormier, Bruce Kuwabara, FRAIC, and John Patkau, FRAIC, will travel as a young architectural “Team Canada” to the prestigious Venice Biennale in Architecture (August 29 – November 25, 2012). Six Ottawa entries are in the running.
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“The intention of the competition is to bring the Venice Biennale to Canada,” explains Hurme, a founding partner of 5468796 Architecture and member of the Migrating Landscapes Organizer (MLO) team. “We want to showcase the up-and-coming generation of Canadian architects and designers to the Canadian public before they hit the world stage in Venice.”
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Hurme’s lecture will be followed by a special Architecture Canada | RAIC reception at the Heart & Crown Irish Pub (67 Clarence Street, in the ByWard Market).
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Monday, January 23, 2012:
Lecture at 6:00 pm: National Gallery of Canada, 380 Sussex Drive, Main Auditorium
Reception at 7:00 pm: Heart & Crown Irish Pub, 67 Clarence Street. Everyone welcome. Winnipeg-inspired hors d’oeuvres will be served.

Official Canadian participation in the 2012 Venice Biennale in Architecture is coordinated and generously supported by Architecture Canada | RAIC and the Canada Council for the Arts.

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‘mo diggity – HEART BEATS edition

Written

Katie

on Saturday, January 21, 2012

february calls for some heart beats that get you out yo seat!
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ON FEBRUARY 4TH,
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dj yalla!yalla! and dj meera will be showing some crew love, spinning favourite tracks by duos, trios, crews, collaborating artists, and mashups!
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Like the first ‘mo diggity, it’ll all be happening at Avant-Garde Bar (next door to Ritual Nightclub) but this time with better lighting, more bar staff, and more space to drop and grind.
——
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5$ at the door (no one will be turned away due to lack of funds)
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Accessibility info: My apologies for still not having found an accessible space for the party. A ramp will be available, seen as the entrance is on the ground level but there are 3 or 4 steps when you first enter the door. The bathrooms are on that level but they are not wheelchair accessible (in relation to size). There are also another 3 steps to enter the lounge area at the back of the bar.
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‘mo diggity is:
a sweaty grind monthly party for homos and their homies.
bringing heat to the dancefloor is all the right weaponry:
your favourite throwback hits, sultry r&b grooves, dancehall jams, reggae tracks, hip hop classics, and diaspora/homeland identity crisis mixes.
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you don’t want to miss this.
we like the way you work it. we wanna bag it, bag it up.

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Philosophy Party

Written

Katie

on Saturday, January 21, 2012

We are having our first party of the New Year! It is being held in the downstairs of the Clock Tower Pub (575 Bank Street) at 8:30 pm, Thursday, Janauary 26th. Come out and enjoy a great evening of fun and discussion. Please feel free to bring a guest or two and especially your unresolved postulates.
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As usual there will be pool tables, music, discussions, and free food (served around 9pm in deference of those with earlier classes).
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Hope to see you all there!

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Mackenzie Rhythm Section

Written

Katie

on Saturday, January 21, 2012

P.A.R.T.Y.
Presenting:
MACKENZIE RHYTHM SECTION playing live funk, soul, rock n’ roll at The Rainbow!
and Featuring DJ Magnificent (of Double Barrel) spinning 45s all night.
Doors at 9pm. Come one, come all!

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Winter Bike Parade: the extreme commuter goes mainstream

Written

Alex

on Saturday, January 21, 2012

Photo courtesy of Mike.Geiger.ca on the apt613 flickr group

Ottawa may have fallen into winter weather, but that doesn’t mean you have to let your beloved bike fall to disuse. Ottawa winter cyclists are out there, proving that navigating Ottawa in the cold can still be done with the right gear and attitude. If you’re a winter biking enthusiast or just looking for a chance to get out and try biking on winter roads, then the CfSC is hosting an event for you.

To promote winter cycling, Citizens for Safe Cycling is hosting the first ever Ottawa Winter Bike Parade this Sunday. Cyclists looking to celebrate winter cycling and get out with a group of fellow cyclists can meet at Laurier and Percy at noon. The parade will head down the Laurier bike lane and is set to run show or shine. CfSC encourages cyclists to bring friends, family, noisemakers and funky accessories for the parade. The event will end with free hot apple cider at City Hall. Or, if you’d rather stay in than head out for a ride in the cold, you can track the cyclists on the City’s counter or watch them on the live video feed at the Laurier intersections.

The City has committed to clearing the segregated bike lane on Laurier, though there may be temporary closures when conditions are unsafe. The segregated lane may help cyclists feel safer, but now that the cold is here to stay the number of cyclists on the Laurier bike lane has dropped significantly. The city keeps a counter tracking the amount of trips down the lane, which has gone from a high of 2331 trips in September, to 213 last Wednesday. But, despite the huge drop in riders since the weather got cold, there are still cyclists out on Laurier and this Sunday, it may see more.

The CfSC Winter Bike Parade starts this Sunday at noon. Meet fellow winter cycling enthusiasts at noon and Laurier and Percy to take the parade up the Laurier Bike lane to City Hall.

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