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SOUND SEEKERS: Two bands named after films play Zaphod’s and Lee Fields shows his soul

Sound Seekers by Fateema Sayani is published weekly at OttawaMagazine.com. Read Fateema Sayani’s culture column in Ottawa Magazine and follow her on Twitter @fateemasayani

Eight and a Half

How’s this for a double bill? Ottawa duo Eraserheads—the band named for the David Lynch film—open for Toronto trio Eight and a Half—the band named after the Fellini film, 8 -1/2. If ever there was a moment to geek out, this is it. Capital G.

The show, taking place at Zaphod’s Saturday, is the music nerd’s ball—it is where obscure film and musical references will be traded, reverb pedals will be depressed, and beards will be grown.

Eraserheads have done well to make metaphorical links between screen and stage. The duo—Jamie Kronick on drums and Omar David Rivero on guitar and laptop—play experimental tunes that are as non-linear as the movie plot.

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WEEKENDER: Extremely short plays, a cool craft fair, the Tulip Fest kick off, and six more events for the first weekend of May

Sarah's Card Company is just one of the artisans at Handmade Harvest.

HANDMADE HARVEST
It’s time to get your craft on in Almonte this weekend. This nifty event showcases the local independent craft community and offers a place for emerging crafters of all ages to strut their stuff. Wares on offer include cuddly toys for tots, cool home décor, handmade cards, pretty jewellery pieces, and tons more. And please note, Mother’s Day is coming up, so if you want to secure your status as the golden child, why not get mom something unique a whole week in advance? No more street corner flower bouquets for you! $2, kids under 12 free. Saturday, May 5, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Almonte Agricultural Hall, 195 Water Street, Almonte, www.handmadeharvest.com.

DAN HILL
Check out Grammy and JUNO award-winning songwriter Dan Hill in an intimate solo gig at the National Arts Centre. The multi-talented Canadian has written songs recorded by a huge number of artists, including Britney Spears and Rod Stewart. $40. Thursday, May 3, and Friday, May 4. Doors open at 7 p.m. National Arts Centre, 53 Elgin St., www.nac-cna.ca.

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EVENT PREVIEW: A Q&A with Sook-Yin Lee (Sex! Anger! CBC cuts!) ahead of her May 5 gig at the National Archives

By Fateema Sayani

Cultural watchers know by now that Sook-Yin Lee is willing to take artistic leaps in her career. Anyone who has seen the much-discussed sex scene in the John Cameron Mitchell film Shortbus, can attest to a willingness on the part of Lee — an artist, actor, and filmmaker who lives in Toronto — to put out in public what most others might keep quiet.

CBC listeners often hear plenty of Lee’s innermost thoughts on Definitely Not the Opera during the opening essay of the program. It’s delivered in that dry-yet-dramatic tone, practised by CBC hosts (Jonathan Goldstein, anyone?). The radio program, DNTO, is about self-actualization packaged in various themes (“What is the Real Power of a Story?” or “Who Was Your Unexpected Guest?”) and its subjects often veer into self-indulgence.

Lee, in her film work, has done well to mine personal experiences, without seeming exploitative, putting forth her life growing up in a violent household in Vancouver, B.C., living on the street, and the confusion of establishing a Chinese-Canadian identity amid clichéd cultural tropes (see her film short Escapades of the One Particular Mr. Noodle for more on that topic).

The Canadian Film Institute will screen that work and a selection of Sook-Yin Lee’s other films at Library and Archives Canada on Saturday. There will be a question-and-answer session with Lee after the films. Ahead of the event, Ottawa Magazine leads its own Q&A.

You return to a lot of the same themes in your work: sexuality and growing up Asian seem to come up most often — what’s of interest there?
It’s hard to say, precisely, but I feel there’s somewhat of a template — meaning some things are innate to a person and there’s an innate quality to a voice, it’s just the essence of a person. For me, it’s a spirit of playfulness, experimentation, and thoughts on being human. They are similar concerns that I have had as a young person and I continue to respond to concerns that arise over life. I am curious about aspects of my life that I am in a conundrum over, things like thwarted love, the dynamics between the needy and the needed, and the paradoxical desire we have to connect and to put up barriers to connection.

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GRAFFITI (IN ITS OWN WORDS): A Q&A with the lead artists behind Ottawa Urban Arts

Making the City Pretty

Passionate and practical, Cassandra Dickie and Mike Davis are the lead artists behind Ottawa Urban Arts, a collective of graffiti artists who work with community groups, municipal committees, and local businesses to brighten up public spaces and educate youth on positive ways to use their creative energy. As the city launches its third annual Paint It Up! campaign with Crime Prevention Ottawa, Dickie and Davis gear up for another season of application forms, mural sketches, and covering up grey concrete with bright colours. Dayanti Karunaratne talks to the dynamic duo about their love of graffiti — and why they think it’s an important part of the city’s future.

Photography by Luther Caverly


You spend a lot of time advocating for legal graffiti walls. What is it about graffiti that interests you?

CD: It’s just such a powerful form. I remember my first time seeing the tech wall: I was 12 years old, and I knew right then this was what I wanted to do.

MD: You can work with friends, meet people, and enjoy the hip-hop culture. I just love the scale and colour of it.

 

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PARTY ON: Three quirky (and decidedly cozy) venues to hang out, be seen, and get sweaty

Spacing Out

The shortage of traditional concert venues in Ottawa and the space constraints of living in closet-sized Centretown apartments mean party people are finding new venues to hang out, be seen, and get sweaty
BY FATEEMA SAYANI

The party space at the Rochester Pub definitely channels that coveted 1970s rec room vibe. Photography by Rémi Thériault.

Kitchen Party at the Rochester Pub
It may be called Kitchen Party, but this spot definitely channels the rec-room vibe. The pub’s covered patio has low ceilings and wall panelling to rival any ’70s-era basement. Undergrads cram into the space to dance to the music of host DJs Hobo (Pawel Skorupski), Sweet Cheeks (Jose Palacios), and the guest DJ who usually spins an entire set of vinyl — with the occasional Serato trespass. This is where civil servants normally lunch during the week and where regulars head for brunch on the weekend. That easy vibe is extended to the evening crowd. When it’s time for the party, there is no great transformation. The tables and salt and pepper shakers are simply put aside.
Second Friday of the month. 502 Rochester St. $5.

Ceremony at the Ottawa Jail Hostel
This is where the last working gallows in Canada was located (when the hostel was known as the Carleton County Gaol), but none of the hip kids at this monthly event let that fact spoil the vibe. DJs Adam Saikaley, Eric Roberts, and Gary Franks, play post-disco and their own dance-floor-friendly edits of classic cuts. Attendees appreciate the stone walls and the barred windows, which amplify the backstory of the place. Want the feel of a jail experience? Then remove your over layers. The coat check is in the space formerly used for solitary confinement.
Last Saturday of the month. 75 Nicholas St. $5. prisonceremony.tumblr.com.

 

Spin City: Jose Palacios, aka DJ Sweet Cheeks, spins the tunes at a recent Kitchen party night at the Rochester Pub. Photography by Rémi Thériault.

Indie Night at GigSpace
Music teacher Elizabeth Bruce hosts this low-key showcase, which features Ottawa folk singers performing a short acoustic set. It’s followed by the open-mike portion, where the highly talented and the merely brave try out those tunes they’ve been poring over in bedrooms and coffee shops. The room is set up simply, with a riser, a piano, rows of chairs for the audience, and a self-serve tea station at the side. The line between the stage and the seats is barely demarcated, encouraging banter between performer and patron that leans toward the intimate. The vibe is like the GCTC’s Black Box Studio Theatre meets The Elbow Room.
Second Thursday of the month. Inside Alcorn Music Studios, 953 Gladstone Ave. $5. gigspaceottawa.com.

This party space primer was featured in the May 2012 edition.

SOUND SEEKERS: Dayglo memories, pop-up punk shows, and that Kelp collabo

Sound Seekers by Fateema Sayani is published weekly at OttawaMagazine.com. Read Fateema Sayani’s culture column in Ottawa Magazine and follow her on Twitter @fateemasayani

Front cover of "Here Today, Guano Tomorrow"

The Dayglo Abortions’ time on the punk scene goes back to the days when a band name like that still drew expressions of shock — well before the Internet normalized agitprop, bold protest, and attention-grabbing social defiance. The Victoria, B.C. band formed shortly after punk’s peak in 1979 — and is still touring.

These days, politicized punk is positively run-of-the-mill, and so widely available it can be catalogued by which sub-stripe it adheres to — or goes against.

The Occupy movement brought forth a new swell of protest songs too, although much of it has been tuneless tripe thus far. Kinda makes it worth going back to some of the originators, who’ve had years and years to refine their shit-disturbing ways.

That’s one reason to check out the Dayglo show. The other is for historical interest — the band has dubious ties to the region.

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THE ARTFUL BLOGGER: Linden MacIntyre talks about Why Men Lie, and is asked about the biggest lie he ever told

"Why Men Lie" writer Linden MacIntyre. Photo by Joe Passaretti.

By Paul Gessell

Linden MacIntyre has seen it all: War, bloodshed, and corruption, in his long career as a CBC journalist.

Thus, this tough-guy, Giller-Prize-winning author is not very shockable. But shocked he looked when, during an interview about his latest novel Why Men Lie, he was asked to reveal the biggest lie he ever told. He skated around that question like a hockey player trying to break through his opponent’s defence line.

Why Men Lie is the third in a trilogy of novels about some extended families rooted in Cape Breton, the original island home of the Toronto-based MacIntyre. The second in the trilogy, The Bishop’s Man, won the Scotiabank Giller Prize in 2009. That book focussed on a priest forced to cover up sex crimes by fellow priests. Why Men Lie focuses on that priest’s sister, Effie, and the many lying men in her life.

MacIntyre discussed Why Men Lie, his own lies, and the never ending battle between the sexes in an interview before his scheduled April 26 appearance at the Ottawa International Writers Festival. Here is an edited transcript of that discussion:

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WEEKENDER: Vintage dresses, a new theatre night, and five more fun events for the last weekend of April

Lady-like dresses abound at Victoire's Spring Fling Vintage Dress Sale.

SPRING FLING VINTAGE DRESS SALE
Vintage clothing enthusiasts take note! This shopping event, which takes place only twice a year, will feature pretty frocks from different eras. Channel fashions from Mad Men or your favourite iconic stars from the past, which are sure to please Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly fans. The event partners with Hamilton shop (and vintage clothing aficionado) White Elephant. Dresses start at $79. Saturday, April 28. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Victoire, 246 Dalhousie St., www.notrevictoire.com.

OTTAWA INTERNATIONAL WRITERS FESTIVAL
The bi-annual fest that celebrates the written word begins this Thursday and will continue through the weekend. The event features world-renowned, award winning writers and straddles genres that include journalism, fiction, poetry, history, science, and more, all while discussing the craft and drawing from the writers’ personal experiences. Noteworthy names for this edition include Vincent Lam, Linden MacIntyre, Joshua Foer, and Nora Young. Thursday, April 26, to Monday, April 30. Costs vary for individual events, free for members. Event times and locations vary, www.writersfestival.org.

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TELLING TALES: Ottawa Magazine’s Telling Tales columnist chats with Ottawa Morning host Robyn Bresnahan

 

Read on to discover who Robyn Bresnahan is giggling beside. Hint: His football club is the top story in Euro sports circles today.

Ottawa Magazine’s Telling Tales columnist, Michael Prentice, interviewed CBC Ottawa Morning host Robyn Bresnahan for the May edition. He recorded the full conversation for this web post.

Aside from the job, what do you  like about Ottawa so far?
Reconnecting with old friends, winter walks in the Arboretum, lobsterghetti at the Whalesbone, taking myself  on afternoon dates to the National Gallery, runs along the canal, pulled pork  sandwiches at Pressed Cafe, lazy Sundays at home reading the New York Times.

What don’t you  like?




Waking up at 3.30 a.m. five  days a week makes me a little loco. I regularly walk into windows, put shampoo on my toothbrush, and attempt to pay for things with my bus pass.

In what part of town do you  live?


It’s an area called Glebe  Annex. No one knows where it is. I’ve actually renamed it West Glebe. It  sounds very posh that way.

Do you have a significant  other, and, if so, who is it?




Hmmmm. He’s made me promise not  to talk about him on air. But this isn’t the radio, so I’ll reveal his name. It’s Harry. He’s a hunk of burning love and I’m one lucky  lass.

What is your routine on  work days, including do you have an alarm clock, and what time  do you  awake?




The alarm goes off at  3.30 a.m. I groan.Harry groans. The cat groans. Stumble out of bed. Walk into the closet to have a shower. Discover it’s not really the shower. Taxi comes at 4 a.m. Listen to news en route to work. Watch BBC World, The  National, read papers, tweak scripts, on air at 5.30 a.m. Off air 8.37 a.m. Gym. Back to work, pre-record an interview for next day. Leave by noon. Take a nap. Wake up, stumble into Glebe or Little Italy for coffee. Read more papers. Cook dinner. Look over scripts for next day. Lights out by 9.30 p.m.

What are your  hobbies?
Cooking, eating out, red wine, hiking, reading the New Yorker, Ottawa Magazine, and watching Manchester United  lose.

What do you have against  England’s most successful football team [Ed: soccer to you]?
I can’t explain it. They’re just so smug. And that gum-chewing Alex Ferguson (Man. U.’s coach) drives me bananas.

Since you follow English soccer, who’s your favourite team?
I’m a massive Chelsea supporter. Didier Drogba (Chelsea’s heartthrob centreforward from the Ivory Coast) is my fave. I even got to interview  him once. I have a picture to prove it!

How do you relax?
Cooking is my yoga. Cooking, plus a lovely gin and tonic, plus BBC 6 music on the radio equals my happy place.



THE ARTFUL BLOGGER: As an artist, Kristy Gordon finds nothing more interesting than people

"Nadaa" by Kristy Gordon.

By Paul Gessell

Ottawa artist Kristy Gordon paints portraits that literally stop you in your tracks. Sometimes because of the props she uses to help create a character. Sometimes it is just the unusual look on the subject’s face.
 
Gordon has a solo show running at Cube Gallery from April 24 until May 20. (An online catalogue of the exhibition is available on www.cubegallery.ca.) Be prepared to meet some fascinating people, including some ghostly ones. 
 
The Artful Blogger caught up with Gordon in New York City for an email interview.

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