Articles Tagged ‘Wakefield’

SOUND SEEKERS: New releases and upcoming shows from Ottawa boys Leif Vollebekk and The Steve Adamyk Band

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

Leif Vollebekk plays Black Sheep Inn on Friday.

Leif Vollebekk’s new album of troubadour-style tunes is called North Americana. The title serves as a stylistic — and geographic — cue to listeners. Vollebekk, 27, is definitely Canadian (Ottawa-reared, in fact), and wanted to fuse a sense of his identity onto the album, which could easily be filed alongside such contemporary Americana artists as Gillian Welch.

The album was recorded primarily with Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire, Rich Aucoin) at Hotel2Tango studio in Montreal and was released on February 19 via the Outside Music Label (The Besnard Lakes, Matthew Barber). It has 10 tracks that display a morbid, incisive lyrical bent and sad chords characteristic of the genre.

In addition to Hotel2Tango, Vollebekk took to a few other storied locations to record. Selected tracks from the album were pieced together at La Frette studios, in La-Frette-sur-Seine, France. That’s where Plants & Animals recorded and where Feist made her album The Reminder. Each track on Vollebekk’s album was cut to two-inch tape for that weighty sound.

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  |  February 28, 2013 at 2:13 pm

A HOUSE WE LOVE: A sunny house on a hill in Wakefield

What could be more welcoming than a long cedar deck? The front deck calls out for bare feet in summer and is a good snowshoe starting point in winter. With no preconceived notion of where the front door should be, a modernist approach allows the architect and owners to figure out where they’ll want to find their way in. Photography by Peter Fritz.

On The Rise: A welcoming space that encourages friends to stop by and stay awhile. 

By Andrea Hossack. Photography by Peter Fritz.

This house was featured in the 2012 Interiors edition. See more photographs and read the full story in the print edition.

It first reveals itself as a modern beach house, sun glinting off glass and the limestone cladding reminiscent of greyed driftwood on sand.

But the homeowners prefer to think of their modern-rustic gem of a house as an oyster shell, the chalky, weathered exterior complemented by a polished white palette within. Lori Doran and Ryan MacDonald — the relaxed, outdoorsy professionals who own this house and had such a good time with the building process — are understandably proud of it. Five years ago, the couple saw a lot for sale on the road that leads to the Wakefield covered bridge. They bought, then got to know the land by plunking down an Airstream trailer. The idea for a more permanent dwelling began to take shape.

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  |  April 13, 2012 at 3:42 pm

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Holobodys bring musical fugues and chaos to the Black Sheep

By Chrissy Shannon

Holobodys is a mélange of musical chaos. The self-taught sextet consists of Nathan Curry (octave mandolin), Jan Lis (viola), Jessie Pratt (violin), Linda Miller (accordion), Paul Stevens (bass), and Geoffry Pye (percussion). Hailing from Wakefield, the group represents a musical presence outside of the Ottawa norm.

And outside of the studio, the band members represent the eclectic demographics of Wakefield: Lis is an organic vegetable farmer; Curry is a professional luthier (specializing in mandolins and violins); Pratt is a public servant; Stevens dabbles in contracting; Miller manages produce; Pye is a full-time musician.

On a typical Saturday they’re busy invoking the spirit of jazz musician and philosopher Sun Ra, but this weekend one can actually witness the band’s eccentric sound in person.

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  |  October 28, 2011 at 8:13 am

FOOD BUZZ: Ever dream of entering a pizza eating contest? Cheezy Luigi’s wants you to come to Wakefield on Sunday

First I spotted the old-school carnival-style posters plastered up at foodie hangouts around town. Then I called Wakefield’s Black Sheep Inn to get more information about the advertised pizza eating contest being held there this weekend. To my surprise, the woman on the other end of the phone just kind of snickered in a way that was either nervous or sinister. Not sure which. She directed me to Luigi Meliambro, the owner of Cheezy Luigi’s, the Valley’s preeminent gourmet thin-crust pizza joint with locations in both Wakefield, and, as of June, Chelsea, Quebec. Meliambro says this first annual fundraiser for the Wakefield Community Centre was an idea that struck him as a “revelation” while watching the famous blueberry pie eating contest scene in the film Stand By Me. He has confirmed that Joshua Bishop, owner of The Whalesbone Oyster House and Mike Beck from Wakefield’s Soupcon restaurant will be among the contestants. He hopes many more will turn up at the door, lured in by the grand prize: the winner gets one free large pizza per month for a year.

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  |  November 5, 2010 at 10:09 am

The Weekender: Butterflies, birds, ballots, and four other things to do this weekend

BUTTERFLY SHOW (FREE!)
Hey, if it’s still raining (and there seems to be a never-ending supply of the wet stuff on weekends) this is a great option for frazzled parents. Carleton University’s two display greenhouses are filled with exotic tropical butterflies during its annual butterfly show. Great way to combine fun and education! Get there early — it gets very busy. Open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Sat., Oct. 2 to Oct. 11. Nesbitt Biology Building, corner of University Drive and Raven Road, 613-520-3513. http://tinyurl.com/27jypud

 

Autumn Montage by Robert Moeller

ARTISTS IN THEIR ENVIRONMENT (FREE!)
Spread over two weekends, this studio tour lets you interact with artists and craftspeople in their creative environments. More than 22 artists display paintings, pottery, sculptures, jewellery, photography, furniture, and more. Check out Louis Rompré’s vibrant hand-dipped candle demonstrations, John Barkley’s stunning abstract oil paintings, and Robert Moeller’s nature-inspired creations (left). Oct. 2 and 3 and 9 to 11. A printable version of the route map is available on the website and copies of the brochures are available en route. Chelsea and Wakefield, 819-459-3233. www.tourcw.com

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  |  September 29, 2010 at 11:35 am

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