With the big venues like Canadian Tire Centre and the National Arts Centre void of touring musical acts this weekend, it can be easy to bypass some of the eclectic musical events happening in Ottawa. Here are some of the more interesting things happening on the music scene this weekend:
Ottawa Implosion Weekend
This three day event, running from October 16th through 18th, is the counterpart to the summer Explosion Weekend. This mini-festival is a celebration of contemporary underground post-punk, psych, and dark disco. Concerts will take place at the House of TARG on Bank Street on Thursday, and at Gabba Hey! the other nights. Featured acts include Floridian post-punk outfit Merchandise, Denmark post-punk band Iceage, and local space-rock band Roberta Bondar. Event passes are $25 each but being printed in a very limited run, and tickets to individual shows can also be purchased.
Merrickville Jazz Fest
This jazz festival, which is celebrating its fourth year, runs from Thursday to Sunday. Concerts will take place at 7 different venues in Merrickville over the weekend, and it is a great opportunity to tour a local small-town gem while taking in great music from Canada and around the world. Festival passes are $65 and includes access to shows by artists like Montreal bebop drummer Norman Marshall Villeneuve and Toronto swing/gypsy vocalist Denielle Bassels. Ottawa pianist Brian Browne serves as the first ever Artist-in-Residence. The festival is capped with its closing event, a tribute to Blossom Dearie.
Courtesy of cbc.ca, here are this weekend’s full concert listings:
Thursday, Oct. 16
- Merchandise @ House of TARG, w/ Lower, Boyhood, Ottawa Implosion Weekend, 9 p.m., $12
- WTCHS @ Le Temporaire, w/ WHOOP-Szo, Bonnie Doon, 8:30 p.m., $7
- Merrickville Jazz Fest @ The Baldachin Inn Restaurant, ft. Swing Bridge, 7:30 p.m., $15
- Kalle Mattson @ Raw Sugar, w/ Heavy Bedroom, 8 p.m., $12
- Secret Chiefs @ Black Sheep Inn, w/ Cleric, 8:30 p.m., $15
- All-Stars Thursdays @ Irene’s, w/ Ed Hart, 9:30 p.m., free
- LIGHTS @ Algonquin Commons Theatre, w/ Rush Midnight, 8 p.m., $30
- Curtin @ Zaphod’s, w/ Cody Allen, Sounds of Stories, 8 p.m., $7
- Linda Marie @ The Rainbow, 4 p.m., free
- Reggae Night w/ Roots Movement @ The Rainbow, 9 p.m., $7
- Fresh Makers @ Avant-Garde, w/ The Almighty Rhombus, Kate Schroder, 8 p.m., $7
- Matt Dorgan Project @ Pressed, w/ Snowday, 9 p.m., $10
- Rydell @ Mavericks, w/ Cold Front, Old Rules, Safekeeping, 8 p.m., $8
- Castle, Merdarahta, Elecric Ruin, Thought Project @ Cafe Dekcuf, 7 p.m., $10
Friday, Oct. 17
- Jom Comyn @ Pressed, w/ Winchester Warm, Gianna Lauren, 8 p.m., $8
- Little Suns @ Irene’s, w/ Sick Sick Sicks, 9 p.m., $10
- The Cardboard Crowns @ Mavericks, w/ Finding Chuck, OL’CD, Les Conards a L’Orange, 9 p.m., $15
- Merrickville Jazz Fest @ Various Locations, ft. Tom McMahon Trio, The Lee Anne Frederickson Quartet, Doug Martin Duo, The Sun Crescent Barbecue Stompers, 3 p.m.
- Bombay Bicycle Club @ Algonquin Commons Theatre, w/ Milo Greene, 8 p.m., $30
- Femminielli @ Gabba Hey, w/ Fire Coast Acid Club, Ottawa Implosion Weekend, 10 p.m., $5
- Firebelly @ Black Sheep Inn, w/ Harea Band, 8:30 p.m., $7
- Fevers @ Shenkman Arts Centre, w/ Andrea Simms-Karp, 8 p.m., $20
- Frank James Band @ The Rainbow, 4 p.m., free
- Pleasure Craft @ The Rainbow, 9 p.m., $10
- The Kingmakers @ Savoy Brasserie, 9 p.m., free
- Emmanuel Jal, Tanika Charles @ Zaphod’s, 8 p.m., $8
- Blackbread @ House of TARG, w/ Bearshark, Monobrow, 9 p.m., $5
Saturday, Oct. 18
- Future States @ Cafe Nostalgica, w/ Galaxius Mons, 8:30 p.m., $5
- Rose Cousins @ Black Sheep Inn, w/ Fortunate Ones, 8:30 p.m., $20
- Silver Creek @ House of TARG, w/ The Bushpilots, 9 p.m., $10
- Beer, Barley & Food @ Rideau Pines Farm, ft. The Dusty Drifters, The Noisy Locomotive, 5 p.m., $75 (includes food & drink)
- Iceage @ Gabba Hey, w/ Father Murphy, Holy Cobras, Roberta Bondar, Ottawa Implosion Weekend, 9 p.m., $12
- Merrickville Jazz Fest @ Various Locations, ft. The Peter Liu Trio, Adam Daudrich Trio, Eastside Jazz Quartet, Quarteto Latino, Neil Sealy Quartet, Denielle Bassels Quintet, Caridad Cruz & Miguel De Armas, 12 p.m.
- Slo’ Tom & The Handsome Devils @ Irene’s, w/ James Leclaire & The Cable 22s, 9:30 p.m., $8
- The Wilderness of Manitoba @ Mavericks, w/ Grey Lands, Yuma County, 8 p.m., $12
- The Souljazz Orchestra @ Babylon, w/ DJs Andy Williams & Scott C., 10 p.m., $15
- Thus Owls @ NAC Fourth Stage, w/ Michael Feuerstack, 7:30 p.m., $25
- Fortunate Soul @ The Rainbow, 4 p.m., free
- The Royal Streets @ The Rainbow, 9 p.m., $12
- Lucky Ron @ The Lafayette, 4 p.m., free
- Adam Saikaley Quartet @ Mugshots, 8 p.m., free
- Al Wood & The Woodsmen @ Atomic Rooster, 4 p.m., free
Sunday, Oct. 19
- Bass Lions @ Raw Sugar, 8 p.m., $10
- Rose Cousins @ Black Sheep Inn, w/ Fortunate Ones, 4:20 p.m., $20
- The Lake Effect @ Irene’s, 9 p.m., free
- The Birdie Whyte Show @ The Lafayette, 6 p.m., free
- BD & The Blu-tones @ Atomic Rooster, 6 p.m., free
- Al Wood @ Atomic Rooster, 10 p.m., free
- Black Rhino Riot @ The Rainbow, 9 p.m., $5
- Dead Soft @ House of TARG, 9 p.m., $5
- David Jackson & Rolf Klausener @ The Manx, 9:30 p.m., free
- JPNSGRLS @ Cafe Dekcuf, w/ Tindervox, Tall Trees, 8 p.m., $10
- Merrickville Jazz Fest @ Various Locations, ft. Brian Browne, Peter Brown, Norman Marshall Villeneuve’s Jazz Message, Peter Woods, Nicole Ratte & Tim Bedner, Grace Hrabi Duo, 10:30 a.m.
