Between 2 of the bigger Canada Day music happenings alone, there will be THIRTEEN LOCAL BANDS playing. That's right, it excites me so much that I had to shout it.
Don't miss this incredible chance to expose yourself to a tonne of local talent... some of the best bands in the city will be playing.

With that said, dial613 presents to you:

Your guide to Music in Ottawa on Canada Day, 2006
Avoid public drunkenness laws by ducking into one of these. (Because then it becomes private drunkenness, hence it's allowed, right? Or something.)

Starting with the 3 biggest parties:

--->Parliament Hill/Major's Hill Park: music, culture, snowbirds, free.
I'm not going to be cheesy about this. There will be no line like "no matter what the weather, you'll be able to see Stars on Canada Day," or "Canadians downtown might find themselves Stars-struck on July 1." Nope, not gonna happen.
Anyway, I can't give much detail on where and when, because the NCC's website keeps crashing my computer (and I can't buy a new one because of the taxes I pay them, har har). But I can tell you some of the who: Kyle Riabko, Aselin Debison, and Colin James will all be performing. You can also see Buck 65 and K'naan (the ones who should be performing?), at the songwriter's workshop at some point during the day. When? I don't know. Be sure to save all your work first, then click here and find out for yourself.
You also may be interested in this incredibly cool 10 year project that is made of bones and wood and metal from all over the country: The Canadian Guitar.
Oh, and Stars come out on at 9:30. Dammit.
DOWNLOAD: Stars - Soft Revolution (website)

--->Zaphod Beeblebrox: 12 hours (2PM-2AM), 5 bands, 2 DJs, $5.
5 of the above-mentioned 13 local bands will be at Zaphod's annual 12 hour Canada Day "partaaaaaay" (give or take an 'a'). The bill features "newcomers" and dial613 faves Jetplanes Of Abraham (myspace) playing their 3rd ever show at about 8:30PM, along with another large local band that borrows its members from a handful of local groups (strangely, pretty much the same ones as Jetplanes?), Eastborough. Also taking the stage will be Golden Bulldozer, Grampapunk, and En Garde.

--->the parking lot outside Capital Music Hall: 12 hours (2PM-2AM), 8 bands, 1 DJ, $5.
The other 8 local acts will be playing in at the inaugural staging of The Live 88.5 Big Money Shot, a(n unfortunately-named?) competition between local bands for a ridiculous amount of money for recording and equipment. So go see the likes of The Coggs, The Love Machine, and Donkey Punch try to kick the shit out of each other for money, woo! Headlined by The Architects (myspace), who play some very palatable pop with a nice and shiny polish that's not so common around here. Click here for the full lineup.

To see the what's happening at Babylon, The Black Sheep Inn, Club Saw, and Maverick's: click here.


--->Babylon: 10 PM doors, 4 MCs, $10 advance.
Louis Logic, Jr. Flo, and locals Illo and Kid SL will all be doing their thang and spitting mad rhymes over crazy beats on Canada Day. In other words, I'm not sure who they are. But I have a feeling my prediction will be correct.

--->The Black Sheep Inn: 1 band, 50 men (heh), $10 advance.
It's the 3rd annual Fiftyday out in Wakefield, which means... you guessed it... Fiftymen (website) will be on stage. If you are one of the few drivers (or have a friend who is) on Saturday, and feel like running away from the sweaty drunken masses, this is a dandy alternative to have. Fittycent will also be making an appearance. If that means a Fiftymen hip-hop cover set, I will be really sorry I missed it.

--->Club Saw: 12 hours (2PM-2AM), 2 bands, 4 DJs, special guests, $?.
It's 12 hour bash #3, with locals Muffler Crunch (myspace) headlining. Also performing are Montreal's Les Abdigradationnistes, and DJs CPI, Jason Pelletier, BEAR Witness, and Lynne T (a Lesbian On Ecstasy).

--->Maverick's: 9 or 10PM, 1 band, free.
Peterborough's James Mckenty & The Spades (website) play some funtimey folk-rock. Sounds plain, but I have this strange feeling it could be a sleeper out of the Canada day options here.

Reminder: The Infringement Festival and Ottawa International Jazz Festival will still be running as well.

dial613's schedule?
The logistics are pretty iffy, but the bands on the to-do list (no, not that one), in rough chronological order:
The Love Machine
Jetplanes Of Abraham
The Architects
Stars
James Mckenty & The Spades
...along with whoever is closest to me before/in between/after each one.

So.. What's your schedule going to look like?