Duck and cover, Carolyn Mark is throwing a Hootenanny at the Black Sheep on Sunday afternoon.

This week in Ottawa might be a little easier on your wallet than usual, as three of the neater shows are all free of charge.
Monday night, Zaphod's hosts its weekly free music showcase with Lions In The Street, who fittingly first got attention by distributing their EP for free online. You can still get bits and pieces of the rocknroll here. Speaking of rocknroll, few do blues-rock in the city as well as The Watters Brothers (Rebellion), who open up on that bill along with other locals Elie Smith & The Mainprize.
On the same night, The Empiricals provide their "Southeast Asia a go-go" surf-rock free of charge at the Manx, but maybe you'd like to use the would-be-cover money to buy a dessert there, because they taste pretty good.

And finally, Jim Bryson releases his lovely new album, Where The Bungalows Roam, with a lunchtime in-store performance on Tuesday at Compact Music. Compact Music, unfortunately, does not serve dessert.. but picking up the new record while you're there might be an experience that is just as sweet. As long as you don't try to eat it. Mmmk.

There are some people who want you to pay to see them play, though, and goshdarnit, isn't it only fair? It's especially fair if you were to get tickets to see The Constantines with tourmates Jon-Rae & The River and Shotgun & Jaybird on Wednesday night, which is a wonderfully solid bill from open to close: you've got your rock, your rock, and then... your rock. But each in their own vein, of course, so it's very much all-right.

Which shows are you hoping to get out to this week?

M 03.26
The Empiricals, at The Manx
-->The Empiricals - Golden Beat (website)
Lions In The Street with The Watters Brothers Rebellion* and Elie Smith & The Mainprize*, at Zaphod's
Sebastien Grainger et les Montagnes, at Maverick's

Tu 03.27
Jim Bryson* (~12:30PM), at Compact Music
Embassies Of Denmark* with The Great Plains and Rebekah Higgs, at Café Dekcuf

W 03.28
The Constantines with Jon-Rae & The River and Shotgun & Jaybird, at Barrymore's
Mary Gauthier with Lynn Miles* and Eliza Gilkyson, at Library & Archives Canada
Twelve 34* with Circuit and Scarlet Fever, at Zaphod's

F 03.30
The Dunn Project*, at Irene's Pub
Eric Vieweg & The Silver Lining* with Their Majesties and Famous Lovers, at The Black Sheep Inn
The Polytones* with General Electrik*, at Zaphod's

Sa 03.31
Good2Go* with Muffler Crunch*, at The Dominion Tavern
The Coggs* with Autobahn* and The Mighty Eagle Band*, at Zaphod's
King Sunshine, with The Black Sheep Inn
Trevor Alguire* with The Jason Kent Band*, at Irene's Pub

Su 04.01
Michael Weston King with Steve Fai*, at Irene's Pub
Kelly Joe Phelps, at The Black Sheep Inn (4pm show)
Carolyn Mark with Jenny Whiteley, Luther Wright, and Jim Bryson*, at The Black Sheep Inn (9pm show)
Say Hi To Your Mom with Travel By Owl* and Relief Maps*, at Zaphod's

* denotes local act