dial613 wonders if The Zoobombs have any trouble clearing customs.

It's relatively quiet this week in town, unless you're standing anywhere in the vicinity of the speakers at The Zoobombs show. From Tokyo, they've gained notoriety for their wild live show, which is precisely what you'd expect from a band named after Sunday bicycle rides to the zoo. dial613 has seen many words used to describe The Zoobombs's sound, a number of which may or may not exist/make sense (kraut-rock anybody?), and thus won't make any attempt to pigeonhole them here; hear them for yourself at their myspace.

Also, Jim Bryson headlines a Lung Cancer Benefit at the Black Sheep on Saturday night, where he'll likely be playing a handful of new material of his cleverly titled upcoming release, Where The Bungalows Roam. You can get a taste from the mp3 down below, which sounds great.
Opening will be fellow Kelpers Camp Radio, as well as Two Dollar Bash, a folk band based in Berlin that sometimes sings in French. Naturally!

Other shows you may be interested in include the spy-fi sounds of locals The Reverb Syndicate on Wednesday, and East Coast Music Award-winners In-Flight Safety, who share the stage with PEI's Two Hours Traffic on Friday night.

What shows are you interested in checking out this week?

W 02.28
The Reverb Syndicate* with The Lipstick Machine, at Zaphod's

Th 03.01
No Other Way* with Radiodazed* and Sadie Hell*, at The Live Lounge
Shout Out Out Out Out with 120 Days, at Zaphod's
Chris Velan with Joshua Morin*, at The Black Sheep Inn
Mike Yates & The Candidates* with John Allaire*, at Avant-Garde Bar

F 03.02
Atherton & The Throw Ups* with Mic Lords, Dead Beat Dads, and Ryan MacIntyre, at Babylon
Cara Luft with Rob Szabo and Ox, at The Black Sheep Inn
Germans with VKNGS, The Soft Disaster*, and Tallships*, at Maverick's
In-Flight Safety with Two Hours Traffic, at Zaphod's

Sa 03.03
The Bloody Hollies with The Double Pumpers*, at Babylon
-->The Double Pumpers - Dyin' To Smile (website, myspace)
Jim Bryson* with Camp Radio* and Two Dollar Bash, at The Black Sheep Inn
-->Jim Bryson - Clear The Crowds (website, myspace)
-->Camp Radio - Cons At The New Moon (website, myspace)
The Zoobombs with Sweet Thing and Good2Go*, at Zaphod's

Su 03.04
Young Galaxy with Acres*, at Zaphod's

* denotes local act

United Steel Workers of Montreal, clearly slacking on the job.

First off: look on the sidebar for a whhhack of new show listings, including... meh, dial613 isn't going to say. But suffice it to say that you may be asking somebody to (ahem) please please please get you tickets. Oh geez, dial613 went there.

This week in Ottawa, Geoff Berner returns. dial613 wrote a little about him before his last visit about 6 months ago, which turned out to be a really great show. Shouldn't be any less great this time around, and if that past write-up interests you even in the least, you are as likely to enjoy it as he is to be drunk on stage; and that is pretty much a sure thing.
Maybe there'll be an mp3 up below once dial613 finds its copy of 2005's Whiskey Rabbi there is an mp3 up now; also, you can get a bootleg of an Edmonton show (shortly after his previous Ottawa visit) at B(oot)log. And how convenient, you can also enter to win his new album, The Wedding Dance of the Widow Bride over at local blog i(heart)music this week.

As intriguing as Geoff Berner was to dial613 back in August, the same sort of curiousity is piqued by the United Steel Workers of Montreal and their "citygrass" music. While the former claims to punk up klezmer, the latter proports to punk up country. dial613 has yet to figure out the new New Music Canada layout, but you should be able to hear some stuff by clicking here, and then the song titles after that. If not: website, myspace.

Also this week, there is a show at The Live Lounge, which is run by the evil mass media empire of radio conglomeracy, live 88.5. If anybody goes, e-mail dial613 to let us know how great/good/awful/smutty the venue is, and the extent to which it robs your soul and replaces the remaining empty shell of your body with vast amounts of commercialism.

What are you looking forward to this week?
Any shows that dial613 isn't aware of?

02.21.07
Travel By Owl* with The Harlots, at Zaphod's
-->Travel By Owl - I Am Listening So Close (myspace)

02.22.07
The Beautiful Unkown, at The Live Lounge
Jupiter Ray Project*, at The Black Sheep Inn

02.23.07
Geoff Berner with Bob Wiseman and Male Nurse*, at The Black Sheep Inn
-->Geoff Berner - Song Written In A Romanian Hospital (website, myspace)
Valery Gore with Sarah Hallman*, at Zaphod's
-->Sarah Hallman - Shovel (myspace)
Crush Luther with Mugshot and Arm Your Desires, at Babylon
Marc Victor, at Avant-Garde Bar
Souljazz Orchestra* with Jokko*, at Maverick's

02.24.07
Blake, at Avant-Garde Bar
The Phantom Shifters* with The Solid Senders* and Garaga*, at Irene's Pub
The Postage Stamps with Design Of Cities*, at Zaphod's
United Steel Workers Of Montreal with Trevor Alguire, at The Black Sheep Inn
White Cowbell Oklahoma*, at Barrymore's

02.25.07
StopDieResuscitate with Jokers Of The Scene*, at Zaphod's

* denotes local act

Flecton sets the mood like no other at The Manx on Wednesday.

Ok, so dial613 is going to go ahead and acknowledge the elephant in the room right away: this Wednesday is a pretty special day.

And, if you do by chance choose to celebrate, your options are certainly open.
The most typically romantic idea would be to head over to The Black Sheep Inn in the wonderful setting of Wakefield, where you can get lost in the atmospheric songwriting of Josh Ritter and the lovely voice of Jill Barber.
For the more adventurous, and those who'd like to be especially close to a certain someone (and just as close most others in attendance), feel the love with local charmer Flecton and the debut(?) of Lover's Lane, featuring the duo of Mike Dubue (Hilotrons, Double Pumpers, ..) and Jim Bryson.

Speaking of Hilotrons, they'll play their first show of 2007 on Saturday. What took so long, dial613 don't know; but My Dad vs. Yours also plays this week, and so it appears as though the race to be 2007's most frequently-performing non-residency band in the city is clearly on. Anybody wanna put down some early money?

Also of note, one-time Manx regular Danny Michel comes back home to play a two-night stand in Wakefield, and the newly-recordreleased Crowded Skies (myspace) open at Zaphod's on Saturday. If country rock is your thing, then this show should be your thang. Because that's what country rock-type people say, right?

What shows are you planning to head out to this week?
Any anti-Feb.14 parties dial613 should be aware of (y'know, the ones typically held by those sad, bitter people)?

M 02.12.07
Clepto* with Contrabandit* and Stoic Kid*, at Zaphod's
Guy Major*, at The Rainbow

Tu 02.13.07
Josh Ritter with Jill Barber, at The Black Sheep Inn
Secret Star* with Look Toward The Sky and The Scenery, at Avant-Garde Bar

W 02.14.07
Busboyeez* (CD Release) with Ladymilk* and The Rumbelinas, at Zaphod's
Flecton* w/ Lover's Lane*, at The Manx
-->Flecton - Truce Is Stranger Than Fiction
For The Mathematics* with F!ghtF!ghtF!ght*, Elephantoms*, and Sleeping Pilot*, at Babylon
-->For The Mathematics - This Transient
Josh Ritter with Jill Barber, at The Black Sheep Inn

Th 02.15.07
The City Above with Once Past Silver and Auto Racing*, at Zaphod's
Danny Michel, at The Black Sheep Inn
-->Danny Michel - The Invisible Man

F 02.16.07
Danny Michel, at The Black Sheep Inn
Kiss Me Deadly with Crystal Clyffs and My Dad vs. Yours*, at Zaphod's

Sa 02.17.07
Trevor Dunn & Shelley Burgon with Adam Saikaley* and Parade, at Club SAW
Hilotrons* with The American Devices and Mackenzie MacBride*, at Barrymore's
-->Hilotrons - Born A Dancer
North Of Summer with The Jason Kent Band, at Avant-Garde Bar
Eric Vieweg & The Silver Lining* with Crowded Skies*, at Zaphod's

Su 02.18.07
"Music & Art 5" featuring The Rude Dudes*, Hellbros*, Goddam Goddams*, and Sadie Hell*, at Zaphod's

* denotes local act

Think About Life, thinkin' about life.

This will be it for now; more important things to attend to this week.

And remember, the Winterlude shows are free and outdoors, for those willing to brave the cold for the Arts & Crafts party on Saturday and the Francophone showcase on Sunday.
If you'd rather be inside on Saturday, consider some neat free-jazz from the Vandermark 5 at Zaphod's.

W 02.07.07
Econoline Crush with Autobahn @MVK
Ndidi Onukwulu*, at The Glebe Community Centre
Six Weeks with Tweak* and Headbounce*, at Zaphod's
Slayer with Unearth, at Scotiabank Place

F 02.09.07
The Empiricals* with Ukrainia!*, at Babylon
Jason Collett with Amy Millan, Apostle Of Hustle, and Young Galaxy, at Winterlude
Mile Over Mecca*, at Avant-Garde Bar

Sa 02.10.07
The Golden Dogs with Lure*, at Maverick's
The Murder Plans*, at Avant-Garde Bar
Ohbijou with Jetplanes Of Abaraham* and Habitat, at The Black Sheep Inn
Les Trois Accords, at Winterlude
-->Les Trois Accords - Grand Champion (stream) (website)
Vandermark 5, at Zaphod's

Su 02.11.07
Po Girl (4pm), at The Black Sheep Inn
Think About Life with Quebexico and Fucked Corpse*, at 59 Argyle
The Winks with Glenn Nuotio* and Famous Lovers, at Zaphod's

* denotes local act

Will be up later in the week.

Meantime, congratulations to reader K.B. for grabbing the 2 tickets to see Grizzly Bear tonight.

If you were counting on the free tickets for a night out, remember that it's free cover tonight at Zaphod's.
It's like dial613 has another contest for tickets to see locals Jen Militia, and everybody wins. dial613 is generous like that.

Be aware: Entry deadline is February 2.

Would you like 2 free tickets to see Grizzly Bear in Ottawa?

The widely adored Brooklyn band plays Barrymore's on February 5 along with tourmates The Dirty Projectors, as well as local acts As The Poets Affirm and Crush Buildings, in support of one of the internet's favourite albums (reviews courtesy of Stagefright Publicity) of 2006, Yellow House.

And gee willikers, dial613 has a pair of tickets to give away (~$25-30 value), courtesy of the wonderful people at locally-based blog Mocking Music.

To enter: Simply e-mail dial613 (dial613[AT]gmail[DOT]com) with the subject line, I want to get mauled ... by Grizzly Bear. Because that's what bears do sometimes.
For one bonus entry: Use a subject line that is funnier or clevererer than the one above (shouldn't be too hard). dial613 will be the judge. (Hint: it's hard to go wrong with an Aqua reference.)

The contest closes at 11:59 PM on February 2, 2007, and the winner will be contacted through e-mail on February 3. Should the winner not respond in a reasonable amount of time, the tickets will be drawn for again.
Good luck (and hurry)!

note: tickets = guestlist spots; no physical tickets involved!

Quickly:

• Radio station 106.9 The Bear is holding the regional voting for the Canadian Radio Star Songwriting Competition. Up for a shot at the nationals are 5 Ottawa songwriters, including Joshua Morin, Meredith Luce, and Jonathan Chandler (of Amos The Transparent). You can download each entrant's mp3 and then vote here before February 1.

• Ottawa is getting a new record store. This was supposed to be its own post, but in case there's not another chance before it opens, you should know that Sounds Unlikely, featuring "eclectic music hard to find film", will open its doors on February 1 at 10:30 AM and has its official Grand Opening on Saturday, February 3, from 10AM-6PM. Read the full press release here.

Is that a Grammy in Camera Obscura singer Tracyanne Campbell's hand? Oh wait, no, no it isn't.

Congratulations to reader Jamie for winning the Camera Obscura ticket giveaway, who included this and this with his entry... each which may or may not have made dial613 giggle.
And thanks to all who entered, especially to the readers who suggested that the lady on the cover might have been looking at this (completely possible, if not probable), saying this, or went to the trouble to handpaint a backdrop to re-create the photo. Hot-dang, there's no justice in random number generators, is there? Karma won't forget your effort, dial613 is sure of it.
If you haven't gotten tickets yet but still want to see the show, and you aren't Jamie, then you might want to get on that; there are less than 20 tickets left at last count. are out of luck, because they're now sold out.

In other happenings this week, no-cover-Monday at Zaphod's looks great this week, featuring the seemingly Primus-inspired Auto Racing, singersongwriter Marc Charron (who also fronts Lure), and "arguably the greatest undiscovered guitarist in Canada" Robert Farrell with his band.
Anybody want to argue?

Loud and dirty rock and roll is provided by locals The Watters Brothers on Wednesday night and the entire Pride Tiger bill on Saturday, while you can catch more mellow sounds on the other end of the spectrum at the Black Sheep with great songwriters Sarah Hallman and/or Justin Rutledge.

If you're looking to find a potential new favourite local band, look no further than Books On Books at Irene's on Saturday. Head to their myspace to get a feel for their grainy experimental sound, and you can also download a track from the most recent 'this weekend' post.

What shows are you looking forward to this week?
Are there any missing from the list?

M 01.29.07
Auto Racing* with Boswalos, Marc Charron*, and The Robert Farrell Band*, at Zaphod's

Tu 01.30.07
Camera Obscura with The Essex Green and Glenn Nuotio* @BRM
Fortycentfix*, at End Hits

W 01.31.07
The Watters Brothers* with The Uptown Strugglers* and The Possums*, at Zaphod's

Th 02.01.07
Chris Frye with O Susanna and Kevin Fox, at The Black Sheep Inn
Ghislain Poirier with Vitaminsforyou, Jokers of the Scene*, at Zaphod's

F 02.02.07
HIV/AIDS Benefit ft. Golden Bulldozer*, The Walsh Tribute, and Matt Raudsepp, at Zaphod's
Good2Go*, at End Hits
Sarah Hallman* with The Soirée*, at The Black Sheep Inn
River City Junction*, at Avant-Garde Bar
The Tragically Hip with The Constantines, at Scotiabank Place

Sa 02.03.07
Books On Books* with Les Allumettes* and The City Above*, at Irene's
Mighty Popo (CD Release), at Barrymore's
Pride Tiger with The Double Pumpers*, The Mighty Eagle Band*, at Zaphod's
Justin Rutledge with Rose Cousins, at The Black Sheep Inn

Su 02.04.07
The McGillicuddy Sisters (4pm show) with Lucky Ron* and Lefty McRighty*, at The Black Sheep Inn

* denotes local act

In case you haven't caught them yet, a reminder that tonight is the last night for you to see/hear the best bass lines and harmonies in the city (oh no dial613 di'n't!) over at Irene's Pub, as local alt-country/rockers Department Of Foreign Affairs finish up their month-long Sunday night residency.

Infinite numbers of bands list The Beatles and The Beach Boys as influences, but DOFA is one of the few where you would actually guess it without them having to spell it out for you.

They'll be playing 2 sets featuring old songs, new songs from their recently released and dandyfun album Northern Living Northern Lights, and some covers (hopefully a certain Beach Boys one..).

One set at 9PM and another at 10PM, $5 cover.

No word on whether or not Calvin Broadus Snoop Dogg will bring BFF Taylor Hicks on stage Friday at the Civic Centre.

F - 01.26.07
The Besnard Lakes with Amos The Transparent*, at Zaphod's
-->The Besnard Lakes - And You Lied To Me (website, myspace)
Lily Frost with J.F. Robitaille, at The Black Sheep Inn
The Nads* (cd release) with Doug Hell & The Junkie Murderers*, Travolta Sings*, Dr. Wily & The Robot Masters*, and more, at Club Saw
Snoop Dogg with Ice Cube, at the Civic Centre
-->Snoop Doggy Dogg - Who Am I (What's My Name) (website, myspace)
-->Snoop Dogg ft. Justin Timberlake - Signs
Tradition with Xian and Saint Bernard Of Love*, at 59 Argyle
-->Saint Bernard Of Love - For The Horse Riders (myspace)

Sa - 01.27.07
Caledonia with The Murder Plans* and Kris Ward*, at Café Dekcuf
Caridad Cruz, at Zaphod's
Venus Envy's 6th Anniversary, featuring The Cliks, Les Allumettes, and The Banditas, at The Legion on Kent St.
Crowded Skies* (CD release) with Jupiter Ray Project*, at Irene's Pub
-->Crowded Skies - Fire Off The Hill (stream)
Goldsword Champion* with Weapons Of Mass Seduction* and Captain Foxy*, at 59 Argyle
Jacquie In The Kitchen* (last show) with The Watters Brothers,* The Coggs*, and Brad Sucks*, at Maverick's
-->Brad Sucks - Making Me Nervous (website, myspace)
Steve Forbert with Ron Leary, at The Black Sheep Inn
--> (website, myspace)
See Joe Smile*, at Holy Redeemer Church (Kanata)

Su - 01.28.07
Department Of Foreign Affairs*, at Irene's Pub
-->Department Of Foreign Affairs - Burning Eyes (website, myspace)

* denotes local act

(Reminder: Deadline for entering the Camera Obscura contest below is 11:59 PM on the 26th.)

This week in Ottawa will be up later in the week. Or we'll just keep going one day at a time.

On Wednesday, Zaphod's is holding a "For Flag And Country" fundraiser. to help restore the Union Jack flag that was rescued from Parliament from a fire in 1916.
Three dandy local alt-country bands are taking part: Lefty McRighty & The Boxcar Cadavers, Sunbleached Skulls, and Evil Farm Children.
You can read more about the cause here.

Until then, all there is to know about is no-cover Monday at Zaphod's, featuring Graven with locals Johlen and That's The Spirit.

Also, dial613 is still waiting for someone more readers to re-create that photo for the Camera Obscura contest..

Would you like 2 free tickets to see Camera Obscura in Ottawa?

The Scottish sextet plays Barrymore's on January 30, along with tourmates The Essex Green and local Glenn Nuotio, as part of the 2nd leg of a North American tour in support of their 3rd album, Let's Get Out Of This Country.

And what do you know, dial613 has a pair of tickets to give away (~$35-40 value), courtesy of the fine folk over at Mocking Music.

To enter: Simply e-mail dial613 (dial613[AT]gmail[DOT]com) with the subpar subject line, "May I take a photo of you with my Camera Obscura? ;)" (awkward emoticon included). And...

For one bonus entry: With your e-mail, include a picture of what the nice lady in the photo above might possibly be looking at. Here's one idea.
For TWO bonus entries: Send in a picture of your best re-creation of the photo above, with you as the star. Come on, everybody's doing it. (oh, and dial613 would really like it if you gave permission for it to be posted on the site, too)

The contest closes at 11:59 PM on January 26, 2007, and the winner will be contacted through e-mail on January 27, 2007. Should the winner not respond in a reasonable amount of time, the tickets will be drawn for again.
Good luck!

To get you giddy:
-->Camera Obscura - Lloyd (Cole), I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken (website, myspace)
-->Camera Obscura - Roman Holiday

note: tickets = guestlist spots; no physical tickets involved!

Don't forget to pack your nice clothes to bring to Camp Radio on Saturday at Babylon.

This week in Ottawa, local trio Camp Radio (fronted by singer-songwriter Chris Page) finally get around to celebrating their debut LP, which was originally released back in May. It's been getting some attention from a few different places, including CBC Radio 3's recent bestof2006 podcast, as well as confused parents looking to start their children on early broadcasting careers.

Passing through the outskirts of Ottawa is Joel Plaskett, who plays 2 shows at the Black Sheep Inn. But they're both sold out, so that'll learn you for dawdling.

At another local show, dial613endorsed jazzy/electro/something ensemble Antizario play a benefit for The Independent Filmmakers Cooperative of Ottawa, along with a number of other local musical and nonmusical artists.
And do you remember Dominic D'Arcy coming to your school way back? Of course you do; it's hard to forget a singing policeman. But you may have forgotten Cierra Campeau, who accompanied him for a number of shows as a kid who you were probably supposed to relate to. Anyway, you can go see her doing her own thing now, headlining Saturday at Zaphod's. And while you're there, thank her for helping to keep you off the drugs (or at least for trying?).

What are you looking forward to this week?

M - 01.15.07
IFCO 15th Anniversary Party, featuring Antizario* and more, at Barrymore's
The Queers with The Heart Attacks, The Riptides*, and The Suicide Pilots, at Maverick's

W - 01.17.07
Brian Downey*, at Avant-Garde
Matt Mays with Museum Pieces and Alanna Stuart*, at Barrymore's
The Vanity Of Human Wishes* with The October Sky*, at Zaphod's

Th - 01.18.07
Joel Plaskett with Melissa Ferrick, at The Black Sheep Inn
-->Joel Plaskett - Happen Now (website, myspace)
-->Joel Plaskett - Natural Disaster
Priestess with Mad Parish, at Maverick's
Radar, at Avant-Garde

F - 01.19.07
Students For A Free Tibet fundraiser, featuring All Is Lost*, Stoic Kid*, Clepto*, and The Red Light Saints*, at Babylon
Fortycentfix* with Roadbones and Down On Bedford*, at Zaphod's
Marie-Josee Houle* with Sacha Gabriel*, at Avant-Garde
Joel Plaskett with Melissa Ferrick, at The Black Sheep Inn
Tugnut with Seething and Dr. Wily & The Robot Masters*, at End Hits

Sa - 01.20.07
Adam Carrol with Roger Marrin and The Undesirables, at The Black Sheep Inn
Camp Radio* (CD release) with Flecton Big Sky & The Dreamcatchers* and Micarza Camaro*, at Babylon
-->Camp Radio - On The Landing Strip (website, myspace)
-->Camp Radio - Cons At The New Moon
Cierra Campeau* with Amanda Rheaume* and Sarah DeLuca*, at Zaphod's
Lyna Cob with Mica Hamerson*, at Avant-Garde
Iconoclast*, at Barrymore's
The Jimmy Swift Band, at Maverick's

Su - 01.21.07
Department Of Foreign Affairs*, at Irene's Pub
-->Department Of Foreign Affairs - First They Hit Manhattan (website, myspace)

* denotes local act

Also note: the show listings on the right were massively updated today. Find better ones, and dial613 will call you a liar.
Don't forget that you can import them straight into your Google calendar for incredible convenience; just click that button right above the listings.

And, another ticket giveaway will be up later in the week.
(guessing from the hint = bonus entry)

Rock Plaza Central are, indeed, horses: gift horses for Ottawa's low wintertime touring band rate, hyuk hyuk.

This week in Ottawa, maybe some snow will come. It would be handy to serve as a reminder that there is a reason not many bands are coming through town right now, as opposed to just feeling left alone.
But it's not like things are all that desparate: Toronto band Rock Plaza Central play on Saturday as the nonlocal exception to a 2-night showcase of local music at Zaphod's, brought to you by the folk at Mocking Music.
They came around back in September to release their new album Are We Not Horses?, which apparently is about robotic horses who believe they are real horses. Between then and now, though, they've garnered all sorts of new and fun media, including a very nice review from Pitchfork. But that shouldn't be necessary to get you out; if you head over to their myspace (linked below), you can decide for yourself.
And, as a bonus, there will be two dandy local openers in As The Poets Affirm and My Dad vs. Yours.

2 local CD releases from very different ends of the spectrum are also scheduled this week:
Antizario release their debut LP Saturday Night at The Mercury Lounge. The album, It's Great To Be Fine, should have all sorts of neat jazzy sounds with electronica influences; have a listen on their myspace for some really interesting stuff.
Punk-rock quartet The Bella Bombs will also be putting out their debut record, which you can celebrate at Babylon on Saturday.

Also worth noting is Colombian folk music ensemble Folklore Urbano, who play Zaphod's on Wednesday. There should probably be some comment about melting away the winter chills. Probably.

What are you looking forward to this week?

W - 01.10.07
Capital Slam event featuring Rob McLennan, at Café Dekcuf
Folklore Urbano, at Zaphod's

Th. - 01.11.07
Million Dollar Marxists* with CPC Gangbangs, at Babylon

F - 01.12.07
Daiquiri* with Black Actors* and Fucked Corpse*, at Zaphod's
The Reverb Syndicate* with Evil Farm Children*, at The Black Sheep Inn

Sa. - 01.13.07
Antizario* (CD release), at Mercury Lounge
Rock Plaza Central with As The Poets Affirm* and My Dad vs. Yours*, at Zaphod's
-->Rock Plaza Central - My Children, Be Joyful (website, myspace)
-->As The Poets Affirm - Awake Chaos (website, myspace)
-->My Dad vs. Yours - Habla Paisane (website, myspace)
The Bella Bombs* (CD release) with The Shifters*, The Fucking Machines*, and Muffler Crunch*, at Babylon
Nero* with Dave Lauzon*, at Maverick's
North Of Summer, at Avant-Garde Bar

Su. - 01.14.07
Department Of Foreign Affairs*, at Irene's Pub
Natalia Zukerman* with Melissa Laveaux*, at The Black Sheep Inn
Nero* with Elbeejay*, at Maverick's
Octoberman w/ Poorfolk* and Design Of Cities*, at The Rainbow

* denotes local act

Congratulations to reader K.P., who won tickets to see Emily Haines and her Soft Skeleton.

This week in Ottawa is all-local, with the exception of Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton, who will come through town playing the 2nd date of a North American tour in support of the debut release Knives Don't Have Your Back. Reviews from her set at cbcradio3's See Vous Play show came back positive, and dial613 assumes she'll have plenty left for her first solo show in Ottawa.

If that's not your thing, you may want to go over to Zaphod's and see Brock Zeman. He's also just starting out on a tour in support of his new album Welcome Home Ivy Jane, which features the same country grit that the Carleton Place native has been making his name on through his other 3 releases in the past 4 years.

Sunday night, dial613endorsed Department Of Foreign Affairs begin a month-long residency at Irene's Pub. The band, whose genre changes every time dial613 writes about them (alt-country/countryaltrock/poppyrocknroll), will be playing 2 sets every Sunday in January at 9 and 10 PM. It would probably do you some good to go; their CD release was a blast, and their harmonies are more fun than a barrel of made-up genre classifications.

Another option this Sunday night, if you're up for the drive, is to head down to the Black Sheep Inn for a showcase of 4 promising local singing-songwriting talents, including Marc Charron, who you may already know as the front for Lure.

So, where are you planning on going this week?

01.05.07
Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton, at The Bronson Centre
-->Emily Haines - The Lottery (website, myspace)
Brock Zeman* with Joshua Morin* and Ball 'n Chain*, at Zaphod's
-->Brock Zeman & The Dirty Hands - Sweet Charlotte (website, myspace)

01.06.07
Souljazz Orchestra*, at Babylon
Sojourn* with Addison*, Acres*, at Maverick's
Twelve34* with Sindication* and Lady Milk*, at Barrymore's

01.07.07
Department Of Foreign Affairs*, at Irene's Pub
-->Department Of Foreign Affairs - Burning Eyes (website, myspace)
Meredith Luce* with Marc Charron*, Derek Olive* and Dave Gaudet*, at The Black Sheep Inn

* denotes local act