The Wooden Stars share a double-bill, green screen, with Hilotrons this weekend.


M 05.28
Blazer* with Far From The Trees*, Dusty Waters, and Michael Caffrey*, at Zaphod's

Tu 05.29
Mike Yates* with Ritallin*, at Avant-Garde Bar

Th 05.31
Feist with Chad VanGaalen, at Bronson Centre
-->Feist - Mushaboom (k-os mix) (website, myspace)
-->Chad VanGaalen - Graveyard (website, myspace)
Danny Michel* with Sara Austin Corbett, at The Black Sheep Inn
-->Danny Michel - The Invisible Man (website, myspace)
Mother Mother with Amos The Transparent*, at Zaphod's
-->Mother Mother - Dirty Town (website, myspace)
-->Mother Mother - Verbatim
Two Hours Traffic with Mardeen, at Maverick's
Wil with Auto Racing*, at The Live Lounge
-->Wil - Wedding Dress (website, myspace)
-->Auto Racing - Military Bubbles (myspace)

F 06.01
Black Boot Trio* with Four'n'Giv'r*, at Irene's Pub
Joshua Morin Band* with Graham Greer*, at The Clocktower Brew Pub
The Wooden Stars with Hilotrons*, at The Black Sheep Inn
-->The Wooden Stars - Pretty Girl (website, myspace)
Quarter Life* (CD release) with Sarah DeLuca*, at Zaphod's

Sa 06.02
Harshey* with The Fucking Machines* and The Uncooperatives*, at Irene's Pub
Hilotrons* with The Wooden Stars, at The Black Sheep Inn
Kobotown with Mr. Something Something, at Barrymore's
The Mahones, at Babylon
Quarter Life* (CD release) with Ben Cooper*, at Zaphod's

Su 06.03
Canoe-b-que featuring Ian Tamblyn, Ellen Hamilton, David Archibald, Shelley Posen, and Connie Kaldor, at The Black Sheep Inn

* denotes local act

jump

Laura Barrett's hair is between her glasses and her eyes; how impractical!

W 05.23
The Cliks with We Are The Take, at Zaphod's

Th 05.24
Call Me Poupee, at Zaphod's
Mile Over Mecca*, at Avant-Garde Bar
Million Dollar Marxists*, at Babylon

F 05.25
Laura Barrett with Woodhands and Glenn Nuotio*, at Club SAW
The County Boys, at Irene's Pub
Dopamine* with Doll*, at Zaphod's
The Greg MacPherson Band with DarkBlueWorld, at The Black Sheep Inn

Sa 05.26
Melissa Laveaux* with Annabelle Chvostek and Blue Venus, at Zaphod's
Downchild Blues Band (CD release) with Tony D*, at Barrymore's
Corin Raymond with Brock Zeman and Andrew Neville, at The Black Sheep Inn

Su 05.27
Sadie Hell* with Hollerado* and Museum Pieces, at The Black Sheep Inn

* denotes local act

jump

Reverend Horton Heat

This week, dial613 must be missing some show listings? It seems like a bit of a light week. As always, leave a comment if you notice anything has been left out.

Not to say the shows this week are no good.. there's a pretty neat roster of visitors. You can see United Steel Workers Of Montreal, Cuff The Duke, and Great Aunt Ida over the course of the weekend, each on their own night.

And worthwhile local acts, including The Soirée, The Soft Disaster, Sarah Hallman, and Books On Books, are playing through the week. And that's not meant as a slight to the other local acts, ok? These are just the ones that have bribed dial613 ... can type out without over-using bold lettering.

This week's game of make-your-own-punchline: Reverend Horton Heat plays 2 days before The Unionist Ministers. (...and The Ethics play only after those two acts have come and gone.)

What are you looking forward to this week?

Tu 05.15
punkottawa.com 6th anniversary, ft. Reverend Horton Heat with Murder By Death, at Barrymore's

Th 05.17
Reilly* with F!ghtF!ghtF!ght* and Books On Books*, at Zaphod's
The Soft Disaster* with The Soirée* and The Rest, at The Black Sheep Inn
The Unionist Ministers with The Just Barelys and B.A. Johnston, at Maverick's

F 05.18
The Ethics* with Eric Vieweg & The Silver Lining*, at Irene's Pub
United Steel Workers Of Montreal with Joe Grass, at The Black Sheep Inn

Sa 05.19
Acres* (CD release) with As The Poets Affirm*, at Zaphod's
Cuff The Duke with Spiral Beach, at The Black Sheep Inn
The David Picco Band with Greg Hobbs & The Turkey Basters, at Irene's Pub

Su 05.20
Great Aunt Ida with Sarah Hallman*, at Irene's Pub

* denotes local act

jump

The Bicycles are like your mom, everybody gets a ride.

This week, answering machine/message board punkottawa.com celebrates its 6th anniversary with 6 days of punk rock & roll shows, none of which dial613 will pretend to be too familiar with. Should be fun though, there are some local acts in the festivities like The Love Machine, who are known to put on a good show around these parts. They'll be part of the biggest bash of the anniversary party, opening on a bill featuring Moneen as headliners.

And hey, remember Limbeck? They're those guys that covered the Backstreet Boys maybe about 5 or 6 years back, aren't they? At least that's how the mp3 on Kazaa was labelled, and those things were pretty much always right. Contest: dial613 will mail a granola bar to anyone that requests it at the show on Wednesday (and can provide video evidence). Bonus: if they play it, you get to choose the flavour!

And FYI: if you're into The Bicycles and The Old Soul and were thinking of heading over to the Black Sheep to catch them, you can hang onto your gas money if you'd like since the same bill will be playing Maverick's next week. Maverick's isn't quite as charming as Wakefield, though, so take your pick.

What shows are you looking ahead to this week?
Any shows missing from the listings?

M 05.07
The Mighty Eagle Band* with Doll* and The Unavowed*, at Zaphod's
Ron Sexsmith, at Centrepointe Theatre

Tu 05.08
The Johnstones with Keepin 6, at Café Dekcuf

W 05.09
The Bicycles with The Old Soul, at The Black Sheep Inn
-->The Old Soul - Nectar Of The Nitwit (website, myspace)
The Divorcees with Lefty McRighty* and Steve Stacey*, at Zaphod's
Hot Rod Circuit with Limbeck, The Forecast, and The Riot Service, at Café Dekcuf
-->Limbeck(?) - I Want It That Way (Backstreet Boys cover) (website, myspace)
Lynn Miles* with Sneezy Waters, at Glebe Community Centre

Th 05.10
Kim Barlow with Great Aunt Ida and Kyrie Kristmanson*, at The Black Sheep Inn
My Chemical Romance, at Scotiabank Place
Sin Kickers* with Mile Over Mecca* and Mono Hum*, at Zaphod's

F 05.11
James Hill with Anne Davison, at The Black Sheep Inn
Jeff Meleras* (CD release) with Jupiter Ray Project*, at Irene's Pub
Manpower* with Starvin' Hungry*, at Zaphod's
punkottawa.com 6th anniversary ft. Modern Life Is War, Death By Dishonour, Cobra Noir, and I Refuse*, at Montgomery Legion Hall
punkottawa.com 6th anniversary party ft. Moneen, Ten Second Epic, and The Love Machine*, at Capital Music Hall

Sa 05.12
Loudlove* with Speakerton, at Barrymore's
Luke Doucet with Rose Cousins, at The Black Sheep Inn
punkottawa.com 6th anniversary ft. Nekromantix, The Heart Attacks, Westbound Train, and Orange, at Babylon

Su 05.13
punkottawa.com 6th anniversary ft. Bayside, Sydney, These Silhouettes, Socialight, and Seeing Emerson*, at Maverick's
Luke Doucet with Rose Cousins (4pm), at The Black Sheep Inn
B.B. King, at National Arts Centre
Miracle Fortress with Plante Ta Femme and Pony Up, at Zaphod's

* denotes local act

jump

One-man musical project Casiotone For The Painfully Alone seemed like a joke at first: a film school dropout who didn't seem to know what to do with himself, so he decided to record lololo-fi ramblings onto 4-track cassette tapes using some old Casiotone he had lying around. This amounted to the sound of a guy with no obvious talent pouring his emotions out by means of overdramatic mumbling, self-pity, and Lil' Kim references (see: Tonight Was A Disaster). And it was all pretty goshdarned funny.

And then Casiotone For The Painfully Alone released Etiquette in 2006, along with a bunch of press pics of him looking serious, prompting reactions of, "Uhh .. hmm .. so that guy was for real?", and then crippling guilt for having laughed earlier. But then the guilt passed after listening to the early songs again because, hey, they're still kind of funny, and he must be happier now, right? (...uh, right??)

On Etiquette, more sounds are added to the previous mix of a Casiotone and a quivering voice, but the unique aesthetic of the sound still remains the same. But now, it's clear that it should (and deserves to) be taken seriously.
Neither of the 2 tracks below are from that album, but you can pick one up from the previous post.

-->Graceland (from the 2006 Graceland tour EP)
-->Hot Boyz, ft. Dear Nora (Missy Elliott cover) (funny on purpose, right? ..RIGHT??)

Casiotone For The Painfully Alone plays Babylon this Saturday night, with openers Nick Krgovich and Saint Bernard Of Love, who are worth getting there on time for (~9:30).

Casiotone For The Painfully Alone on:

the internet
myspace
livejournal(!!)

jump

Say hello to Daniel Johnston Friday at Zaphod's.

M 04.30
Acid Mothers Temple with Castor, at Babylon
The Heatskores with The Super Fantastics and Sky Stompin To Daze, at Zaphod's
The Willowz, at The Dominion Tavern

Tu 05.01
Japanther with Matt & Kim and DD/MM/YYYY , at Zaphod's
-->Matt & Kim - Yeah Yeah (website, myspace)

W 05.02
The Jason Trachtenberg Slideshow Conception with Bouncing Bobby Wiseman and The Phonemes, at Zaphod's
-->The Phonemes - Payerne (website, myspace)

Th 05.03
Greenwich Mean Time with Fusion and Mike Yates*, at Zaphod's
James Stone, at The Black Sheep Inn

F 05.04
Brock Zeman* with Ball & Chain*, at Irene's Pub
Colectivo, at Babylon
Daniel Johnston with Sister Suvi, at Zaphod's
Genticorum, at The Black Sheep Inn

Sa 05.05
Boo Hoo with Relief Maps* and Crush Buildings*, at Zaphod's
-->Crush Buildings - Ghoul Pounds (website, myspace)
Ariane Moffatt, at Barrymore's
Casiotone For The Painfully Alone with Nick Krgovich and St. Bernard Of Love*, at Babylon
-->Casiotone For The Painfully Alone - Young Shields (website, myspace, livejournal)
-->Casiotone For The Painfully Alone - Tonight Was A Disaster
-->Saint Bernard Of Love - The Girl Keeps You Up All Night (myspace)
Joel Plaskett with Peter Elkas, at Capital Music Hall
-->Joel Plaskett - Happen Now (website, myspace)
-->Peter Elkas - Party Of One (website, myspace)
Souljazz Orchestra* with The People Project, at The Black Sheep Inn
The Stance with The Bella Bombs* and Four'n'Giv'r*, at 80 Spruce St.

Su 05.06
Souljazz Orchestra* (4pm), at The Black Sheep Inn
Tacoma Hellfarm Tragedy with Evan Gordon & The Sad Clowns, at Irene's Pub
Tussle with Liar's Rosebush*, at Zaphod's
-->Liar's Rosebush - Delta Delta Delta (website, myspace)

* denotes local act

jump

Kelp record
Congrats to reader J.P. for getting the guestlistspot giveaway.

Is there much more to say about Kelp Records? Over the last week, dial613 has typed the label's name on here more times than 'flecton crotch shot' has been Google image-searched in the same timespan, which surely speaks volumes.
The 13th Anniversary Weekend lineup is below, along with mp3s for a bunch of the acts. Each show should be a great time, not only for the music, but the atmosphere too: the music is coming from a bunch of really nice people doing things they like to have a good time.

Throughout the weekend, Kelp is also allowing you the opportunity to be a nice person and be rewarded for it, too: bring in 5 used CDs to be sold for the benefit of Parkinson Society Ottawa and get Kelpmitzvah: Kelp Turns 13 (the label's 13th anniversary sampler) for free. So go out and dig up your old unused albums, because the sampler is a great compilation (featuring Kelp acts as well as other locals Sarah Hallman, The Soirée, and Mark Wilson) and has such a clever name, isn't it a clever name?

Friday April 27th - at The Navy Club (150 Middle St.)
The Acorn
The Flaps - Ouzo
The Michael Parks - Vanessa (off the Kelpmitzvah sampler)
Agile Like This
Brockway Biggs
>Doors at 8 PM (show ~9:15), $8.

Saturday April 28th (aft) - at The Carleton Tavern (223 Armstrong St.)
Andrew Vincent & The Pirates - Martha (and an interview)
Andy Swan - Brian Jones (off the Kelpmitzvah sampler)
Greenfield Main - I'll Take A Chance
Jenny Omnichord (of Barmitzvah Brothers)
The Luck - Battle Won Battle Lost (a verydandy)
Pulled pork sandwiches
>Doors at 1 PM, free/paywhatyoucan.

Saturday April 28th (eve) - at The Glue Pot Pub (340 Queen St.)
Camp Radio - On The Landing Strip
Rhume
Flecton - Truce Is Stranger Than Fiction
Two Minute Miracles
>Doors at 8 PM (show ~9:15), $8.

In-Stores at local independents (both free!):
1) Friday, April 27th 12:30 PM
The Acorn at Compact Music (190 Bank St.)

2) Saturday, April 28th 12:30 PM
Chris Page at Sounds Unlikely (5 Arlington St.)

jump

Would you like 2 tickets to see each show of Kelp Records' 13th anniversary party?

Local record label and institution Kelp Records is throwing a birthday bash to celebrate their coming of age this weekend.
Between the nights of this Friday April 27th and Saturday April 28th, 14 bands (including The Acorn, Andrew Vincent & The Pirates, and Camp Radio) will be playing, spread out across three shows in three different venues.

And wouldn't you know it, dial613 has a pair of guest-list spots to give away that'll get you into all 3 shows for no charge (especially the 2 that actually have cover), courtesy of the gracious hosts at Kelp Records.

To enter: Just e-mail dial613 with the subject line, I want to be wrapped up in it.
For 1 bonus entry!: The scientific name for kelp is Macrocystis pyrifera. What's the scientific name for Kelp Records?

The contest closes on Thursday, April 26 at 6:00 PM, which is really really soon, so hurry up, ok? The winner will be contacted through e-mail right after the contest closes, so make sure you can check your e-mail on Thursday night if you'd like to get the spots.

dial613 will have some more details and mp3s related to Kelp's 13th anniversary party up tomorrow later this week. In the meantime, you can see the full listings here on the site, or over at the Kelp website.

jump

No text or mp3s here today, but check back tomorrow for a guestlistspot giveaway to Kelp Records's KelpMitzvah!, the local label's 13th anniversary weekend-long party (including the shows listed below), as well as some tunes to download from the acts that'll be performing.

Any of the shows below catch your eye this week?

M 04.23
Amos The Transparent* with The Ethics* and Dave Gaudet*, at Zaphod's

Tu 04.24
The Bouncing Souls with Strike Anywhere, The Loved Ones, and Static Radio (7pm), at Babylon

W 04.25
Dog Day, at Irene's Pub
Patrick Krief with JP Houston, at Zaphod's
Priestess with The Binges and Tokyo Sex Whale*, at Babylon
White Cowbell Oklahoma* with Money Money*, at Maverick's

Th 04.26
Luther Wright with Tacoma Hellfarm Tragedy, at The Black Sheep Inn
The Marble Index with The Dunes and The City Above*, at Zaphod's
The Sick Fits* (cd release), at Babylon

F 04.27
Kelp Records* 13th Anniversary Party, ft. The Acorn*, The Flaps*, The Michael Parks, Agile Like This, Brockway Biggs* (aka Pimp Tea!?), at The Navy Club (150 Middle St.)
The Acorn* (1230pm), in-store at Compact Music (190 Bank St.)
Pawa Up First with My Dad vs. Yours*, at The Black Sheep Inn
Rock Plaza Central with Paper Airplanes and Books On Books*, at Zaphod's
Slackjaw Sinners with Entire Cities and Ennuie*, at The Gallery Studio
The Stills with Karkwa, The Besnard Lakes, and Mahjor Bidet, at Capital Music Hall
Washboard Hank with The McGillicuddy Sisters, at Irene's Pub

Sa 04.28
Kelp Records* 13th Anniversary Party, ft. Andrew Vincent & The Pirates, Andy Swan, Greenfield Main*, Jenny Omnichord, The Luck*, pork sandwiches (1pm), at The Carleton Tavern
Kelp Records* 13th Anniversary Party ft. Camp Radio*, Rhume*, Two Minute Miracles, Flecton* (8pm), at The Glue Pot Pub
Chris Page* (1230pm), in-store at Sounds Unlikely
Carlos Placeres with Joaquim Diaz and Caridad Cruz, at Barrymore's
Clothes Make The Man with The Adam Brown, at Maverick's
Good2Go with Evil Farm Children, at Irene's Pub
The Hundreds & Thousands with The Golden Seals, at Zaphod's
Mackenzie MacBride & The Supermodel Syndrome*, at Avant-Garde Bar
Les Trois Accords with Pépé et sa Guitare, at Capital Music Hall
Zal Idrissa Sissohko, at The Black Sheep Inn

Su 04.29
Dr. Dog with Tim's Myth* and F!ghtF!ghtF!ght*, at Zaphod's
Penny Lang with Joe Grass (4pm), at The Black Sheep Inn
The Tarbox Ramblers with Nathan Hunter (8pm), at The Black Sheep Inn

* denotes local act

jump

OMGOMG, it's the first video to take the weekly press pic spot!
Don Ross - Afraid To Dance

Alright, even though dial613 already filled the site's very forgiving words-per-week quota with yesterday's Bluesfest post, you're getting more, wow. You should consider yourself lucky, it's not like it's a pay-per-word situation over here. (And note that that's the only clear distinction between dial613 and Charles Dickens.)

Ok, so if you do one thing this week aside from visiting this site and sleeping, it should be watching that video up at the top of this post of guitar virtuoso Don Ross; it will blow your mind and maybe make you feel inadequate, but isn't it about time that some music did that to you? You were getting cocky, anyway. Go be taken down a notch at the Black Sheep Inn on Thursday.

Also, Wayne Petti is coming Friday to Dekcuf for some solo singing. You may know him from fronting Cuff The Duke or playing most of the keyboards for Hylozoists. If you like gentle strumming, catchy whistling, and cute boys with glasses baring their soul, this is the place to be.

Should also note that this week marks the start of Québec Scene, a program run by the NAC (and follow-up to Alberta and Atlantic Scenes) that serves two purposes:
1) Showcases all sorts of artists from Québec on a national stage, and
2) Attempts to quell the furor of taxpayers all over the country who finance the NAC's regular programming for us Ottawa folk the other 349 days of the year (thanks guys!).
Anyway, we in town are beneficiaries: the mini-fest brings the likes of The Besnard Lakes, Les Breastfeeders, Torngat, The Stills, Les Trois Accords, and Ghislain Poirier to town over the next 2+ weeks.

Quel show est-ce que tu veut see cette semaine? (dial613 is fluent in franglais, fyi)
Was that Don Ross video worthy of stealing the show from this week's designated press pic?

Th 04.19
As The Poets Affirm* with Mahogany Frog and Kyrie Kristmanson, at Zaphod's
Don Ross with Brooke Miller, at The Black Sheep Inn
-->Video: Don Ross - Afraid To Dance (website, myspace)
-->Video: Don Ross - Michael, Michael, Michael

F 04.20
King Sunshine, at Maverick's
Les Breastfeeders, at Babylon
John Mayer with Kathleen Edwards*, at Scotiabank Place
Lesbians On Ecstacy with Lindsay Ferguson, at The Black Sheep Inn
Steve Stacey with The Bush Pilots*, at Irene's Pub
Think About Life with Crystal Clyffs, at Zaphod's
Wayne Petti with Kris Ward*, at Café Dekcuf
-->Wayne Petti - Moment By Moment (myspace)
-->Wayne Petti - Up On The Hillside

Sa 04.21
The Allrights with Garaga* and Ellbeejay, at Café Dekcuf
Emm Gryner with Royal Wood, at Zaphod's
Foggy Hogtown Boys, at The Black Sheep Inn
Muffler Crunch* with Mississippi Grover* and Power Farm*, at Irene's Pub
Plaster with Ghislain Poirier, Stephen Beaupre and Lesbians On Ecstacy, at Barrymore's
Tomi Swick with Jeremy Fisher and Simon Wilcox, at Capital Music Hall
Torngat, at The NAC
The Wooden Stars (CD Release) with Tusks, at Babylon
-->The Wooden Stars - Outlaws (website, myspace)
xbxrx with Elephantoms*, at End Hits

Su 04.22
Jens Jeppesen, at Irene's Pub
La Tuque Bleue (4pm), at The Black Sheep Inn
People For Audio with Acres* and City Of A Hundred Spires*, at Zaphod's

* denotes local act

jump

This year's Bluesfest (July 5-15) lineup was released today, and at a glance, its heavy-hitters include:

• Bob Dylan
• The White Stripes
• Kanye West
• Cat Power
• Final Fantasy
• Built To Spill (thanks, Kevin)

Also, Bluesfest regulars Blue Rodeo, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Elmer Ferrer, and Xavier Rudd will all be taking part again this year.

Some other neat names on the bill which dial613 noticed scanning through the 4 stages include Manu Chao, Bela Fleck & The Flecktones, Kid Koala, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, The Steve Miller Band, and nationals SunParlour Players and Tokyo Police Club.
Constantly-touring Canadians Joel Plaskett, Hawksley Workman, and Jon-Rae & The River will also be performing.

And local content seems higher this year (so thinks dial613's foggy memory): Jetplanes Of Abraham, Hilotrons, Jim Bryson, Sarah Hallman, and The Empiricals are among the 25 hometown acts to be featured over the 10 days.

dial613 will again be putting together a guide to the festival, so keep coming back every day between now and July 4 to see when it shows up.

But hey, what's with the name? "Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes Bluesfest"? dial613 don't get it; anybody care to take a stab (har-har)?

What name on the bill catches your eye/makes you salivate the most?
Is the line-up worth the $145 wristband to you?

-->The White Stripes - My Doorbell

jump

dial613 hates hyperbole (more than anything else in the entire world), but it's entirely legitimate to say that Jim Bryson could be one of the best folksongwriters in Canada.

The Ottawa scene mainstay has always been good at straddling the line between playful and serious. It's hard to tell exactly when you should be taking his words at face value and when there could be something deeper: just when you might be starting to think a little too much about what you're hearing, out bleats "Haaey, haaey, toro!" from a conspicuously placed toy matador.

Despite the jostling, sincerity is one of Jim Bryson's strongest points. On Where The Bungalows Roam, his freshly-released 3rd record (and first on local independent Kelp Records), the trait rings clearer than Jim's voice, which might only be because sometimes it seems like he hasn't taken the time to clear his throat. But it's okay, as it only adds to the up-front and honest effect: the focus of a good chunk of the record is on the shakes and breaks in his voice, backed up by what always sounds like just the right amount of banjo, guitar, organ, and message machine playback.

Also, Jim Bryson was one of the two Ottawans at this year's SXSW (along with Lynn Miles), has toured the UK, gets frequent play on CBC Radio 3, and is one of the only known locals (or wearers-of-Expos-hats?) to be photographed with the world's greatest doctor.

The CD release party for the heartily dial613endorsed Where The Bungalows Roam spans 2 sets at the Black Sheep Inn, each with a local opener:

1) Saturday April 14, 9 PM, $15 advance (with The Soirée).
2) Sunday April 15, 4 PM, $15 advance (with Male Nurse).

On Saturday night, there is a bus to Wakefield leaving from the Dominion Tavern at 8pm; if you'd like a ride, e-mail Jon at Kelp Records for more details.


From Where The Bungalows Roam (2007):
-->Pissing On Everything
-->The Wishes Pile Up
-->Stream the entire album.

Jim Bryson on:
the internet
kelp records
cbc radio 3
myspace

the issues

jump

Fun fact: Jim Bryson is actually lying down in this picture.

Hey, did you know Interpol is coming this week? Too bad if you didn't, because tickets sold out faster than you can say "I always thought they were from the UK." dial613 is still kind of surprised at the speed considering the uncharacteristically low publicity for it; didn't really come across any announcements other than this at the time the dates were released. Yet within a week and a half, desperation was kicking in for those out of the loop.
The show should be good, but dial613 is less curious about the sound of their new material than about whether or not this guy is going to make it in.

Perennial local favourites The Acorn finish Tin Fisting Canada by wrapping up their tour back where it started, except in a different venue, so it's not really as poetic as it could be. But they kept a nice (b)log of their touring experiences, you can read it here if you'd like.

Another notable show is The Books, who play music that is way over your head, and so can you please just admit it and stop pretending to understand songs that are called "The Lemon Of Pink." Ok but really, this is a pretty neat show to come to town, so you should --- oh wait, what, Final Fantasy is at the Black Sheep the same night? Oh.. gosh. Tough choice (ticket availability aside?); good thing dial613 is already busy and won't have to decide.

Finally, Jim Bryson's new album, Where The Bungalows Roam, is so grand that it needs to be released over two days; the deed will be done proper over the course of shows on Saturday and Sunday at the Black Sheep Inn. Come back later in the week to read a little bit about Jim Bryson and get some mp3s from the record (which you probably will really enjoy). In the meantime, you can stream the whole thing over here, wow!

Which shows are you most looking forward to this week?

M 04.09
Sin Kickers* with Jacko* and Boom Creek*, at Zaphod's

W 04.11
Handsome Furs with Hank & Lily and Apples*, at Zaphod's

Th 04.12
The Books, at Babylon
Final Fantasy, at The Black Sheep Inn

F 04.13
The Acorn* with Orillia Opry and Sarah Hallman*, at Babylon
Forty Cent Fix* with Arietta, Saturday Night Heroes and Motorcycle Drive-By*, at Zaphod's
The Jupiter Ray Project* with Casey Comeau & The Centretown Wilderness Club*, at Irene's Pub
The Mighty Popo* with Mansa Sissoko, at The Black Sheep Inn

Sa 04.14
Andy White Trio, at Irene's Pub
Apostle Of Hustle with Jetplanes Of Abraham*, at Zaphod's
Jim Bryson* (record release) with The Soirée*, at The Black Sheep Inn
Do Make Say Think, at Barrymore's
My Tiny Circus*, at Avant-Garde Bar
Souljazz Orchestra*, at Babylon

Su 04.15
Jim Bryson* (record release) with Male Nurse* (4pm), at The Black Sheep Inn
Ora Cogan with Anni Rossi (8pm), at The Black Sheep Inn
Harvee with Sadie Hell*, at Zaphod's
Interpol, at Capital Music Hall
The Murder Plans with Form One, at Irene's Pub

* denotes local act

jump

There's something about Matthew Barber that you might want to go see on Friday at the Black Sheep Inn.

It would have been the easy route to just post that Nelly Furtado picture from the Junos where she's in that shiny black thing with the swimcap and stuff coming out of it, but dial613 has one-upped that by typing three words into a YouTube search box in order to bring you more. Apparently things got messed up during that entrance; anybody feel like watching it and letting me know?

So this weekend, Happy Easter and Passover to some, and happy nothing to everyone else. Celebrate by hearing some pure singingsongwriting from Matthew Barber, who paid his Union Dues and told them to take a break so that he could tour with colleague Julie Fader (myspace).

Also, Black Sheep fave Craig Cardiff has two sets in there, as you can see below. He sounds good, lots of people like him, maybe you will too. And it would be far too conspicuous if The Two Koreas was the only band playing this weekend but not mentioned in this quick blurb, so there it is, alright.

Show listings will get a thorough update this weekend.
What shows are you thinking of getting to in the next few days?

04.06
Matthew Barber with Julie Fader, at The Black Sheep Inn
Nelly Furtado with Saukrates and Divine Brown, at Scotiabank Place

04.07
Craig Cardiff with Mike Evin, at The Black Sheep Inn
The Two Koreas, at Zaphod's

04.08
Craig Cardiff with Anique Granger and Jacob & Lily , at The Black Sheep Inn (4pm show)

jump

Will be up later in the week..
But FYI, Tokyo Police Club and Cold War Kids show is sold out.

If you still want somewhere to hear music on Tuesday the 3rd, you can go rock out.. against poverty! At Hooley's on Elgin, 7PM, The Eric Eggleston Band and Liquid Sound will provide the ammo for your rock-out weaponry. The event is hosted as a fundraiser by the Carleton University chapter of Engineers Without Borders Canada, and it's only $5.
Poverty won't know what hit it after it is rocked out on so hard.

Finally, just passing along some word for your Ottawa Senators, maybe this will keep you busy for the next couple days. Anyone going to take a stab?
(Thanks to OttawaStart for the heads up)

----

Ottawa Senators 2007 Playoff Song Contest

http://www2.ottawasenators.com/eng/contests/index.cfm

Get our fans pumped by composing & performing an original song. You could win 8 tickets to a playoff game in Round One

Deadline: Thursday, April 5 at 12:00 noon EDT.

Visit OttawaSenators.com for full details and the official contest entry form.

* Submit a 90-second original song, with music and lyrics incorporating our “Be
red” theme.
* Submit song by mail or in person on CD in WAV or MP3 format.
* Any musical genre can be entered – rock, hip hop, dance, country, etc.
* Bands or soloists are welcome to enter the contest.
* Song should be upbeat and will be used to pump up fans at our playoff games
* Music and lyrics must be original and written and performed by contest entrant.
* A panel of judges will review all submissions and pick one winner. The Ottawa Senators will produce a music video with the winner to show at the 2007 playoff games at Scotiabank Place and for promotional use.


----

jump