4 music picks for Ottawa, Gatineau this week
Tasseo w/ Timber Timbre, NAC, Thursday (sold out)
Timber Timbre is on the radar of most music-following Canadians — so with the Juno-winning, Polaris-shortlisted band coming to the NAC Thursday night, let's talk about the opening act, who you'll want to show up in time to see. Tasseo is the duo of Sari and Romy Lightman, twin sisters from Toronto who have been making musical waves for years now under a few different names, in a couple of different cities. In Halifax, they performed as Ghost Bees for four years before returning to Ontario and becoming Tasseomancy, which they've since shortened.
- LISTEN | Jessa Runciman shares her picks on Ottawa Morning after 8 a.m. ET
Their musical collaborations include recording and touring with Austra, and releasing an album produced by Sandro Perri. When you listen to the music the Lightman sisters make, what catches you first are the haunting, powerful vocals. Then, you start to process what's happening in the background; the driving drums and guitar, subtle Rhodes, and swells of steel drum that create a sense of eerie celebration. To catch Tasseo and their pals Timber Timbre at the NAC Studio Thursday, it'll cost you $25. Doors are at 7:30 p.m.
Red Mass w/ Big Dick and Tropical Dripps, Babylon, Friday
Friday's musical offerings are a mixed bag. For instance, Atomic Rooster is hosting a solid rock show with Glorious Moonrockets, Flying Fortress and Moon Destroyer. And a little earlier in the day, The Frank James Band hold down their regular blues afternoon show at The Rainbow. Elsewhere that night, House of Targ's "90s Punk Cover Night" features local bands such as Nightshades and Dead Weights covering the likes of No Doubt and Jawbreaker. That show is a benefit for Ottawa's Rock Camp for Girls, which I'll touch on again in a minute. But first, let's talk about Babylon.
On Friday, all it takes is $5 to see a lineup of stellar bands, headlined by Montreal's Red Mass. They're a rotating collective of members — sometimes three people, sometimes 16 — whose live shows often teeter on the brink of becoming a semi-tribal rock 'n' roll ritual. Despite the band's many incarnations, stylistic ventures and collaborations (Cindy Lee and Mac DeMarco to name a couple), what they consistently offer is smouldering, futuristic garage, something that's gained the respect of heavyweights like Black Lips and King Khan and the Shrines, both of whom they toured with this summer. Red Mass will be joined by Ottawa's Big Dick and Tropical Dripps. 8:30 p.m., $5.
ANAMAI at fundraiser for Rock Camp for Girls, Gabba Hey, Friday
If you opt not to stick around after the Babylon show to dance to "Rhythm of the Night" and other guilty pleasures at "90s or Bust," you might want to drop by Gabba Hey (the venue at the back of the City Centre). The show happening there is another fundraiser for the Ottawa Rock Camp for Girls, which I mentioned earlier. For those who aren't familiar, Rock Camp offers mentoring and encouragement to girls between the ages of 13 and 17 who want to play music. Over the course of three days, the girls are set up with the skills to split into bands and play covers of their favourite rock songs, which they then perform at a showcase concert for their parents and friends. Yep, it's definitely a heart-warmer, not to mention crucial in helping girls gain the confidence to express themselves musically. Because it's a non-profit initiative, though, it requires funding, which is where Friday's show at Gabba Hey comes in.
The lineup is a mix of female-centric acts from Ottawa and beyond, including Toronto's ANAMAI. That's the pseudonym used by Anna Mayberry, a roots singer at her foundation, but one who brings a ghostly folklore to her music through layers of watery guitar and echoing vocal melodies. As if hearing her recordings as ANAMAI isn't enough, you get all the more respect for Anna as a varied musician when you hear the stuff she plays with HSY (pronounced Hussy), a Toronto noise-punk band. Also performing at the Rock Camp fundraiser on Friday are Ottawa's Paterson Hall, Blue Angel and Slug & The Dougs, plus a DJ set by Bonnie Doon. 10 p.m., $8.
DJs Food, Cheeba and Moneyshot, Ritual, Saturday
Looking for a deal on Saturday night? How about this? For $15 you get a classic album, a new album and a live piece of creative music documentary, all rolled into one. If you can imagine it, that's more or less what's happening at Ritual when DJ Food, DJ Cheeba and DJ Moneyshot bring their "Caught In the Middle of a 3-Way Mix" to Ottawa. So, let's start at the beginning. Paul's Boutique, the Beastie Boys' second album, is seen as somewhat of a Sgt. Pepper's of hip-hop. It's a pivotal sampling masterpiece, and when it came out in 1989, even Miles Davis said he couldn't get tired of listening to it.
Fast-forward to a couple of years ago, when three English turntablists — Food, Cheeba and Moneyshot — decide (ambitiously) to create an homage to the record by deconstructing it to its raw goods (the more than 150 tracks the Beastie Boys sampled, and the a cappellas) in order to re-imagine it into a completely new album. In addition, they threw in snippets of interviews from the era of the record's release and audio commentaries from the Beasties about the recording process. In that sense, it's a hip-hop fan's dream that's shared by music trivia nerds everywhere, and the new mix only took on more meaning after the death of Adam Yauch (MCA) in 2012. Three years in the making, "3-Way Mix" has earned attention internationally over the past couple of years, so it's exciting to be able to see it performed live by DJs Food, Cheeba and Moneyshot here in Ottawa. 10 p.m., $15
LISTINGS
Thursday
- Timber Timbre @ NAC Studio w/ Tasseo, 7:30 p.m., (sold out)
- B. Rich @ House of Targ w/ Atherton, 9 p.m., $5
- All-Stars Blues Thursdays @ Irene's w/ Peter Newsom, 9:30 p.m., free
- Young Liars @ Mercury Lounge, 8:30 p.m., $9
- The Acoustic Guitar Project @ Atomic Rooster, 7 p.m., free
- Tindervox, Slight Birching @ Pressed, "Friends of Community Radio" Launch Party, 7 p.m., $5 (PWYC)
- Green & Gold, Kira May @ Avant-Garde, 8 p.m., $6
- Valery Gore @ Black Sheep Inn w/ Lindsay Ferguson, 8:30 p.m., $10
- Shawna Caspi @ Raw Sugar w/ Andrea Simms-Karp, 8 p.m., $10
- Crowbar @ Mavericks w/ Revocation, Havok, Armed for Apocalypse, 7 p.m., $30
- Northlander @ The Rainbow, 4 p.m., free
- Reggae Night w/ Roots Movement @ The Rainbow, 9 p.m., $7
Friday
- Red Mass @ Babylon w/ Big Dick, Tropical Dripps, 8:30 p.m., $5
- Rock Camp for Girls Fundraiser @ Gabba Hey w/ ANAMAI, Paterson Hall, Blue Angel, Slug & The Dougs, Bonnie Doon DJ set, 10 p.m., $8
- Glorious Moonrockets @ Atomic Rooster w/ Flying Fortress, Moon Destroyer, 10 p.m., free
- Architects @ Ritual w/ Stray From the Path, Being As An Ocean, My Ticket Home, Abraxas, 6 p.m., $20
- Keither Hallett @ Irene's, 9:30 p.m., $10
- Fearing & White @ Black Sheep Inn, 8:30 p.m., $20
- Bosveld, Eschaton, Pith & The Parenchymas @ Gallery 101, 6:30 p.m., $5
- 90s Punk Cover Night @ House of Targ (Rock Camp for Girls benefit) w/ No Doubt by Nightshades, Jawbreaker by Dead Weights, Bikini Kill by members of Finderskeepers, Yuma County & The Lindbergh Babies, The Bruisers by The Scally Cap Brats, 9 p.m., $5
- Frank James Band @ The Rainbow, 4 p.m., free
- Leprous @ Cafe Dekcuf w/ Night Watch, Vyc Viper, Elevenstar, 7 p.m., $10
- The Mix @ Zaphod's, 5 p.m., $7
- Shawna Caspi @ The Branch w/ Kristine St-Pierre, 9 p.m., $10
- Pharis & Jason Romero @ Neat, 8 p.m., $25
- Old James @ The Brass Monkey w/ Blue Daven's Code, Keturah Johnson, 8 p.m., $5
- The Dead Projectionists @ Avant-Garde, 8 p.m., $6
Saturday
- DJ Food, DJ Cheeba & DJ Moneyshot's "3-Way Mix" @ Ritual, Beastie Boys' "Paul's Boutique" Tribute, 10 p.m., $15
- Strange Attractor @ Gabba Hey w/ Hag Face, The Soupcans, Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs, 9 p.m., $8
- The Kingmakers @ Irene's, 9:30 p.m., $7
- Amos the Transparent @ Black Sheep Inn w/ Highs, 8:30 p.m., $12
- Neverfriend @ Cafe Dekcuf w/ This Harbour, Yuma County, PINA, 7:30 p.m., $10
- Cinq Gars Une Fille @ Pressed w/ Wave Bossa Trio, 8 p.m., $10
- Fortunate Soul @ The Rainbow, 4 p.m., free
- Suits 'n' Toques @ The Rainbow w/ Les Francbatards, 9 p.m., $10
- Navy Skies @ Avant-Garde w/ Long Range Hustle, The Tenenbaums, 9 p.m., $6
- Lucky Ron @ The Lafayette, 4 p.m., free
- Kris & Dee @ Raw Sugar w/ Megan Hamilton, 8 p.m., $10
- Punk Rock Cover Night @ House of Targ ("Ottawa Sucks" underground music compilation fundraiser) w/ MC5 by members of Loviatar & Dead City Rebels, Buzzcocks by members of Ornaments, The 4-Skins by members of The Rookers & Shackles, Infest by The Donner Party, Bad Posture by members of Four-Stroke & The Bella Bombs, 9 p.m., $5
- The Provincial Archive @ Zaphod's w/ Tribe Royal, Nive Nielsen & The Deer Children, 8 p.m., $7
- Chuck & The Karnivores @ Atomic Rooster, 4 p.m., free
- Plenty of Fish @ Atomic Rooster, 9 p.m., free
Sunday
- Murder Murder @ Black Sheep Inn w/ Jared Brown, 4 p.m., $7
- Murder State @ The Rainbow w/ Broken Foot, Benihana, Subject Sinclair, Joey Gorman, 9 p.m., $5
- Handguns @ Club SAW w/ Rydell, Safekeeping, Bearings, 7 p.m., $12.50
- Country Swing Night @ Irene's w/ Alistair Dennett, Chris Breitner, Peter Newsom, John Steele, 9:30 p.m., free
- Dayglo Abortions @ Mavericks w/ Lost Youth, Alcohol Fueled, 8 p.m., $12
- The Birdie Whyte Show @ The Lafayette, 6 p.m., free
- Al Wood & The Woodsmen @ Atomic Rooster, 6 p.m., free
- Fabien @ Atomic Rooster, 10 p.m., free
- Catholic Girls @ Gabba Hey w/ Nightshades, 2 p.m., $5 (all-ages)
Monday
- Windigo @ Raw Sugar w/ Hungry Animals, Paterson Hall, 8 p.m., $5
- Sound of Stories @ Zaphod's w/ Archy & Mehitabel, Chase Garrett Sabatine, Rock, Stock & Barrell, 8 p.m., free
Tuesday
- Tech N9ne @ Ritual w/ Krizz Kaliko, Animal Nation, Immaculate, Swisha T, Story Tellers, 9 p.m., $35
- Sabrina Saumur @ The Rainbow, 8:30 p.m., $5
Wednesday
- Samantha Savage Smith @ Raw Sugar w/ Chairs, 8 p.m., $10
- Angry Samoans @ House of Targ w/ Skullians, Zex, Bloodnail, 9 p.m., $13
- Coyote @ Pressed w/ The Meds, Finding Chuck, 8 p.m., $10
- Vintage Trouble @ Mavericks w/ The Soul Selector Tom "Papa" Ray, 8 p.m., $18
- Dr. Dave @ The Rainbow, 4 p.m., free
- Capital City Community Choir @ The Rainbow, 9 p.m., $5
