Interestingly, like the first year Jenn and I encountered the event, we are again overseeing renovations. With our having encountered an increasing number of delays, we were more than happy to take up the invitations of two of our fellow food bloggers to meet up and wander Wellington Street W. and its adjoining side streets together.

Alas, it rained. Jenn and I ducked into the Ottawa Bagel Shop (1321 Wellington Street W.) when the downpour started, hoping it would lighten. It poured. When we met up with Jodi (@simplyfresh) of the Simply Fresh and Kaitlin (@kaitli) of the Heartful Mouthful blogs, we were literally drenched. Happily, Chef/Owner Chris Deraiche of the Wellington Gastro-Pub (1325 Wellington Street W.) decided to pull his chafing dishes into his restaurant’s ground floor dining room, the “White Room.” Dressed in a t-shirt, advertising the soon-to-open (this Friday) Town Gastropub on Elgin Street (296), he greeted wet “tasters” warmly.

Chafing Dishes

Chef Deraiche

Elk sandwiches

Afterward, we decided, rain or no rain, we would trek to our must visit eateries, Absinthe and Allium. Along the way, we stopped at the Ottawa Bagel Shop. Its taste, several of its specialty cream cheeses and smoked meat on Montreal-style bagel.

Bite-Size Smoked Meat on a Bagel

We stopped by Sushi Umi (1325 Wellington Street W.) to say hi to its chef/owner and nibble on some maki rolls and edamame. Then, we headed off to Thyme & Again (1325 Wellington Street W.). There, we were greeted by turkey and marshmallows, separately of course.

Turkey Meatball on a stick

In-house Made Marshmallows

Chicken Burgers

Chicken Burger Texture

Boxes of Herb Beds

Absinthe (1208 Wellington Street W.) beckoned. The rain stopped an hour or so into the event. This is when the lineups started. Absinthe, having established a reputation for serving delicious full-size hanger steak burgers at last year’s event, saw the first of them.

Lineup

Hanger Steak Burgers

Hanger Steak Burger Texture

Condiments

Not your ordinary lemonade

Brownies, Meatballs, Mini-Samosas

Royal Oak Lobster

At this point, Jodi decided to double back along Wellington Street W. She managed to photograph a 13 lb lobster Salove’s (1333 Wellington Street W.) was auctioning off to benefit the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada (CCFC). The rest of us decided to walk deeper into Hintonburg.

At Carbon Computing (1065 Wellington Street W.), an iPad wielding employee encouraged us to try shortbread “some girl in the back made” (his words, not mine!).

Carbon Computing Cookies

After wandering past Vina Del Mar (1079 Wellington Street W.), where I sampled Chilean sopapillas (deep fried squash filled dumplings) with a fresh salsa, we stopped by the soon-to-open new location of Dish Catering (1024 Wellington Street W.). Its taste, grilled mini-lamb burgers on brioche buns, served with lime popcorn.

Finally, we ended our wander at the soon-to-open Alpha Soul Cafe (1015 Wellington Street W.) at the former location of the Levonian Shirt Maker shop. There, we met the owner of the coffee house to be (Hintonburg’s first dedicated coffee house) and sampled some very good bakery: buttery shortbread and lime melt-aways.

Alpha Soul Cafe

Owner

Home-baked Cookies

All-in-all, 2010’s Taste of Wellington West was another success, showcasing the many locally owned and generous businesses and eateries along Ottawa’s epicurean row. This year, we encountered a lot of sandwiches, their being easily served and easily eaten. From lamb to elk, pork, and chicken, there were mini-burgers and pulled-mean sandwiches a-plenty. It is a trend we also encountered at Bon Appetit 2010 event earlier this spring.

As always, we are excited to attend next year’s! Kudos the the WWBIA for organizing this event and everyone for participating.

She was, after all, the General Manager of the Ottawa Fringe Festival for two years.  Before that, she had a long history of involvement in theatre and the Fringe, stretching back to the Edmonton Fringe in Alberta, where she grew up.  If someone can claim to have seen it all, it’s Heather Marie.

This year, she’s trying something new—the Lunchtime Artist Series.  Every day from Monday, June 21 through Friday, June 25 at noon in the Courtyard, some of the creative people behind the Fringe productions will be taking part in panel discussions that promise to be lively and insightful, revealing aspects of the creative process that aren’t normally seen.  We met on the patio at the Bridgehead (coincidentally, one of the co-sponsors of the Series) on Dalhousie to talk about the future of the Fringe, the business of art, and the purpose of her project.

Heather Marie has spent a lot of time examining the role Fringe plays in theatre.  There is a stereotyped perception of the Fringe; the kind of production that many people associate with it is, as she puts it, “characterized as either ‘on the Fringe’—stuff that is virtually unproduceable anywhere else, so that’s where it ends up—or as an end unto itself.” Undoubtedly, some productions do fall into those categories, and the Fringe serves to provide these shows with a chance to be produced.  It also serves a third, more relevant and vital purpose, “the development of new work and new artists.”

Indeed, for the playwrights, directors, and actors who find their feet at the Fringe, it’s the crucible for new works and the testing ground for emerging talent.

The Fringe as a model is not that old; there hasn’t been a lot of formal research into the subject.  Even in its short history, it has undergone a startling evolution, from a grassroots word-of-mouth festival to advance ticket sales, corporate sponsorship, and a staggering online presence.

Canada has more Fringe festivals than any other country, with Edmonton at the vanguard of the model.  This is due in part, according to Heather Marie, to the touring opportunity presented by having cities spread out across such a vast territory.

How have things changed over the years?  “It used to be that you showed up at the Fringe and found the longest lineup.”  The general trend towards online advance ticket sales marks a distinct shift in the way people interact.

Purchasing tickets in advance means people want to know what they’re going to see is worth the money.  To Heather Marie, this raises the question, “How long can you keep it non-juried?”  Take, for example, the fairly recent phenomenon of Bring Your Own Venues (BYOVs), where production companies that do not win a spot in the regular lineup (the “traditional” Fringe method is to award by lottery) can choose to host their own performances away from the main venues, still under the Fringe banner.  “That’s programming,” she points out, “that’s not a lottery anymore.”

Does she think that’s taking away from the essence of the Fringe?

“Purists would say yes,” she said, but she doesn’t see it as intrinsically a negative evolution.  “Fringe festivals can’t survive unless they find ways of making money.  They can’t survive on grants alone.”

“Sponsorship is difficult because you can’t control the content.”  Corporate sponsors shy away from association with shows that could be controversial or even just weird.  They’re more comfortable with popular content and shows that cater to the lowest-common-denominator audience.

Fringe festivals, and the artists involved, are constantly faced with this seeming dichotomy of artistic integrity versus economic viability, amongst other issues.

The concept for the Artist Series evolved, simply put, from the beer tent.

Rather, as Heather Marie explained to me, it came from the dynamic that arises when artists are mingling freely with the media and the general public in the Fringe Courtyard (almost universally referred to as “the beer tent”).  “The Ottawa Fringe is at this perfect size where we can appreciate both sides.  Here, the artists are accessible.  There’s no separate beer tent,” referring to other Fringe festivals where the artists socialize separately from the public.

“So many of the shows are things that people are creating themselves,” and talking to the artists directly is a “huge opportunity to find out what drives them, what inspires them.”  With the Artist Series, she intends to recreate that “networking that naturally, organically happens in the beer tent, to provide an alternative to that, separate it out from the beer tent, because that kind of networking doesn’t work for everybody.”

“It’s just an idea I pitched to Nat [Natalie Joy Quesnel, the Fringe Executive Producer] less than a week after last year’s Fringe wrapped up.  I think it’s amazing that she’ll let me do it.”

Although she’s thrilled that the Bare-knuckle Debate is gaining momentum, with participants e-mailing her already very seriously into it, Ignite the Fringe has her most excited.  This panel takes the familiar Ignite format (where speakers make their point in only five minutes), which she chose because she loves the model. “Every artist I’ve asked to participate has a positive response.  I chose people I knew would ‘bring it.’”

Heather Marie is confident that it will be a successful series.  “I can’t help but think… the things I’m interested in might be interesting to other people.”

Does she think social media is helping to preserve the grassroots nature of the Fringe?   It’s hard to say.  Some performers “still want to see their picture in the paper.”  But Heather Marie recognizes the potential of social media tools as a promotional medium.

“What I’m doing is… obviously I’m using the same kind of methods as the Fringe in reaching people.  I hope that what I’m doing capitalizes on that.”  Social media provides a way that artists can “promote what they’re doing without having to perform.”

For those involved in the Fringe, Heather Marie hopes the Artist Series will mark the beginning of the Fringe day.  “It’s like our morning.  Except it happens to be at noon,” She mentions that it gives out-of-town artists (many of whom are being billeted with local families) something to do and something to be a part of outside of their performance.

Heather Marie makes it clear that she’s not necessarily trying to reach everybody.

“Essentially it’s an industry event,” she says, “you have to be interested in the Fringe to begin with.”  Artistic integrity is paramount for Heather Marie.  She recounts a potential sponsorship that didn’t pan out because the other party wasn’t interested in a “non-audience-building” event.  “I wasn’t going to dumb this down.”

If the Artist Series is as successful as Heather Marie believes it will be, she plans to take the idea to other festivals.  She has already spoken with (Lunchtime Artist Series co-sponsors) Magnetic North Theatre Festival, the NAC, and a few others.

For Fringe and theatre enthusiasts, the Lunchtime Artist Series is pretty much a mandatory event.   Anyone with a healthy curiosity as to what really goes on from the artist’s perspective will find it a valuable experience, and time well spent.  Artists from other disciplines might find something that resonates with them.  Even people from outside the arts community who want a first-hand understanding of how that world works would do well to consider attending.

The Lunchtime Artist Series is Pay-What-You-Can, and food will be available on site.

Powerful laptops and simpler-to-use mixing/recording software have made it easy for ‘anybody’ to make indie music in the comfort – or discomfort – of their own home. Connor Mercury’s former abode fell into the latter type of home, having recorded his second CD, the full-length Let it Damn Well Hurt, in his ‘windowless basement apartment’ (later a victim to a destructive fire) in Ottawa.

Presumably Mercury chose the name ‘The Anybody” for his musical project due to a lack of a name, or perhaps to satirize the endless desire of indie musicians to have ‘cool’ names. Perhaps he wanted to symbolize the loneliness of making music on your own. Whatever the reason, The Anybody’s music is far from generic; Let It Damn Well Hurt is an impressive and varied second record for Ottawa-based Mercury which shows an artist of many talents who should go far.

All the songs on this CD were written, recorded, produced and mixed by Mercury. Though The Anybody’s live performances feature any number of Ottawa musicians, this recording is uniquely his. In practical terms this means that the CD defies categorization: unlike bands, which often struggle to work on “a” sound or style, Mercury allows himself the creative freedom to move from genre to genre, often within the same song, with ease. Exhibit A: “San Francisco” – a sunny, sing-a-long dedication to a great city and a wonderful trip, which switches midway to Nirvana-style grunge guitar, and back again. “Let It Damn Well Hurt” is anything but predictable.

On the Anybody’s myspace page, the first ‘influence’ is Elliott Smith, and that is apparent from the first listen. From the sound of his voice, to the production and mix, to the loneliness of some of the lyrics, many of these tracks could have easily been out-takes from Smith records. “Basement Blues” is a standout track which will draw Smith comparisons, as do some of the sonic details in many of these songs. Mercury also pushes these songs with subtle or bold touches, like pretty piano, (“Car Crash” and “20 Again”), quirky electronic percussion (“20 Again” and “Hide”), loud guitars (“San Francisco” and the ‘Intro’/'Outro’ tracks (subtitled the existentialist ‘being’ and ‘nothingness’) which feature warm, deep piano melodies interspersed with arena rock guitars), and disturbing voices (“San Francisco” and “Outro (nothingness)”).

Works of art created by a single artist, especially ones based on electronic technology, can sometimes incorporate too many sounds or variations in soundstyles. Let It Damn Well Hurt has a few of these excesses, but they do not detract from the overall cohesiveness of the record. The tracks I like best are rooted in an organic instrument (mostly guitar, which Mercury handles with both grace and power). Many of these tracks draw on Conor Oberst/Bright Eyes style lyricism, vocals and sound: “To Be”, for example, features indie-folk guitar finger-picking and storytelling with lush vocals easily stretched and changed to something a little more anxious and harsh. “Underground” also falls in this category – a standout track which features simple finger picked acoustic guitar interpersed with electric guitar sounds which are heard as both soothing and ominous.

Lyrically the record follows its influences and its title: these are songs mostly of sadness, loss, and regret (even “San Francisco”, which celebrates a great trip to a lovely city, is more about what is missing having left that city). Even the birthplace of the record – Mercury’s old apartment that burned down – is given a farewell in the otherwise sparse liner notes. However, the CD still leaves one with a sense of wonder and hope as Mercury keeps his listeners guessing with the varied styles and moods he employs. OVerall, this is a fine collection of songs from a young artist who has taken a variety of influences and made them into his own unique sound. There is no doubt that Mercury has a wonderful touch with music, and I look forward to hearing him develop.

The Anybody is performing Wednesday night at the venerable Elmdale House Tavern with a full band. $5 to get in; $10 for this CD; and a great music venue – check it out if you can.

The OttawaTonite.com crew is heading out tomorrow to interview some of the medical professionals involved with Team Canada Healing Hands. Stay tuned for the interview and for updates on the upcoming fundraiser!

Until then, check out this report on Team Canada Healing Hands from Ottawa’s A-Channel.

Healing Hands for Haiti

defendor artist poster

DEFENDOR plays at the Bytown Cinema (325 Rideau) Thursday April 29th at 9:05. Come a few minutes early and meet the official movie illustrator and get a signed poster if you utter a quote from the movie (check out the trailer below) or wear something from movie, like a t-shirt with the letter D duct taped to it.

Arthur Poppington (aka DEFENDOR) is an unlikely superhero. He has no superpowers and uses marbles, wasps and lime juice as weapons in his quest to take down Captain Industry. Arthur is played superbly by Woody Harrelson, perhaps one of his best acting roles ever. He is joined by a fantastic cast that includes Kat Dennings, Sandra Oh, Elias Koteas and Michael Kelly. The movie was directed by Peter Stebbings and filmed in Hamilton.

There is also an Ottawa connection. Artist Dominic Bercier began working with the team several years ago with the intent of creating a comic book to precede the movie. That didn’t work out but with the movie’s success at film festivals and distribution deals with Alliance Atlantis and Sony Pictures it was time to take another shot. Dominic teamed up with Ottawa entrepreneur Allan Isfan to pitch the director and studio once again. A deal was struck and the team secured rights for derivative art from the movie and a comic book pending approvals from all the actors.

Become a fan of the movie here, and join Allan and Dominic tonight (April 29) at the Bytown Cinema (325 Rideau st). Show up at 8:30pm to get your hands on the first art piece from the movie.

DEFENDOR Trailer

Greenfield’s Pub is hosting a fundraising event for Team Canada Healing Hands on Sunday May 30th, 2010 that has something for everyone! Luc Leduc The Duke of Magic will be performing followed by a great lineup of local bands including Shotgun in the Ambulance, Monday I Retire, EFarm and Ridin’ Shotgun. There will be a 50/50 draw for the gamblers and a silent auction of some fantastic items such as WestJet flight vouchers, Sens tickets (really GOOD ones), jewelry, art and more!

Healing Haiti Fundraiser - Promotional Poster

Watch OttawaTonite.com for videos and more information as the event draws near. The OttawaTonite.com crew will be at Greenfield’s Pub for the duration of the event to capture the fun, magic and music! Will you be there too?

The XO DYLAN concert, hosted by Lisa Poushinsky, raised a whack of dough for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada.

It was a very full room until they ran out of beer. I don’t know what happened after that because I hit the road fast. No matter how good the music, a lack of beer equals a lack of me sticking around.

I’m talking about the Raw Sugar Cafe on Saturday, January 9th. I was lucky enough to get a seat near the front (thanks to Dusty Drifters) for the third installment of the XO Concert Series, organized and hosted by one of Ottawa’s most exciting up-and-comers, Lisa Poushinsky. More about that in a moment, let me set the mood by briefly describing the Raw Sugar Cafe – it was my first time there, and definitely not my last.

Located at 692 Somerset W, Raw Sugar is a retro-looking café that’s cozy as hell and has oodles of character. Quirky art on the walls, fully-stocked bookshelves, 1960’s formica tables with metal edges, three kinds of beer (which sold out around 11), paying for said beer at the cash register like it’s a pack of smokes… oddly enough, my favourite part was the bathrooms, complete with brightly coloured walls, chandeliers and fridge-magnet poetry (my favourite: “feline body, luscious rust, dark electric sunken trust” – I imagine this to be about Catwoman on the Titanic). As a whole, the place is so stereotypically “indie coffee shop”, and it was the perfect venue for this little coffee house performance.

Which brings me to the show itself – XO Dylan, a tribute to the songs of Bob Dylan. The all-star list of performers took to the stage in various combinations, singing Dylan’s best in support of the Ottawa Chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Lisa, herself diagnosed with M.S., organized and hosted the show, while her friends and family passed around a yogurt containter to collect donations.

Highlights included Dusty Drifters putting together an impromptu band out of audience members when he was supposed to play solo, Lisa berating musicians for not tuning their guitars before they hit the stage, and Dave Norris’s rendition of Subterranean Homesick Blues, complete with cue cards à la original music video – Dave ended up having to read off the cards towards the end of the song, which had the whole joint falling over with laughter as Adam Fogo kept dropping them. On my way to the show, I wondered how long it would take until someone busted out a unintelligible Dylan caricature voice, and Jay Todd certainly didn’t disappoint – thankfully he redeemed himself later by singing in his own voice, which is quite nice.

This is Lisa Poushinsky

The show had a really great togetherness feel to it – not to sound super cheesy or anything, but it was nice to see a whole bunch of people from the music community get together for a night of singing and jamming and laughs and helping out for a good cause. The out-of-tune guitars and making-it-up-as-we-go-along spirit only made everything more… genuine, I guess. This, plus the beers I was able to procure before they ran out, left me feeling very warm and fuzzy for the rest of the night.

This entire list of performers is pretty long, but worth mentioning, just to give you an idea of the scope of the show: A. James Brummel, Dave Edwards, Kader Blaine, Dusty Drifters, Brendan Allistone, Mark McHale, Dave Norris, Jay Todd, Joel Carlson, Adam Fogo, David Bosschaart, Ashley Newall, Jon Laurie-Beamont, Tara Holloway, and of course Lisa Poushinsky.

All told the show raised $500 for the M.S. Society, which uses donations to “provide hope for the future through the support of MS research into the cause, treatment and cure of the disease and hope for today through our many services that assist people with MS and their families”.  I honestly couldn’t find a better way to write that so I stole it from their website, I’m sure they won’t mind.

Along those lines, Lisa told me that the next time she does an M.S. fundraiser, it’ll have to be at a venue that’s wheelchair accessible (Raw Sugar unfortunately isn’t). If any Ottawa Tonite readers have low-cost suggestions or are able to donate a venue, contact Lisa at her website to let her know how you can help.

Previous XO shows, also held at Raw Sugar, paid homage to Tom Waits and David Bowie. Lisa says there are more XO shows in the works, with rumours of XO Elvis and XO Neil Young in the near future. Don’t worry, I’ll call ahead and make sure they stock up on the beer.

-Greg Harris can be stalked at his website

By now, we are all aware of the devastating 7.0 earthquake that hit Haiti on January 12th. It’s estimated that there may be 100,000 casualties or more. Now more than ever, the people of Haiti need our help.

Ottawa Tonite has joined forces with the global social media fundraising force 12for12k.org.

12for12k is working with registered charity Hope for Haiti to raise money to assist in the aid effort. 95% of the money raised by Hope for Haiti goes directly to the people who need it most, and the money is getting there fast, thanks to the help of thousands of dedicated volunteers.

Ottawa is known for its generosity. Now is the time for us to band together in the artistic community and do what we can to help the people of Haiti through this tragedy.

We all have things going on this weekend. Maybe you’re playing a gig downtown. Perhaps you’re hosting a house concert, or an art show. Maybe your theatre troupe is putting on a show. We ask that you consider making at least part of your event dedicated to helping Haiti, either by donating a portion of proceeds or collecting donations from the audience.

Donations can be made directly to Hope for Haiti using the Chip In widget on the sidebar. As you can see, through 12for12k’s efforts, we’ve already raised a considerable amount. Our goal is to reach $7000 by Sunday.

If you do decide to hold a fundraiser, please send us an email at info@ottawatonite.com and let us know what you’re doing. We’d be happy to promote it here on the site.

Thank you in advance and our thoughts and prayers remain with the people of Haiti.

On January 12, 2010 a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti, collapsing buildings and affecting thousands. It was the strongest earthquake ever to hit the region.

The Red Cross responded immediately to provide shelter, food, clean water and medical care to the many people in need of help. Canadians wishing to donate to the Red Cross Haiti Earthquake fund can do so online using the form below, by calling toll-free 1-800-418-1111 or by contacting their local Red Cross office. Click here for more information about the Haiti earthquake appeal.

With so many people in need, the Canadian Red Cross urgently needs your support so that we can assist those affected by this disaster.

Please give generously – your help can’t wait.