on the walls of Raw Sugar Café

during the month of October, 2010

House Band Art Show Preview Video

The House Band Art Show features the framed photographs and chapter books (in shadow boxes) from the novel Up the Ottawa, without despair. Each chapter of the novel  was launched as part of the House Band Reading Series at Raw Sugar Café, with a different photograph on each cover.

“I organized the show as a thank you to, and to promote, the photographers who allowed their work to grace each of the eight chapter covers,” says Brendan McNally, author of the novel and curator of the show. The show features the photography of Scott Fairchild, Eric Schallenberg, Megan Butcher, Jeff Hardill Peter Knippel, Arthur Matson and Don Fex.

Photo on cover of Chapter 5 (Megan Butcher) and shadowbox containing the chapter.

The show runs until October 31^st, 2010 and will feature the book launch of the completed edition of Up the Ottawa, without despair, bound in chapter book format. Says McNally, “As a bonus, the book will include a compact disc featuring the guests of the House Band Reading Series. Again, as a thank you and to help promote local writers.”

The CD includes Amanda Earl, Colin Vincent, Jennifer Whiteford, Nichole McGill, Don Fex, Shannon Beahen, rob mclennan, Megan Butcher, Sandra Ridley, Max Middle, Zoe Roux and Christine McNair.

Also included with the book will be a bonus DVD with material from the House Band Reading Series, which featured DJs who scored the pieces read/performed, and who played along while different voices read/acted out scenes from the novel. The House Band line up changed, depending on availability, and featured Andrew McKean, Eric Schallenberg, Amanda Abdelhadi, Don Fex, Zoe Roux, JP Sadek and Brendan McNally.

Book launch for
Up the Ottawa, without despair:
Tuesday, October 26, 2010, 7-10 pm

Reading: 8:30 pm

It’s Thursday, December 17th and I find myself at the Raw Sugar Cafe, it’s on Somerset, half a block West of Bronson. Mary Clayton’s soul infused version of “Southern Man” pumps through the room at an agreeable volume as crisp dressed women and men settle and chat in this cozy, eclectic room.

Tonight launches the fifth chapter of local writer Brendan McNally’s novel, “Up the Ottawa Without Despair”. Scavenging the internet for fun things to do tonight, I stumbled upon this event listing on Ottawatonite.com and know precious little about the show. However, I had the honor of being a member of the first musical act to grace this cherished venue, so I’m always game frequenting this cool establishment.   

Familiar faces start to pop out of the crowd and I recognize one of the names on the poster. I’ve seen Amanda Abdelhadi perform comedy before and she was quite funny. Dave O’Meara, it turns out, is the same lanky, lovable Dave who serves at the Manx. A few years ago I worked at the Manx and while slicing a bucket of potatoes I happened upon a news clipping about the Gord Downie using some of Dave’s poetry as lyrics. We had a good chat about it and my esteem grew for this warm and humble man.

I see a distinctive gentleman standing in the middle of the room, he must be Brendan. He has one of those faces like Vince Halfhide, not esthetically speaking, but in the way that it’s so recognizable, it’s a pillar of the Ottawa arts community, like a living totem pole.  

The peppermint tea soothes my smoke and coffee ravaged throat while approving glances fall from this community of writers as I scribble away in my black leather bound notebook. Right on time, the show starts and Sandra Ridley goes up first. Images of lush vegetation swirl with feminine body parts, all being grounded by the thick roots and good love of an old tree. Her words conjure instances of spontaneous growth intertwined with brittle death, sprouting from ragged decay. I wish I had the written version of the work in front of me, so I could pick it apart with a dictionary, meticulously cherishing each delicate beat. Soon her smooth delivery carries me away, I learn to sit back and allow her jagged yet soothing atmospheres to be formed in my mind. Ephemeral environments and mythic characters sway to bouncing rhythms, creating gritty and fantastic moments, then they slip away as she starts her next poem. The crowd gobbles up every morsel and I wish she was on for longer.  

Dave is up next, apparently he has a hearty list of laurels and as soon as he goes into his first selection, the deservedness of his recognitions is made apparent. Dave echos the simple mastery of Denis Leary, if Denis were taking on all forms of perturbing and sometimes volatile subject matter. “Power Boat” is about a real life English boat racer who had a horrible boating accident, went into a coma, legally died twice, got upset when paramedics had to cut open her brazier and then went on to do more racing. His work is inspired by things he reads and the result is a varied examination of individual struggles and triumphs from all over the world. His work offers moments of dissonant thought patterns framed by the tempestuous anxieties of teenage reality. Every thursday between 6:30 and 7pm, you can hear Dave on CKCU, he hosts a show called Literary Landscape. Chatting with Dave, I find a man sustaining a high level of creative output. The result is ever improving work and increasing visibility. He tells me that being a poet doesn’t always pay very well, but it has it’s perks. He was invited to read at a writers festival in Orkin, found in the Yorkie Islands of Northern Scotland. A recent highlight was an on-stage interview with Nick Cave at the local St. Brigid’s writer’s festival.  

Seeing Brendan’s face around the city for so long, it’s a pleasant shock to hear a soft but striking Irish accent escape from his lips. The reading series was created to expose his new novel, Up the Ottawa Without Despair and to raise money for a much needed dental operation. His demeanor is of measured exuberance, cracking one cornball joke after another as his stories expose us to the beautiful aspects of all things low and dirty. The first selection hits a nerve with my personal history; it’s a first person narrative about a young, poor but intelligent and sensitive man hitchhiking up from Ottawa to Wakefield and back, before that quaint little town was the tourist destination it is today. A reference to “The Outsiders”, is paired with the brutal reality of the entrenched violence in poor Lowertown. Flowery writing this is not, gritty displays of raw, bright life are juxtaposed with bleak hopelessness and sorrow. His dismantling of the Santa Clause myth is a piece of disgruntled holiday magic. The debunking of St Nick’s soft power culminates as a hung over, self-described hater of children takes on the roll of mall Santa. Amanda Abdelhadi contributes back-up voice acting, creating much appreciated layers of comedy. I liked it when the stoned elf was giggling.  

DJ Eric Komosol playes tasty tracks as a musical bed to Brendan’s dynamic performance; smooth jazz and deep soul are the grooves of the evening. Enlisting DJ Eric for the party was a wise decision, he made excellent song choices, had smooth transitions and helped created that quintessential book-party atmosphere. If you ever need a good DJ for a party, look him up. 

All and all it was an enthralling and thought provoking evening with plenty of humor and good tidings.

There’s something special about accomplished and talented authors presenting a vocalized rendition of their written work. Hearing distinctive emphasis, interjection and pauses, creates an über-intimate, utterly unique experience. Nadia has created an inviting environment of the Raw Sugar which nourishes and encourages all varieties of artistic expression. So go to the Raw Sugar whenever it’s open, especially next month, when Brendan presents chapter six of the house band series.

I look forward to seeing you there.  

-Maxim

Maxim also blogs: http://maximk7.blogspot.com/

  ]]> http://www.ottawatonite.com/2009/12/stumbling-upon-a-reading-%e2%80%9cup-the-ottawa-without-despair%e2%80%9d/feed/ 2 http://www.ottawatonite.com/2009/12/house-band-reading-series-behind-a-written-scene-loeb/ http://www.ottawatonite.com/2009/12/house-band-reading-series-behind-a-written-scene-loeb/#comments Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:48:15 +0000 Brendan McNally http://www.ottawatonite.com/?p=1614  

The “Loeb” scene (video below) was presented at the May edition of the House Band Reading Series, which featured the launch of Chapter 2.

“I never thought we’d celebrate the tenth anniversary,” says David O’Meara of Plan 99, the Ottawa “gold standard” reading series he co-founded with Chris Swail in 1999. “I’m just saying so,” Dave adds, “because at the beginning we weren’t sure we knew what we were doing.” Dave points to the name of the series itself as an example of this. “The name came partly from the year we started, and partly as a play on the name of the sci-fi movie Planet 9 from Outer Space.”

But figure things out and celebrate they did, marking the milestone this past October with a special reading hosted by the Ottawa International Writer’s Fest.

When Dave isn’t pulling pints at the Manx Pub, he’s busy writing poems that have established himself “as one of the best contemporary poets in Canada”  according to Canadian Notes & Queries. He’s also organizing guests for his timeslot on CKCU-FM’s Literary Landscapes, and he’s planning Plan 99.  “I carry my notebook with me, pencil ready.” Dave says, recently returned from a reading tour of festivals across Canada to promote his most recent collection, Noble Gas, Penny Black. Doing out of town readings is a great way to keep my ear to the ground. Like when I pencilled Karen Solie in after she told me she had a new collection coming out.”

Poet David O'Meara organizes the Plan 99 Reading Series.

Unlike others reading series around Ottawa, Dave and Chris decided to focus only on out of town authors to begin with. This was so Plan 99 wouldn’t just repeat the success or format of other series. Modestly, Dave tells me, “We wanted to add something new to Ottawa’s literary scene.”

But saying that Plan 99 has added something new is an understatement. Over the past decade the series has brought celebrated Canadian poets, novelists and authors down the steps to the cozy atmosphere of the Manx Pub on Elgin Street. It’s one thing to pack a bar on a busy Friday night, quite something else to jam it packed on a quiet Saturday afternoon, when readings are usually held. There is nothing like being in a small bar with sixty other people, all quietly listening to the eloquence of Robyn Sarah, the insights of Carmine Starnino, the raw power of Ken Babstock or the drama of Lisa Moore.

“The nature of reading is that our stories, our narratives, are read, in private. It’s a very solitary thing,” Chris tells me when we have time to chat, after he’s finished helping his kids with their homework. “And what I’ve always liked about Plan 99 is that it’s one of those rare occasions where people can publicly acknowledge, validate and personally thank the writers who have greatly influenced who we are, and how we think about being Canadian. It really is an honour and a privilege to be able to help present that.”

Dave and Chris didn’t just choose the Manx as the location for Plan 99 because they work there. “Though it helps,” Dave laughs on a quiet afternoon in the pub. “But really, it’s the perfect space. Not to big, not to small. Aside from the financial support of the Pub, which is very important, the staff is very culturally engaged, so they give a huge amount of moral support to Plan 99.”

David O’Meara reading “The Game” from Noble Gas, Penny Black. Brick Books.

Plan 99 is also supported by Canada Council for the Arts. Which means Dave has to organize the readings up to six months in advance, making sure he’s got all the proper forms filled out for the funding to help him welcome the cream of Canada’s literary crop to the Manx.

On the day of the readings Dave is busy organizing the incidental things, hooking up the microphone, coordinating with the kitchen, which closes for the reading. The Manx doesn’t play piped in music, or have televisions sets, which is a great feature for people who want to have quiet conversations. So another job Dave has is to gently inform those patrons there is a reading coming up, inviting them to stay, but pointing out the sign that says, “Shhhhhh….reading in progress.”

As far as a personal motivation, Dave has, “always had a deep and abiding interest in literature so I’ve enjoyed hosting the series and it’s been a great ten years.”

Another understatement, because it’s been way more than great.

photo courtesy of fieldtrip

The Plan 99 Reading Series continues, hosting two more excellent readings before Christmas at The Manx Pub, 370 Elgin Street.

This Saturday, November 28^th, Kingston writer Mark Sinnett reads,

followed by Toronto based Karen Solie next Saturday, December 5^th.

Both readings are at 5pm.

Thanks to the Manx and the Canada Council, readings are free.

For more information on the series, email Chris Swail at chrisswail@rogers.com

David O’Meara’s next reading in Ottawa is at the House Band Reading Series, Thursday December 17^th, 9-11pm, at Raw Sugar Café, 692 Somerset Street West. $5.00, or pay what you can.

Brendan McNally is a graduate of the Humber College School for Writers, Creative Writing Mentorship Program. He also runs the House Band Reading Series.