Photos: Greg McEvoy, Ilvekyo & Shawn Tavenier

Tuesday night was good night to be at Avant Garde Bar. Three awesome acts took the stage and patrons had an absolute blast, especially me!

The show started with Shawn Tavenier, who was joined by Nick Gauthier, both from local group Silver Creek. I had heard of the group, but never had the opportunity to hear them play live. I really enjoyed the group. After speaking to Tavenier, I discovered that the group plays every Wednesday evening at the Highlander. Check 'em out!

Then it was time for Ilvekyo. You remember Ilvekyo, right? I saw them perform for the first time this past Summer on the rooftop of Jack Pine. Since then, I've seen them play a few times, and the guys are great! This past week-end, the group apparently recorded 3-4 new songs for an upcoming EP. They performed some new songs, and they are great. Seriously, look up Ilvekyo or catch one of their upcoming shows. You will not be disappointed!

Afterwards, it was time for Toronto based musician Greg McEvoy to take the stage. McEvoy was also one of the artists that I saw performing on the rooftop. Not only is he a super nice guy, his songs are really catchy. The first few times I saw him play, it was stripped down acoustic sets. This time, he played with the support of a band, which was nice. Check out his EP "Sea of Yards", released in September.

Overall, a great night of music at Avant Garde Bar. Not too shabby for a Tuesday night.

Checking Out Irene's Pub

This past weekend, I went to Irene's Pub to check out bands for the very first time. I had been at Irene's once before with some friends to grab some brunch. However, I knew it was about time I checked out this local musical hot spot.

On Sunday, we went to Irene's to check out Dang Guilty. This trio plays an awesome mix of rockabilly, country and bluegrass music. It's entertaining as hell! Make sure to check them out next Sunday!

Earlier that week-end, I checked out Miss Polygamy and Garden of Weeds at Irene's. Before that, I hit up Ribtoberfest on Sparks street, where Ilvekyo was playing a free show. James, who plays the stand up bass with Dan Guilty also plays with this group. I first saw Ilvekyo on the rooftop of Jack Pine this summer.

I really liked Irene's and I will definitely be back. You can check Dang Guilty every Sunday at Irene's for the month of October. See you at Irene's!

Chilling on the Rooftop

This weekend, I was happy to spend some time outdoors. Saturday afternoon, G and I met up with my gal Elly to check out some live music on a rooftop. Yep, on a rooftop. This was part of the 4in1 Ottawa Music Sessions, which takes place every month in random spots in the city, featuring local bands and musicians. Great concept! The rooftop that we took over that afternoon was that of the JackPine Agency.

First up was Greg McEvoy, a singer-songwriter from Toronto. I really enjoyed his style of folk music and his lyrics were stuck in my head all day. McEvoy will be playing in Ottawa again in a few weeks at Avant Garde Bar. Go check him out! Also, he's a super chill and nice guy.

Then it was Ilvekyo's turn. The duo from Peterborough was really entertaining. They showed up a bit late, so they didn't play as long as I would have liked them to. Their music sounded like a mix between rockabilly and country. I especially enjoyed the music, especially because of the stand up bass. That usually seals the deal for me. I sure hope these guys come back to town sometime.

Afterwards, Ottawa's own StillNative performed. Their folk sound also included some elements of blues and jazz at times. It was quite interesting. The vocalist has a nice voice, kind of like Tom Petty meets Bob Dylan. I really wanted to check out the group when they played at the Ottawa Fringe Festival on Canada Day, but I had traveled to Montreal instead to see Woodkid. I'm sure I'll get a chance to see StillNative play again soon.

Finally, it was time for Fevers to jam. The electro/indie rock band gave us a tuned down, chilled out, acoustic performance. This show was part of the 24 hour fever event, in celebration of the release of the group's debut album "No Room for Light". They played a couple of shows within a 24 hour span, including a show at Mugshots Friday night, and an official album release party at Mavericks later that night. They put on a great performance, and Sarah's voice was absolutely beautiful! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to catch their show at Mavericks that evening. However, I am looking forward to seeing the group play their material in its intended form.

Here are some pictures that the awesome folks from JackPine took that lovely afternoon.

 

This summer has been amazing, and I've listened to some amazing music. I consider myself lucky to live the life I live. I never want summer to end...

On that note, check out "Endless Summer" from the Jezabels, a band I was lucky enough to see live last summer. This song seems quite fitting right about now. Enjoy!