Get Off The Couch! Celebrating With Couch Assassin

Originally published on Couch Assassin.

This Saturday get off the couch and come celebrate with Couch Assassin! On October 13th, Mercury Lounge will be showcasing some of Ottawa's best talent.

Couch Assassin began as an idea by Lisa Zimmerman back in 2009. Having moved to Ottawa from New Zealand, Lisa was looking for fun things to do but found it was challenging to find out what was happening in Ottawa. She decided to do something about it and created a spreadsheet with event information that she shared with a group of friends. "One of my friends suggested I turn my spreadsheet into a blog," says Lisa. She then designed an amateur website and began posting event listings of online.

Lisa was connected with Daniel Spence through a mutual friend. For years Daniel had wanted to do something similar, but couldn't find the right collaborators and knew he wouldn't be able to maintain such an ambitious project on his own. He jumped at the opportunity to partner with Lisa to create a more full-featured Couch Assassin. “Planning a Friday night used to involve visiting 15 different websites," said Daniel. "We decided to fix that and build a resource for the whole community.” Daniel built and designed a more sophisticated version of the website which was launched in January 2011. Since then the website has seen many changes and new features added, including the local artist directory and a blog focused on previewing upcoming events and showcasing local talent. Couch Assassin is also fully mobile-enabled, automatically adjusting to fit smartphone and tablet screens with no need to download a special app.

Couch Assassin offers a user-friendly event calendar, with daily listings organized by genre. The artist directory is a great tool that allows local artists to find each other to set up shows or collaborations, and that helps non-artists discover some of the creativity on offer in Ottawa.

Although the website first went online in 2010, Couch Assassin is finally ready to throw its launch party and let Ottawa know that it's here to get people off the couch. "We decided that now was a good time to throw a launch party, since our team of contributors has grown," explained Lisa. "This party is a great opportunity to spread the word about Couch Assassin, but also to discover and support great local talent."

"It's also our way of inviting everyone to participate in this project with us," said Daniel. "All Couch Assassins are volunteers with a passion for having fun in Ottawa, and we want to involve other like-minded writers, promoters and event organizers to help build an even more dynamic and exciting arts and cultural scene."

This weekend's Couch Assassin party will feature live performances by local artists and musicians, including Dynamite Motel and Loon Choir. One of Ottawa's most exciting female vocalists, Dynamite Motel is a fusion of Blues Classics and Jazz favourites with original songwriting. Dynamite Motel is an anagram for Mindy Amelotte, one of the newest members of the Ottawa music scene. Ottawa's Loon Choir are a seven piece indie-rock/art-pop band whose unique sound and energetic live set has generated growing acclaim. The group has had a busy summer, touring in support of their new record Fire Poems. The band has been gaining momentum from performances at NXNE, JunoFest, Ottawa's Bluesfest and POP Montreal.

Spoken word artist John Akpata will also perform poetry at the event. DJ Magnificent will be entertaining the crowd with his beats throughout the evening. In addition, there will be live art by Adam Fraser Davidson.

On Saturday, be sure to stop by the Mercury Lounge between 8 and 11 and check out an amazing line up of local musicians and artists. You won't be disappointed!

Preview: Get Off the Couch

Since August, I have been working with Couch Assassin, contributing to their blog and helping organize their upcoming launch party. Couch Assassin is a great website that features listings on upcoming events in Ottawa. You can find information on anything going on in the city: music shows, art exhibits, movies, theatre, and everything in between. People can even upload their own events!

Although the website has been launched for some time, my fellow assassins Lisa and Daniel have decided that now is a great time to throw a kick-ass launch party...

Well, it's finally here! Get Off the Couch: A Couch Assassin Party will be taking place this Saturday, October 13th at the Mercury Lounge. There is a great line-up of live performances happening during the evening, including Dynamite Motel and Loon Choir.

I am really excited to check out these bands. I've heard a lot of Dynamite Motel and heard that she is a fantastic performer. I'm also psyched that Loon Choir will be performing. Unfortunately, I missed them when they were opening for the Jezabels this summer.

There will also be a performance by spoken word artist John Akpata and beats by DJ Magnificent. There will even be an artist in attendance who will create live art during the evening. Seriously, we have everything in this line-up! And it's only $5 to get in.... You are definitely getting your money's worth!

Check out our awesome poster designed by graphic designer Miss Vautour (also a great friend of mine).

See you Saturday!

Review: "Celeste and Jesse Forever"

As I try to do often, this week I went to the Bytowne Cinema to check out "Celeste and Jesse Forever", a film starring Rashida Jones (NBC's "The Office) and Andy Samberg (NBC's "Saturday Night Live"). This film is a romantic comedy, filled with heart and laughter.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

Jones plays Celeste, a thirty-something woman who has a very successful career as a media consultant. She is separated from her husband Jesse and has decided to getting a divorce is the best thing to do. Celeste's life is sky-rocketing while Jesse is unemployed and living in the studio, behind Celeste's house.

The couple gets confronted by their friends, reminding them that it's weird that they are spending so much time together, although they are getting divorced. Both are content with how things are and they insist that they are still best friends. Essentially, nothing has really changed and both parties have yet to move on. Having been together since high school and married young, Jesse and Celeste are having a hard time making the transition from lovers to friends.

Then Jesse shares some really important/unexpected news and Celeste's world is shattered. She then struggles with the aftermath of her decision of getting a divorce and then tries to move on.

The film is funny but also deals with real issues and real questions. Does young love eventually fizzle away? Can you maintain the good parts of your relationship while getting rid of the bad parts? Is it possible to remain friends after breaking up?

Jones and Samberg are an on-screen couple made in heaven. Their actors' dynamic is fantastic and their chemistry is undeniable. You cannot help but fall for these characters and root for both of them. The film also stars Elijah Wood, Emma Watson and Will McCormmack, who co-wrote the film with Jones. All three actors do a brilliant job in their supporting roles. The script is funny, touching and very real. As an audience member, it is easy to relate to the story and to the characters.

Overall, "Celeste and Jesse Forever" is a film that is both funny and sad, as it deals with real issues that can hit close to home. I strongly recommend this film, as the performances are outstanding and the writing is fantastic. Definitely worth checking out!

Review: Patrick Watson @ Canadian Museum of Civilization

On Friday, I was thrilled to head over to the Canadian Museum of Civilization to see Patrick Watson live. After experiencing a Patrick Watson show at this year's Folkfest, I jumped at the opportunity to see him live again. I had also never been to a show at the theatre of the Canadian Museum of Civilization, so I was curious to check it out.

Watson had two consecutive shows scheduled at the museum; both sold out. When I found out about this show, there were no tickets left for sale. Lucky for me, I found someone who was selling their tickets and got my hands on a pair, right before I left for NYC. Thank god!

The venue is a little small, but feels very intimate. I believe it sits around 500 people and every seat has a great view of the stage. The husband and I were sitting in the seventh row from the front, about 10 feet from the stage. All in all, an amazing spot to see an amazing show. This was especially nice, since the first time I saw Watson, I could barely see the stage through the huge crowds at Folkfest.

The opening act was Thus:Owls. Having never heard of them before, I was curious to see what these guys were all about. This Swedish/Canadian group definitely got the crowd warmed up. They performed a great set with some upbeat, yet raw music. You couldn't help but be captivated with the lead singer's vocals. Her vocals were haunting, yet beautiful. Her sound reminded me of a mix of Feist and Lykke Li, which is an ideal combo for me! I'm extremely pleased that I was able to discover this group and I will definitely be checking out their music in the near future.

Then Mr. Watson took the stage. The singer/songwriter from Montreal had the crowd captivated from the very first note. His band started with a rendition of "Lighthouse", a very beautiful and haunting song (also, a personal favourite of mine). Other songs that were performed included "A Big Bird in a Small Cage", "Noisy Sunday", "Adventures in Your Own Backyard" and "The Great Escape".

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

Watson and his band are incredible musicians and seem to be having a great time on stage, which is captivating and rewarding as an audience member. For 2-3 songs, the whole bands comes together at the front of the stage, share a microphone, and sing "campfire" style. It was honestly beautiful to see.

You can just tell by watching his shows that Watson is a fun, happy guy. He genuinely enjoys performing and you cannot help but fall for this guy. He also seems quite at ease on the stage. He likes to interact with the crowd, sharing stories and anecdotes and get the audience to sing along with him. And at times, he left his piano and mic, approached the front of the stage and just sang to the crowd. His voice sounded like a whisper, and those moments are intimate and beautiful.

Overall, a fantastic performance (as I knew it would be), an intimate venue, and a whole lot of passion and enchantment.

 

Honestly, this guy is worth checking out. If you have not listened to Patrick Watson, grab one of his four albums (or all four) and let yourself go on a journey. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Review: Grizzly Bear @ Radio City Music Hall

One of the highlights of my recent trip to New York City was to check out a show at Radio City Music Hall.  During my stay in NYC, there were many shows playing, including Bon Iver and Metric. I was seriously considering going to see Metric, but I decided to go see a band that I hadn't previously seen live. So I decided to check out Grizzly Bear on September 24th.

Image courtesy of grizzly-bear.net

I discovered Grizzly Bear a little over two years ago. Since then, I've been listening to their music on occasion. I would not call myself a huge fan of the group. However, I had taken a quick listen to the group's new album and was curious to check them out live. I am also really excited to check out Radio City Music Hall and see how it measured up as a concert venue.

The show's opening act was Unknown Mortal Orchestra. They put on a decent set. Some of the songs, I really enjoyed; some, not so much. Overall, not a bad opening act; I tend to be harsh when it comes to opening acts and I can be hard to impress.

There didn't seem to be many people in the venue at the beginning of the evening. However, once Grizzly Bear took the stage, the venue was absolutely packed. I feel like this show was pretty special one for the Brooklyn-based group. It definitely felt like a homecoming.

After they began their set with the first song, "Speak in Rounds ", lanterns began to float off the stage and light up. It was quite beautiful. For the rest of the set, the lanterns would float up and down, in various patterns (see pictures here to get an idea). The vocals of Edward Droste and Daniel Rossen were flawless and filled the room with such passion and vulnerability. I was sold!

The group played mostly songs from their latest album "Shields" (released September 18th of this year), including "Sleeping Ute", "A Simple Answer", "Gun-Shy", "Adelma", "Sun in Your Eyes" and "Yet Again" (a favourite of mine). They also played some old favourites, including "Two Weeks", "While You Wait for The Others", "Ready, Able", "Knife" and "On a Neck, On a Spit". The highlight of the entire show for me was definitely their performance of "The Foreground" (video below), which is my absolute favourite Grizzly Bear song.

Although Radio City Music Hall is a huge venue, the show felt incredibly intimate. Between songs, band members were thanking and acknowledging family members and friends that were in attendance. At one point,  one of the band members thanked his 91 year-old grandmother who traveled from Texas to see the show. He also apologized if the sound was too loud for her. Now that's adorable! The whole thing definitely felt like a family affair.

The venue was fantastic. The sound was absolutely impeccable. Overall, the show was absolutely amazing. I am really happy that I decided to attend. Also, my husband, who had never listened to Grizzly Bear before, really enjoyed the show. That's a win for me!

Review: Dragonette "Bodyparts"

Me & Martina @ Bluesfest

I am a huge Dragonette fan. Although I have only been listening to their material since 2009, I am still a huge supporter of this Canadian electro-pop group and I've seen them live three times so far in the last three years.

The group's performances are always very fun and energetic. The last show I saw them play was at this year's Bluesfest. During their set, they played a lot of new material, which was great. Later that evening, I was lucky enough to meet Martina, the band's lead singer. She was an absolute sweetheart and it was so nice chatting with her. It was definitely a highlight for me this year.

Image courtesy of dragonetteonline.com

Dragonette's third album, "Bodyparts", will be available starting September 25th. This week, Hype Machine was featuring the album before its release date so I jumped at the opportunity to listen.

"Bodyparts" is a really fun album. The band doesn't seem to have taken itself too seriously this time around. However, in terms of production value, it doesn't measure up to its predecessor "Fixin to Thrill". I was a bit disappointed, since I felt that this album did not sound as polished as their first two albums. Then again, I was listening to it on computer speakers. Once I get the album in my hands, maybe the sound will come through better and blow my socks off.

In my opinion, the opening track "Run Run Run" and the closing track "Ghost" are two of the weakest songs on the album and seem like an odd choice to me. The track "Ghost" sounds like an entirely different band. Martina's vocals sound so different, which is a bit off putting.

Tracks that stand out on "Bodyparts" include "Live in this City", "Let It Go", "Right Woman", & "My Work is Done". These tracks are great, upbeat, and remain true to the Dragonette sound, which is really important to fans like myself.

Overall, "Bodyparts" is a good, fun, solid album. I enjoyed listening to it, but the album did not grab me as much as the first two did.

 

Dragonette just released their new video for "Live in this City" today. Martina's hair looks absolutely fantastic! Also, I am loving the denim on denim. Actually, I am loving every single thing about this video. Enjoy!