PrettyInScarlett

The onset of winter's bitter evenings heralded The PepTides ' last show of 2012 at Irene's Pub on Saturday, 26th November. Interestingly, M and I arrived about 9pm to be told that the pub was at maximum capacity; by 9.45 or so there were about 10 people in this line. 4 or 5 of us were let in about this time, and to my eyes, the pub was about 60% full. To me, a full pub is one reminiscent of London's Circle line at rush hour; on Saturday there was definitely standing room for another 50 people. I imagine that capacity regulations are somehow linked to the alcohol licence but for the lineup still waiting outside at 10.30pm, well, organisation could have been better.   We heard some of The Pelts' support set from the bar -  seemed to be listenable, danceable fun music but not so memorable. Not so the main set. From their introductions, this was the last live show in the current format - with an EP based on Stuart McLean's The Vinyl Cafe just out and a new ...

After last year's inaugural event (which I wasn't able to attend), the organisers behind Feverfest clearly have expansion in mind. This year's event, last Friday and Saturday (22nd and 23rd June) was co-hosted by Irene's Pub and Clocktower (Glebe) with indoor and outdoor stages. M and I spent an excellent Saturday afternoon relaxing in the shade at Clocktower. This year, I was enticed to go because The PepTides were playing but enjoyed most of the bands I saw. The lunch slot had been awarded t0 Loon Choir whom I hadn't encountered before, but were pretty good. We were not as impressed by Zoo Legacy ; their vocal sound in particular seemed either retro (if you like them) or dated (if you don't). During these sets more people were arriving, but the indoor stage was still pretty quiet when Ty Hall played his set. Just going on his unplugged set, I heard interesting lyrics in a singer-songwriter style, but having listened to some songs on his website , his re...

Sadly the stage area at Irene's Pub isn't the most photo-friendly but here are a few snaps from the 11th March show:   Lacroix and ONMC after the performance of Angels   Annalee Patipatanakoon of Gryphon Trio Patricia O'Callaghan During the set from Broken Hearts and Madmen

Intrigued by the music on offer and enticed by cider on tap, M and I went to Irene's Pub on 11th March for Ottawa Chamberfest 's 'New Music, New Places' concert featuring Gryphon Trio and players from Ottawa New Music Creators . A different atmosphere compared to The PepTides show in February but there were enough attendees for an interesting, relaxed evening.  The programme was intended to showcase 7 contemporary compositions under the 'chamber music' umbrella, however Chamberfest artistic director Roman Borys made a last-minute adjustment to incorporate a short set based on Gryphon Trio's new recording Broken Hearts and Madmen , featuring Patricia O'Callaghan. A fellow concertgoer who attended the Broken Hearts and Madmen themed show at Wakefield's Black Sheep Inn on 10th March described a superb evening, which was to be echoed at Irene's.  The first set comprised an abridged 'New Music, New Places' programme. Of the pieces ...

What better way to spend a Saturday than listening to The PepTides at Irene's Pub ? Somewhat shamefully, Saturday 18th was our first trip to Irene's, which turns out to be a very cosy pub and live music venue. Extra plus points for having Waupoos cider on tap! Plus proper pint glasses! Savoured my first pint of Waupoos sat at the bar whilst DJ Memetic played a set. At that point I was sat quite far from the stage but didn't find Memetic's set any better than OK.  Second pint time and The PepTides came onstage. At this point I will own up to having forgot my camera (oops), however ' ThatOttawaGuy ' has a whole host of photos. There were perhaps 120-150 people squeezed in for a fantastic show. Having seen this band 5 times (I think), the FTHHHI part of the set list is like enjoying a favourite record but finding something new every time. M reckoned that some of the FTHHHI songs had been slightly amended to make something of a long medley..  presumably to mak...

Two very contrasting concerts to continue December's music madness. First, another U Ottawa School of Music concert, 'Piano Duets and Duos' on 7th December. 17 performers under the direction of Frédéric Lacroix presented a variety of well-known and lesser known pieces arranged for four, six, eight and twelve hands on 1 or 2 pianos. Whilst Rheinberger's transcriptions of J.S. Bach's Goldberg Variations were the headline pieces, I preferred some of the other pieces, such as Rachmaninoff's Romance and the comedy of Lacroix's arrangement Für Malcolm in homage to Beethoven's Für Elise . A fun festive treat for the  appreciative crowd in Tabaret Hall.  Having missed their last few shows (including the 360 show at the Elmdale that won Best Live Show 2011 in Ottawa Xpress ), it was interesting to see The PepTides again and in a different venue. Whilst atmospheric, the stage area at Mercury Lounge seemed a bit cramped. In the support slot, the excellent D...