Thursday, Jan. 14
Raise a pint and learn about the fascinating past of Ottawa’s taverns and pubs.
Like beer? Like history? Just like a pint and want an “intellectual” excuse to try some at many different locales in Ottawa? The Historical Tavern Tour is not only free (the tour operators survive on tips, remember this) but will visit three different downtown taverns for pints and stories of assassins, scoundrels, brawls and political shenanigans, 7 to 9 p.m., starting at Waller St. Brewery, 14 Waller St. Tickets: Free, you’re responsible for the drinks consumed (remember about the tips), and registration is required. www.ottawafreetour.com
Ottawa Popscope will set up their telescopes for free viewing of the stars and other celestial beings (one cannot but hope David Bowie may be among them) in the Great Hall of the National Gallery of Canada each Thursday at 5 p.m. through the winter. Admission to the gallery is free Thursday evenings so it is a great opportunity to see the exhibits and take in the beauty of our night sky with experts to guide the way — while getting to bed at still reasonable hour. facebook.com
Joseph Haydn was a gift composer, but what was he like as a person?.
Continuing the highbrow theme, Early Music specialist Ann Monoyios will reveal details of the lives of composers of 18th century Vienna (think Hayden, Mozart and Beethoven) in a free talk, starting just after 6 p.m. at the National Gallery of Canada. Then, the acclaimed British string quartet the London Haydn Quartet will perform their music, with clarinettist Eric Hoeprich, 7:30 p.m., National Gallery. Tickets: $29-$47. www.chamberfest.com
See and experience the world premiere of I Lost My Talk, a music and multimedia piece based on a poem by Mi’kmaw elder Rita Joe, exploring themes of exile, resistance and triumph among First Nations, by John Estacio and commissioned by the NAC and performed by the NAC Orchestra, with violinist Daniel Hope and other performers, with multimedia integrated, including a film, 8 p.m., National Arts Centre. (Other composers on the program include Shostakovich, Korngold and Williams.) Read more about the compelling poem and this piece here. Tickets: From $25. nac-cna.ca
Photos: What to do this week
Wondering what to do this week for fun or adventure? We have ideas.
-->
Related
Art exhibits this week
Concerts: 10 gigs to see (and the Bowie songs we hope they cover)
Friday, Jan. 15
Let’s start music Friday with some exercise (New Year resolutions, after all), at a free, Zumba Beach Party masterclass offered by multiple instructors at the Richcraft Recreation Complex, 6:30 to 8 p.m., 4101 Innovation Dr. (It’s a great chance to try the popular dance/exercise class and check out the new complex without committing, just yet.) All welcome. facebook.com
Get your more traditional dance on with some fuzz and power pop bands, including Twist (who should be used on the Twin Peaks revival soundtrack) from Toronto, London’s So Young and Ottawa’s Trails, 8 p.m., Pressed, 750 Gladstone Ave. Tickets: $7 at the door, but also pay-what-you-can.
The Mockingbirds — in the 80’s.
And as part of this months’ goodbye to Eugene Haslam, as he hands over the reins of venue Zaphod Beeblebrox (we’re just going to be sad, and grateful, all month), rockabilly band The Mockingbirds reunite — including Lucky Ron, Steve J.Mash, DOn Kenny and George Stryker. “They go waaaaay back to my first club The Underground,” Haslam said. “So it’s kinda neat how it spans almost my whole club career for them to come back and play for moi.” Tickets: $10. zaphods.ca
Juno nominee JW Jones is on stage at his regular haunt with his dapper clothes, front man swagger and classic blues guitar sound, 9 p.m., The Rainbow, 76 Murray St. Tickets: $15. www.facebook.com
For garage punk fans, there’s a show at House of Targ (they always come through), with Neck, Audio Visceral, and The Fandemics and QUarter Tank, both from Toronto, 10 p.m, 1077 Bank St. Tickets: $6. www.houseoftarg.com
Saturday, Jan. 16
Try saying “mush!” at the Winter Celebration at Rideau Hall today.
There will be dog sledding to try, Icelandic horses to pet, giant ski to use, Viking games to play, Inuit dancing and crafts to make, science experiments, fairy tales and nibbles to taste, plus so much more at the Governor General’s annual Winter Celebration, 12:30 to 4 p.m., Rideau Hall, no matter the weather. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged for local Food Bank or Snowsuit Fund. (Don’t forget to bring your skates for a turn on the historic rink.) www.gg.ca
Make plans at the Wedding Palace Show.
The Living Locally Fair in Russell features over 130 local food producers, artisans and community groups, supported by the Russell and District Horticultural Society, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., St. Thomas Aquinas High School, 1211 South Russell Rd., Russell (about half an hour from downtown Ottawa). Admission: Free, btu donations to the food bank are welcome. www.livinglocallyfair.ca
Winter is time to plan your (fall? summer?) wedding and there are two days of bride and groom runway shows, food, flower and more vendors hawking their wares and tips at the 2016 Winter Wedding Palace Show, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. all weekend at the Shaw Centre. Tickets: $20 at the door. www.weddingpalace.ca
The “most popular comedian” (says Time Magazine), ventriloquist Jeff Dunham — whose specials set the record for viewership on Comedy Central — has left his comfy gig in Las Vegas to go on tour with a brand new collection of material in Perfectly Unbalanced. But do not fear, his collection of on-stage characters, including grumpy Walter, red neck Bubba J to Achmed the Dead Terrorist and furry Peanut, are with him, 5 p.m., Canadian Tire Centre. The show is marketed as 18+, but his legion of junior-high aged fans are expected to attend. Tickets: from $66. canadiantirecentre.ca
Sarah Bernhardt paid a visit to Quebec City in 1905.
It’s 1905 and Quebec City is in turmoil, with conflict between the working class, the capitalist powers, the ever-confusing church, but acclaimed actress Sarah Bernhardt is due to arrive and priest-in-training Michaud is beside himself with glee and conflict. La Divine Illusion is an historical play, capturing the tone of the time, from scandal to desperation to evade poverty, from the creators of the popular Christine, la reine-garçon,8 p.m., Salle Odyssée. Tickets: $38-$47. salleodyssee.ca
Tickets are going quickly for The Chris Timms uncensored comedy cabaret, where the stand-up is punctuated by live piano playing by Ty Hall, with funny folk Lamar Williams, Aaron Power, Jen Labelle, Mike Beatty, Greg Stringer — several of whom are finalists in the Cracking Up The Capital competition, 7:30 p.m., NAC Fourth Stage. Tickets: $20. nac-cna.ca
Sommelier Jack Whitelock is presenting seven great wines from around the world for tasting, paired with food while also offering tips about storing and decanting, 7 p.m. to 1 a.m., Nick Smith Centre, 73 James St., Arnprior. (Dancing ot DJ music will follow.) Tickets: $30, $250/table of eight. www.facebook.com
Sunday, Jan. 17
Creative Sundays are hands-on art sessions for all ages at the Ottawa Arts Gallery.
The family can get hands-on at two art galleries, starting at the National Gallery with Art Moves Me, an all-ages dance, puppet-making and age-appropriate tour — there are even songs for little babies, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., gallery.ca; the Ottawa Gallery has their free, drop-in Creative Sundays art and creation event for children, 1 to 3 p.m. www.ottawaartgallery.ca
For the artistically-inclined adults, there are pints to enjoy with paints in Kemptville this afternoon, as the instructor provides all the tools (from canvas to paints) and an inspiration painting — no experience is necessary, 2 p.m., The New Rideau restaurant, 7780 Merlyn Wilson Rd. Cost: $40, does not include drinks or food. www.artwithbonnie.com
Due to much demand, there is a second beginner ukelele workshop at the Alcorn Music studio today, perfect for those who got an instrument for the holidays but are stumped as to where to being. The two-hour workshop promises to leave students able to strum three full songs on the “happiest instrument,” 1 to 3 p.m., 953 Gladstone Ave. Cost: $25, and there are ukeleles on site to borrow. www.facebook.com
Party machine Remi Royale will pay tribute to the recently departed artist David Bowie in a late-night musical event with yet-to-be-disclosed friends at The Manx, starting at 11 p.m., sure to include at least one raucous, and possibly tearful, singalong, 370 Elgin St. There is no word on cover charge and, though not explicitly stated, we’re sure outfits will be encouraged. manxpub.com / www.facebook.com
Monday, Jan. 18
Original Buffalo Chicken Mac n’ Cheese, one of the many offerings during their mac’n’cheese week.
It’s a surprisingly busy Monday.
It all began when Flapjack’s posted a picture of mac’n’cheese grilled cheese to their Instagram account and nearly broke the internet (or something more Ottawa-sized); now, they are giving us what we want with Mac and Cheese Week, beginning today. The relatively new shop on Preston Street, popular for their pancakes and panwiches, will be open for extended hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for the next seven days (until Jan. 24), offering such as the Canadian Shawarma mac’n’cheese, artery-stopping poutine and sausage mac’n’cheese, and “relatively healthy” vegetable and pesto mac’n’cheese. (Their full menu will still be available.) Prices range from $9 for appetizers to $14 for “very large” entrées, 354A Preston St. www.flapjacks.ca / facebook.com
Theatre Kraken is looking for two men to play Chicago policemen — with believable accents — for their new production, A Steady Rain, with auditions toight from 7 to 10 p.m. Book your spot at theatrekraken@gmail.com. (Their show The Underpants continues at The Gladstone until Jan. 23.) www.theatrekraken.ca
Yum, truffles.
Valentine’s Day may seem ages away but the deadline for (and rush on the limited spots) for the Cordon Bleu Valentine chocolate course is not (deadline: Feb. 4). The course is hands-on, with one-on-one guidance from the chef in making truffles, moulding chocolate in different flavours over four hours, noon to 4:30 p.m., Feb. 13. Cost: $192.10 — and remember to bring containers to bring home the goods for your sweetie. www.cordonbleu.edu
If you’re in search for a cocktail, the bartenders at LIVE on Elgin are being put through their paces at a training event and their creations are being offered up at staff discount ($4 each) from 9:30 p.m., 220 Elgin St. www.liveonelgin.com
Tuesday, Jan. 19
The cutthroat (not really), captivating (actually is) live Art Battle is back in Ottawa, with competing artists creating an original piece using acrylic paints in 20 minutes, surrounded by the audience — who have drinks in hands and the power to choose the winner, 7 p.m., Arts Court. The finished pieces are then available by silent auction and the winner gets to eventually face-off in regional, then national rounds. artbattle.ca
Speaking of art, there’s a curator and artist talk at the Carleton University Art Gallery, between exhibiting artists Carole Sawyer (Vancouver), Matthew Reichertz (Halifax), visiting curator Robin Metcalfe and the gallery’s Heather Anderson on the topics of narrative, biography and play within the conventions of photography and painting, 7 p.m., St. Patrick’s Building. Admission: Free. cuag.carleton.ca
Master gardener Judith Cox gives tips on vegetables — “from pots to plots” — for those ready to start planning their garden, at a Stittsville Goulbourn Horticultural Society event, 7:30 p.m., Pretty Street Community Centre, 2 Pretty St., Stittsville. All welcome: $4 for non-members. SGHorticultural@gmail.com
[Video above might not be suitable for non-adults.]
Tonight, the Cracking up the Capital comedy festival is giving a second chance to 10 local comedians who are very funny, but somehow did not win at the semi-final rounds, 7 p.m., Lone Star, 1211 Lemieux Dr. The successful will join in the finals on Feb. 3, where the winner gets cash and to perform on stage with such funny luminaries as Mary Walsh during the festival. Dr. Tickets: $10. www.crackup.ca
Wednesday, Jan. 20
Twelfth Night opens with a preview performance tonight at the NAC.
Shakespeare’s best comedy (we’d argue) Twelfth Night opens tonight with previews with the NAC’s ensemble actors animated with the help of the Calgary’s famed Old Trout Puppet Workshop, who have provided surprising treats for the audience in the baroque-set, costumes and quirks. Unfamiliar with the story? It’s got everything from cross-dressing to mistaken identities, bizarre love triangles, fighting and lascivious wit (and yellow tights) wrapped in ribald fun, 7:30 p.m., at the NAC until Feb. 6. Tickets: $32-$89. nac-cna.ca
Have something to say about Ottawa’s smoke-free by-laws? The City is seeking input on the smoking of non-tobacco substances and lectronic cigarettes in public and work places as part of their Let’s Clear the Air 2.0 consultation plan, until Jan. 24. Share thoughts at ottawa.ca/tobacco, at 613-580-6714 or by email to healthsante@ottawa.ca.
Thursday, Jan. 21
Claude Monet’s Camille sur son lit de mort, 1879, at Musée d’Orsay.
We cannot deny the interesting art events this week, with two more tonight, beginning with a curator-led tour examining the provocative exhibition of pieces created from human bones collected from medical-supply companies by Nichola Feldman-Kiss (5:30 p.m., ottawartgallery,ca); the second a lecture closely analysing Claude Monet’s Camille on her Deathbed, alongside an exhibit of his works, arguing it is not an anomaly in the artist’s practice but a pivotal painting (6 p.m., gallery.ca). Both events are free.
Now’s the time to prove you’re funny: Yuk Yuk’s comedy club is having a rare, after-hours open mic event with 3-minute to 6-minute slots, for the complete beginner to those wanting to test some bits in a professional club setting. Sign up begins at 10 p.m., wit the show starting at 10:45 p.m., 292 Elgin St. www.yukyuks.com
Swollen Members’ Madchild brings his hip-hop styles to Babylon, mere weeks after fellow west-coaster, Snak the Ripper — who had been continuing a mutual war of words on Twitter and their YouTube channels — played Ritual. We’re told by insiders that the feud has cooled, not least because their respective fans were beginning to lob threats at each other. 9 p.m., 317 Bank St. Tickets: $25, $40/VIP. www.ticketscene.ca
Friday, Jan. 22
The Ottawa Champions’ Sebastien Boucher will be talking baseball at Zaphod Beeblebrox tonight.
The topic will be all baseball, all the time at Zaphod Beeblebrox with some epic fans, including Tao of Stieb and Mike Wilner of Sportsnet, The Toronto Star’s Brendan Kennedy and Rich Griffin, TSN’s Scott MacArthur and Ottawa’s own outfielder Sebastien Boucher, 8 p.m., 27 York St. Tickets: $25. spectrasonic.com / pitchtalksbaseball.com
Learn how to help a Syrian refugee family as individuals or communities at an information session in Kanata, hosted by the Rotary Club, with all proceeds aiding their join efforts with the Christ Church Cathedral to sponsor families to Canada, 7 to 9 p.m., Richcraft Recreation Complex, 4101 Innovation Dr. Tickets: $10 at the door, includes Srian snacks, but RSVP as spaces are limited and demand is high. http://on.fb.me/1Pqgbxa
But we need music, as it is Friday: Irene’s Pub’s 28th annual two-day R’n’B Fest starts with Zydeco Loco, The Drew Nelson Band and Jed Rached and the Fat City 8, 9:30 p.m., 885 Bank St. Tickets: $10. (Tomorrow, see The Rockerfellas and Mumbo Jumbo Voodoo Combo.) irenespub.ca
We’d almost recommend the jazz-averse see the Eric St. Laurent Trio, as they combine Afro-Cuban elements and a deep understanding of the evocative to create an experience that is both sincere and moving while remaining whimiscal — but only if the new listener is not averse to songs that don’t have the satisfying completion of a typical pop tune. That said, everyone open-minded should head to GigSpace for 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $20. www.gigspace.ca
The musical theme is surreal Jewish at The Black Sheep Inn tonight, with headliner Geoff Berner, who combines klezmer with a punk sensibility, and Montreal’s Orkestar Kriminal who proudly play the Yiddish and gangster folk music of the between-war underworld of Warsaw, Odessa, Greece and anywhere else they fancy, (expect about eight languages to be sung at each performance), 8 p.m., 753 Riverside Dr., Wakefield. Tickets: $10 in advance. theblacksheepinn.com
Described as a cross between later Hüsker Dü and The Pixies, power pop punk rockers Little Junior headline a show of shoegaze, psychedelic rock and some noise, with Kings Quest, Lush Buffalo, Tijuana Jesus, 10 p.m, House of Targ. Tickets: $6 before 10 p.m, $8 afterwards. www.houseoftarg,com
Saturday, Jan. 23
Miso Japanese will be serving their seared seafood lobster boat among other delights at Noodlefest today.
Enjoy oodles of noodles at the adult-only Noodlefest today, where about 20 local vendors will offer up culinary nom-noms inspired by international cuisine, from Ramen to Pho to fusion creations of tempura and curry, 5 to 10 p.m., Shaw Centre, 55 Colonel By Dr. All items are priced at $4-$5, and there will be cash bars and DJs to entertain. Admission: $10, for 19+ only. http://bit.ly/1OKSiED
A lion dance kicks off the Ottawa Asian Fest on Saturday.
All ages are welcome at the Ottawa Asian Fest Night Market, moving indoors for winter after an popular inaugural event this summer (traffic jams to prove it) at Lansdowne Park. Today, there will not only be food (including the return of stinky tofu and new visitor, Toronto’s HK Egg Waffle), but also lion dances, decor to pick up in advance of Chinese New Year on Feb. 8, K-Pop performances, two fashion shows and more, also including Thai and Philippine groups, noon to Midnight, and noon to 6 p.m. tomorrow, Hilton Lac Leamy, 3 Blvd du Casino, Gatineau. Admission: $5 in advance, $10 at the door. Only 2,000 tickets will be sold in advance, but there will be more available at the door. ottawaasianfest.com
French archeologist Gilles Prilaux will discuss recent findings at the frontlines of The Great War, including an underground hospital, horse remains and the burial sites — accidental and voluntary, along with other quotidian effects and weaponry, 2 p.m, War Museum. The lecture will be in French with simultaneous translation into English. Tickets: $10, $7/students/seniors/members. This is part of an ongoing series of international specialists discussing World War I, with the next one a lecture about Russia ‘s role in the war in April. warmuseum.ca
For the first time, the Beechwood Market is opening for four weekends this winter, inside to avoid the changeable weather, with local food vendors offering fresh produce to prepared meals — even wine, and a bouncy castle to keep the kids busy, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Marché St. Charles, 131 Barrette St. www.beechwoodmarket.ca
C4 Wrestling’s first show of 2016 is on tonight.
There will be body slams, flying head scissors, nasty bear hugs and probably a mask or two at the live pro wrestling event featuring the likes of Space Monkey, Hacker O’Shea, Twiggy and Speedball Bailey, pre-show begins at 7:15 p.m, show at 8 p.m., Vanier Columbus Club, 260 McArthur Ave. Tickets: $20. www.c4wrestling.com
Canadian favourites cheezies and The Beachcombers make frequent appearances in the much-acclaimed first-book Birdie, by author Tracey Lindberg (also teacher at uOttawa), who will discuss themes of First Nations trauma, reconciliation, politics and her strong-willed Cree character’s vision quest, 7 p.m., Octopus Books, 251 Bank St. Admission: Free. octopusbooks.ca
The ongoing conflict with MonkeyJunk is that they put on such a delightful show we need to let Ottawa know when and where the blues-rock party band are playing (The Rainbow, 9 p.m.), but they are *so* delightful there is the real chance all the tickets will be gone by the time this column is published. Let this be a warning to buy early. (We’d suggest following them on Facebook, but their events are not always updated.) Tickets: $15. http://monkeyjunkband.com
Submit event information to kendemann@ottawacitizen.com, by 8 a.m. Monday, two weeks before the event. Photos are welcome.