The spirit that Samantha Evert celebrates in her Hood Wars argument for Chinatown is attracting all kinds of multicultural, quirky and independent businesses to Somerset, making it t a fantastic area to play in these days. Adding to the growing love for my ‘hood is the fact that we now have VIP Karaoke. Full disclosure: calling me a karaoke “fanatic” is an understatement. I got engaged at the Big Echo in Tokyo and spent hours at the Fantacity Karaoke in Vancouver when I lived there. Considering my pre-Ottawa karaoke history,... | Continue reading article

They’re back… or are they? According to the CBC, the group formally known as Occupy Ottawa (now Occupied Ottawa) marched down to the Garden of the Provinces and Territories this Saturday night. Speculation that they were about to occupy a second park came to nothing, although the group has stated that they may continue to try and set up a new camp in Confederation Park. Big Brother comes to Ottawa. Not the reality TV series, but having someone watch your every movement. Pub 101 is taking photos of everyone who... | Continue reading article

The final production of this year’s National Arts Centre English Theatre season is Shakespeare’s King Lear. But it’s not just any King Lear; it is King Lear with an all-Aboriginal cast—the culmination of an idea actor August Schellenberg and the late director John Juliani had forty-five years ago – and, on top of that, Aboriginal costumes and setting – presumably the choice of director Peter Hinton. It’s not unusual for Shakespeare’s plays to be re-set in different periods and locales (in fact, these days it’s almost the norm), but there’s... | Continue reading article

Tonight, three girlfriends (and one boyfriend) of four local DJs unite to take to the stage at Raw Sugar in an event that has been aptly dubbed “The Girlfriends.” But this is no four-way lover’s tiff: these four have nothing to prove. Instead, these three relative newcomers to DJing (and one established DJ: Mr. Caffrey) are tearing new cuts in old records in support of the burgeoning local DJ scene. The show is pay-what-you-can and runs from 9pm on. In particular order, the performers are Tara Dwivedi, Melanie Yugo (co-operator... | Continue reading article

It’s going to be a great weekend in Chinatown. The weather looks great, making it a perfect day for a stroll through the arch to take in a remixed version of Chinatown. For the fourth year in a row, local Chinatown businesses have teamed up with Ottawa-based artists to turn Chinatown into one huge gallery. From the Daily Grind in the East to Purple Urchin in the West – 54 different locations are taking part. You’ve got a month to take in the art, but today you can take in... | Continue reading article