Drawing courtesy Andy Swan's Myspace page.
These days, Andy Swan’s Ottawa is a quirky, quirky place. The one-time Torontonian, who in 2007 penned a well-received musical paean to his adopted home, has come up with an off-the-wall idea for announcing the release of his new EP, Lou Reed. This Sunday at Raw Sugar, Swan will be hosting Canned Goods/Canned Music: an unorthodox musical extravaganza in which he’ll be singing the entire nine-minute album karaoke style – and not just once, but every hour, on the hour.
Of course, Swan’s not just going to be standing in front of a microphone, droning on and on. He’ll be mixing it up throughout the day, possibly getting a haircut during one performance, possibly having a superhero-style cape sewn for him during another. And this isn’t context-free quirkiness, either: anyone who brings a non-perishable food item will get an access code that allows them a free download of the new EP, and all the donations will get sent along to the Ottawa Food Bank. (That is, before they get turned into a canned-good sculpture – another one of the potential ways Swan will be spicing up the performances.) Soundcheck is at 10am, with renditions of Lou Reed lasting until 6pm. As he says on the event’s Facebook page, the reasons to come out are pretty straightforward:
It’s free. It’s fun. It’s low key. It’s good.
If you’re not familiar with Swan the solo artist (and if you’re not, really, go pick up Ottawa – especially if you like sunny alt-folk, served up ’70s-style) you may know him better through his work with bands Detective Kalita and The Michael Parks. Check him out here. And if you like what you’ve heard, you can easily show your appreciation and buy him a drink. Or do it in person this Sunday!
