2015 was a tough year for Ottawa’s music community. In July, Mugshots Jail Bar — a place near and dear to the hearts of many — closed amidst highly dubious circumstances, abruptly laying off all of its employees and prompting an ongoing lawsuit against the company’s upper management. In October, a catastrophic fire levelled the Daily Grind and a number of adjacent businesses, leaving several people homeless. In December, Raw Sugar, which took on many of the show bookings displaced by the closure of Mugshots, shuttered its doors for the last time.
In Ottawa — a town with an unshakeable reputation for blandness, and where the urban core is prohibitively small — the loss of even one local venue can be devastating for our modest community. The closure of other landmarks, including the Ottawa Folklore Centre and Mellos Diner, compounded the sense that some of the progress that the city has made in recent years towards a more diverse cultural scene is unraveling.
Considering how many venues we lost in 2015, it would be easy to renounce our loyalty to this desolate landscape and resolve to move to Toronto at the first opportunity. Fortunately, a number of spaces have bravely stepped up to carry the torch through to 2016. Check out this list of my new faves, in no particular order:
HOUSE OF COMMON
It took me a few tries to find House of Common. Located in an industrial garage in one of Hintonburg’s back alleyways, it’s not the most conspicuous venue, which I think is kind of the point. Going to shows at House of Common is like hanging out in someone’s backyard, if the backyard happened to simultaneously host a lineup of awesome bands. During the first show I went to, someone had even set up a barbecue and was selling hot dogs to a grateful crowd. Though House of Common has made pretty heavy use of the paved area in front of the building to accommodate an audience and is therefore a bit less enjoyable in the winter, the venue is also touted as a multidisciplinary collaborative space on its website and doubles as a gallery, workshop and photography studio.
Photo courtesy of House of Common.
HAPPY GOAT
If Happy Goat Coffee Co. were personified in human form, it would probably be really tired. As one of Ottawa’s most prominent independent roasteries, it produces coffee onsite, operates a cafe and distribution service, and — most recently — has begun moonlighting as a venue for dance parties. Beginning with a fundraiser for Mugshots’ jilted employees in September, the venue has since hosted a number of killer parties, including a New Year’s Eve soiree and a Halloween jam put on by local activist collective Babely Shades. Look out for (what I’m pretty sure is) Happy Goat’s first ever show lineup on February 18, featuring a few rad out-of-towners from Halifax and Montreal and the musical project of yours truly.
Photo courtesy of Happy Goat Coffee Co.
BLACK SQUIRREL BOOKS
While Black Squirrel isn’t exactly new, the popular secondhand bookstore in Old Ottawa South has vastly expanded its show bookings to accommodate bands and promoters left hanging by the closures of other venues. Like Raw Sugar, Black Squirrel absorbed a number of the show bookings initially slated for Mugshots, and has continued to host some of the coolest local and touring acts throughout the year. Though the shop has yet to acquire a permanent liquor licence, there’s something really appealing about catching a show surrounded by a crowd of people who are quietly sipping peppermint lattes instead of slopping beer onto your shoes/shirt.
Photo courtesy of Gary Franks.
K-HOLE
A sentiment that I heard repeated often in 2015 was the hope that the city’s arts community would itself rise to the occasion to create new, better spaces in response to the many closures. As the old saying goes: when God closes a door, he opens an available townhouse in Centretown with tolerant neighbours and a living room big enough to accommodate an audience. That’s exactly what K-Hole is — a DIY space created by and for the local music community. The residents of K-Hole — along with some of the city’s coolest promoters — have generously opened up their home to showgoers and have since brought a slew of local and out-of-town acts to the space. What makes this venue particularly special is that it pursues a mandate of inclusivity that most other venues in the city lack. Everyone is welcome at K-Hole and made to feel safe and comfortable in an atmosphere that actively discourages racism, misogyny and transphobia. The DIY venue also doubles as a practice space for a few local bands, eliminating certain barriers — like lack of required capital — to involvement in the music scene.
Toronto’s Hooded Fang performing to a packed house at K-Hole. Photo courtesy of Ming Wu.
An excellent article published recently on Ottawa blog Standard Criteria highlighted, among other things, the fact that the scene in this town is becoming too big for its britches. Despite the work of newer venues, there simply aren’t enough spaces to accommodate what is effectively a burgeoning arts scene. Here’s hoping that 2016 treats us nice and showers us with new spaces to create n’ appreciate.
