live music Music picks for Ottawa and Gatineau this weekend
Twin River at Raw Sugar Cafe, Friday
Patrons at Raw Sugar Cafe will be swimming in reverb when Twin River takes its country-tinged shoegaze to the stage there on Friday night.
The band got its start as a duo, sitting cross-legged on stages around Vancouver and delivering sad, minimal folk songs.
That’s a far cry from the Twin River you’ll see this weekend, which has since plugged in and become a five-piece driven by wobbly guitar and Courtney Ewan Bromley’s bright, dreamy vocals.
The band’s latest album, Should The Light Go Out, is smeared in a hazy, shimmering twang that begs to be heard live. Twin River’s Ottawa stop sees them on a bill with Hamilton rock band Grey Lands (8 p.m., $8).
Awna Teixeira at Black Sheep Inn, Friday
Awna Teixeira’s musical career started in her teen years on the streets of Vancouver, and has seen her perform around the world since then.
Now based in Toronto, she’s best known as a member of Po’ Girl, a band that has showcased her talents on bass, accordion, banjo, glockenspiel and keys, to name a few.
Despite all that, it wasn’t until 2012 that Teixeira came out with her first full-length solo album, which finally shed a spotlight on her one-of-a-kind, airy voice.
Three years later, she’s touring in support of her third album, Wild One, which is layered with textured, organic sound. Awna Teixeira takes that sound to the Black Sheep Inn on Friday night, and tickets are selling quickly (8:30 p.m., $15).
Ottawa neighbourhood festivals, Friday and Saturday
You could keep yourself busy in Ottawa this weekend simply by walking down the street.
On Saturday, Chinatown Remixed takes over Somerset Street between Bay and Bell streets with a vernissage featuring art, music and activities to kick off its month-long festival.
Then there’s Nuit Blanche to take in, with artistic happenings to be found on both sides of the river between sunset and sunrise.
Meanwhile, a stroll through the Glebe finds music in all sorts of unconventional places, with Marvest planting shows everywhere from Kunstadt Sports, to The Unrefined Olive, to Octopus Books.
A spin-off of CityFolk, the inaugural “musical harvest” kicked off on Thursday with a lineup of 60 homegrown musicians in a variety of Glebe shops and restaurants for free.
The bill includes nine Ottawa-Gatineau acts launching new albums: James Leclaire and the Cable 22s; Alex Silas and The Subterraneans; Ilvekyo; Loon Choir; Moonfruits; Lost to the River; High Waters; The Brook; and John Allaire. Here’s a link to the full Marvest program.
CityFolk at Lansdowne Park, Friday to Sunday
Of course, then there’s CityFolk itself.
This year’s festival began on Wednesday and will continue to draw crowds to Lansdowne until Sunday night.
In keeping with its tradition of combining folk and roots performances with artists from a wider swath of genres, you can expect to see the likes of Van Morrison and Lee Harvey Osmond on Friday night, followed by performances by acts like Of Monsters and Men and The Sheepdogs on Saturday.
CityFolk goes out with a bang on Sunday with a diverse lineup that’ll cater to just about any musical persuasion. Wilco, Lucinda Williams, Andy Shauf and Built to Spill are a few of the highlights, not to mention Fred Penner for the kids. Visit cityfolkfestival.com for the full schedule and ticket info.
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