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Sean Rioux's blog

PIN-UP FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY //

 

Our February pinup girl Emily!!! Grrr....meow 

My day starts with Kitty talk. I am a singer with some bright ideas. I think I'll give some of those a try.

January pinup - Its cold outside, heres something to warm the blood...ooh laa laa

 

December Pin-up Jillian

This is our December Pin-up Jillian...all artsy and stuff. Tres fun!

Pin-up for the month of November // OLGA aka Helga Da-Woman

 

Pin-up for the month of October // Tiger Lily

Tiger Lily aka Veronica Michelle is a writer for Upfront Magazine and Apt613.ca; a visual artist; and as one of the founding members of Rockalily Burlesque, a burlesque performer. She is also a founding member of YWTF: Ottawa (Younger Women's Task Force). She's an avid lover of live music and art showings. 

The Lady of the Evening

The Lady in The Evening...an installation artwork by Sean Rioux and Gilda Furgiuele. On display at the Atomic Rooster 'Trash Revisited' event.

The Donna Litas on MySpace

Images from the ArtSocial

The ArtSocial.... live art.... conversations on post-humanism and how it relates to electronic mediums..... experiments and video installations, break dancers....Mrs. PAC MAN and Galaga and live printi making.....delicious soup that warms the blood.....we'll there was no soup but soup is good. Maybe nextime. 

My Electronic Debut; An Experiment in Genre Busting...June 13th

Electronic music has several barriers that separate it from other musical genres. Like any sub-culture it’s got its own comprehensive vocabulary of descriptors; drum and bass, dub, trance, jungle, electro. The difference here is its hard lined adherence to the electro cultural isms, almost exclusive in their approach to the genre and its sub genres. As an artist you are designated by the intensity of your kick drum, the intensity of your breaks, and the range and depth of frequencies you explore.

Also exclusive to electronic music is its wayward definition of what music is, which sometimes borders on noise. Often without any apparent background in music theory, many of these artists approach their medium with a blank slate, ready to create a blazing whirlwind of crunching insanity without any regard for the past 100 years of popular music which is available in a record store near you. It’s liberating, it’s transient and it’s a blast beat to dance to. Their influences are exclusive, the sub genres defining the approach without need for influence from other musical styles, contemporary or otherwise. It reflects only itself and the street culture that birthed it.

MicroKorg Rules...Sunjet in the Studio....Who is the unicorn and who is the lady?

 Why is the mircokorg such a common used tool in the Canadian indie scene....? let me do a quick demo for you......when experimenting with sythns, reading the manual is key....the korg can do anything...seriously read the manual its all there...brilliant arpeggios can come together will just a few keystokes and tweaks....fun stuff....working on MIDI tempo Syncs...exciting.
 
 
Here is my experimental glitched video demo of me using the MicroKorg. Enjoy:
 

 
 
In the production phase of Sunjet's next EP release, NO official date or title. For those of you don't know Sunjet (my band) check us out Rah Rah/Sunjet/Ketch Harbour Wolves/Ship Shapes. Should be a fantastic show and line up...
 

Danced

.....went out yesterday evening, Mercury Lounge...talked post heterosexuality and drug culture with two old friends....danced and admired the hardware of local musician Ph; miniMoog....Boss Re-20......chaos pads, too many to count including a Korg Kaoss Pad KP3....met up with Iva from Ottawa's hypno pop outfit Ennuie quite randomly....danced....drank a 50 or two....Murcury Lounge is funkalicious, can't help but dance thanks to the laser light show and visuals....wish I could say more about the artists, but I googled Ph and all that comes up is the chemical attribute that determines acidity.....will have to dig deeper.....digging the heavy bass grooves offered up last night, and I will be checkin out the Last Sunday of The Month.....on to other things.....heard feedback from a harsh review I did of Male Nurse's 'my friends are all assholes' EP.....sorry Davey....sometimes I'm a big hater.....I promise that I will show you infinite love in future encounters.....I apologize and offer you free studio time in my geared out east end basement, any time you like.....seriously....I'ts on the table......as for the rest of you out there reading this.....give the person closest to you a hug....peace.

An open source world

  As an avid web technologist, I'm privy to the wonderful world of open source information. While some artists, or purveyers of creative media are desperately trying to recover revenue in this age of digital information, others are paving the way for a world where information is free.

check:

..to learn more about the specifics. point is, I almost feel tempted, as an artist, as a musician, as code monkey, web junky, to declare myself offically open source.
Imagine a world where truely inspired creation could happen between groups of individuals. Remixing, rebuilding, seperate creative beings contributing to the same stream of thought as it deverges and converges and callapses in on itself. 

event post //

recent user feeds //

iheartmusic
i(heart)music

Videotape, 8 pm @ Jupiter Room (with Murder Ford Monument, Steve Shiffman and the Land of No and The Darcys)

Women may have garnered all the attention last year for their '60s-tinged lo-fi pop, but they were actually bested at that game by Videotape, who released a far superior album and garnered a fraction of the notice. I don't know if that superiority carries over to the live realm...but I'm definitely interested in finding out.

Alternate 8 pm suggestion: Ghost Bees @ Ukranian Federation

Dowload "Night Lights"

Giant Hand, 9 pm @ O Patro Vys (with Jane Vain and the Dark Matter, Mt. St. Hellen's Vietnam Band and Shapes and Sizes)

My love of Giant Hand is pretty well-, but I just thought I'd reiterate it again. He's now added loop pedals and a drum machine to what was already a pretty entrancing live performance, making him all the more worthy of checking out.

(And as a sidenote, it should be pointed out that Woodpigeon is, sadly, no longer on this bill -- frontman Mark Hamilton contracted Swine Flu, and they had to back out. Luckily, they should be fine in time to play Ottawa two weeks from now!)

Alternate 9 pm suggestion: Caroline Keating @ L'Astral

Dowload "Coming Down From The Mountains"

Hannah Georgas, 10 pm @ Le Milieu (with The Daredevil Christopher Wright, Mittenstrings and Postcards)

Really, this recommendation is sort of a consolation prize for anyone unable to get into either Sufjan or Destroyer. But if you're talking about Hannah Georgas, I use the term "consolation prize" pretty loosely. She's extremely talented, and I have a feeling that it won't be long before she's playing venues just as large (if not a little bigger) than either of those two guys.

Alternate 10 pm suggestion: L'embuscade @ Cagibi

Dowload "The Deep End"

Golden Isles, 11 pm @ Green Room (with Adam & The Amethysts and Diamond Rings)

Truth be told, as excited as I am to see Sufjan, I'm hoping his set isn't too long, since one of the joys of festivals is seeing as many bands as possible. One of the bands I'm hoping his set doesn't overlap into is Golden Isles, who caused a bit of a stir last year as Crystal Moustache. I've heard nothing but good things about the band's brand of soulful, '60s-influenced pop, and I'm eager to finally see them in concert.

Alternate 11 pm suggestion: The Unsettlers @ Il Motore

Dowload "You Look Good"

No Gold, 12 am @ Divan Orange (with Snailhouse, The Two Koreas, The Coathangers and Japandroids)

Truthfully, all I've heard from these guys are the two songs on their Myspace, and I only just started listening to them for the first time half an hour ago. If they're any indication of the band's talent, however...then they're probably a pretty good bet. Of course, the fact they're on right before Japandroids means that getting in will probably be next to impossible.

Alternate 12 am and beyond suggestions: Hollerado @ Bar St-Laurent II (12 am), Les Handclaps @ Le Gymnase (1 am)

Dowload "Hot Bay"

ming2046
Ming Wu Photography

Day 2 of Pop Montreal was a fun night.
I went to four different venues which were:
Club Soda to see Hey Ocean! and Joel Plaskett Emergency

Metropolis to see Fever Ray
Jupiter Room to see Said The Whale
Petit Campus to see Flecton Big Sky

First show was seeing Hey Ocean! at Club Soda.
I had ...

ming2046
Ming Wu Photography

Went to my first night of Pop Montreal.
Did not get to see the ones that I wanted to see but I was happy to see whoever was playing on the first night.
I had trouble finding one venue which was the Ukrainian Federation.
The other venue which was abit far so I ...

iheartmusic
i(heart)music

Technically, Pop Montreal started last night with some pretty impressive shows. But I wasn't there, and I didn't really want to talk about all the really great acts (Bahamas and My People Sleeping in particular) that I'd be missing. But I'm in Montreal as of this evening, so here's the i(heart)music guide to Pop Montreal.

Todor Kobakov, 8 pm @ O Patro Vys (with Brian Borcherdt, Julie Fader, Ryan Dahle, By Divine Right and The William Blakes)

Honestly, the only reason I haven't written about Kobakov's debut, Pop Music, yet is that I haven't the faintest idea of how to describe classical music. But, as the saying goes, I know what I like, and I really like this guy's music. Plus he's played with the likes of Stars, Emily Haines, Jason Collett and a whole bunch of other fairly well-known people, so you have to figure that a bit of their knack for performing will have rubbed off on him. Regardless, he's definitely worth checking out.

Alternate 8 pm suggestion: Hey Ocean @ Club Soda

Dowload "Carpe Diem (featuring Emily Haines)"

The Paint Movement, 9 pm @ Divan Orange (with Yukon Blonde, Leif Vollebekk, Fox Jaws and Gregory Pepper and His Problems)

Very quietly, Nevado Records has become one of the most interesting new labels in Canada. The Paint Movement, Fox Jaws, Yukon Blonde, Bahamas (who, sadly, isn't playing this)...none are household names yet, but you get the feeling it's only a matter of time, and it won't be long before fans of their talented roster aren't able to fit into a setting as cozy as Divan Orange. Catch them now, because the opportunity won't be there for much longer.

Alternate 9 pm suggestion: Dinosaur Bones @ Il Motore

Dowload "Terms"

Martin Royle, 10 pm @ Les 3 Minots (with Oldfolks Home, Hooded Fang and The Breezes)

To a large extent, this pick is driven by nostalgia. Actually, scratch that; this pick is entirely driven by nostalgia. I saw Royle at the inaugural Pop Montreal about eight years ago (which makes me feel very, very old), and as frontman of Washington Social Club he wowed me. I can't say I know what he's been up to since then, but I'm eager to find out, if only for old time's sake.

And if he sucks, then just stick around for Oldfolks Home and Hooded Fang.

Alternate 10 pm suggestion: Boxer The Horse @ Jupiter Room

Unfortunately, no download. I can't seem to find any music from him. So instead, here's "Charlie The Russian", from Royle's Washington Social Club days

Leif Vollebekk, 11 pm @ Divan Orange (with The Paint Movement, Yukon Blonde, Fox Jaws and Gregory Pepper and His Problems)

Basically, see what I said above for The Paint Movement. This may just be the most stacked line-up of the night.

Alternate 11 pm suggestion: Sports: The Band @ Balattou (who, technically, are actually on at 11:30, not 11)

Dowload "Quebec"

Young Galaxy, 12 am @ Il Motore (with Dinosaur Bones, Mardeen and Silver Starling)

Do I really need to explain this pick? Probably not. But just in case you need refreshing: Young Galaxy are a great band. They're extremely good live. They have an excellent new record out. And they're some of the nicest people I've met in music. In other words...see them.

Alternate 12 am suggestion: Hooded Fang @ Les 3 Minots (or Brides @ Casa del Popolo. There are a lot of good bands playing at this time slot, so you really can't go wrong with whatever you pick!)

Dowload "The Golden Coin"

iheartmusic
i(heart)music

I'll have a Pop Montreal preview up later today, but before that there are a few quick things I wanted to pass along.

First, one of the shows I announced on Friday just got a whole lot better...

As you can see, the very amazing Woodpigeon (download "Cities of Weather") have been added to the bill on October 16th at Cafe Dekcuf. Tickets are now going to be $8 at the door, and it's now going to be an even more amazing than it was already going to be!

With the Polaris Prize nomination, of course, Woodpigeon are definitely one of the more buzzy bands in Canada...which brings me to my second point: it's almost time once again for this year's hottest bands in Canada poll! I sent out a whole bunch of invitations yesterday, but I couldn't have possibly gotten everyone, so if you're a Canadian music blogger/journalist-type person and you want to vote for this year's list, get in touch for more details!

Users //

  • mattvdh
    mattvdh's picture

    I play drums in two bands...
    fumigation and killitorous

    I also run a local music site called ogdeathgrind

  • TonyMartins
    TonyMartins's picture

    We publish weekly and quarterly content, online and in print, that examines "Ottawa culture at ground level."

  • PARAMEDICS
    PARAMEDICS's picture

    We are an experimental indie band from Ottawa

  • nuotio
    nuotio's picture

    I'm not sure.
    I'm a songwriter and musician,
    a current board member at Galerie SAW gallery, and I'm on the Ottawa Advisory Committee for Magnetic North Theatre Festival, and I'm peripherally involved with the Ottawa International Writers Festival too.

    I like collaborating and going to a lot of shows and events and hanging out.
    I also like to help in organizing events and promoting shows.

  • -457TRINITY-
    -457TRINITY-'s picture

    457THE EDGE ARE MONTHLY SHOWS IN Ottawa for TEENS-25. All shows are FREE ADMISSION and in support of Kids Help Phone - HELPING TEENS IN CRISIS. BANDS.GIVEAWAYS.SKATEBOARDING.PRIZES.VIDEOGAMES.ROCKIN'OUT.

    457THE EDGE IS LOCATED AT 105 SLACK ROAD, BETWEEN MERIVALE & WOODROFFE, NEAR NEPEAN SPORTSPLEX
    STAYED TUNED TO REVOLUTION457.COM FOR ALL UPCOMING EVENTS

  • Gilda Furgiuele
    Gilda Furgiuele's picture

    Director of the independent co-operative,
    Visual artist (photography, painting, sculpture revolving on femininity, pornography, kitsch, and childhood)
    Active participant in arts and culture events and the community
    Lover of fashion
    Wannabe infamous femme fatale and local trend setter
    Photographer/model
    Groupie
    Patron
    Fan of the secret metropolitan side of this city

  • ROSEBUSH
    ROSEBUSH's picture

    I am a performing electronic musician. My music has been released at various times by Immanence Records (UK), Hive Records (US), Livevil Records (US), and most recently the Meat Parade Collective (OTTAWA).

    I am also active in Ottawa's film and video community, as a member of SAW Video co-op, former VP of the Carleton Film Society, and founding member of the now-defunkt Ottawa Film Forum. Since 2003, I have written and directed 5 short films, and have worked on countless others as composer and/or sound designer.

    I have also worked for a variety of local festivals, including Centretown Movies Outdoor Film Festival, and the world-renowned Ottawa International Animation Festival.

    Plus, I like to dance.

  • melannie
    melannie's picture

    i work in theatre programming for the city and also i work with salamander theatre for young audiences. i am a storyteller with the haunted walk of ottawa as well. and of course, i support the culture as best i can through attending and participating with arts events whenever possible.

    i love music and theatre and am always looking for projects and people to collaberate with, so don't be shy.

  • mathieu coates
    mathieu coates's picture

    plan and play electronic medium events all the time. Mostly at the Mercury lounge and at la petite morte.

  • Jennifer Bisson
    Jennifer Bisson's picture

    I'm an emerging artist, recent graduate of the University of Guelph's Fine Art program, I specialize in drawing and painting and though I have sold my work privately, I will be exhibiting for the first time in November for 2 months in the Byward Market at Oh So Good. I am hoping to find more opprotunities to show my work, see other local artists' work and meet members of the art community! I look forward to meeting everyone!
    -Jenn

  • Sean Rioux
    Sean Rioux's picture

    Working from my home base in Orleans Ontario (a borough of Ottawa, as I like to think of it) I do graphics and web development, both for the indie co-op artist network, and also with my day job at The Natural Step which is an international sustainability non-profit organization.

    I also a singer song writer in the Ottawa band Sunjet, and have extensive experience with audio engineering having produced and mastered both with my band, and otherwise.

    I attended the Ottawa School of Art, and try to balance all my other responsibilities for my natural love for the visual arts. I work in mixed media and electronic media, but also have a passion for photography and traditional oil painting.

    I've also had a brief foyer into tattooing, which I hope to get back into soon.

    I live and breath the arts, its my filter to the world, but at the same time I also pursue a strictly rationalist personal interest in science, specifically physics and paleoanthropology.

  • SPAO
    SPAO's picture

    Photography school, emerging and established Independant artist Gallery

  • Lyracore69
    Lyracore69's picture

    GLBTQ positive art space which hosts the annual 24 Hour Comics day event in October. Also promotes indie comix and women in comics with independent publication of the anthology "aBraxIa". Recently launched the New Ottawa Comix Jam at the Shanghai (last Wednesday of the month, 7pm).

  • Don Monet
    Don Monet's picture

    gallerist/ artist

  • ming2046
    ming2046's picture

    Photography

  • Alexandra-Jane
    Alexandra-Jane's picture

    Hello! I'm a young aspiring artist hoping to make some great connections with other contributing artists in Ottawa. I'm currently attending university for Fine Art and have exhibited some of my work at Oh So Good. I'm booked for a second show in June and I hope this is only the beginning! Any advice or criticism is so greatly appreciated. I am here to lean. Teach me something!

  • sarajarvis
    sarajarvis's picture

    Full-time professional glass artist primarily creating unique commissionned projects for clients' homes

    In the process of setting up an artists’ marketing network (mARTketing?) for all artists, artisans and crafters to share their experiences and to discuss different ideas and experiences. We have a tendency to work in isolation, each having to invent our own wheels. I want to increase the marketability of art and artists in the area, helping to raise the profile of Ottawa’s arts sector at the same time. Marketing is the most important task we must undertake beyond the actual creation of our various artworks, but few of us really know what we are doing. I know that I have felt my own frustrations in marketing myself and my work despite having a better grasp of it than most…..

  • daniel tauno
    daniel tauno's picture
  • Ottawabill
    Ottawabill's picture

    I am a regular participant in numerous arts and culture events as well as a collector of local art, a generous sponsor of various groups and events, and a faithful patron of several local artists.

  • green bee
    green bee's picture

    I make ambient electronic music from a discreet space station on my desktop. These 'songs' then seek to populate various corners of digitized space like multicoloured gelatinous dendrites gone haywire.

  • Adornato
    Adornato's picture

    Artist
    Video remixer
    Artbot sculptor
    Shit disturber
    Curator
    Lecturer
    Muther-flipin Creator.

  • sawvideo
    sawvideo's picture

    SAW Video is an artist-run-centre committed to support ground breaking artistic production, presentation and programming of independent video and media art. SAW Video provides many services to its membership including affordable technical facilities, and a wide range of programmes designed to create an atmosphere that will inspire production through the exchange of ideas around form, content and style.

    In concrete terms, we provide affordable access to video production and post-production facilities. Our activities include production support programmes for video artists, a comprehensive range of introductory, intermediate and advanced workshops and as well as screenings and exhibitions.

    Artists are encouraged to explore video and other electronic media in relation to other media. SAW Video's facilities are used in a wide range of productions - video art, drama, documentary, multi-media, performance, installation, and community-based projects.

    SAW actively promotes access for all artists, regardless of age, class, gender, sexual orientation, race or ability.

  • Wire and Light
    Wire and Light's picture

    Wire and Light is a music act. It records in Ottawa.

  • Bloomistry
    Bloomistry's picture

    Bloomistry began in 2004 with a name inspired by an Ottawa storefront, H.H. Bloom Sound Enterprises. Based in the Capitol Region of Canada, Bloomistry records and mixes at The Underground in Hull, at Bova Sound and at Little Bullhorn Productions in Ottawa, Ontario.

  • peterguindon
    peterguindon's picture