An Ode to the Ottawa Ska Scene (I Miss You, Come Back)

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In a few weeks, I’ll be going to my first show in nearly two years (Mr. Powers at the Dom for NYE). I’m thrilled. Jazzed. Ecstatic. Live shows have been my lifeblood since I was at least fourteen. Nearly every weekend, my friend’s mom would drive us out of suburbia and into the city so we could participate in the then-thriving Ottawa ska scene. A scene which, unfortunately, seems to be pretty dead now. It’s also one that I’ve been yearning for lately, more than I have in years.

I keep thinking about the scene around 2008. Checkered belts and wack haircuts were the style of the week. In the grungy bars of Ottawa, we were having the time of our lives. There was Mavericks on Rideau—still alive and well—with Café Dekcuf upstairs (read the second word backwards, great name). There was the occasional show at Babylon—a favourite club of mine with a now uncertain future. I can’t forget the iconic Rainbow Bistro—which my parents remember going to. Last but not least, there was The New Bayou.

Credit t. Murphy - babylon nightclub 2007

Credit t. Murphy - the new bayour

We spent more time at The New Bayou than any other venue. (Its name was apt when I think about how slippery the floor got from the amount of sweat from the audience, ew.) The now-dressed-up basement that is home to House of Targ is such a different landscape than its predecessor. The lighting was abysmal, there were ratty couches—that we probably shouldn’t have sat on—where you could occasionally catch a punk taking a nap (during shows), and all they had for food was microwaved popcorn (but were really cool about bringing your own food in.) We saw acts from near and far play shows put on by local icon, Ska Jeff (a nickname he could never really shake off).

Unfortunately, I was a broke teen at the time. I couldn’t afford the CDs on the merch tables. So, I don’t have a solid portion of the soundtrack of my youth. Fortunately for me, YouTube was already pretty well established, and every friend group had at least one digital camera between them. Thanks to this, small pieces can be found of the local scene, suspended in time.

Tea for the Voyage covering Little Bitch by The Specials - Ottawa Ska Fest 2008. The New Bayou.

The Bad News Bears, The Dirty 30s, Tea for the Voyage (Kingston), One Night Band (Montreal), Danny Rebel and the KGB (Montreal) and my personal favourite, The Living Sound System—all popped into memory as I dusted off the ska files in my head. The upbeats, the glorious walking basslines and the sound of brass horns just lift me up when I think of them. Ska is, to be cheesy here, summer in music form. There are the sunny, happy days, and the muggy, dogdays of summer.

And then there was the dancing. For songs that leaned more on the punk side of things, we moshed, but for those classic ska songs—we engaged in a dance called skanking. (Yes, it’s a funny name at first.) I’ve been to plenty of Ottawa shows of other genres where the audience just stood there, too self-conscious to dance, to even sway too much. That was never an issue at a ska show. We danced the nights away. Everyone danced the night away. Yeah, the first time you went to a show, you felt a bit like an idiot—trying to coordinate your arms and legs and look cool doing it isn’t always easy. But the community was so positive and supportive, you forgot that foolishness with ease and just went for it.

I’ve rarely felt that same energy at any other type of show here, barring raves, and now I’m craving it. I miss the ska scene. I miss the energy and good vibes. And I want to figure out how to get that back, or get something new. So, to play on a Fall Out Boy song title: do your part to save the scene and start going to shows (when we can, you know, given the whole pandemic)—but it looks like it’s already on the way back.

Tess

Tess is a long time attender of live music, from someone’s basement with questionable fire safety to sleeping in a muddy field for a week with tens of thousands of others- and questionable fire safety. Her favourite sport right now is parkour.

I've Spent All My Money on Festivals and I'd Do It Again

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Reading and Leeds 2006 Line-up

CREDIT: Reading Festival archives

Two festivals, both alike in dignity (absolutely none), blah, blah, blah,
Romeo and Juliet reference.

Reading and Leeds are a pair of music festivals that share a line-up over the last long weekend of the summer in the UK. One’s up north (Leeds, Leeds, Leeds!) and the other’s down south (Reading, pronounced like the colour red—don’t worry lots of us have read Reading wrong and read it as read instead.) I’ve had the honour of going to both, but I’ll focus on Reading today.

Brendon Urie speaks on being bottled at Reading Fest 2006.

It first pinged on my radar in 2006. I’d heard of the festival an ocean away thanks to my obsession with Fall Out Boy, but hadn’t paid it much mind until Brendon Urie, singer of Panic! At the Disco was knocked out cold by a bottle to the head (or “bottled.” Yes, it’s a verb. Concerning? Slightly.) With YouTube in its infancy, I was watching grainy footage of the incident within days and scrolling through the comments spouting that “bottling” was supposedly a tradition of Reading. I, of course, then had to know more about this ludicrous festival, where this was just “normal.”

CREDIT: Wikipedia Bottling page.

Soon, I was scrolling through dingy forums, reading about this whole other experience of festivals I’d never known before. They had camping? Reading had been going since the 1970s? I couldn’t believe this. And the line-ups were just incredible—especially the lineup of 2006. In a matter of weeks Vans Warped Tour was no longer my ultimate-dream-festival to attend one day, Reading and Leeds had taken the lead. I then followed it for years, and unlike Vans Warped Tour (F in the chat, please), Reading continued to go strong, so 10 years later I was able to go.

Reading Fest 2016 campsite market.

Reading fest camp market. Credit: t. Murphy

Impressively enough, it was more than I’d imagined or read about. Usually, the legends you hear are a bit exaggerated and overhyped but Reading lived up to the hype. The atmosphere is something that buzzes, and you feel within a five-mile radius. The festival didn’t technically start until Friday, but even on Thursday when we’d arrived, the campsites were already filled up with people who’d been there since Tuesday (deeply committed to the sesh.) As we dragged our equipment on a thirty-minute walk, looking desperately for space, there was chaos on either side of the pathway. Tents were practically layered on top of other tents, multiple parties were happening in every direction, two guys were sat on chairs drinking ciders watching the newcomers join and my Ferris Bueller shirt earned me an approve chorus and cheers of, “Ferrrrisssss!” from them. Paintings on flags and the sides of tents were dedicated to favourite memes and toasts made in Harambe’s name could be heard all over.

As the festival goes on, this energy only grows. It gets pulled right into the arena, and usually reaches absolute peak on Sunday night. Fortunately, I did not witness any bottling of performers that year, although you definitely still had to watch your head while in the crowd. Empty cups of beer were chucked as far as they could go (which were then quickly collected into towering stacks by other festival goers as there was a 10 pence return on them). What I did get to witness were some amazing performances by—wouldn’t you know it—Fall Out Boy and Coheed and Cambria, two bands that had played that fateful 2006 show. It’s maybe a bit pathetic but I still go back and watch their sets on YouTube now when I start missing festivals again, like when I was writing this.

Fall Out Boy Reading 2016 full set.

I’m currently dreaming of my next return to either Reading or Leeds.

Sure, people burn their tents down on Sunday night, and by Monday morning you’re surrounded by levels of carnage you’d never previously fathomed, but I cannot recommend another festival more.

(Except T in the Park, but that’s over.)

Reading festival 2016. credit: t. Murphy

Tess

Tess is a long time attender of live music, from someone’s basement with questionable fire safety to sleeping in a muddy field for a week with tens of thousands of others- and questionable fire safety. Her favourite sport right now is parkour.

Take Advantage of Globalization to Build Your Playlist Today!

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In the mid-2000s, I was on the internet. I was a loser with few friends, and it was a long summer of late nights and muggy weather—but it was okay, because I had a shiny, new YouTube account. It was thrilling, sitting at the family computer, slapping on headphones and watching whatever I wanted. I don’t know how to get across how significant it was to suddenly have so much control over the content I consumed. It was content from all around the world, and not just the heavily curated stuff you got through Much Music, MTV or any other channel on television. I had so much choice and variety that it permanently impacted my library.

See, when I wasn’t watching two guys in California lip sync the Pokemon theme (Smosh), I was watching music videos and lyric videos uploaded by fans from all over the world. Meanwhile, record execs were only just starting to ask what a YouTube was. The quality was absolute crap—144p and 240p were to be expected—but that didn’t matter when your music choices suddenly felt unlimited. Before I knew it, I was listening to pop from Japan and UK Garage. I even was an early international fan of K-pop (I might have to write Confessions of an ex-K-Pop fan about that whole experience.)

But reminiscing got me thinking, even with music crossing more borders everyday, the North American market is still extremely difficult to break into for international artists—and it’s a damn shame. So, I’m offering up a few recommendations of songs from around the world that found me back then.

South Korea: Epik High – Peace Day

This song got me through high school. Why? I don’t know, it just slaps. It introduced me to some legends I’m still loving nearly two decades later. I want to say it has a 90s and early 2000s hip-hop inspired sound but frankly, I’m bad at getting specific about genres. I think if you like I Wish by Skee-Lo then this could be a good track for you.

Japan: m-flo - Come Again

When friends bring up Japanese music, it’s often an act like L’Arc~en~Ciel or BABYMETAL—both cool, but it’s crazy to me how industry legends like m-flo are unknown here. Choosing one track to showcase them was next to impossible. Their albums are experiences to be listened to in full (the m-flo LOVES series is especially good if you want to sit back and pretend that you’re on a shuttle to Mars.) In the end, I’m choosing to stick with the old-school hip-hop sound and recommend Come Again. It mixes up smooth sections with sharp bursts that keeps it exciting and is just beautiful overall.

Germany: Die Fantastischen Vier – Der Picknicker

Again, old-school hip-hop, and again, legends in their country—they were instrumental to the popularity of hip-hop and rap in Germany. Der Picknicker has a smooth sound and bassline and I know enough German to tell you that the lines shouted during the chorus mean, “No shit, man. Everybody knows,” which are some useful phrases to know, I think.

This is a miniscule fraction of songs, but I hope that they got you thinking about the music scenes in other countries. There are amazing songs released everyday, all over the world, and it’s so easy to find them. The world feels so connected now and experiencing that connection firsthand through music is just incredible. So, what are your top tracks from around the world?

Tess

Tess is a long time attender of live music, from someone’s basement with questionable fire safety to sleeping in a muddy field for a week with tens of thousands of others- and questionable fire safety. Her favourite sport right now is parkour.

Songs to Listen to While You Cry in the Car Before Having to Work with the Public

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I worked at a certain Canadian coffee chain that will not be named for years. Every co-worker was always so stressed out that they just made every other one of us more stressed out; the turnover rate was remarkably high. Co-workers that had transferred to my store from another told me that the customers at our location were, “something else.” All of this is to say that it was an incredibly stressful job: it was not unheard of for someone to break down into tears at some point and walk off the floor (I’d even cried in the drive-thru once myself).

So, on my way to my early morning shifts, I listened to music to get into the right mindset. Working with the public is often a truly unpleasant experience — one in need of a proper soundtrack — so I offer three songs to consider adding to your pre-work playlist.

1)      “I Just Wanna Die…” by FIDLAR

We’ll start off with the melancholic words but happy tones that FIDLAR so often provides us. Although the lyrics are mainly about a failed non-relationship, the chorus really hits when you’re on your way to a job you hate but need to pay the bills. Singing, “I just wanna die,” followed by some fun, “oo’s,” is simple, but it hits just right. Even outside of working with the public, I highly recommend this song (and all others by them).

2)      “Help” by Pink Guy

Joji’s previous character, Pink Guy, is the singer of our follow-up song. You’re starting to get closer to work now, and are a little more desperate in your hopes that maybe when you arrive the store will simply be… gone. “Help” is an excellent soundtrack for this mood. Again, very troubling lyrics shoved over a happy-go-lucky and simple backing track. “Help” features the whimsical sounds of a ukulele that make for an absolutely fantastic sound that captures the mood of going to a shitty job while the sky is blue and it’s beautiful out.

3)      “Square Up” by Zack Fox and Kenny Beats

This is it. You’re in the parking lot, the front door is within view and your feet want to turn you around and take you anywhere but here (which itself would require a whole new soundtrack). But you need your paycheque because you suppose that you do, in fact, need food to survive. It’s time to switch up the songs a bit and go for something that gets you ready to fight. “Square Up” fits the bill. The humorous nature of the lyrics and song kind of echoes conversations you’ve probably had with coworkers at some point when you were frustrated about something.

So, those are the three songs I offer for your pre-work playlist. Are they already on yours? And do you have any to recommend to add to mine?

Tess

Tess is a long-time attender of live music, from someone’s basement with questionable fire safety to sleeping in a muddy field for a week with tens of thousands of others and questionable fire safety. Her favourite sport right now is parkour.