Quiet night

It got a bit chilly yesterday, didn't it? It was quiet as I walked down to Irene's (particularly compared to Saturday's blaring horns), and fairly quiet inside Irene's as well. Maybe everyone was sleeping off their post-Sens victory hangover; there were about two dozen people on hand to watch Sarah Hallman and Great Aunt Ida.

A slightly blurry Sarah with an even blurrier rhythm section.



Ida Nilsen and bassist-illustrator Scott Malin.



Lovely performances from everyone involved. Oh, and Mighty Eagle Band photos should be up later in the day.

Great expectations

At last, a day of rest. So needless to say I'll be running around and seeing a lot of things. Unfortunately, one of them won't be Great Aunt Ida, who perform at End Hits this evening (I'll be at Zaphod's instead). I will, however, dig a picture of Ida Nilsen out of my files from about six months ago. She was in town for a show at Barrymore's with both The Violet Archers and The Buttless Chaps. Here she is singing a bit and playing euphonium with the Archers.



Mark Wilson is also on the bill. Apart from the Beirut/Animal Hospital show at Zaphod's, there's also a Hi Lo Trons gig up at the Black Sheep Inn with husband and wife team Marianne Dissard and Naim Amor.

Buttless in Barrymore's

Victoria's Buttless Chaps last played Ottawa three years ago ... pictures from that show can be found somewhere in the depths of the Birdman Sound website. As then, the group offers up both pop with a slight country flavour and 80s synth pop a la Soft Cell and Depeche Mode (whose Master and Servant they covered in their set). There doesn't sound like there's much melding of the two, they just cross from one to the other.

Dave Gowans. His hair hasn't changed a bit.



"I had a delicious meal at Reb Lobster ... are you familiar with it? In fact, I'm still wearing the bib."



Lasse Lutick really gets into the music ... he was even more animated at the Dominion show!





Keyboardist Morgan McDonald was also a bit more low key at this show. I seem to recall he took a few lead vocals at the Dominion show - this time he concentrated on his synthesizers.





Torben Wilson on drums and pads - vital for that authentic 1980s synth pop sound ...



Once again Ida Nilsen - who is now an official Chap - was on stage on brass, accordion, keys and vocals. She was quite amused by the proceedings, I'd say.



My favourite photo from the evening - but I'm just crazy about euphoniums.



And now, some buttless action.





Dave breaks out the banjo.



The Chaps get synthetic.





You said what?!?



Several chaps (big and buttless).



And of course they had Buttless Chapstick for sale - along with their new album Where Night Holds Light.

• Show reminder: The very strange sounding Animental perform at Club SAW with Fluorescent Friend Crystal Eagles and Unikron, which is some kind of Paris Hilton-Akisakila offshoot. Nick Di Gaetano and the Vespertine Choir play Babylon; I gather this is some local noisemakers, including former Van Johnson guys, who have teamed up to play country gospel - okaaaaaaay.

Deep purple

The Violet Archers are fronted by Tim Vesely of The Rheostatics, and feature a few Wayne Omahans, one Buttless Chap and an Elliot Brooder. The music is moody, slightly psychedelic pop with some synth beeps thrown in for good measure. I can definitely hear the influence of the Rheos and WO.

Some call him ... Tim?



Ida Nilsen, also of Great Aunt Ida; she' also serving in the Buttless Chaps, so more pictures of her will appear in short order.



Last time I saw Yawd Sylvester was at Shed Sessions; it was a nippy night in the Gatineau Hills, he was wearing a nightshirt and sleeping cap, there was a bat flying around the stage and he was playing a nose flute.



Aaron MacPherson, also of Wayne Omaha.



Last time I saw Steve Pitken, it was at Zaphod's and he was playing a suitcase.



With introductions out of the way, we can now turn to pop action ...







Ida joins in on backing vocals (also larger).





To get a good group shot with a 50mm macro lens you have to stand back a ways. This picture was taken from the top level of Barrymore's (larger here).



Their debut album is called This is the End of Part One.

• Show reminder: Les Six play Zaphod's along with Eric St. Cyr, Interfear and Finger of Knowledge.