Music news: Blue Rodeo at the rodeo

If you love music, horses and lots of action then you have to go see Blue Rodeo perform live at the Nepean National Equestrian Park on Saturday, August 21st. How cool is that?! The cost of admission is $58.50 and it includes entry to the country's top Equestrian Show Jumpers competition worth $75,000, featuring none other than Olympic Gold Medalists Ian Miller and Jill Henselwood.

Book your tickets at capitaltickets.ca and use the promo code: fbook for $5.oo off.

Rating: medium (event is one of a kind but a little pricey)

Music news: Orchestras in the Park

A relaxing and laid back event is coming to Lebreton Flats Park next week and I highly recommend you go and experience it. Orchestras in the Park is a free offering of Canada's best in classical music and operatic singing, plus a few surprise collaborations mixed in.




Let's face it - classical music is not accessible to everyone. If you are not familiar with the repertoire, composers or musicians, there is a good chance that you just won't 'get it' and likely become bored after the first 20 minutes. Likewise, if you don't have the $100 for two tickets to see a performance by a symphony orchestra at the National Arts Centre, then how are you ever going to be able to grow your appreciation for the music.

All of these reasons are precisely why you should go and spend an evening at Orchestras in the Park. It is highly accessible in so many ways. Firstly, it's an outdoor performance so there's lots of open space to walk around and be part of the crowd. It's OK to talk during the performance and you can bring snacks and drinks too. The show is kid friendly so no one will care if your child decides he needs to run around your lawn chair and do fifteen cartwheels. Lastly, you will have FREE access to some of the best musicians in Canada. Make a commitement to go and start building your knowledge of classical music! If not for yourself, do it for the children. They are our future.


Rain or shine from July 22-25 at Lebreton Flats Park, shows start at 7:30pm...just in time to watch the sun set.

For the full progam, check out the National Capital Commission website.

Rating: easy

Restaurant Review: Druid in the Market, plus Funk Your Junk shop

A delicious new pub "DRUID" just opened in the Market on the corner of Murray St. and Parent Ave in behind the Heart & Crown. If you like Irish pubs then you will definitely like Druid. It has Old World decor in a comfortable and friendly atmosphere with Celtic music playing from the speakers on the patio. The menu is similar to the Heart & Crown, except they have more meat options, like different cuts of steak and lamb. I highly recommend the pub's signature french fries cooked to a dark golden brown and served with a spicy mayo dip. Yum!!!

While you're sitting on the patio enjoying your Beau's All Natural Beer, you'll have lots of time to people watch and look over at the stores across the street. A new store that just opened and has lots of potential is Funk You Junk. It carries new and gently used clothing and some cool one of a kind designs: watch faces turned into rings, candy wrappers configured into change purses, and vintage jean with patched up holes. If nothing else, it a nice place to peruse after Druid to walk off all the food and drink!

Rating: easy

Visual Arts review: PopLife at the National Gallery

Before going to the Pop Life art exhibit at the National Gallery of Canada, I was most worried about my reaction to the embalmed ponies, but in the end it was the porn art that left it's impression in my naive little brain.

Pop Life: Art in a Material World explores the complex relationship between contemporary art, marketing, and the mass media that has evolved since the 1980s when Andy Warhol uttered his provocative maxim that “being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art.” - Organized by Tate Modern, London, in association with the National Gallery of Canada.

I do recommend going to see this temporary exhibit because you may never see this collection of pop art again in Ottawa. There are works by Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Damien Hirst, and many more. However, a note of caution--you will see some things that challenge you and will likely make you squirm. Let me put it to you this way: Imagine you are the famous artists Jeff Koons and you've just married a porn star and you decide to take graphic photographs as 'art' of the consummation of the marriage. Imagine what those photographs might look like, add on 10 times the shock factor and then enlarge the photographs so that they are bigger than life size. Need I say more.

The twins are in! If you're lucky, you'll show up at the exhibit on a day when the twins are in. Yes, real live twins take part in the exhibit.

I highly recommend you pay attention to the small area of the exhibit dedicated to Canada's own General Idea. You'll find a sample of their work on the right-side of the wall leading into the Keith Haring room. (Plus, more of their work can be found in other exhibits at the gallery) If you are like me and were only born in the 70's you don't know a whole heck of a lot about these guys but you should. An article in yesterday's newspaper sums it up best by saying that Canadian artists are a big part of the contemporary art seen, but Canada is not. i.e., the average Canadian has no idea just how important our Canadian artists are on the global art scene.

Finally, as you make your way into the last exhibition room, you'll be greeted by the fun and quirky media art of Takashi Murakami, featuring of all people Kirsten Dunst! Here's a sneak peek:

Rating: hard (subject mature is very challenging)
Until September 19th

National Gallery of Canada

380 Sussex Dr., Ottawa, ON