Serena Ryder

Serena Ryder, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

All Serena Ryder needs is an umbrella and a coffee on rainy afternoon in Ottawa. She was spotted in the crowd during the sound checks on Parliament Hill the day before her performance on Canada Day.

Blue Rodeo

Blue Rodeo, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

Kevin Parent and Suzie McNeil jams with Blue Rodeo in a rehearsal before their performance on Canada Day in Ottawa.

Joel Plaskett

Joel Plaskett, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

Nova Scotia rocker Joel Plaskett was on stage rehearsing the night before his Canada Day performance on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Judging be the number of times he's been performing in Ottawa area this year I think he should have an apartment here. That would be cool.
For more info check out his site on the web:
http://www.joelplaskett.com/

Paul Brandt

Paul Brandt, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

Alberta Country Superstar Paul Brandt rehearsed his hit song Alberta Bound on stage the day before Canada Day in Ottawa.
More info here:
www.paulbrandt.com/newindex.html

Suzie McNeil

Suzie McNeil, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

Canadian singer, Suzie McNeil rehearses during a sound check on Parliament Hill one day before Canada Day.

Check out her web site www.suziemcneil.ca for more info.

Tim Hussin

Love it when I stumble upon a good photojournalist's blog. Check out Tim Hussin's site: http://thussin.blogspot.com/

Chair Pummel

Chair Pummel, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

Victorious poet rob mclennan gives the nasty Nathaniel G. Moore a pummeling with a folding chair. Smack! Spencer Gordon lays motionless after a vicious unwarranted attack by Moore, now bloodied. This is poetry at its finest.

Throwdown

Throwdown In O-Town, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

rob mclennan hurls defeated poet Nathaniel G. Moore off the stage at Babylon's in Ottawa 27 June 2008. A bit of poetic justice I might add.

Throwdown In O-Town

rob mclennan vs Nathaniel G. Moore

Here are the facts: rob calls out Nathaniel at the start of the event with some cutting remarks about his reproductive organs. In Nathaniel's opening comments he talks about himself and how he is the underdog in his "miserable city" and earns every spot that he got in his literary career (whatever that means), as he declaims that he "was born insecure and I live it every day."

Nathaniel maliciously taunts and jabs rob which escalates with a beer shot to the face. After a brief scuffle rob pummels Nathaneil with a frying pan and hurls Moore off the stage onto a table. Moore, feeling slighted, takes Spencer Gordon to beat town with a folding chair. rob comes to the rescue and then whoops Moore and flashes the classic rock 'devil hands' to the awestuck crowd. Victory is his! Moore is relegated to the bathroom to lick his bloody wounds as mclennan savours his "win".

Marina

Marina, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

Marina is one of the NCC tour guides on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

Ottawa Rocks

Ottawa Rocks, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

if you look carefully at the photo on flickr.com (click on photo to see large size) the two rubbed out words are "my socks".

I ♥ you pingpong

I ♥ you pingpong, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

I ♥ you pingpong. So I went up to her to ask about the t-shirt. In broken English she tells me its for her twin boys. One is named Pin, and the other, well the communication broke down there.

She spelled out one son's name, Pin. P-i-n. I asked about the second boy's name and why the 'g' in ping. Unforunately, I didn't understand what she said as she didn't have time as the group was boarding the coach. Probably the other son is named Pon?? Hence, I heart pingpong... Anyway, thought you'd be interested.

Ode to Martin Parr

Ode to Martin Parr, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

Byward Market, Ottawa.

Throwdown In O-Town

Hosted by: The Puritan
Type: Sports - Tournament
Where: Babylon Nightclub
When: Friday, June 27 from 7:00 pm to 10:30 pm

Chantal Hébert

Chantal Hébert, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

From the Toronto Star on line bio:
"Chantal Hébert, Toronto Star political columnist, cut her teeth in politics at Queen’s Park in the late seventies covering the minority governments of Progressive-Conservative premier William Davis.

Since then she has reported in French and in English on Canada’s constitutional and referendum wars, the 1988 free-trade debate as well as the more recent rebirth of the Conservative movement.

In addition to her columns, Chantal is a regular member of the CBC’s At Issue panel, broadcast weekly on The National."

Wiki entry:
Chantal Hébert

Are You Monsters!?

Dragon Boat Races in Ottawa, 21 June 2008
Love the part at the beginning where she shouts, "Are you monsters? And the typical instant response is, "Yeah!" "You're Hot Monsters!" and of course I can't forget the classic line, "I am a machine. Machines feel no pain." Oh yeah note that vomiting is a sure sign that you've given it your hardest...It was a great day to be outside in the sun and sand.

Roof-Top Poets

roof-top poets, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

On the roof of the Carleton Tavern for the Ottawa Small Press Book Fair pre-fair reading with Stuart Ross, David McGimpsey, Mike Spry.

Senator John McCain in Ottawa

Senator John McCain in Ottawa, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

Senator John McCain, the Republican nominee for president of the United States, visits Ottawa Friday 20 June 2008 to deliver a free trade speech to the Economic Club of Canada. McCain has a few parting words with Fairmont Château Laurier's general manager Claude J. Sauvé as the Senator is whisked away by motorcade at the side entrance of the hotel.

Senator John McCain

Senator John McCain, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

Senator John McCain, the Republican nominee for president of the United States, visits Ottawa Friday 20 June 2008 to deliver a free trade speech to the Economic Club of Canada. Far left is US Ambassador David H. Wilkins patting the back of Fairmont Château Laurier's general manager Claude J. Sauvé (back turned) as the Senator gives a brief wave to the crowd and then is whisked away by motorcade at the side entrance of the hotel. Tickets for the luncheon allegedly sold out within minutes when news of the event was posted on the club's website.

slideoo

just testing out slideoo.com for kicks.

Ritallin & Free Will

Ritallin & Free Will, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

Uh, not quite sure what's going on here. But it's probably not a comment about Free Will's hair.

From WESTfest bio:
Free Will is a performance poet from Ottawa. He is the 2007 Capital Slam Champion and was a member of the Ottawa Slam Team at the 2007 Canadian Festival of Spoken Word in Halifax.

Colleen Sutton

Colleen Sutton, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

Colleen Sutton is a local Ottawa actress and a recent graduate of The Ottawa School of Speech and Drama. She appears in many successful plays around town and in this photo she portrays an iconic 1980s era model / mannequin for Westboro hair salon, Changes, during WESTFest.

Boxing Demo at Westfest

Boxing Demo at Westfest, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

Lacing, umm strike that... velcroing up the gloves for a boxing demonstration at WESTfest, Saturday 14 June 2008.

Portraits of Joyce

Sparring outside Lululemon

Sparring outside Lululemon, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

...this is actually how you get pink eye.

Donald Throop

Donald Throop, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

Donald Throop is a ubiquitous, yet quiet, audience member usually seen in the front row of many of Ottawa's literary events. I should know; I see him all the time. This portrait was taken at the Christopher Dewdney reading hosted by Max Middle the other evening. Still haven't got around to posting a pic of Dewdney either...soon perhaps.

Sarah

Sarah, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

Sarah works at The Urban Well on Laurier East in Ottawa. She was our server last evening during the Christopher Dewdney book reading of The A B Reading Series hosted by Max Middle. Don't know if I'll get around to actually posting a pic of the featured writer. Maybe.

In any event, Christopher Dewdney, winner of the 2007 Harbourfront Festival Prize, read passages from his new book Soul of the World: Unlocking the Secrets of Time.

Indian Residential Schools Apology

Ottawa -- Parliament Hill, 11 June 2008
Indian Residential Schools Apology delivered by Prime Minister Stephen Harper

Christopher Dewdney in The A B Series

Christopher Dewdney, winner of the 2007 Harbourfront Festival Prize, reads from his new book Soul of the World: Unlocking the Secrets of Time.

Hosted by Max Middle

Thursday, June 12, 2008
7:30pm

The Urban Well
244 Laurier Avenue East
Ottawa, ON

Don Boudria, PC

Don Boudria, PC, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

from his personal website: www.donboudria.com/
"Mr. Boudria was the dean of the Liberal caucus in the House of Commons during the 38th Parliament. He announced his intention not to seek re-election on May 6, 2005 and as of the General Election on January 23, 2006, he ceased to be a Member of Parliament. He has since published his autobiography Busboy: From Kitchen to Cabinet available at www.optimumbooks.com/. The french version is available at Editions du Vermillion."

Lieutenant General Walter Natynczyk

Lieutenant General Walter Natynczyk, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - June 6, 2008) - The Honourable Peter Gordon MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, welcomed the Prime Minister's announcement today appointing Lt.-Gen. Walt Natynczyk as the new Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS). The appointment will be effective following the Change of Command ceremony which will take place in the coming weeks.

"Uncle Walt" smiles during a conversation with a fellow soldier at Rideau Hall during the unveiling of the new Victoria Cross design on 16 May 2008.

John Lavery

John Lavery, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

John Lavery at St. Brigid's

St. Brigid's

St. Brigid's, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

World Naked Bike Ride - Ottawa

World Naked Bike Ride - Ottawa, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

Preperation

Ottawa -- 7 June 2008
World Naked Bike Ride
nakedwiki.org/index.php?title=Ottawa

John Lavery

John Lavery, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

John Lavery, of the Max Middle Sound Project, caught in the poetic throes of a paroxysmic outburst.

John, along with Max, were the opening performers for guest reader, Jaap Blonk at St. Brigid's Centre for the Arts and Humanities 6 June 2008.

Jaap Blonk in Ottawa

Jaap Blonk in Ottawa, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

Jaap Blonk makes his brand of sound poetry come alive in stereo with two mics at St. Brigid's Centre for the Arts and Humanities Friday 6 June 2008.

From the online blurb on OIWF's web site:
"Dutch composer, performer and sound poet Jaap Blonk is unique for his powerful stage presence and almost childlike freedom in improvisation, combined with a keen grasp of structure. He has performed in many European countries, as well as in the U.S. and Canada, Indonesia, Japan, South Africa and Latin America. With the use of live electronics the scope and range of his concerts has acquired a considerable extension."

Jaap Blonk

Jaap Blonk, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

From the online blurb on the OIWF's web site:
"Dutch composer, performer and sound poet Jaap Blonk is unique for his powerful stage presence and almost childlike freedom in improvisation, combined with a keen grasp of structure. He has performed in many European countries, as well as in the U.S. and Canada, Indonesia, Japan, South Africa and Latin America. With the use of live electronics the scope and range of his concerts has acquired a considerable extension."

Michèle Provost: Selling Out

Curated by Sandra Dyck
5 May – 24 August 2008

Selling Out debuts a new body of work by Gatineau artist Michèle Provost, whose canny and compelling textile works have garnered national acclaim. Provost sends up art world commercialism, everyday consumerism, and merchandising mayhem with 155 action-figure-style sculptures, 12 intricate textiles and a set of 200 trading cards, all of which pay homage to the work of artists from Caravaggio to Beuys, Kahlo to Kruger, and Graham to Wall, while re-framing it for a souvenir market.

The exhibition is installed to mimic ubiquitous styles of contemporary merchandising display. The cards are presented in the hard-plastic cases typically used by collectors of sports trading cards, while the action figures — each in their own clamshell package — hang from wall-mounted pegboard. Provost’s “products” cleverly blur the boundaries between original and copy, handmade and mass-produced, fine art and kitsch. They are one-off collectibles, and they’re not for sale. So the show won’t sell out. But has Provost? Come and find out.

Michèle Provost will talk about the exhibition on Sunday, 8 June, at 2 pm.

James Nachtwey Talks

On David Alan Harvey's Road Trips blog.
http://davidalanharvey.typepad.com/road_trip/2008/06/talk-to-james-n.html