Apartment613

Craft beer. The city’s festival scene. Disappearing bookstores. And the inaugural Nuit Blanche. Those were some of the top stories of 2012, at least according to the various ne’er-do-wells and miscreants that serve as editors here at Apartment613. And you can hear why by tuning into our final Apartment613 Live podcast of the year. Along with our own mellifluous voices, this week’s podcast also features some of our favourite interviews from the past 12 months — we revisit the closure of Xpress, the controversy over the Nepean Redskins junior football team, and the new album by local alt-rockers The Soiree. And over on the old Apt613 victrola, Ryan and I cue up some of the year’s best and catchiest tunes. And remember: if you can’t wait for the podcast, catch us live at 9 p.m. Wednesday evenings on CHUO 89.1 FM. Bring it on, 2013. Playlist: Jenn Grant, “The Fighter” Rah Rah, “Prairie Girl” A.C. Newman, “I’m Not Talking” Zeus, “

Hey Apartment613 aficionados, looking for some thought-provoking background noise while preparing the holiday turkey? (Or tofurkey, we don't judge.) Then check out our penultimate 2012 episode of Apartment613 Live. On this week's show, we get the lowdown from Sparks Street Mall executive director Les Gagne about the party being planned for New Year's Eve, while simultaneously taking a critical look at the past and future of the pedestrian thoroughfare Ottawans love to snark about. We also air part two of our interview with singer-songwriter Royal Wood — you can listen to part one here, or read a condensed version the entire conversation here. And for our readers who liked dark meat, cranberry sauce and fruit cake before they were cool, we spin a bunch of great holiday tracks by some of the country's finest independent artists. And don't forget: we'll be back on Boxing Day with our "Best of 2012" episode! You won't want to miss it. Playlist: Ohbijou, "Last Christmas" Jim Bryson feat. Jeremy Fis

Howdy, Apartment613 Live fans! Interested in buying a bookstore? Taking in a beer-themed lecture? Or simply hanging out at a local coffeeshop with one of Canada's top singer-songwriters? Then you'll definitely want to check out this week's podcast. We kick things off with a preview of today's Creative Mornings lecture — despite the name, this one's actually taking place at noon — which will feature Steve Beauchesne talking about all the creative goings-on at Vankleek Hill microbrewery Beau's. Later on, we send intrepid Apartment613 editor Jared Davidson over to the Collected Works bookstore to find out why the owners are selling their shop for a mere loonie. And we close the show with part one of a two-part interview with Montreal-based singer-songwriter Royal Wood, who'll be bringing his sweet sounds to the National Arts Centre in early January. There's also tunes aplenty, including brand new stuff from Julie Doiron and Hollerado — whose hot air balloon-themed video you can w

This week Ryan was joined by Mike and Mike of Vanier Now fame, the foremost experts on the study of Vanier. They're at the forefront of the collision (or collusion) of many disparate elements that are changing the very fabric of the neighbourhood, and over the last year their blog has become a beacon for those changes. Edward Ocampo-Gooding from Open Data took us into the local municipal data mines and gave us a look at the kind of awesome initiatives that can be made when that data is put to good use. Think ambient music generated by local bus schedules, efficient garbage pickup and other cool data mashups. Regine from Victoire gave us an impassioned look at the kind of chutzpah it takes to run a small business, which is especially important considering that our Support Local campaign just ended. The takeaway? It's important to support local businesses and initiatives year-round if you want these interesting independent retail outlets to survive. But don't take our word for it. Hear what Regine has to say in

So, an admission: whenever someone mentions Timeraiser, the annual art auction that took place this past weekend at the National Gallery of Canada, I immediately think of this horrifying guy. And then I end up mildly terrified.  But! The good news is that none of the Timeraiser-related guests who descended upon our studios in the basement of the University of Ottawa for this episode of Apartment613 Live are in the business of harvesting human souls, as far as I know. We chat with Paul Sharp, one of the many artists whose work was available to be purchased with a handy donation of volunteer hours. We speak with Amanda Munday, one of the organizers of the event—now in its fifth year here in the capital. And we get in touch with Tessa Mintz of the Canadian Youth Business Foundation—one of the groups that will benefit from those art-loving volunteers—to discuss global entrepreneurship week. And of course, we play a whole schwack of good music, while also mangling the nam

Hola, Apartment613 Live listeners! This week, we air a fantastic two-part interview we originally recorded during the Ottawa International Writers Festival with the multi-talented Jian Ghomeshi,  host of CBC Radio One arts and culture talk show Q and—more recently—author of the coming-of-age autobiography 1982. (And also a purveyor of fine granola, in case you didn't know.)  But if turning the microphone on one of Canada's most notable radio personalities isn't enough reason to tune in, we also catch up with the folks behind new Ottawa "underground" restaurant Revelry House. Plus, there's your weekly dose of new Canadian music—including tunes from The Luyas, A.C. Newman, and the Hilotrons. So are you going to give us a listen? Of course you are. Playlist: The Luyas, "Traces" Foam Lake, "True Hearts" A.C. Newman, "Encyclopedia of Classic Takedowns" The Darcys, "Peg" Hilotrons, "Emergency"

It’s the Halloween episode of Apartment613 Live, everyone! So brace yourself for a chilling hour of terrifying, bloodcurdling—er, actually, to be honest, we didn’t include too much in the way of traditional frights. Unless you count the shrieking pumpkin toy I couldn’t resist using on-air a few times. Then again, maybe you’re terrified by the idea of dozens of plaid-wearing cyclists taking over the city's streets, gnawing on the flesh of any drivers or pedestrians they encounter! If that's the case, commence trembling, because we got Chris Sheppard of local microbrewery Kichesippi to tell us all about the city’s first ever Plaid Parade—a big part of Support Local Month here in the capital. We also chatted with Urban Craft coordinator and co-founder Krista Leben about the city’s demonic late fall/early winter craft show scene. And we spun eeeeeeeevil tracks from the likes of Zeus, Esmerine, Aidan Knight and Death From Above 1979. So download a

On this week’s Apartment 613 Live, Ryan is our lonely host for an hour full of local happenings. Last month’s Nuit Blanche was reportedly attended by something close to 30,000 people, and next year’s nuit can only get bigger. The art-filled night’s organizers are already in the planning stages, securing sponsorship and debating layouts. Nuit Blanche 2013 is planned for September 21st. Visual Arts Editor Diane Bond joins Ryan by phone to offer her perspective on these early planning stages. Next, Amie Beausoleil of Unshaven Mavens discusses the benefits of growing underarm hair for charity. Every October, Ottawa women sign up with Unshaven Mavens, vowing not to shave in support of Rethink Breast Cancer. Tonight, the Mavens are throwing a Red CarPIT bash to honour their supporters. Awards will be presented, including the “Jolie Pit” for the nicest armpit and the “Brad Pit” for the fullest hair growth. The restaurant Union Local 613 recently ran into some difficu

This week on Apt613 Live, Karen and Ryan are our guides for an hour of creativity, boxing, and food. First up, Katie Frappier joins us to discuss her upcoming Creative Mornings talk. Fappier is one of the co-owners of Victoire, and she will speak to a crowd of enthusiastic breakfast-goers at The Hub this Friday the 19th with Regine Paquette, the shops other owner. For more info, check out the Eventbrite. Speaking of Creative Mornings, Sharif Virani, the man behind the Ottawa chapter of the breakfast/lecture series, is in-studio to discuss his recent event with Chef Matthew Carmichael. Part of Feast World Wide, an international initiative that aims to bring people together over good meals to discuss community improvement, Virani’s event was held in partnership with the Ottawa Food Bank. To wrap up the hour, Karen Diepeveen and Jon Schofield visit Beaver Boxing Club to chat with the organizers of the upcoming Battle of the Beats. The event is a showdown between two local DJ groups, TimeKode and Cer