Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic

As an exercise, I filled out my October calendar as if I was still in Toronto. From Marie Goudy's album release with new band Paloma Sky on the 2nd to The Warning (Mexican hard-rock) show at The Danforth on the 30th, my month would be chock-a-block with events. But in Ottawa, I only had a choice of 2 concerts on Thursday, both at the NAC. Although I appreciated Begonia's big voice, it has been a long time since I saw Kelly McMichael with a full band. Since she moved to the East Coast more than a decade ago, McMichael usually does solo shows in Ontario.

The first 4 numbers highlighted that she was fine on her own. With a deft hand on guitar and piano and an assured voice, McMichael delighted with songs about college crush (She Makes Men), connections (Good Friends), the typically male fantasy of "leaving it all" (Nature Man), and delusional thinking (You Got It Wrong). That last tune was a preview that, on the new album After The Sting Of It, she was revisiting her pop and indie-rock days.

Her band consisted of fellow East Coaster John Moran but also locals including Geordie Gordon (The Magic). The reality of touring as a small artist meant you need a Newfoundland band and an Ontario band. McMichael promised a "rock-and-roll" portion and they delivered with Bomb, Dreamer, Montreal and Tour From Hell.

Her last album was long-listed for the Polaris Prize and Bomb made it to number 6 on the indie charts. But it was still a small audience for the show: a respectable crowd at a small venue like The Dakota or Burdock in Toronto but seemed tiny inside the larger Fourth Stage studio at the NAC. On the other hand, McMichael got to encore on a baby grand ("I'm obsessed with this piano") with a wonderful cover of Bonnie Raitt's Nick Of Time.

Royal Walkabout

A while back I wandered through a bit of Vanier for a smoked meat sandwich. On Saturday, I decided that the sunny but mild September day merited a second visit to the area. This time, I headed West along Côté sticking to the small streets like Richelieu and Lajoie. Staying off major streets like McArthur and Montreal meant avoiding traffic noise. But the older, modest homes also reminded me of some Toronto neighbourhoods. Gentrification was creeping in here and there in the form of new houses that were typically boxy, square builds with large windows. It's always amusing to run across streets like Jean Talon and Dundas that were nothing like their counterpart elsewhere. The worst part of the walk was when I was briefly on McArthur and crossing the highway-in-all-but-name Vanier Parkway. I'm not sure who would buy a new condo at this busy intersection.

I quickly ducked into a side street on the other side. This block all the way to Montreal was undergoing major intensification. Perhaps this primed my bias but the folks dropping off or picking up their kids at the Mauril Belanger school on Montgomery didn't feel like the old working-class Vanier. Whatever Saturday program was offered here seem geared to a different social strata.

I wanted some Ethiopian from Habesha but the restaurant wasn't open. So I stepped inside Royal Prince just a block away. Since Ottawa has a large French-speaking minority, most Caribbean restaurants here were Haitian instead of Jamaican. Nevertheless, Prince also offered some Jamaican dishes like Jerk Chicken. I don't know if these were any good because they weren't yet ready for lunch. On the recommendation of the owner/chef, I opted for a curry goat entrée ($15.99).

This was a tasty and reasonably substantial meal. The meat was very tender (I barely had to chew) with just a hint of spiciness. The rice and peas were slightly dry but a sprinkling of the curry sauce made all the difference. The mac and cheese was an odd side but still good. They forgot the plaintain and pikliz (pickle vegetable) for my order though. Overall, Royal Prince is the best Caribbean joint I've visited in Ottawa.