For the first time in the history of the event, Comiccon came to the Nation’s Capital this past weekend, setting up shop at the CE Centre. The response was almost overwhelming and all positive. With sold out crowds Saturday and an almost equal followup on Sunday there is now talk of the event returning again, even being extended to three days. All speculation aside, the event was a major hit and the organizers should be very proud as they pulled off a great con!

In the weeks to come keep checking in to see our full coverage of the event and the costumed characters we encountered there, as well as a couple interviews with some local talent we met on location. Featured among these will be interviews with Steampunk Costume Expert and Seamstress, or “Steamstress” Edith Chartier and the founders of a new local clothing line Robot Punch. All this and more to come from Ottawa Comiccon 2012 & bywardofmouth.ca!

More Footage after the jump.

Wasting no time, the young & talented Casey Veggies toured with Mac Miller straight out of high school. Now embarking on his first Canadian tour, the California native brought Inglewood all the way to our National Capital. At eighteen years old, Veggies got into his groove very quickly. While in Ottawa we had the chance to chat about his venture in the music game so far. Check it out.

Ottawa’s own “The Balconies“, now residents of Toronto, were back in town for the Juno festivities and bywardofmouth had the chance to catch up on their progression as a Pop/Rock group. After making the decision to move to Toronto and soaking themselves into the music scene a lot has been going on for them as a group. We met with them at a perfect time to discuss how life has been treating them in the Nation’s Capital.

More Photos & Excerpts after the jump.

During the Junofest festivities here in the Nation’s Capital the bywardofmouth team caught up with East Coast folk-rock hero Ben Caplan where he was performing at the First Baptist Church on Laurier and Elgin. Ben put on a show to remember inside the unique and beautiful church setting – it was an impressive demonstration of his amazing vocal and instrumental talents.

After his set the Halifax, Nova Scotia native was nice enough to give us some of his time for a brief interview. We spoke with Ben in the church basement about his previous Juno experiences as well as the European tour which he is currently on (check out his blog here for updates). We also discussed his new overseas record deal and his personal musical influences.

Another topic of discussion was that in a recent government budget cut the well known young adult development program Katimavik suffered sever funding cuts. A Katimavik alumni himself, Ben spoke very passionately about his feelings regarding the cuts, his belief in the importance of the program and his intention of supporting its future.

More footage after the jump.

Raw footage of a song Ben performed durring his set.

Once again it’s that time of the month, Pvrty Pvck. Tonight in the basement @ Ritual Good Problems and Trife host the jam of the city.  With that new Hip-hop and Cooking music VANITY MUSCLES (T.O) & LAOCAPONE (WILDCHILDS) will be shutting down the block. Do not miss out!!

Last months Pvck after the jump.

Bywardofmouth.ca was lucky enough to have an exclusive look at the unveiling of the CTV Juno set a few days before the awards show aired.

Needless to say the set was very impressive – an exciting mix of giant screens and projection equipment which created a virtual environment which gave the inpression of a whole new set for each performance.

While we were privileged enough to get this exclusive sneek peak at the set, we also caught the sound checks for JRDN, AnJulie, Alyssa Reid and Mia Martina’s mash-up preformance.

After watching the young artists run through their routines a few times while camera men, lighting, audio and floor directors maped out and perfected their roles for the act, we had some time to chat with some of the artists and even a couple of the minds behind the sets creation and construction.

More interviews and fotos after the jump.

JRDN

AnJulie

Juno Tech Crew

International dance sensation Deadmau5 definitely made his presence known in the National Capital over Juno weekend. After shutting down Mansion nightclub Saturday night & closing the Juno award ceremony, Deadmau5 snuck in a last minute, intimate show at Ritual nightclub late Sunday night. Attendees experienced the DJ in rare form, spinning well past 3 am. Bywardofmouth was around for all the magic – check out our coverage after the jump.

As part of the annual Juno festivities ex-NHL players took to the ice with current musical sensations like High Valley, Classified and Jim Cuddy for this years Juno Cup game.

The game happens every year since its inauguration in 2004 and this year, as part of the Juno celebrations, it was held at the Nepean Sportsplex. Both rockers and NHL alumni laced up to play a game for the charity MusiCounts, not to mention the delight of fans of all ages.

This years game was a nearly sold out event and there was hardly a free seat in the Steve Yzerman arena.

Bywardofmouth was on site and had the chance to catch up with some of the talent on the ice.

More coverage after the jump.

I Saw a Movie Once In my Home Town…

Have you ever sat in a theatre and asked yourself what it would be like to work on a movie? Have you ever watched TV and wondered what kind of Director you’d make? What happened to those dreams? Did they seem unattainable? Did you feel that movie making was reserved for people who live in Hollywood? Well, guess what? there are people in your own backyard making movie magic everyday.

On March 29th the Treepot Filmmaker Showcase 2 went down at the Bytowne Cinema; and this gave Ottawa’s talent a platform to debut their latest undertakings . Music videos, edgy dramas and trailers to some very cool upcoming projects lit up the big screen. Many differing genres and distinct voices made for an eclectic assortment that delighted viewers. Kevin Friel’s “Ripples” brought the ruckus, so much so it brought down the house (of commons). “First World Problems”, a documentary about our generation’s search for purpose definitely makes oneself re-think life’s value- It’s time I take my bacon flavored tooth paste to the next level. The great thing about Treepot is that there is something for everybody- and you may not like every film but you’re bound to love some of them. It was amazing to see this cultivation of talent and I’ll be looking forward to Treepot 3.

Yes, the Ottawa filmmaking community is doing well and it’s Showcases like this that keep it growing every year. Check out all the projects featured at the showcase on the Treepot website.

More coverage after the jump.

Writing & Photography: Luke Brimacombe

Last Thursday on Besserer st. outside of Ritual night club, bywardofmouth was able to grab a few minutes after soundcheck with David (Vocals) and Eric (Bassist) from the local progressive-metal band Today I Caught The Plague. Coming off the successful release of their album, LORE, we were excited to catch up with the group. Among our topics of discussion was the groups impending tour through the United States.

Fotos after the jump.

Video and Editing by C.Cullen & Phil Shea.