Ottawa Buzz: Sweet Janes Branch Out; Avant-Garde Bar Raising Funds For PA

If you like your rock 'n' roll stripped down to its ragged basics, then the Sweet Janes are the band for you."It's simple punk the way it's meant to be played," says vocalist Grady Finch.

"Simple, but not generic," adds guitarist Toddy Fokks. The origins of the Sweet Janes were pretty simple, too, after Finch saw drummer Chris Smith in the halls of his high-school a few years ago. "I saw he was wearing a Rolling Stones T-shirt, and so I went up and asked him, 'Do you play an instrument?'"It was weird, because just a few weeks earlier he had gotten a drum kit."

Advertising through the Punkottawa.com website led to the now-solidified lineup, which also includes bassist Jackov Jeff and guitarist Captain Carl. The Sweet Janes have built up a solid following for their ferocious live shows. But recorded material has been scarce until now. The band have an EP ready for release this week and they're already on to new things.

"We're getting more comfortable with playing," Finch says. "We've got more of our own style. We're comfortable enough to branch out and try different influences."These influences are mostly of the power-pop variety — not the mainstream kind, of course, but the edgy kind found on Kill By Death compilations. Your chance to witness the gloriously sloppy rock, and take it home on CD, comes on Saturday at an all-ages show at Club SAW. The lineup also includes The Sick Fits, Sewer Rats and The Revoltz. The 19-plus show is on March 4 with Brutal Knights at the Dominion Tavern.

The Avant-Garde Bar hosts its fair share of shows by both locals and out-of-towners, and the owners have been enthusiastic about supporting music of all kinds. But a basic necessity is missing: a PA system. A fundraiser on Friday aims to fix that."It's hard enough for a band to organize a show," organizer Rolf Klausener says, "let alone find a PA system and lug it to and from the venue."

Why all the fuss over a tiny little bar? Why not just play better-equipped venues? The Avant-Garde, while charming, doesn't have an ideal set-up for live shows with its long, narrow room and low stage by the door.

"We're so bloody desperate for a venue in town," Klausener says. "Ottawa has an incredibly vibrant scene right now, but bands are desperate for places to play." The Avant-Garde Bar fits because of its size and its easygoing attitude. It's especially fitting for acts that can't yet fill Barrymore's or who want more flexibility than some of the other larger venues offer. "You get 60 friends to come and the place is sold-out," Klausener says.The money raised goes toward a PA that will be collectively owned by local bands, Klausener explains."We're going to have ownership, but it will be on permanent loan to the Avant-Garde. Or, if a band does a house show and needs a PA, we can loan it to them.

"You can think of it as contributing to the greater good of Ottawa rock 'n' roll. The fundraiser gets underway at 9 p.m. sharp and features Flecton, The Soft Disaster, Merle Knurling And The Silent K, Poor Folk, St. Bernard Of Love and Relief Maps.

Klausener, when he's not championing little bars that could, is best known for his fine leadership skills in The Acorn, who are heading out to play these shows:
March 1 Ottawa, ON @ Babylon
March 3 Thunder Bay, ON @ Kilroy's
March 4 Winnipeg, MB @ Pyramid Cabaret
March 6 Saskatoon, SK @ The Exchange
March 8 Edmonton, AB @ The Power Plant
March 9 Calgary, AB @ The Warehouse
March 11 Vancouver, BC @ Pit Pub (UBC)
March 24 Peterborough, ON @ The Spill
March 25 Montreal, QC @ Casa Del Popolo

The Ottawa contingent at Canadian Music Week in Toronto this year is small but mighty. Check out the power-punk of the Bella Bombs (March 4, midnight, Rancho Relaxo), the roots-tinged rock of Big Jeezus Truck (March 3, 1 a.m., Crowbar), the country stylings of The John Henrys (March 2, midnight, Cadillac Lounge) and the alt-rock of Viscera's Recital (March 3, 11 p.m., Vatikan) and the danceable rock of Addison (March 3, 7 p.m., Funhaus).

There's also the hard-to-classify For The Mathematics, whose frantic live shows have landed them a showcase spot. Guitarist Clayton Fisher says it's the band's "time to establish ourselves as a professional live act, first and foremost." It shouldn't be too much trouble since they've already got quite the reputation in their hometown.

You can also expect some new sounds from FTM at CMW. "The band has been experimenting with incorporating different elements of pop, dance and indie rock combined with the frantic Latin grooves that characterized and shaped The New Science, FTM's debut EP," Fisher says.Watch the non-stop FTM action at The Reverb at 10 p.m. on March 4. Capital city dwellers can catch the band on Saturday at a Cafe Dekcuf all-ages show with The Love Machine, Dear Judah, 11 Minutes Away, ATFR and Beautiful Nothing.

Spins 'N' Needles celebrates its first anniversary on Saturday. Work on your crafts and listen to the DJs at the Montgomery Legion Hall. "Poetry Saved The Radio Star," a night of slam poetry and music to raise funds for CHUO, will feature Ritalin, Madame H, Kevin Matthews and others on February 28. Finally, Good2Go squeeze into the Aloha on March 8.