Amy Ede, Erin Maiden, Mathieu Grondin

This is the beat of Ottawa’s nightlife.  

On the official City of Ottawa Nightlife Office podcast, Ottawa At Night, get to know the stories of the people working on stage, behind the bar, in the kitchen, at the studio and into the night, bringing our city to life from sunset to sunrise.   

The first season of Ottawa At Night concludes with a conversation between nightlife changemakers in the community and at City Hall. For the season finale of our podcast, we hear stories about the spirit of nightlife from Amy Ede, Erin Maiden and Mathieu Grondin. Amy Ede is communications strategist, community advocate, and performer, Erin Maiden is the founder of Feral Femme Fest and front woman of The Feral Union, and Mathieu Grondin is the inaugural Nightlife Commissioner of the City of Ottawa.  

Filmed and recorded at Centretown hi-fi listening lounge, FONO.  

Theme music by The Lionyls - “Can’t Get Enough”   

Produced in collaboration with Baldwin Studios   

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Voici le rythme de la vie nocturne d’Ottawa.  

Dans le podcast officiel du Bureau de la vie nocturne de la Ville d’Ottawa, Ottawa la nuit, découvrez les histoires de celles et ceux qui travaillent sur scène, derrière le bar, en cuisine, en studio et après la tombée de la nuit—donnant vie à notre ville du coucher au lever du soleil. 

La première saison d’Ottawa la nuit se conclut avec une conversation réunissant des acteurs et actrices du changement de la vie nocturne, issus de la communauté et de l’hôtel de ville. Pour le dernier épisode de notre balado, nous découvrons des histoires qui témoignent de l’esprit de la vie nocturne grâce à Amy Ede, Erin Maiden et Mathieu Grondin. Amy Ede est stratège en communication, défenseure communautaire et artiste de la scène. Erin Maiden est la fondatrice du Feral Femme Fest et la chanteuse du groupe The Feral Union. Mathieu Grondin est le tout premier commissaire à la vie nocturne de la Ville d’Ottawa.

Tourné et enregistré au salon d’écoute hi-fi du centre-ville, FONO. 

Musique par The Lionyls - « Can’t Get Enough »  

Produit en collaboration avec Baldwin Studios   

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:21

Tonight on Ottawa at night, I'm joined by three guests shaping Ottawa after dark, whether it's on stage, behind the scenes, or inside city hall. First up, Amy Eed, communication strategist, writer, community advocate, and someone with one of the busiest calendars in the city. Next festival founder, musician, and pillar of Ottawa's heavier music community, Erin Maiden, founder of Frail Fem Fest and front woman of the Frail Union.

SPEAKER_00 1:10

I have.

SPEAKER_01 1:48

So I was uh I think I was 24 when I started to play in the band that I am in now, which is my original band, which has evolved member wise, but uh uh turns out that I ended up meeting my husband through this band who plays in the band, so it's become part of my life pretty much.

SPEAKER_02 2:16

Could you tell me a little of your career from DJ?

SPEAKER_03 2:19

My career of DJ, okay. Uh when I had 15 years, I was living in a rave. And uh mixing. And I felt that a few. I think two genre of music. I've commenced gabber, hardcore techno. It's like a heavy metal, but in techno. After I'm just in the hard techno. And uh finally I mixed the house.

SPEAKER_02 3:19

Super. So to start, I want to first know what made night life real for you beyond just going out.

SPEAKER_00 3:34

Oh my goodness. It's so hard to make friends in this city. So the way I got into nightlife was I started volunteering. I volunteered at Ottawa Architecture Week and a couple of other places. Oh, Hope Volleyball Summerfest. And then finally I landed at Saw and started working at the bar at Saw. And I just thought this is where I want to be.

SPEAKER_03 3:59

It's the socialization, the community of the Nocturne. We organized these events. But when the pandemic is arrived, when it was fair, I've really known the impact on my family, my parents comment affected, this fermenture during the pandemic.

SPEAKER_01 4:38

Yeah, just to ask on that for me, I think I realized it was more than just going out when I started to be on stage versus just going out, you know, in your young life. It's like, ah, I just go through a breakup, I'm gonna go out and, you know, own it and gain my independence again. And it was all about just going out. And when I transitioned to performing on stage, and I witnessed the way, you know, people came out. They were came out because they felt lonely. They came out because uh they were struggling and wanted to be inspired by music. Some came out for just the music, but a lot came out to be a part of something bigger, and you could feel it when you're on stage, and it's such a it's such a beautiful thing because they are there to gain some sort of perspective or inspiration, or you know what I mean? So it's so much more than just having a drink. It's bringing together people who wouldn't normally, like you said, know each other or ever meet otherwise. Yeah, and here we are congregated in a crowd, just taking in the authenticity that's happening on the smaller stages in the city.

SPEAKER_02 5:42

Um, sentiment can voice souvent the person that lay nocturne or pluto travail au milieu nocturne, c'est just the fun and the divertissement.

SPEAKER_01 5:57

I think uh something that audiences um are not entirely aware of when it comes to nightlife is the amount of unpaid or underpaid work that goes into making nightlife survive. Uh, you know, and it's not just the artists, it's the venue owners, it's you know, the promoters that are just trying to get bodies out. It's you know, the the photographers, the videographers, the sound guy, you know, the bar, the barmaids or the barman. I know I'm probably forgetting some. It's uh there's a lot of the bar they've the there's a lot of unpaid or underpaid work that goes into keeping this machine rolling. And I think that uh I commend everyone that works to keep it going because they're doing it out of straight love for the scene as well.

SPEAKER_03 6:47

But you're right, night work in general, even if we widen the scope outside of nightlife of nightlife, it's an invisibilized work. It is people go to the office on Monday morning and that the office is clean and they don't realize that someone cleaned it in the evening shift or the night shift exactly. And it's the same if you want to get food at the McDonald's, someone is is is is working there at a night shift. And if you take your train early in the morning or your your plane early early in the morning, someone works so you can have breakfast uh or take that plane.

SPEAKER_01 7:16

Like even for myself, I'm just a singer, I always say that. And when I started getting into the industry, I got to see all the work that the promoters do and the sound, because I I I organized the festival and I hadn't done it before. It's a lot of work. These promoters do it week in, week out, you know? And then the sound people, the the people behind the scenes just running the whole thing, there's a lot going on there that I myself didn't realize.

SPEAKER_00 7:40

Thanks so much for bringing attention to people like the bookers and the venue owners. I I haven't thought enough. I don't think about how much work they go go into and how much of it is vastly unpaid or underpaid. Uh, I I know a lot about the artists, like my friend Leslie was the one who brought me into the band. And the reason she can make a band work is because she's doing a bunch of the work, and then she was in the band Bonnie Dune, and they shared stuff too, but she's just a go-getter and really has her eyes on the prize at all times with getting more. Well, at the NAC we would call it bums in seats.

SPEAKER_02 8:13

Yeah. And we've touched on this a little bit, and I'm curious to dig deeper into this. Um, something that's always really stood out to me as someone that's always been in Ottawa is that I think this city is really made up of a lot of humble players that have really impactful work. Um, whether it's, you know, grassroots festivals or DIY artist promoters or um some of the small spaces that, you know, sometimes get taken for granted. Um Ottawa is is really made up of a lot of very hardworking people. So I'm curious to know your take on how you think these smaller um event spaces or people contribute to the city's reputation just as much as these larger cultural institutions, for example.

SPEAKER_03 8:54

I think they make they make the fabric of of of nightlife. They're the ones who make the night beat pulse of the city. Uh, you know, I think uh s some people might come for for major events and festivals, and that's fine. But when you know, they're gonna go out, they're gonna go out in the market, they're gonna go out on Elgin, they're gonna go out in the city, and and it's those smaller spaces like here where we are tonight that uh you know they are making it day in and out, like every weekend. They're they're making nightlife. So uh it's not just like doing one big thing. So, you know, both need we need both because we need those major events to attract visitors, obvious, obviously. But these smaller, you know, when I go to New York, I've never been to New York for a festival. I go to New York because it's New York. And some venues, like like here phono, like it's a listening bar that I want to go to in New York. And I don't really care who's the DJ. I'm I just want to go to that space because I know it's gonna be people like me that are there. Fact, I think it's important to see the space, the pet call of spectacles, the bar, because it's who don't identity of the village.

SPEAKER_00 10:08

And when you're catering to a major audience, the I the limits of what you can do are a lot more constrained. So in those small places, people have more chance to experiment. And it's bringing in people who um might otherwise not get those opportunities and of course build them up to move to bigger venues. Maybe they'll never go to bigger venues because what they do is is really cool in grassroots and they they want to keep it there.

SPEAKER_01 10:32

In terms of uh grassroots, obviously this festival was uh it was born of basically because I hate this whole notion of a a large festival releasing a bill and people going straight online to complain about it. I hate that. It hurts our scene. Just because you're not liking what's on the bill doesn't mean that it's bad. Do you know what I mean? It it's not for you.

SPEAKER_00 10:58

Not everything has to be for you.

SPEAKER_01 11:00

No, but it also it's if you're mad because your band is not on that bill. Start creating opportunities for your band, for your brand, for your genre. You know, I I am of the heavier genre. We often hear flack in the community about how there's not enough for them and they're overlooked and it's too heavy. Yes, there is there is a stigma around that. I didn't want to complain about it, so I just created a space. Yes, a lot of bills have do not have enough women on them. It's it's a known fact, it's it's factual. That's why I wanted to create this festival. And I think that if we all just buckle down and and start creating what we think is missing, the whole offering that the city will have will just be that much stronger.

SPEAKER_03 11:48

Just don't read the comments online. This is my advice.

SPEAKER_01 11:51

I skipped through them, and if I know them well enough, I tell them to stop.

SPEAKER_02 11:55

I have a question to ask both Aaron and Amy on this notion of making space. Um, we talk a lot about what inclusivity means to different communities, and of course, that means very different things depending on the community that you're a part of or the communities that you work with. So, in your experiences, um whether it's as a festival founder or someone that's again worn many hats and many nightlife spaces, what does making an inclusive and welcoming nightlife space look for like for you?

SPEAKER_01 12:21

I think that we trip on titles and you know, like labels too much. I think it's very simple, but I think when you have a space where you feel okay to be yourself and that you feel safe, that's inclusivity. And at the end of the day, everyone will know if it's genuine or if it's performative. You know?

SPEAKER_00 12:45

I think inclusivity also means asking who's not there and why.

SPEAKER_01 12:49

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 12:50

One of my big tripping points and something I have not figured out is when I'm on my way, specifically to indigenous events that are free, and I'm walking down Elgin, and I'm thinking, oh, here's like a group of people that I know, and I could invite them. They're they're on the street, this is a free event. Do they want to go? If not, why? Um, there are so many questions to ask there. So I've I've been through the journey of how will this be a safe space for them? And I do not have an answer, but the number one thing about inclusivity is ever if we are saying things are inclusive, everyone has to be welcome. And I do want to circle back on the thing about getting those comments. Um, as a commenter, um just wonder what is the point before you before you comment, what is the point? How is this making things better? Do you need to be heard about this here? Maybe just the commenters could do a better job.

SPEAKER_02 13:45

Yeah, if it's not actionable, then I don't want to hear it. Mathir, I am gonna ask you about the online comments. I'm sorry. I don't think we could get through this interview without me bringing it up. Um, but I think this was a good segue. Since moving to Ottawa, Mathir, what keeps you up more at night? Is it the municipal bureaucracy or is it the online comments about who you are and what you're doing?

SPEAKER_03 14:10

A little bit of both, but you know, you know, bureaucracy moves slowly, and you know, I've spent my life in in advocacy, defending nightlife, but also pushing cities to create these types of positions to take care of nightlife. There's 17,000 employees at the city of Ottawa. There's one person that's that works full-time on managing and developing nightlife.

SPEAKER_00 14:37

So is that you? That's that's me.

SPEAKER_03 14:40

One and a half, because now I have Zoe to help me out. But but but you know, if you say like if if you think Ottawa needs more vibrancy, and I I think it's a good investment for the city to have someone to take care of it. So would I like it to move faster sometimes? Yes, obviously. Uh can we do more? Yes, obviously. Um but but the online comments, uh yeah, that maybe that keeps me a bit more awake. I'm not gonna say that it's it it doesn't uh it doesn't touch me, you know. It doesn't, you know, um obviously it's uh it's been a learning curve because I've I've I've been on that other side before, you know, I've been the one commenting and criticizing governments and and and you know people who have positions. So I I I understand where they come from, I understand what their expectations are. Some of them are a bit far-fetched, you know. I'm not gonna bring back $5 bar rail. Uh that's outside of my outside of my my powers. Um, but yeah, you know, some some of the comments about you know how I look, my, my, my, my, you know, you become you become a public figure, so it's like your haircut gets criticized. People people think uh, you know, this guy looks like uh he's going to bed at 8 p.m. This is kind of funny though, because I know who I am, so I know I've spent my life in after hours.

SPEAKER_02 16:01

We were DJing together last weekend until 3 a.m. So that comment made me laugh. To move on to a more light-hearted question for the three of you around the table. I want you to tell me about an influential moment in your nightlife trajectory thus far that is like quintessentially Ottawa, or maybe that had um a really strong impact on you.

SPEAKER_01 16:20

In my musical career, I've opened for a lot of big names and played a lot of big fairs, big stages. And I have to say that during Faral Fanfest, I just the sea of people that were there, I and just loving it and all the comments about how much they felt like it was needed. Uh I I wasn't expecting that. Uh it came as a shock to me. I, for the first time in my life, cried on stage. Uh, it was just a touching moment because I didn't know how well it was going to go over, right? It was uh, you know, we had to change venues and stuff. I was like, oh, we opened up applications, we got applications from across the country, and in the comments there was like, we need this. And I was like, oh wow. So I think that for me, and it wasn't even the the moments that touched me the most were not even when I was on stage, it was when I was just in the crowd watching, and they lifted this woman in her wheelchair in the front of the crowd, and I was just like, Wow, this is this is incredible! And uh for me that was just the cherry on top. It's gonna be hard to top.

SPEAKER_03 17:47

But it's perfect parce que c'était ça the chemist that I voul. I voulant rent nocturne in the government for that gens from us representing. Because the gens who print the decisions on the government, it's gonna live the bonheur and couch the bonus. I'm not necessarily this comprehension of what the reality of the post of decision. Don't commence to rent the view nocturne in the fonctionnariat. C'était probablement ici, puis c'est sûr que les défis are grands. I was defending this reputation. The girl has attempted very great on what this poster. I'm part of Montréal. I've laid down my blonde, my niece, my neighbor, my mother who is my amount. I believe in this.

SPEAKER_00 19:26

And I were going to see Jeremy Deutcher and a bunch of other artists. For some reason we were late because I knew people. We got up on the balcony, and I just remember it being the two of us, and he started playing, and we both just started streaming tears. So it was this really intimate experience, and it's just classic Ottawa that if you happen to know someone, they might do a little favor for you, and and it's always really cool. The other thing that that really impacted me lately uh was at Saw Gallery, Catherine Tecani had a show, and they shouted me out uh in the opening comments. Oh wow. I had shown them her new work just on my phone. I I was out with some artists and said, Yeah, I'm really excited about this new work Catherine has going. And it became this ongoing story with my my trip to Writers Festival to interview Quill Christie Peters and this this special um it's a it's a cruising spot across the river. And it's also traditionally, as I'm told, a place that people used to, moms mostly parents used to bathe their babies and bathe. Uh so it's a traditional gathering spot for the peoples, the Anishna Beg uh here. And she'd taken these photos there, and she said she was just out on her bike, and just she just thought these rocks are perfect. So she takes these amazing nude self-photos of of of her, and then she has her baby as well. So they're just stunning photos, and I just pulled those over out like take a look, and that inspired them to move their whole calendar around and give her a show, and they shouted me out. Wow. At which point I'm thinking, am I making a difference just by hanging out? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:02

Nightlife isn't just fun and games, it's making a difference just hanging out. Well said.

SPEAKER_03 21:07

It's connecting.

SPEAKER_02 21:08

That's right. Pull not pressure um party du podcast. Uh um instigate un peu de competition with trivia, um a propos du nightlife ici at Ottawa. And these questions were pulled directly from uh Ottawa Nightlife History, from Ottawa Nightlife Culture, and even from uh the Nightlife Office strategy.

SPEAKER_03 21:29

So if Mathieu gets these wrong, the strategy is avoided and the store of Ottawa, so it was just two low, and just have the measure.

SPEAKER_00 21:38

Can we start like a thousand years ago? Because I'm way better.

SPEAKER_02 21:43

So I hope you all brought your thinking caps. Are we ready for these buzzers to get some action? Question number one roughly how much spending did Ottawa's nightlife economy generate before 2020, according to the city strategy documents. Was it a 500 million, bone? 1.99 billion or C, 1.3 million. B. Yeah, that's right. She's coming for the crown.

SPEAKER_03 22:11

And we're doing a second economic impact assessment this year. So we're gonna see uh where we're where we're at post-pandemic, because this was before pandemic. Oh wow in the economy we are at right now, this post-pandemic economy, like how well we are faring as a as a city compared to other cities of our size. And when we look at the numbers, that we have a 14% rise of visitation to the byward market after 6 p.m. in the last two years. Uh, you know, it shows that something is happening and uh you know you have those investments like history, uh like hard rock, like all those hotels are popping up.

SPEAKER_00 22:46

Well, if you get to talk about numbers, I get to talk about numbers too.

SPEAKER_03 22:48

Go go ahead.

SPEAKER_00 22:49

For every dollar invested in the Alien Aid Festival in Encalou 8, which is their their big festival, uh it generates $11 for the global economy. Wow.

SPEAKER_03 22:59

That's what the power that's what the power of culture is.

SPEAKER_01 23:02

Who's like I love investments, they're they're cool. And you're right, if if history is coming here, that means because there's something worth coming for, right?

SPEAKER_03 23:09

They make they they they they make those decisions that they're on investment because they know their numbers, they know what's happening, you know.

SPEAKER_02 23:16

Previous Ottawa at night guest, Chinadoll, lived in this Ottawa building before it became a restaurant.

SPEAKER_03 23:22

Ah, well let's see.

SPEAKER_02 23:24

That restaurant is A Arlo, B, North and Navy, and or C Mama Teresa's Northern Navy. Yeah. Okay, question numero two. The residents of profit dun swirl de dance at the muse.

SPEAKER_00 23:52

Nature nocturne.

SPEAKER_02 23:53

Well, that's the name of the event, but what museum is it? Museum of nature. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 23:56

But they also have those uh headphones on dances now at the museum of the city. Oh, that's a cross.

SPEAKER_02 24:13

And oh, don't don't come on those.

SPEAKER_03 24:22

No noise complaints? No. No. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 24:30

We're gonna need headphones. We're still gonna be loud even if you have headphones.

SPEAKER_02 24:35

It's definitely getting late here on set, and I know that all of us uh probably have things to get to after this. Um so thank you three for joining me tonight on this episode of Ottawa at night. Avant de vous sweeter un bon soirée, as if we have partage for not public.

SPEAKER_00 25:05

Please go see something interesting and different. Not the thing you used to be a fan of twenty years ago. If we if we're gonna keep growing as a community, we're gonna need some fresh stuff. We have to support it.

SPEAKER_01 25:20

And um you know, other than the great advice that's already been given, uh just another perspective when we think about when we're commenting online, you know, uh complaining about events that are going on. Sometimes people who are debating, possibly attending an event that they've never been to before, sometimes the comments that they see online are what make or break them not actually going. So if there's an issue going on in the scene or an event that you didn't like, better to take it up the proper channels, not online, because it'll deter new people from going. You know, you you see things often where people are like, oh, that doesn't seem safe to me, I'm not gonna go. But they were debating going, so just be mindful of what you're saying online because it maybe not have ill it may not have ill intent, but it could deter new people from coming.

SPEAKER_03 26:10

So take a chance.

SPEAKER_01 26:11

Take a chance.

SPEAKER_02 26:12

Is there like an ABBA song called Take a Chance, take a chance at the time? Thank you so much for tuning in to the City of Ottawa Night Life Podcast, Ottawa at night. Keep up with the nightlife office at ottawaatnight.ca and on Instagram at OTT night. Until next time, Ottawa, stay out a little later and think before you comment. And if you're looking for a completely accessible version of this podcast, you can go to the city of Ottawa's YouTube channel. And to learn more about accessibility, visit OttawaatNight.ca slash podcast.