Il Vicolo is an industrial-rustic bar and events venue in the heart of the Byward Market. With the chilly mid-February weather, Il Vicolo’s infamous outdoor patio was closed- reserved for quick smoke breaks, and drawing attendants inside. A narrow front room with homey accents and a long stretch of wooden bar marks the first room of this multi-level locale.
Past the bar and to the left a staircase plunges into the artspace: a major portion of the room had been dug out for artists and vendors selling prints, custom clothing items and one-of-a-kind designs. The other half of the room was taken up by musical equipment, designated first as a DJ booth, but transforming into a performance space midway through the night.
Past the musical equipment and into a quiet hallway, narrow stairs lead upstairs to an area where some of Ottawa’s budding tattoo artists were skillfully applying their art to event-goers. In the simplest sense, this space was a hallway- close quarters, warm and friendly, tightly knit: A temporary escape from the music downstairs. With a small venue, the winding layout felt impossibly endless- just when you think you’ve discovered the end, the crowd made way for you to plunge deeper within.
From 6 p.m. to 9:45 p.m., Star Method 2.0 aimed to showcase local art. At one stall, an artist under the name of Staughton was selling tote bags and t-shirts sporting the phrase “sick of it all”: Inspired by the tedium of his own life, he based this line off of his personal drawings.
Another artist named Emma Orhun was selling digital prints of artwork she had made – A hand-carved silver pendant sat on her table, a prize for the raffle she put your name into if you bought one of her pieces.
A large t-shirt press sat in the middle of the artist dugout, offering paying guests their own t-shirt to leave with, hot off the press.
Neighbourhood Noise’s own visual artist, Jazuzu, sat at another table, selling his drawings and prints, alongside many others.
This was a room full of like-minded people: a space to discuss local art, surrounded by passionate artists, and backgrounded by a carefully curated list of Ottawa’s up-and-coming DJs.
The energy was a supportive group: a living, breathing, art-appreciating entity. Those I spoke with had only praises to sing about the lineup of artists and performers, claiming Ottawa is up-and-coming, teeming with talent and hard work.
Around 10 p.m., the evening shifted from a collective art exhibit to a dance floor governed by the whims of multiple performers: Doest, Frou, RebeltheVfterpVrty, Truess Jones, Giovinni from Kepler 22, itsNLN, Julia Mitre, 3leven, Nthn, and Anna Justen. Izzy Rose, both our host and MC for the night, opened up the performances with a quote “Yall aren’t ready for what you’re about to experience… This lineup is extremely talented”.
A new performing artist named Doest opened the evening, prefacing the crowd that this was his first-ever performance. A heavy-fingered piano melody pulled the crowd in, making way for a melodic, singsong verse. Slow and heartfelt, Doest had the guests clapping along with the chorus. After three heartstring-pulling songs, Dost thanked us for being his first audience and led us into the rest of the evening: “Get excited, because these are the most beautiful people I’ve ever met.” He exclaimed into the mic, before handing it off to the next performer, Nthn.
Izzy described Nthn, an artist acquainted with her through high school, as “Multifaceted… he does it all”. The melodic style of rap brought the energy levels up from the wholesome opener. Nathan, working the crowd perfectly, got a fun back-and-forth between he and them where the audience was singing his adlibs on an unreleased song.
Anna Justen played third and won the crowd over with her beautiful vocal range, singing an original song called Backseat which many people in the crowd sang along to.
Next up was ItsNLN who rapped his own bars over a dynamic yet subtle beat track- he divided the crowd in two, going back and forth between them and working each side in a fragmented collection of voices.
Each set was around 30 minutes long, and the evening offered varying musical genres and styles: Truess Jones used a guitar during his set, which provided a transcendent, multilayered vocal harmony. Another artist, Jules, performed a jazzy cover of Erykah Badu’s song On & On.
At midnight, Izzy was called onstage to celebrate the moment she turned 22. The audience came alive, cheering and clapping in celebration of the event organizer, and beloved friend to many there at Il Vicolo. Coming together in one voice, the crowd sang Happy Birthday, appropriately appreciating the person who made this incredible evening of connection possible.
And later, when Izzy herself performed, the crowd was enchanted. Her experienced octave range had event-goers in awe of her talent. Well-rehearsed and informed in her craft, Izzy mixed multiple musical elements to create a structured yet breezy sound. Her voice is clear and powerful, with a vocal control which sets her apart- Her performance was the culmination of the evening, as many guests came specifically to see her set.
“Izzy is bringing together multiple mediums of art all in one place- I’m grateful to be a part of this. Montreal has a collective like this, and Toronto does too. I’m glad Izzy is bringing us together in Ottawa,” said Ggmtats, a talented Ottawa-based tattoo artist, on Star Method 2.0.