Ottawa's Best New Band: Black Actors Get the Part Jonathan Migneault

Canadians are obsessed with super-groups. We just can't get enough of them. From the New Pornographers, to Broken Social Scene, to The Hylozoists; they seem to be popping up all over the place. I suppose our talented musicians just aren't content to stick with only one project. They seem to have a need to branch out into different genres and work with different people to quench their creative thirst. Although the three bands I mentioned above are from Vancouver and Toronto, respectively, Ottawa's musicians have also followed this trend. When it comes to the arts in Ottawa, everything's just on a smaller scale than the larger urban centres. I've already mentioned Jetplanes of Abraham in a previous post. They're probably the best example of an Ottawa "super-group" but there are others. A great band called Black Actors have really made a name for themselves in the last few months. Black Actors has members from two great local bands: Van Johnson and Robot Kill City. They play a fun brand of post-punk that will get even the most stagnant indie kids strutting their stuff on the dance floor. They have the potential to achieve the kind of success that has eluded the Capital Region's artists (unless you count Alanis Morissette). If you happen to live in, or near, Ottawa you can catch Black Actors at End Hits on July 7th. Sure, that other super-group and a little-known band called Calexico will be playing elsewhere in the city at around the same time but they won't make you want to put on your dancing shoes. Don't waste your time with those other guys and support your local starving musicians. You'll be glad you did. There are currently no Black Actors songs available for download but you can listen to two unmastered tracks on their MySpace. Download The Hylozoists - Strait is the Gate The New Pornographers - The Slow Decent Into Alcoholism (Live) Broken Social Scene - All the Gods Calexico - Nom de Plume Related Jetplanes of Abraham Soar Above the Rest