Pressed
Restaurant, Café
Capacity: 65
All ages, LGBTQ-friendly (washrooms divided by self-identified gender), accessible (portable ramps for entrance, bathroom)
(Illustration by: Alanna Yaraskavitch)
(Photos by: Matthew Blenkarn/Yuko Inoue)
750 Gladstone Ave.
Ottawa, ON
::web/space::

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From the chicken scents of Matthew Blenkarn:

Originally conceived as a “hole-in-the-wall sandwich shop,” Pressed quickly evolved into a hub for the Ottawa’s diverse arts community since opening in Nov. 2011. On any given night, you can expect to hear pummeling noise, tuneful folk and jazz and gleefully weird punk, psychedelia and more wafting from its windows at 750 Gladstone Ave. But you can’t just focus on music to get the breadth of Pressed. The restaurant hosts regular [poetry performances], and you’re just as likely to see a local literary event, zine party or craft fair as you are to see a band nestled in its organic wooden interior. We spoke to Pressed owner Jeff Stewart, as well as Lidija Rozitis, the venue’s booking manager (and a vocalist and guitarist in local bands Roberta Bondar and Blue Angel), to get a better understanding of this eclectic environment.

Pressed’s stage (photo by Yuko Inoue)

 

What do you feel Pressed’s appeal is? What makes it unique, and how do your acts contribute to that distinctiveness?

Lidija Rozitis: From … Read More »