Comic book artist Von Allan on his art show at Rasputin's Folk Cafe on the CHUO radio program Click here

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CHUO FM's Click here

Mitchell Caplan did a solo interview with me for Click here, too. This was for an art show I had an Ottawa's legendary Rasputin's Folk Cafe. I'm still deeply indebted to owner Dean Verger for being one of the first people to take a chance with my art and put it up on his walls. The interview can be heard right here. Or just click play below.

Rasputin's will always hold a very special place for me. See, my mom and I used to live pretty close to it (just a few blocks a way, in fact) and while money was always tight for us we would occasionally drop by for a tea and maybe a dessert. Dean had a special way about him even then and he had a knack of making one feel right at home. Even as a kid, it seemed pretty special.

While it's difficult to bring this across in words, I'm fortunate to have a bit of Youtube video (see below) to play to give you a better sense of what Dean is like. At least, what his onstage and at work persona is like.

If you're ever in Ottawa and are looking for a place with a bit of a different vibe, you could do far worse than dropping by Rasputin's. It really is a neat place to sit back, listen to some great folk and Celtic music and have a nice bite to eat. I don't think you'll regret it.

You can either click here to go to the page directly or just click play below.

Tragic Update

It's with heartbreaking news that I have to report that early in the morning of Saturday, July 5th, 2008 Rasputin's suffered a major fire. I really don't have words to describe how sad this. I thought I would include what owner Dean Verger wrote in his newsletter from July 21st. Here goes:

"The Future

Sigh. The building's insurance adjusters have all agreed, the restaurant needs to be gutted because of the smoke damage. Most of the heavy equipment, fridges, freezer, sound equipment, will need to be replaced. The original estimate for reopening went up from three to eight weeks, to three to five months. This gives me some choices:

    * I could reopen Rasputin's with a new menu. Ottawa needs a wheat-free and gluten-free restaurant, a place that provides good food for people who have wheat sensitivities, to gluten sensitivities (Celiacs). I could have a menu that had no wheat, rye, or barley
    * I could enjoy the time off, and slowly reinvest in new equipment
    * There has been interest in Rasputin's being taken over by new people who love the music and want it to continue
    * I could take this chance to retire

I am taking time, talking with Ruth, about these choices."

I really hope that Dean is able to continue Rasputin's in one way, shape or form. It is an Ottawa instutition and it would be horrible to lose it. Of course, Dean has every right to do what's best for both him and Ruth. At the end of the day, that's the important thing. Keep watching the Rasputin's website for more on this front.

Update Number Two

On Monday, July 28th, the CBC reported that Dean made the decision to close Rasputin's. I've excerpted the article below:

An Ottawa café that has hosted folk musicians for more than 25 years will close following a fire nearly three weeks ago.

Owner Dean Verger initially planned to raise the money to reopen Rasputin's Folk Café on Bronson Avenue, a block north of Carling Avenue, after the fire on July 8.

The blaze seriously damaged the building and destroyed contents valued at $30,000. Only one-third was covered by insurance, but Verger said that wasn't the issue.

"The ability to raise that money from everybody's generosity would have been actually quite easy," he said Monday.

But he said after thinking about it, he decided he is ready to retire and move on to other things, as he has never had time to spend with his family and the café consumes so much energy.

The café was famous within the folk music community for its open-jam sessions.The café was famous within the folk music community for its open-jam sessions. He added that he thinks rebuilding it would be a more suitable project for someone younger.

"I think it needs somebody with passion who has a new vision to take it forward, whether it be an individual or a community," he said.

The café, which was famous within the folk music community for its open-jam sessions and providing a launching pad for local artists, celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2006.

Arthur McGregor, owner of the Ottawa Folklore Centre, praised Verger for having kept the business going for so long.

"As far as Ottawa losing a grassroots folk venue, it's extremely unfortunate," McGregor said.

He said the café is a much-needed, one-of-a-kind venue and won't be easily replaced."

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Contact:
Von Allan
c/o Von Allan Studio
P.O. Box 20520
390 Rideau Street
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. K1N 1A3
Email: von(at)vonallan(dot)com

Von Allan's art & writing by is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Canada License.
Based on work at www.vonallan.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.vonallan.com.
Please note that this site is best viewed at a screen resolution of 1024 by 768.



	CHUO FM's Click here
	Mitchell Caplan did a solo interview with me for Click here, too. This was for an art show I had an Ottawa's legendary Rasputin's Folk Cafe. I'm still deeply indebted to owner Dean Verger for being one of the first people to take a chance with my art and put it up on his walls. The interview can be heard right here. Or just click play below. Rasputin's will always hold a very special place for me. See, my mom and I used to live pretty close to it (just a few blocks a way, in fact) and while money was always tight for us we would occasionally drop by for a tea and maybe a dessert. Dean had a special way about him even then and he had a knack of making one feel right at home. Even as a kid, it seemed pretty special. While it's difficult to bring this across in words, I'm fortunate to have a bit of Youtube video (see below) to play to give you a better sense of what Dean is like. At least, what his onstage and at work persona is like. If you're ever in Ottawa and are looking for a place with a bit of a different vibe, you could do far worse than dropping by Rasputin's. It really is a neat place to sit back, listen to some great folk and Celtic music and have a nice bite to eat. I don't think you'll regret it. You can either click here to go to the page directly or just click play below. Tragic Update It's with heartbreaking news that I have to report that early in the morning of Saturday, July 5th, 2008 Rasputin's suffered a major fire. I really don't have words to describe how sad this. I thought I would include what owner Dean Verger wrote in his newsletter from July 21st. Here goes: "The Future Sigh. The building's insurance adjusters have all agreed, the restaurant needs to be gutted because of the smoke damage. Most of the heavy equipment, fridges, freezer, sound equipment, will need to be replaced. The original estimate for reopening went up from three to eight weeks, to three to five months. This gives me some choices: * I could reopen Rasputin's with a new menu. Ottawa needs a wheat-free and gluten-free restaurant, a place that provides good food for people who have wheat sensitivities, to gluten sensitivities (Celiacs). I could have a menu that had no wheat, rye, or barley * I could enjoy the time off, and slowly reinvest in new equipment * There has been interest in Rasputin's being taken over by new people who love the music and want it to continue * I could take this chance to retire I am taking time, talking with Ruth, about these choices." I really hope that Dean is able to continue Rasputin's in one way, shape or form. It is an Ottawa instutition and it would be horrible to lose it. Of course, Dean has every right to do what's best for both him and Ruth. At the end of the day, that's the important thing. Keep watching the Rasputin's website for more on this front. Update Number Two On Monday, July 28th, the CBC reported that Dean made the decision to close Rasputin's. I've excerpted the article below: An Ottawa café that has hosted folk musicians for more than 25 years will close following a fire nearly three weeks ago. Owner Dean Verger initially planned to raise the money to reopen Rasputin's Folk Café on Bronson Avenue, a block north of Carling Avenue, after the fire on July 8. The blaze seriously damaged the building and destroyed contents valued at $30,000. Only one-third was covered by insurance, but Verger said that wasn't the issue. "The ability to raise that money from everybody's generosity would have been actually quite easy," he said Monday. But he said after thinking about it, he decided he is ready to retire and move on to other things, as he has never had time to spend with his family and the café consumes so much energy. The café was famous within the folk music community for its open-jam sessions.The café was famous within the folk music community for its open-jam sessions. He added that he thinks rebuilding it would be a more suitable project for someone younger. "I think it needs somebody with passion who has a new vision to take it forward, whether it be an individual or a community," he said. The café, which was famous within the folk music community for its open-jam sessions and providing a launching pad for local artists, celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2006. Arthur McGregor, owner of the Ottawa Folklore Centre, praised Verger for having kept the business going for so long. "As far as Ottawa losing a grassroots folk venue, it's extremely unfortunate," McGregor said. He said the café is a much-needed, one-of-a-kind venue and won't be easily replaced."	Von's Flickr Feed www.flickr.com Von's Twitter Feed follow Von on Twitter!


	Contact: Von Allan c/o Von Allan Studio P.O. Box 20520 390 Rideau Street Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. K1N 1A3 Email: von(at)vonallan(dot)com	All content copyright 2005-2008 Eric Allan Julien Von Allan's art & writing by is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Canada License. Based on work at www.vonallan.com. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.vonallan.com. Please note that this site is best viewed at a screen resolution of 1024 by 768.