OTTAWA, Ralph Alfonso Punk Photo Tour
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FONO HiFi Lounge and de Montigny Contemporary Present a BBQ Afternoon of Punk Art by Ralph Alfonso, with Music and Performances
FONO HiFi Lounge and de Montigny Contemporary are coming together for an afternoon BBQ bringing punk history, contemporary art, music and performance under one roof.
At the centre of the afternoon is Picture My Face, the debut of Ralph Alfonso’s punk photography tour in Ottawa.
Presented in the FONO HiFi Lounge, the exhibition draws from Alfonso’s extensive archive documenting the punk explosion of 1976–79 and beyond.
The afternoon will also feature a BBQ, a DJ set from DJ FACT10 and DJ Captain Concussion , and a 3–4 PM matinee performance by Rémi Royale.
AFTERNOON PROGRAM
BBQ + DJ throughout theafternoon
Featuring DJ FACT10 and DJ Captain Concussion
Ralph Alfonso: Picture My Face
On view in the FONO HiFi Lounge
Rémi Royale
Matinee performance, 3–4 PM
The event is PWYC (Pay What You Can), with works from Alfonso’s exhibition available for purchase at
accessible prices.
-----------
RALPH ALFONSO: PICTURE MY FACE
Before moving behind the camera, Alfonso was already embedded in the culture he would come to document. He managed The Diodes and the Crash'n'Burn Club, Canada's first punk club built and run by the bands themselves, while writing and photographing the emerging scenes in Toronto, New York
and the UK.
His work appeared in publications including Cheap Thrills, New York Rocker, BOMP! and Shades. He later published Liz Worth's Treat Me Like Dirt, now considered a definitive history of Toronto's 1977 punk scene.
Alfonso's archive captures an extraordinary cross-section of the period and its aftermath, including Iggy Pop, Blondie, Patti Smith, The Diodes, Ramones, The Damned, Bif Naked, Talking Heads, Dead Boys, Richard Hell, The Stranglers, Mo-Dettes, The Curse, Teenage Head, Wendy O. Williams, Viletones, Barracudas, The Runaways, The Jam, The Clash, B-Girls, The Nerves, Chelsea and many more.
The Ottawa presentation arrives as the first wave of punk approaches its 50th anniversary, offering a view of the movement from someone who wasn't observing it from the outside but participating in it as it happened.
"Old school 76-77 punk is having a moment. It was 50 years ago that Punk magazine serendipitously gave this music a moniker and The Ramones spread the gospel worldwide,
as hundreds of bands formed after every one of their concerts.
Anyway, all this to say, I was actually there and I took some photos and wrote about it, ran a club (Crash'n'Burn),
managed a band (The Diodes), pissed off a major label, and then it was all over and I disappeared into the music industry labyrinth, all my negatives sitting in a box for eons, only
to be rediscovered a few years ago and I'm still finding amazing images I didn't realize I had.
So, over the next few weeks, I am doing a DEEP dive into the negs and preparing for my first-ever photo tour stop and sale in Ottawa." - Ralph Alfonso
"At FONO, our mission is to create a space where music and community intersect. Hosting Ralph Alfonso's Picture My Face tour is an incredible honour for us. Ralph didn't just document
the late-70s punk explosion; he captured the raw humanity behind it, right down to getting the Ramones to smile. Bringing his work into our new space allows us to bridge the past and
present, celebrating the roots of music culture while giving our local community a place to gather and connect." - Matías Muñoz, Owner, FONO HiFi Lounge
--------------------
EVENT DETAILS
PICTURE MY FACE
September 12, 2026
13:00 - 17:00
FONO HiFi Lounge
473 Bronson Ave, Ottawa, ON K1R 6J9
BBQ + DJ
Ralph Alfonso, Picture My Face
Rémi Royale, 3–4 PM
Pay What You Can (PWYC)
MEDIA CONTACT
Matías Muñoz
Owner | FONO HiFi Lounge
c: (613) 878-2075
[email protected]
Brendan de Montigny
Owner | de Montigny Contemporary
c: (819) 923-3119
[email protected]
FONO HiFi Lounge and de Montigny Contemporary are coming together for an afternoon BBQ bringing punk history, contemporary art, music and performance under one roof.
At the centre of the afternoon is Picture My Face, the debut of Ralph Alfonso’s punk photography tour in Ottawa.
Presented in the FONO HiFi Lounge, the exhibition draws from Alfonso’s extensive archive documenting the punk explosion of 1976–79 and beyond.
The afternoon will also feature a BBQ, a DJ set from DJ FACT10 and DJ Captain Concussion , and a 3–4 PM matinee performance by Rémi Royale.
AFTERNOON PROGRAM
BBQ + DJ throughout theafternoon
Featuring DJ FACT10 and DJ Captain Concussion
Ralph Alfonso: Picture My Face
On view in the FONO HiFi Lounge
Rémi Royale
Matinee performance, 3–4 PM
The event is PWYC (Pay What You Can), with works from Alfonso’s exhibition available for purchase at
accessible prices.
-----------
RALPH ALFONSO: PICTURE MY FACE
Before moving behind the camera, Alfonso was already embedded in the culture he would come to document. He managed The Diodes and the Crash'n'Burn Club, Canada's first punk club built and run by the bands themselves, while writing and photographing the emerging scenes in Toronto, New York
and the UK.
His work appeared in publications including Cheap Thrills, New York Rocker, BOMP! and Shades. He later published Liz Worth's Treat Me Like Dirt, now considered a definitive history of Toronto's 1977 punk scene.
Alfonso's archive captures an extraordinary cross-section of the period and its aftermath, including Iggy Pop, Blondie, Patti Smith, The Diodes, Ramones, The Damned, Bif Naked, Talking Heads, Dead Boys, Richard Hell, The Stranglers, Mo-Dettes, The Curse, Teenage Head, Wendy O. Williams, Viletones, Barracudas, The Runaways, The Jam, The Clash, B-Girls, The Nerves, Chelsea and many more.
The Ottawa presentation arrives as the first wave of punk approaches its 50th anniversary, offering a view of the movement from someone who wasn't observing it from the outside but participating in it as it happened.
"Old school 76-77 punk is having a moment. It was 50 years ago that Punk magazine serendipitously gave this music a moniker and The Ramones spread the gospel worldwide,
as hundreds of bands formed after every one of their concerts.
Anyway, all this to say, I was actually there and I took some photos and wrote about it, ran a club (Crash'n'Burn),
managed a band (The Diodes), pissed off a major label, and then it was all over and I disappeared into the music industry labyrinth, all my negatives sitting in a box for eons, only
to be rediscovered a few years ago and I'm still finding amazing images I didn't realize I had.
So, over the next few weeks, I am doing a DEEP dive into the negs and preparing for my first-ever photo tour stop and sale in Ottawa." - Ralph Alfonso
"At FONO, our mission is to create a space where music and community intersect. Hosting Ralph Alfonso's Picture My Face tour is an incredible honour for us. Ralph didn't just document
the late-70s punk explosion; he captured the raw humanity behind it, right down to getting the Ramones to smile. Bringing his work into our new space allows us to bridge the past and
present, celebrating the roots of music culture while giving our local community a place to gather and connect." - Matías Muñoz, Owner, FONO HiFi Lounge
--------------------
EVENT DETAILS
PICTURE MY FACE
September 12, 2026
13:00 - 17:00
FONO HiFi Lounge
473 Bronson Ave, Ottawa, ON K1R 6J9
BBQ + DJ
Ralph Alfonso, Picture My Face
Rémi Royale, 3–4 PM
Pay What You Can (PWYC)
MEDIA CONTACT
Matías Muñoz
Owner | FONO HiFi Lounge
c: (613) 878-2075
[email protected]
Brendan de Montigny
Owner | de Montigny Contemporary
c: (819) 923-3119
[email protected]
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Where is it happening?
FONO HiFi Lounge, 473 Bronson Ave, Ottawa, ON K1R 6J7, Canada
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Host or PublisherRalph Alfonso
