OttawaStart's Weekly Event Round-Up: January 8-14

_ Our crowdsourced list of the best events in Ottawa this week. _

** Thursday, January 8: redruM Comedy Show/ Avant Garde Bar’s comedy Open Mic Night ** Featuring a variety of local comedians. /Expect the unexpected. Pay what you can at the end of the show. _ – Rachelle Todd _ ** Friday, January 9: Elise Letourneau & Brian Browne CD Release Concert at GigSpace Performance Studio ** Award-winning vocalist Elise Letourneau and master pianist Brian Browne share a love of jazz standards – both the classics and newer songs from the 60s and 70s which have entered the jazz repertoire. They’ve been performing this material together as a duo for more than three years now. Last September, they played their favourites in two concerts at GigSpace, and the best of those shows has been distilled into a live album, “The Long & Winding Road”. The CD will be released

this Friday

at another show, again at GigSpace. _ – Alayne McGregor , OttawaJazzScene.ca _ ** Friday, January 9: The Factory Reading Series ** Kemeny Babineau, Jason Christie & Chris Johnson. An evening of poetry, starts at 7pm. _ – Amanda Earl , Bywords _ ** Friday, January 9: Hip Hop Karaoke Ottawa ** The first Hip Hop Karaoke Ottawa of the year is upon us and happens this Friday night at the Elmdale with hosts DJ So Nice and Atherton. If you want to perform and impersonate Ma$e and Puffy by doing that Mo Money Mo Problems track you spent hours memorizing in front of the mirror, now’s your chance to show the Nation’s Capital what you’re made of. _ – Eliane Laberge, Eventful Capital _ ** Saturday, January 10: “Watch Your Driving, A Spoken Word Album By V” Release Party ** If you’re into spoken word, you probably know that Ottawa’s slam poetry scene is quite vibrant and full of talented poets. One of its top contributors, V, is having a CD Release Party for her spoken word album “Watch Your Driving” this Saturday night at Pressed Cafe. The event will feature live musical accompaniment by Nathanaël Larochette (The Night Watch), Raphael Weinroth-Browne (The Visit, Musk Ox and more), Brad Morden and Croup Moses. There will also be screening the R.I.P. Ms. Focus Cinepoem by Ottawa’s Dan Rascal Productions. _ – Eliane Laberge, Eventful Capital _ ** Saturday, January 10: Catriona Sturton Album Release Show ** Ottawa folk blues singer-songwriter and harmonica player Catriona Sturton is having her debut album release show for “Bumblebee” this Saturday, January 10. The local artist, who performed at last year’s Bluesfest, will be joined for the occasion by Oshawa musician Kaitlin Zarzour. _ – Eliane Laberge, Eventful Capital _ ** Sunday, January 11: The Ottawa Farmers’ Market ** As of this weekend, the Ottawa Farmers’ Market will be open year round. On Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., you can stock up on local produce, meats, baked goods and other tasty things. It’s at the Aberdeen Pavilion, Lansdowne Park. _ – Denise Deby , Green Living Ottawa _ ** Monday, January 12: Ottawa Tool Library Information Session ** Ottawa is getting a tool library! It’s like a regular library, except you borrow tools, not books. Find out how it works, meet the founders and check out how to contribute tools or otherwise get involved at the “Come One, Come All!” information session at HUB Ottawa, 7 p.m. _ – Denise Deby , Green Living Ottawa _ ** Tuesday, January 13: Taste & Experience: LCBO Cooking Class-Winter Warmth ** If you’ve never taken a cooking class through the LCBO, you’re in for a treat. Chef Justin Scott will go through a great class with the theme of winter warmth. I think we could all use a little of that! A great way to kick off the year. _ – Laura Gauthier _ _ For more events, check out ottawastart.com/events/ … and have a great week! _