Live on Elgin at 220 Elgin St., hosts an open mic night every Tuesday starting at 8 p.m. The bar, owned and operated by father-and-son-team, Lawrence and Jon Evenchick, opened on June 5 with the intent of fostering the local music scene by providing a venue for up-and-coming performers. Most of the open mic performers have played at Live before–some have hosted their album release nights there and some are more casual musicians.
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Live on Elgin at 220 Elgin St., hosts an open mic night every Tuesday starting at 8 p.m. The bar, owned and operated by father-and-son-team, Lawrence and Jon Evenchick, opened on June 5 with the intent of fostering the local music scene by providing a venue for up-and-coming performers. Most of the open mic performers have played at Live before–some have hosted their album release nights there and some are more casual musicians.
While another staff member prepped glasses and cut lemon and lime slices, Kyle Ivanich adjusted the sound levels before setting up the drum kit, tuning the piano and adjusting lighting for the evening. As he did this, a few performers trickled in to tune guitars and talk over pints of beer. He talked with the night’s local featured band, Valois about how they wanted their instruments set up on stage later.
Sitting in one of the alcoves away from the main part of the bar, Kyle ‘Rocky’ Moon sat playing his guitar. He works at Teriyaki Experience and comes to Live on Elgin’s open mic every week to play in front of an audience. He donated his guitar for the evening so musicians who didn’t bring an instrument could still perform.
Performers sign up at table in front of the stage. There’s a limit of 20 performers each Tuesday, aside from the night’s host and the featured band. Although the first musician on the list, Alain Coull, said he wasn’t nervous to perform, he chose to write his name at the second spot.
No one else signed ahead of Alain Coull, so he ended up performing first. He had difficulty seeing his handwritten songs with the bright lights in his eyes, so Ivanich brought out a light to try and make them easier to see. Coull sang about love and his mother, dropping each song page to the floor as he went.
The featured act for the night was local band Valois. The local music scene is small and musicians in the audience knew them and cheered, calling them “Valoir,” an intentional mispronunciation of the band name. Valois played songs from the album they’re releasing at Live on Elgin on Nov. 19.
Jessica Pearson, a server at Live on Elgin, is also a country singer whose self-released album came out on Aug. 15. Most of the staff at the bar are also performers, using the bar as both a part-time job and a venue. Most of are musicians, but there is also a magician on staff.
After most of the musicians left, Jasen Coulson, the host of the evening, sat down at the piano and played while Jessica Pearson, performer and server, cleared off tables. The Tuesday night open mics fill the bar and usually last until 1 or 2 a.m. on what could otherwise be a quiet evening.
Cats may win the Internet, but cat lovers were the winners at the Ottawa Valley Cat Show.
On Oct. 31, 117 cats competed in categories for purebreds, domestic cats and kittens at the Nepean Sportsplex on Woodruffe Avenue. Thousands of attendees dressed up for Halloween and owners dressed up their cats and decorated cages, including Cassandra Kluke, a local Sphinx breeder showing 10 of her cats at the show.
Kim Monkhouse helped found the Ottawa Valley Cat Club in 2000 and they held their first show in 2002. But cats have always had a place in Ottawa. They were brought into Parliament from the 1920s to the 1950s to control rodent populations and a cat sanctuary on the Hill took care of local strays until 2013.
The cat show is an opportunity to see how different breeds of cat behave. Some breeds are calm and quiet, while others, like Kluke’s Sphinxes, are much more lively.
In addition to showing purebred cats, the Cat Rescue Network shows cats in the domestic cat competition and showcases them for potential adoption. Jason Del Bosco, a volunteer for the organization, tells the story of one of the cats they brought to the show.
Elaine Gleason, a cat judge from London, Ont., was working most of the day judging different breeds of cats on how closely they match the breed standards set by the Canadian Cat Association. The owner of five cats, she got into cat judging by happenstance.
Gleason explained the process of cat judging, which has to be extensive in order to have enough knowledge to judge the wide variety of breeds.
Stephen and Laureen Harper are noted cat lovers. Laureen Harper was active with charities for cats and a section of 24 Sussex Dr. was set aside to foster “dozens of cats,” with litter and toys, according to the Washington Post.
Given that the Trudeau family currently has no pets, Monkhouse, Gleason, Del Bosco and Kluke each recommended a breed to the Trudeaus, should they consider adopting a cat.
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The Ottawa Valley Cat show typically gets about 4,000 attendees, according to Kim Monkhouse, one of the show’s founders.
On the first day of the cat show, Oct. 31, owners dressed up and decorated their cages for Halloween.
Cats, like this Bengal, are evaluated by judges based on their closeness to what is considered breed perfection.
This Bengal stole five toys from the judging table and refused to let go. Most show cats are used to being around people and the judges are used to handling cats, so they are quite docile.
Spectators are a mix of cat owners, breeders and community members who come just to see the different breeds. Cat judge Elaine Gleason said the cat show was a good place to observe breed personalities before making a commitment to purchase a purebred cat.
The show also attracts vendors who sell products for cats and cat-themed products for cats. A Quebec cat cafe also attended to let people know about their shop.
The Cat Rescue Network shows cats at the event, while showcasing them for potential adoption.
Unlike a dog show, cats are not paraded around, but remain in cages or firmly in hand until the judge is ready to examine them at a table, one at a time.
This Exotic Shorthair cat was winner of the All-Breed Championship. The difference in breed behaviour is evident in this cat’s docility, compared with the feisty Bengal that placed fifth.
Sabrina Nemis 