Super-swag!

Also, this is the last chance for thsoe who haven’t slammed yet this season to have a guaranteed spot on stage. The priority list changed in March, so if you haven’t slammed yet this season, get to the Mercury Lougne before 7pm!

Doors and list at 6:30. All ages welcome.

As always the night kicked off with an open mic. Loose Change (formerly known as Marco Lobo) dropped some heavy philosophy on us to start things. Kassandra shared pages of her writing. Mirth gave us a bit of Valentine’s Day magic. Blue HAD the last spot, but he gave it up to allow CauseMo to share (she had missed slamming by ONE MINUTE). What a gentleman.

Colleen Leafloor was the sac and she shed blood like an old pro! She set the bar at 25.8

Who drew the bullet? Sir Realist! Under the name Nathanael Larochette, he was the former Director of the Capital Poetry Collective, which puts on CapSlam, but he hasn’t slammed with us in quite a while. He reminded us why he is a two-time CapSlam team member while bringing in a 28.1.

That mark only stood for a few minutes because PrufRock stepped out from behind the DJ booth for his season debut. His salute to Patent Numbers went to 28.4.

Next was one of the newcomers, Arly Marv who spit some straight rap fire. He had the groove but not the judges (or the timekeeper) as they conspired to give him a 24.1.

Youth Champ Switch brought one of his signature pieces, grabbing the high mark for the round… 29.0.

Keisar came back (how long has it been? A year? More?) and gave some fresh lines for a 25.7.

The next two were brand new slammers, starting with Matthew Mackenzie who laid some straight poetry and got a 25.5. He was followed by Gavin Russell, who went the humour route and was rewarded with a 27.1!

Jenna Tenn-Yuk made HER season debut and did so with a little Jamasian flavour, grabbing a 27.9!

Scene fixture DJ Aunt Heather shared some her wit and wisdom, netting a 24.9.

We rounded out the first round with three more fresh new bloods! First came Madii with a 26.7. Then Came Vince Kang who grabbed a 27.1 and then Michelle Wardman slotted just behind him with as 27.0. Turns out that was the cut off so she didn’t quite make it into the second round.

Then came Ian Keteku along with Usman Ali and Sarah Kaye (I THINK that was her name. She was a grade 11 student that reminded me of Emily Kwissa… and that is high praise.)

Ian was inventive and ingenious. He has got to be the most unique and original performer on the circuit. He is amazing.

The second round had six poets due to a tie for fifth.

Jenna Tenn-Yuk went forst in round 2, tying the high mark from round 1, getting a 29.0 with a POWERFUL poem about prejudice and coming out.

Next was PrufRock. I THINK the patois was too much for the judges on this night. Great piece, but it scored a little less – 27.9.

Third up was newcomer Gavin Russell. His poem was about Kit-Kats. That’s right. 27.5.

Next was fellow new blood, Vince Kang… who dreaded following the Kit-Kat poem. He got a 25.9.

Sir Realist was next and he scaled a higher mountain and got the single highest score of the competition (and the first 10), 29.3.

But Switch would not be thwarted! He got TWO 10s and another 29.0 for the victory.

Final results

1. Switch – 58.0
2. Sir Realist – 57.4
3. Jenna Tenn-Yuk – 56.9
4. PrufRock – 56.3
5. Gavin Russell – 54.6
6. Vince Kang – 53.0
7. Michelle Wardman 27.0
8. Madii – 26.7
9. Keisar – 25.7
10. Matthew Mackenzie – 25.5
11. DJ Aunt Heather – 24.9
12. Arly Marv – 24.1

If the semis were today, invites would go out to: Loh El, Just Jamaal, ArRay-of-Words, V, Colleen Leafloor, Rusty Priske, Switch, Mia Morgan, Sean O’Gorman, Kimbit, Bruce Narbaitz and CauseMo.

The workshop is $50 and includes a ticket to her Saturday night show (a $30 value) so do not miss it! There are some pretty big names on the spoken word circuit who are taking part… don’t miss it!

The night started with the former director of CPC (the group that puts on Capital Slam), Nathanael Larochette, acting as host. He quickly reminded us why he was the voice of CapSlam for so long.

The open mic set things off right with a song by Loh El and the poems by three women, Tracy Gupta, DJ Aunt Heather and Sahar!

Then it was time for the Slam… but first blood needed to be spilled and this time the sac spilled that blood straight from his heart as Sean O’Gorman shared a poem he wrote for the lovely Hannah Christie.

No time for sentiment though as Rusty Priske drew the bullet (AGAIN) and scratched out a 26.2 with a new piece.

Next was scenester Jeanette who gets better and better every time out! This time it was a 25.5.

The next FOUR poets were all making their slam debuts! First was Jens Walker who got a 24.7. Next was Candace Bruchhaeuser who scored VERY well with the judges but went over 4 minutes to drop down to 25.5. Then came Oliver Croteau with a 26.1 and Zorah Bryant, who WOULD have made it into the second round but had to leave at the break. She got a 26.8. There was some really good, fresh work there! We hope to see them all out again!

Next was Kimbit who changed her delivery up for some straight spitting! 27.4 to take the lead…

Followed by CPC Director Brad Morden who grabbed that lead away just as fast! He netted a 27.7 (the exact score that Rusty predicted about 2 minutes into the poem!)

Mirth (formerly known as Miranda Martel) went up next and netted an even 26.

One of the poets who have heralded the new wave of strong female slammers was up next. Mia Morgan (who will be the sac poet at the Ottawa Women’s Slam Championship on Jan. 28th at Arts Court), took the competition to a whole new level with a 28.6!

And then, another of the new wave, V, blasted the room with her best performance yet! It was pure fire and the judges rewarded it… 29.8!

The first round ended on a classic note as Dini shared his experience and got a 25.6

Then came feature Johnny MacRae. Johnny speaks with a voice not usually heard in these parts and does so with panache and moxie. I hope he comes back… when pigs fly. (Meaning all the time, if you are not familiar with the MacRae piece…)

The second round started with V, who seemed to have the competition sewn up… but she didn’t care! She read a GREAT piece the people really dug… but it was nearly 4.5 minutes so her strong marks dropped to a 25.3.

Rusty Priske went up again (in the second round because Zorah had to drop) and went with intense… the judges rewarded that intensity with a strong 28.3.

Next was Mia Morgan who got the exact same score!

The penultimate poet of the show was CPC Director Brad Morden again, who shared a brand new piece, and got a 27.8.

Last up was Kimbit, who got the top mark of the second round with a 28.9!

Final results:

1. Mia Morgan 56.9
2. Kimbit 56.3
3. Brad Morden 55.5
4. V 55.1
5. Rusty Priske 54.5
6. Zorah Bryant 26.8
7. Oliver Croteau 26.1
8. Mirth 26.0
9. Dini 25.6
10T. Jeanette Elizabeth 25.5
10T. Candace Bruchhaeuser 25.5
12. Jens Walker 24.7

REMEMBER, the next show is on Feb. 11th and features Ian Keteku!

First, though, make sure you go to the first ever Ottawa Women’s Slam Championship at Arts Court on Jan. 28th!

VERSeFest, with the support of the Mercury Lounge, will be hosting a very special opportunity for poets in and around the Ottawa area. On the afternoon of March 4th, Ursula Rucker will be conducting a very exclusive poetry workshop at the Mercury Lounge.

This is a really big deal. We are incredibly thrilled to be able to bring this to a select group of participants.

The workshop is limited to 20 spots only, so registration is at a premium. The workshop costs $50 and includes a ticket to the Ursula Rucker show the night before at the Alumni Auditorium.

I can only assume many of you are already trying to find out how to register. (I know some of you are, because you have already asked me directly).

Tickets for the festival go on sale on Feb. 1st, but we will be doing something special for the Ursula Rucker Workshop, due to the incredibly limited number of spots available.

To reserve a spot in the workshop you need to send an e-mail to versefest@live.ca after Feb. 1st at 10 am. Any requests that arrive BEFORE that time will not be counted. The first 20 people whose e-mails arrive AFTER 10am on the 1st will have spots reserved for them. A waiting list will also be created. Once you have been notified that a spot is available to you, you will have 7 days to get payment into VERSeFest, either through Paypal or directly to one of the VERSeFest officials. (Rusty Priske, for example… since I am the writing this…) If payment isn’t recieved at the time we will give the spot to the next person on the waiting list.

Clear?

I expect these spots to fill up VERY fast, so don’t sleep on this!

Slam Master Rusty did a quick count of the poetry notables in the room and realized that the room held:

All four members of the Recipe
Four different Capital Slam Champions
Two National Youth Slam Championship Team Members
One National Youth Slam Individual Champion
Eight National Slam Championship Team Members
Two National Individual Slam Champions
One World Slam Champion

Think about that and how lucky we are to be in a community with THAT much talent.

The show kicked off with host Brad Morden introducing the open micers. Asha Kayd was first up and won over a still settling in crowd. Next was Brandon Wint, trying out a new piece. Third was Loose Change (AKA Marco Lobo). The set was rounded off by an all too rare appearance by Komi Olaf.

The sac poet for the show was new star V, who set the tone very well… and showed us what a great line-up we had ahead of us.

Someone had to draw the bullet, though, and that someone was Colleen Leafloor. She is a top 5 poet in the standings and so far seems to be holding off Mia Morgan and V for the race for CapSlam Rookie of the Year. She scored a 27.3.

Next was Youth Slam Star, Switch, doing a new piece. He just edged out Colleen, getting a 27.4.

Third to the mic was scene favourite, DJ Aunt Heather. Always popular, though she rarely slams. Heather pulled a 25.5.

Next was Urban Legend Just Jamaal, who rocketed into first with a 28.1.

D-Lightfull made her CapSlam season debut and grabbed a 25.7. (Watch for her at the Ottawa Women’s Championships on Jan. 28th!)

Loh El has sat on top of the CapSlam rankings most of the season and he showed why by taking over first spot here with a 28.3.

Not to be outdone, ArRay-of-WoRds came in right behind him with a 28.2.

Visiting Ottawa was 2011 surprise semi-finals star, Vanessa Baker. Here she got a 26.7.

Next was another crowd favourite, Sean O’Gorman. O’G got a 27.8.

Another participant in the Ottawa Women’s Slam Championships was up next – Stargazer. She seemed to have the widest disparity between the reaction of the crowd and the judges marks as she got a 27.2 for what was a very well received poem.

OpenSecret made his first appearance competing at Capital Slam in over a year. No rust here. He snatched first place away with a stellar 29.3.

Mia Morgan finished off the first round with a solid 26.7.

Brendan McLeod‘s feature was fun and powerful and entertaining and touching and all the things you can possibly say about the poet, musician, Fugitive et al. He just puts on a great show.

The second round started with Loh El breaking out strong, getting 2 TENS and a 29.0.

Sean O’Gorman was next and he was his charming best… for over four minutes. After a 3 point time penalty he ended with a 24.4.

OpenSecret was next and he carried on with his first round power and bettered it, getting a 29.5.

ArRay-of-WoRds was next and he slipped a little from the first round, getting a 27.3.

Just Jamaal finished the slam with a good piece, but he had a few problems with it, ending in a 1.5 time penalty and a final score of 26.6.

Results

1. OpenSecret 58.8
2. Loh El 57.3
3. ArRay-of-WoRds 55.5
4. Just Jamaal 54.7
5. Sean O’Gorman 52.4
6. Switch 27.4
7. Colleen Leafloor 27.3
8. Stargazer 27.2
9T. Vanessa Baker 26.7
9T Mia Morgan 26.7
11. D-Lightfull 25.7
12. DJ Aunt Heather 25.5

If the semi-finals were today, the invited poets would be Loh El, Just Jamaal, ArRay-of-WoRds, Colleen Leafloor, Sean O’Gorman, Rusty Priske, V, Mia Morgan, Bruce Narbaitz, CauseMo, Kimbit and Jeanette Elizabeth.

The next CapSlam is on Jan. 21st and features Johnny Macrae!

JANUARY

Only one show that month because one would have fallen on New Year’s Day.
Feature: Caytee Lush from Montreal. Slam Winner: TIE Brandon Wint and Sean O’Gorman

FEBRUARY

Show #1: Feature: Ian Kamau! Slam Winner: Loh El
And the CapSlam debut of Bruce Narbaitz!

Show #2: Feature: OpenSecret Slam Winner: Truth Is…

MARCH

Show #1: Ritallin Slam Winner: Sense-Say

Show #2: No recap. Feature: Shauntay Grant

APRIL

Only one show in April as the regular season wraps up. No recap again (sigh) but we did post the season semi-finalists!

Oh and the first Canadian Indy Slam Champion was crowned since 2005… and it was CapSlam rep OpenSecret!

MAY

CAPITAL SLAM SEMI-FINALS!

JUNE

http://rustythepoet.wordpress.com/2011/06/11/capital-slam-finals-a-rusty-perspective/

We also had our AGM for the year (electing new Collective Director, Brad Morden) and started this blog so the recaps became more consistant and not so Rusty-focused.

JULY

In the summer months the show went to once per. Feature: Steve Miller Slam Winner: Loh El

July also included good news in the form of continued support from the City of Ottawa!

AUGUST

Another Summer Slam show! Feature: Mary Pinkoski Slam Winner: Chris Tse

SEPTEMBER

Show #1: Feature: Kevin Matthews Slam Winner: TIE! Loh El, ArRay-of-WoRds, Colleen Leafloor

Show #2: Feature: Megan Ann Ward Slam Winner: Sean O’Gorman

OCTOBER

Show #1: Feature: OpenSecret Slam Winner: Ibn Najeeb
CFSW! Reports: DAY 1, DAY 2, DAY 3, DAY 4, POST-CFSW

Show #2: Feature: CapSlam Team Slam Winner: Ronsense

NOVEMBER

Show #1: Feature: Ibn Najeeb Slam Winner: Synonymous

Show #2: Feature: Brandon Wint Slam Winner: Loh El

DECEMBER

Show #1: Feature: Tanya Davis Slam Winner: Ronsense

Show #2: Feature: Ottawa Youth Slam Team Slam Winner: V

So that was 2011. What can we expect in 2012?

How about Brandan McLeod? Johnny Macrae? Ian Keteku? Christian Drake?

HOW ABOUT URSULA RUCKER?!?!?!

CFSW is in Saskatoon this year. CIPS is in Vancouver of course.

Big year.

Brendan has been through here, both solo and as part of the Fugitives and it is ALWAYS a great show!

You can check out his website here!

The show kicked off with our wandering leader, Brad Morden, back on the mic! Brad took hosting duties, joined, as always, on stage by the super-style DJ PrufRock!

The open mic filled as soon as the doors opened! I want to see a couple of these people try out slamming next time! Speak Out was first up. He has done the Open Mic twice and if he get his poem down to 3 minutes he should step over to the competitive side of the show! He was followed by Kelsey O’Connor, making her debut! She is also not far off as her words were solid! Next was Miranda, known to some as the tap-dancing open micer, but tonight it was poetry! It rounded off with Kassandra dropping… Christmas Carols!

We had quite a treat for the sacrificial poet as Kevin Matthews was in the house!(“Until the pen runs out of ink….”)

The slam proper kicked off with the Slam Master, Rusty Priske, taking the stage.He took the bullet and got a 25.2.

Next up was Urban Legend Just Jamaal who did a little better with a 26.4 (after a small time penalty), but there was still a lot of room for the judges to play with.

Bruce Narbaitz is back! Bruce hasn’t been on the stage since CFSW (as a member of the CapSlam team) and he snuck ahead of Jamaal with a 26.8…. a lead he held for a while.

Fourth up was ArRay-of-WoRds (this was quite a star-studded line-up tonight…). Ray had a strong poem but he had some problems with it and finally said the hell with it and started over. His score was strong but he went 5:24 for a 7 point penalty, getting a 19.7.

Next was Sepideh, who we don’t see NEARLY enough! She got a strong 26.6.

She was followed by Robin LeWilliam-North. He did the best poem I can recall hearing from him. He got a 25.3. He is a very good writer, and not just poems. He is a regular at Once Upon A Slam. Check it out on Dec. 30th!

Next was Jean-Marc making his CapSlam debut. His has dropped pieces at the Youth Slam and he showed his talent here, vaulting into first place despite a small time discrepancy, netting a 27.1.

Then it was V. V has been getting better and better every time she takes the stage. She blew away the room and nailed a 28.6, for a commanding lead in the slam. (With the only 10 of the first round!)

Joseph Hadish has slammed at CapSlam once before, but we usually only see him in the audience. He is a very good writer and as his delivery gets a little smoother, I am sure we will see a jump in his scores. He got a respectable 25.8.

The first round ended with Kimbit singing and reciting to a 26.4 score.

Then came the features. The Ottawa Youth Slam team are the national youth champions and have a series of amazing team pieces (including one they just wrote that day!) This just in! The team of Switch, CauseMo, Biting Midge, Scotch and Blue have just been booked to perform at VERSeFest on March 1st! This is a big honour as they will be performing in the same festival as people like Ursula Rucker, C.R. Avery, Mighty Mike McGee, Beau Sia and many more!

The second round had six poets instead of five, due to a tie for fifth place. More poetry for the audience!

V was first up. She did not slow the crowd away like in round 1, but she was still very good and we expect big things from this still new slammer. She got a 27.7.

Just Jamaal was up next and he needed a 29.9 to move ahead of V. Pretty unlikely, right? His poem said, “Not so fast!”

The scores were 9.2, 9.8, 10, 10, 10 for a 29.8.

The next poet to return to the stage was Jean-Marc. He continued his great debut by netting a 27.4. Good job Jean-Marc!

Kimbit came up again and stayed very consistent, getting a 26.8

Bruce Narbaitz was also very steady, getting a 27.4.

Sepideh rounded off the night with a VERY strong showing, getting the 2nd highest score of the night… 28.7.

In the end we got a first time winner… congrats to V! She (along with random draw winner Weggon Allen) each won two passes to Once Upon A Slam on Dec. 30th – featuring Charly Chiarrelli!)

Also of note – so far this year we have seen a big upswing in the numbers of female performers. This time we only had three out of 10, but ALL THREE made it to the second round, and one of them got the win! Let’s hear it for women slamming in the nation;s capital! I am stoked for the Women’s Slam Championships on Jan. 28th! BE THERE)

Final results

1. V – 56.3
2. Just Jamaal – 56.2
3. Sepideh – 55.3
4. Jean-Marc – 54.5
5. Bruce Narbaitz – 54.2
6. Kimbit – 53.2
7. Joseph Hadish – 25.8
8. Robin LeWilliam-North – 25.3
9. Rusty Priske – 25.2
10. ArRay-of-WoRds – 19.7

The rankings have been updated… and as I was talking about women in slam, if the semi-finals were today, HALF of the invited poets would be women! You can check out the full rankings here but the top 12 are:

1. Loh El
2. Just Jamaal
3. Sean O’Gorman
4. ArRay-of-WoRds
5. Rusty Priske
6. Colleen Leafloor
7. V
8. Mia Morgan
9. Bruce Narbaitz
10. CauseMo
11. Kimbit
12. Jeanette Elizabeth

Our next show will be on January 7th and the feature is Fugitive and former Canadian Indy Slam Champion, Brendon McLeod!