Quickly:

• Radio station 106.9 The Bear is holding the regional voting for the Canadian Radio Star Songwriting Competition. Up for a shot at the nationals are 5 Ottawa songwriters, including Joshua Morin, Meredith Luce, and Jonathan Chandler (of Amos The Transparent). You can download each entrant's mp3 and then vote here before February 1.

• Ottawa is getting a new record store. This was supposed to be its own post, but in case there's not another chance before it opens, you should know that Sounds Unlikely, featuring "eclectic music hard to find film", will open its doors on February 1 at 10:30 AM and has its official Grand Opening on Saturday, February 3, from 10AM-6PM. Read the full press release here.

dial613 is looking forward to having a new record store in town; but what do you think? Have you been hoping for another one to come around, especially after the demises of Record Runner and Organised Sound? Or have your allegiances already been pledged elsewhere?