It’s June in Toronto, so time for the annual music, film and interactive whirlwind called North By Northeast, or NXNE for short. This year’s fest runs June 13-19 and passes and individual tickets are on sale.
As in previous years, the organizers of NXNE haven’t mastered good web servers or set-ups, so it’s difficult to search the schedule right now, but I recommend looking by date and venue, then you can see who’s playing at each venue on each day. When NXNE launches, you’ll be able to get a program and printed schedules in the free weeklies.
As more music venues pop up in our neighborhood, so do more opportunities for us to see NXNE acts. Remember to check our calendar for these and all event listings!
For those of you who haven’t experienced NXNE before, here are a few notes and tips:
* Shows start on time. The band scheduled to play at 8PM will most likely be off stage by 8:50PM and the next artist will start playing at 9PM. Stick to the schedule, because the bands and venues will.
* Wear comfortable shoes
* If there is a band or artist you really want to see, get to that venue as early as you possibly can. For more well-known and/or smaller venues (ie, the Dakota Tavern) and for well known or hyped bands, there will be a line-up and you might not get in
* Have a back-up plan. You may not get in to see your first choice
Anyway, on to the shows! As always, The Dakota Tavern is open every night with full sets of performers: Wednesday from 9PM – 2AM, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 8PM – 3AM. Horse Feathers out of Portland, ORE, plays Saturday at 11PM.
The Garrison, at 1197 Dundas, has shows Wednesday 9P-2A, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 9P-3A, and Sunday night 10P-12A. Performers include Canada’s own Handsome Furs Saturday night at 1AM as part of the You Look Death.ly showcase
There are NXNE shows at The Painted Lady Wednesday-Friday 8P-2A, and Saturday til 3A.
Trinity Bellwoods Park is even a venue for several afternoons, so let’s hope it doesn’t rain! Called the Live in Bellwoods series, the concerts run every day starting Thursday, June 16 from 2p-5p, with stripped down acoustic sets every half hour. The shows are happening just west and north of the kids park (D5, D6 of the map). These shows are free, so bring a blanket and a picnic and listen to some tunes in the park.
Last night we attended a special event at the Ontario Bread Factory, in the laneway behind Ossington between Rolyat and Foxley. The party was thrown by RAW, the Toronto design firm behind Ossington’s Motif Lofts and an array of other building projects around the city and beyond. And what a party it was!
Along with sampling some amazing appetizers from chef and Globe and Mail columnist Michael Tong of Sublime Catering, we also met the owner of the factory, who is closing down to focus on environmental initiatives and work with Canada’s Green Party. He makes Polish rye bread for bakeries in Toronto and as far away as Kitchener. RAW has drafted plans to turn this old factory space into townhomes, but, because it is in an alley, they are facing resistance from the City.
We got to tour the facilities and enjoy the fabulous food and drink, including free beer from Steamwhistle, harder-to-get scotch from Glenfiddich and ice cream from a conveniently parked ice cream truck. We also watched some of the factory workers still making the bread.
For the time being, you can still go there late night/early morning (depending on your outlook) and buy a loaf of bread. None of the involved parties knows quite when the factory will close, and when the building will be converted. We’ll let you know when we do!
If you walk down Ossington it’s sometimes hard to tell where the good back patios are as they are often quietly tucked away behind the bars.
One of the oldest back-patios on Ossington belongs to Sweaty Betty’s which recently upgraded their furniture and decor. Here there’s always a young and interesting crowd, and sometimes you might even run into a celebrity enjoying a pint. (or, if you’re lucky: owner, Pol, without his shirt). You won’t get table service at Sweaty Betty’s so pick up your drinks before you wind your way through the back room out to the oasis outside. The back patio can get crowded, but usually people will make room on the benches or move chairs around to accommodate you. It’s a friendly crowd.
Another spot which you might not notice from the street is Reposado’s back patio. Here you’ll find a nice retreat where you can imagine you’re tucked away in Mexico City while you drink a blood orange margarita or flight of nice quality tequilas. This patio has less seating, but the servers will come to you, so once you’ve finished your drink, you don’t have to get up to replace it.
There are even more hidden patios on Ossington. Keep your eyes on the blog for more of the street’s outdoor gems.
Just over a year ago Joe Fuda opened a little studio with designer Evan Biddell. Evan left soon after leaving Joe to curate and create from this little storefront next to tequila bar Reposado. The studio represents a lot of the life of Ossington, being a quirky place with many interesting exhibits and events.
Joe is both celebrating and looking back on the year with a book of photos from the year as well as an event this Thursday and showcase at the studio over the next month showcasing 30 of the great artists from the past year.
The book is a great retrospective of the work in the neighbourhood, bringing back memories of nights on Ossington, the G20 conference in the city, Halloween portraits and many exhibits at the show, including one of my favourite exhibits, Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell, a showcase of the work of Vince Carlucci with pictures of punk rockers from the 70s and 80s. There are only a limited amount of books that Joe has available, so head on over and grab one to pick up some Ossington history.
The Juno Awards ceremony is in Toronto this year, and 2011 marks the 10th anniversary of Juno Fest, which is a showcase of Canadian music. Like most other music festivals in Toronto, this one has a presence on Ossington. The 2011 Juno Fest hits Toronto Friday, March 25-Saturday March 26 at venues across the city, including a few in and around Ossington.
The Dakota and The Garrison are two of the local spots hosting musical performances, including Juno nominee Julie Doiron, at The Garrison Saturday, March 26.
All shows are $17.50 a ticket, or wristbands will get you into all venues both nights and cost $30. They are only advertising them as available through Ticketmaster, but if you don’t want to pay those fees, check out Rotate This and Soundscapes.
Yes, this week is Social Media Week in Toronto, a global conference connecting people, and sharing emerging trends in social media. And we have a local event right here in Ossington Village.
Some of the businesses on Ossington are well connected to social media including our Dani Elwell of Jaiden’s Petals, who blogs from her site and is very active on Twitter. Opera Bobs keeps people up to date on Facebook. And don’t forget to be tempted by the tweets from Pizzaria Libretto, Union Restaurant and Bohmer who let everyone know their specials in the twitter stream. Want Tattoo advice? There’s even Imperial Tattoo on Twitter. There’s lots more examples on our street and you can check out our Ossington Places twitter stream here. But there are places on Ossington that don’t even have a website including the Crooked Stars and Sweaty Bettys. Are they losing out?
Luckily, without leaving our home of Ossington we can find out, or at least have a good discussion about, the efficacy of the medium. HomeStars(disclosure – my employer – and no, it wasn’t by coincidence it is hosted here – Thanks Shaun!), a social media site designed for contractors and homeowners looking for those contractors, is hosting an event for Social Media Week called Is Social Media Your Prize Winning Pig – Think Again where we’ll debate the effectiveness of social media. It should be entertaining, and could even get hostile. The event will be tomorrow, Tuesday, night from 6:30 to 8:30 at the Garrison, on Dundas just west of Ossington. If there are tickets still available you can register on the Social Media Week site here. Or you can just come by and see whether you can slip in and get on a side of this debate. Because the week may be full of people who are ‘social media strategists’ it’ll be good to have some social media cynics. Are you one? Want to share your opinion? Come out and have some fun, get in on the debate, and join in this global conference on the future of social media.
Take a look through the entire schedule of Social Media Week and try and check out some of the other events. The week will end at a great event close by at the Gladstone Hotel where there will be an evening of Powerpoint Karaoke, which if you’ve never seen, definitely has to be experienced.
2011′s Canadian Music Fest is a hot ticket, with lots of top-name bands featured this year, and some of these performers are scheduled to play right in our backyard. Involved venues include The Painted Lady, The Dakota and The Garrison.
With big names like Melissa Etheridge and Janet Jackson, and a Big Sugar reunion, the CMF is a industry event. But it’s not all name brand entertainment – you will also be able to hear some new and undiscovered, or just barely discovered, talent too, especially in the local vicinity.
I browsed briefly through the schedule, and, as of now, The Painted Lady offers 2 nights of CMW music, The Garrison 4 nights, including a Manitoba music showcase, and the Dakota offers 4 nights of a “Factor Breakthrough Series” headlined twice by The Schomberg Fair.
Other spots in our extended neighborhood also featuring CMF bands include The Great Hall, The Mod Club and The Gladstone. Dates are Wednesday, March 9 – Sunday, March 13. You can buy wristbands to access most shows, or individual tickets are also available.
Valentine’s Day is a big day for restaurants and bars, so even though it falls on a Monday this year, lots of places will be open. No surprise that with our wonderful selection of restaurants, there are a lot of choices in the neighborhood for Valentine’s meals and events.
Bunda Lounge, for one, is hosting a special night on Saturday, February 12, with DJs, bottle service and appetizers.
On the dining side, Delux Restaurant is hosting a prix fixe menu on Monday, February 14. Salt Restaurant is also offering a prix fixe menu – you can check it out online. We also called Beau Lieu Bistro, and this lovely French boite is also doing a set menu, so call now for reservations!
Paramour is also doing a special Monday opening for Valentine’s Day and will offer their regular menu and some specials, including a special cocktail menu. They are offering an early and a late seating.
Union Restauranttweeted that they will be open for Valentine’s Day and we are waiting to see what the menu will be.
Bohmer is still working on their set menu, but rest assured, will be open. Reposado is planning some special Valentine’s “oysters, Cava and crooning,” according to their website.
If you don’t want a fancy dinner but want to throw down and have some fun with your S.O. or some friends, there are some good choices for you too! Head on over to The Painted Lady for Big Rude Jake hosting the weekly Open Mic Night. The Rattlesnake Choir will be playing at The Dakota.
And, if your Valentine’s night doesn’t turn out like you plan, check out the fun and original night planned at XPace Cultural Centre on Feb 18! Called “Heartbeats,” it’s a new, live interactive dating show. They are even looking for contestants!
Windfall Basics is Canada’s only new clothing and basic needs bank. As a registered charity, they need fundraisers to survive. I’d imagine that this cold winter they must be busier than ever! Wear White for Windfall includes several opportunities to fundraise, including the one on January 21 at Bohmer.
On Friday night at 10PM, get served at Bohmer by celebrity bartenders including Billie Holliday, Glenn Dixon and Seamus O’Regan. To RSVP, email info at boehmer dot com.
For those of you in the neighbourhood who haven’t been to see The Beauties on a Sunday night at the Dakota Tavern, you are missing out on seeing some great musicians. It had been a while since we stopped in, but last week we did for their post New Years Hangover Party , and the house was packed. There’s often other musicians who stop in and play, or at least come by to listen. In the past we’ve seen Ron Sexsmith, Feist, and others showing up.
In 2010, they released their first full-length self-titled album to muchcritical acclaim. This month they are even heading to Asbury Park, NJ for a music festival, so they are no longer just our local house band. See them while you can!
It’s June in Toronto, so time for the annual music, film and interactive whirlwind called North By Northeast, or NXNE for short. This year’s fest runs June 13-19 and passes and individual tickets are on sale.
For the time being, you can still go there late night/early morning (depending on your outlook) and buy a loaf of bread. None of the involved parties knows quite when the factory will close, and when the building will be converted. We’ll let you know when we do!
