June 4th-5th Drake General Store Warehouse Sale @ Drake General Store Warehouse, 442 Dufferin St. Stock up on classic Drake General Store and Shared items and one-of-a-kind vintage finds! Clothing, antiques, furniture, goodies, gadgets and more. Runs from 10 am to 4 pm both days.
June 4th-5th Make It @ The Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W. A showcase of arts and crafts created by local artists, designers and craftspeople with all proceeds benefiting the Furniture Bank, which supplies families in need with furniture and household goods. Opening night party will feature music by DJs The Vinyl Den and Matt Gracie and refreshments. Runs 7-11 pm on Saturday and 12-5 pm on Sunday.
WEDNESDAY
10 pm What’s Poppin’ @ Sneaky Dee’s, 431 College St. 90’s hip-hop house party! $3 beers all night. Ladies free before midnight, $5 otherwise.
10 pm Legoblocks @ Unlovable, 1415-B Dundas St. W. DJs Linus Booth, Brandon Sek and special guests Dougie Boom play robojamz.
THURSDAY
6 pm Funny Girls & Dynamic Divas @ Jane Mallet Theatre (St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts), 27 Front St. E. A fundraising event featuring Toronto’s top comedians and musicians with Elvira Kurt as host and Sarah Slean headlining. Benefiting Sistering, an organization that supports homeless, under-houses and low-income women in Toronto. $75 at STLC box office, Ticketmaster or the Sistering Office.
10 pm Rule Britannia @ Neutral, 349-A College St. A new colonial party program playing music exclusively from the great kingdom! From The Beatles to the Arctic Monkeys, The Cure to The Clash, Bowie to Hot Chip – all the songs you know, don’t know, and are too cheeky to mention from the 60’s to now. $3.50 rail drinks and $4 beers until midnight. $5 (or 3 British pounds).
10 pm Neverending Weekend @ The Henhouse, 1532 Dundas St. W. Matt Cully of Bruce Peninsula plays everything from the sizzling sub frequencies of the UK to the scorching organ tones of Nigerian Funk, from the sorrow-soaked love cries of a Balkan lover to the dilapitated bounce of a fucked up Chicago beat.
10 pm Belly Doctor @ The Red Light, 1185 Dundas St. W. DJs Jaime Sin and Ian Worang play fun times dancehall records for your dancing, drinking and fun times having pleasure.
10 pm Pizza Party @ Crawford, 718 College St. The Baitshop, SBC and Crawford get greasy! Free pizza courtesy of 241 and jello shooters while supplies last, so get there early! Other activities include a pizza movie montage created by Pat Maloney, a video of Jeff Comber trying to order pizza when he’s drunk by Drew Williams, and pizza giff projections by Patrick McGuire. DJs Justin Czank in the basement playing hip-hop and Paul Otvos upstairs playing old school, punk, rock and psychedlic. Drink specials: $7 half pint and shot of Jameson, Jager or tequila, $4 solo shots of Jameson, Jager or tequila and a $10 frosty 1 litre mug of Sleeman’s that you can take home (the mug, that is). $3.
10 pm Fuses @ Camp 4, 1173 Dundas St. W. Post-punk, psych and soul records with DJ AyGay.
FRIDAY
6 pm The Drinks Show @ 99 Sudbury, 99 Sudbury St. The ultimate cocktail tasting experience where guests can sample new, original and delicious recipes made by the top mixologists in the city. Snack on delectable treats, jam to the city’s top DJs and sip on delicious cocktails at the interactive bar stations. $23 online at www.drinksshow.ca/tickets/ or $30 at the door (discount available for all Drinks Show followers on Facebook and Twitter).
7 pm A Face A Name Book Launch & Art Show @ The Baitshop, 358 Dufferin St. A celebration for the release of a limited, soft cover print run the ebook, A FACE A NAME: People Doing Well and Good and the fine folks featured in it. Performances by DJ Dopey and Notes To Self, an art show featuring new work by a variety of artists and some surprises. Until 11 pm.
9 pm Rival Boys “Mutual Feelings Of Love” CD Release @ The Garrison, 1197 Dundas St. W. A night of great music, cake and surprises to celebrate Rival Boys’ first full-length album! Performances by Rival Boys, The Guest Bedroom, Planet Creature and a surprise act. $6.
10 pm Girl & Boy 90s Dance Party @ Clinton’s, 693 Bloor St. W. DJs Sleazy Bake Oven and B Dazzlin’ drip-drop the slop on the decks for you at this thing. RnB, hip-hop, pop and North American and European dance music from the 90’s. Free before 11 pm with student ID, $5 otherwise.
10 pm Rufio by Dudebox @ The Shop under Parts & Labour, 1566 Queen St. W. According to the guys at Dudebox, Rufio means “red mohawks and shitty skateboards, golden swords and imaginary feasts, group chants and Julia Fucking Roberts giving Robin Fucking Williams a lawyer boner.” It’s also a night of dancing to hip-hop and huge dance tracks for a good cause! $5, with all proceeds going to Heather and her family, who are struggling with the crippling emotional and financial effects cancer brings.
10 pm Whatevs @ 751 (downstairs), 751 Queen St. W. A 90’s hip-hop and gangsta rap party with Steve Rock playing all your golden era favourites. Loose morals and $10 pitchers in effect.
10 pm Yacht Rock @ The Boat, 158 Augusta Ave. A night of dancing to the smoothest music you’ve ever heard in your life. $5 to step aboard.
10 pm Neat, Neat, Neat! @ The Piston, 937 Bloor St. W. Punk, Brit-pop, new wave, shoegaze and Mod revival tunes.
10 pm Savvy Records Release Party @ 36 Chambers, 1266 Queen St. W. Savvy Records is back with their second release, Orange Jews, and wants you to get dumb with them like it’s 1999 BC. With DJs Myles Smith, Shit La Merde, Discrete and Brandon Sek. $8.
10 pm Back-A-Yard @ The Emmet Ray, 924 College St. Classic and rare cuts from the reggae, ska, dub, rocksteady and dancehall catalogues courtesy of the Pie & Mash DJs.
10 pm There Goes The Neighbourhood: Ke$ha Party @ The Barn, 418 Church St. Grab your Jack and your glitter! DJs Foxxtrot and Rolls Royce plus special Ke$ha performances and music videos all night. $2 drinks before 11:30 pm. Free before midnight.
10 pm J’Adore Festival @ Motel, 1235 Queen St. W. A unique cultural experience that is completely free! With DJs NaNa and Cordata, and visual art curated by Gabrielle Lasporte featuring Leaky Penny. Aesthetics and appetizers provided by Babette’s Feast.
10 pm J’Adore Festival @ Savoy, 1166 Queen St. W. A unique cultural experience that is completely free! With DJs Al’Kicks, eLman and Jerus NaZdaq, and visual art by Victor Manzo. Aesthetics and appetizers provided by Babette’s Feast.
10 pm Sweat Pants @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. DJ Coolin Cregg plays sweet, sexy, sweaty tunes for you to rock, bump and wind too.
11 pm Never Forgive Action @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. A tribute to the golden age of hip-hop with DJs Numeric and Ted Dancin’. Whether you’re old school or new, lace up your Adidas and bust a move to classic jams and anthems from this ground-breaking era of music. $10.
SATURDAY
2 pm “Canada Through Our Eyes” Opening & Book Launch @ 44 Wide, 171 East Liberty St., Unit 122. The launch of a month-long exhibit featuring Ron and Lori Erwin’s photographs shot over a 20-year adventure in the Canadian wilderness. Until 6 pm.
9 am Love Local @ Evergreen Brickworks, 550 Bayview Ave. A curated show and sale featuring fashion, beauty, art and crafts made and/or designed in Toronto. Until 6 pm.
10 pm Shake, Rattle & Roll Birthday Edition @ Clinton’s, 693 Bloor St. W. Bangs & Blush are celebrating their first birthday (aww!) with a sweaty dance floor, balloons, party hats and our own Becca Lemire snapping your picture in the photobooth! 60’s soul and rock n’ roll. $5.
10 pm Dream//Date @ The Shop under Parts & Labour, 1566 Queen St. W. Dashing young men spinning post-punk, soul, minimal, new wave and synth pop (note: programming is subject to change based on alcohol intake). Drink specials until 11:30 pm. Free before 11:30, $5 after.
10 pm Motown Party @ 751, 751 Queen St. W. Motown, northern soul and remixes with DJs Fawn BC and Caff upstairs, and an all-vinyl set with DJs Brett Millius and Reverend Throwdown downstairs. $11 pitchers and cheap bar rails all night. $5 before midnight, $10 after.
10 pm Reality Bytes @ Augusta House, 152-A Augusta Ave. Plug in your dial-up modems, lace up your docs, grab your chain wallets, turn off Friends on your TV, dust off your 90’s records, grab your disc-man and get ready to relive the 90’s! Drink specials before 11 pm.
10 pm Standards @ The Piston, 937 Bloor St. W. A solid night of dancing to the best in northern soul, girl groups, garage, ska, punk and 50s-60s R&B.
10 pm Friendship @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. Slow, weird, happy, fun music to make friends and dance to!
11 pm Love Saves The Day @ The Beaver, 1192 Queen St. W. Maximal house, maximal disco with DJs Produzentin and Luis Jacob.
11 pm Peer Pressure @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. After a long and unbelievably funky ride, Peer Pressure offers an epic grand finale before bidding a brief farewell to the Drake Underground. DJs A-Rock, Hatchmatik and Merk Meny join forces for a final adventure. $10.
SUNDAY
11 am Art Market @ 99 Sudbury, 99 Sudbury St. Local independent artists and designers come together to showcase and sell their wares. Check out some amazing original art pieces while snacking on yummy eats and refreshing treats (mimosas and caesars, yes please)! Until 6 pm.
1 pm Simply Divas @ Berkeley Church, 315 Queen St. E. An annual fundraising event in its sixth year featuring young artists from the Etobicoke School of the Arts performing their tributes to famous divas of yesterday and today to benefit FAME, a community-based organization supporting the families and caregivers of individuals suffering from a mental illness. $50 at www.simplydivas.ca.
6:30 pm “With Her” Fundraiser @ Cherry Cola’s, 200 Bathurst St. A fundraiser to help with the shooting of the upcoming Canadian independent short film With Her, which juxtaposes organic love with a contrived love through the tale of a writer named William, a dancer named Sofia and a male escort named Matthew. With musical guests David Borins, Lady Hayes, The Sweet Mack, Erez Sussman, Dos Mundos, Simmer Down and DJ Class!ck, a silent auction and a chance to meet the cast. $20 pre-party from 6:30 to 9 pm and $10 party-party from 9 pm to 2 am.
7 pm Movies In The Mess Hall @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. Filmmaker Bruce McDonald presents his ‘rock show romance’ This Movie Is Broken. Taking place on a hot summer’s night in Toronto, a Broken Social Scene show tops all expectations and resonates deep into the morning, into the lives of two close friends. $5 or $15 with dinner (Drake Burger: white cheddar, Perth bacon, Russian dressing and pickle, hand-cut french fries and a sprinkle doughnut).
7 pm & 9:30 pm Les Coquettes Present: Where’s the Beef? @ Revival, 783 College St. An evening of cabaret burlesque theatre inspired by the wham and the glam of the 1980’s! Join them after their 9:30 show for a retro dance party complete with 80’s power ballads to awkwardly dance to. $15 to $30 at www.lescoquettes.com/now–playing.html.