September 14th-22nd Toronto Beer Week @ various locations. Toronto Beer Week is a series of events dedicated to the celebration and advancement of the craft beer movement. TBW will showcase authentically brewed and flavourful beer, the talented brewers who create them, and the licensees who proudly support them. It’s all about good beer – no bland, mega beer permitted!

WEDNESDAY

7:30 pm Art Battle @ The Great Hall, 1087 Queen St. W. Art Battle is live competitive painting. Painters create the best work they can in 20 minutes. As they work, patrons move around the easels, closely watching the creative process. The medium is acrylic paint and the tools allowed are brushes, palette knives or any non-mechanical implements. At the end of the round, the audience votes democratically for their favourite painting and bids in silent auction to take the work home. $20 (or $10 for students with ID) at the door.

10 pm Bright Lights, Big City @ The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave. Come for the music, stay for the music. DJ Wes Allen plays oddities, discoveries, reminders, secrets, lost and found, surprises, and jewels. 197? and earlier.

10 pm Burnout Basement @ Bambi’s, 1265 Dundas St. W. DJs Elaine Banks and Minus Matt spin rock, punk, metal, and glam all on vinyl. Hosted by Karen Frostitution.

THURSDAY

6 pm “Projections: Ghosts of Dubai’s Boom” Opening Reception @ The Image Works Gallery, 80 Spadina Ave., Suite 207. Artist’s statement: “In 2008, I visited one of Dubai’s labour camps to document their story. Returning to the same camp in 2010 I found it deserted but for 25 workers. As these remaining few watched, I projected the 2008 images onto the empty huts of their friends, watching the ghosts of the departed, as if their souls still lived there. And through a multimedia collaboration of film and stills, we were able to capture their reactions, drawing out the latent emotions of these brothers that had been left behind. ‘Projections’ is about remembering the ghosts of these ‘lost’ men, it’s about telling the story of an audacious dream built on the most fragile human backbone. But most importantly, it tries to give an identity to these forgotten people who built Dubai – who came and went unnoticed.” Until 8 pm. Show runs until October 13th.

8 pm Owen, Bob Nanna of Braid, Mark Rose & Special Guests @ Wrongbar, 1279 Queen St. W. Mike Kinsella (performing as Owen), Bob Nanna of Braid, and Mark Rose representing Chi-town music scene! With support from Casey Baker (performing as Parts Per Million) and Andrew Hyatt. $18.50 advance tickets available at Rotate This, Soundscapes, and online.

10 pm Steers & Queers @ The Dakota Tavern, 249 Ossington Ave. It’ll be a barn burner! Starring: Ginger Darling & Balogna Rye, Belles Jumelles, and Brescia Birdthroat Bloodbeard. With DJs Sigourney Beaver and Katie Richie playing country and western all night. Dress code: country western realness.

10 pm The Quiet Storm @ The Red Light, 1185 Dundas St. W. DJ Andycapp plays four hours of melodically soulful music that provides an intimate, laid-back mood tailor-made for late-night listening and a welcome end to the stresses of the workday.

10 pm Take Me On @ The Henhouse, 1532 Dundas St. W. DJ Todder plays 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, oldies, rock, punk, new wave, and pop. Straight up. Come request some jams! 

10 pm Sunology @ Margret, 2952 Dundas St. W. A night of vinyl only music. Making up musical genres as they go: Retrobes, Scenic Sonics, Teenage New Age, Scary Wave, Theme Park Hits, Babe Rock, Sour Candy Dance, and much more. You will hear: *De La Soul, Eno, ABC. You will recognize: !!! (chik chik chik), The Power Station, **Bomb The Bass. You will be challenged by: ***Beach House, Cabaret Voltaire, Royksopp.

10 pm Bass & Titties @ Crawford, 718 College St. Upstairs, DJs WLFPK, Chef Wheezy, and Zilla  play booty-shaking east coast, krunk, and rude boi classics + giveaways from The Baitshop. Downstairs, the Bass6 play hip-hop, reggae, and dance music to keep you happy. $5.

FRIDAY

8 pm Steam Whistle Unsigned #23 @ Steam Whistle Brewery, 255 Bremner Ave. Performances by Odonis Odonis, Indian Handcrafts, and Young Mother. $5 at the door, with all proceeds from ticket sales going back to the community through the Artists’ Health Center Foundation.

10 pm Girl & Boy 90s Dance Party @ Clinton’s, 693 Bloor St. W. A pulsating dance party rocking the retro sounds of the 1990s! All your favourite dance, pop, hip-hop, R&B, and so on and so on and so on. $5.

10 pm Visions II @ Twist Gallery, 1100 Queen St. W. With Berlin-based pop/techno legend Jimmy Edgar, acclaimed experimental UK producer Actress, and Toronto-to-Berlin transplant XI making his hometown debut. Visuals by Brady Bothwell (mixMotion, TO); photography by Conrad McGee-Stocks and Catherine Chung; powered by 40Hz Soundsystem. $15 advance tickets (guaranteed entry) available at Rotate This, Soundscapes, Play de Record, and online. For $15 reduced guestlist (subject to capacity), visit the Mansion website.

10 pm Breakfast @ The Shop under Parts & Labour, 1566 Queen St. W. DJs Stupa and Mac plate an eclectic mix of music, mashing hip-hop, electro/house, rock, R&B, funk, and soul. Free before 11 pm, $5 after.

10 pm Goin’ Steady @ The Gladstone Hotel Ballroom, 1214 Queen St. W. A grimy 50’s and 60’s RnB dance party thrown by The Goin’ Steady DJs! All your favourite choones plus unknown treasures from the uptempo doo wop, RnB, pre-soul bangers, surf, twang, country boogie, girl groups, rockabilly, primitive rock n’ roll, Italo-rock, Cambodian swing, latin shakers, Joe Meek and Bollywood genres. Email goinsteady@gmail.com for $5 guestlist. 

10 pm Jukebox: Rock & Soul Dance Party @ The Drake Lounge, 1150 Queen St. W. DJs The Gillespie Brothers and Circle Research play a unique blend of soul, funk and good ol’ fashioned rock n’ roll. $10.

10 pm Dante Carfagna @ Bambi’s, 1265 Dundas St. W. Invisible City is proud to present America’s greatest fringe funk archivist: Dante Carfagna. The Numero Group curator and Personal Space compiler is invading Canada for the first time, ready to unleash a fresh batch of vintage drum-machine-laced soul.

10 pm Guilty Pleasures @ Holy Oak, 1241 Bloor St. W. DJs Micehal, Elektrotank, and special guest Igor Bez spin all your favourite 80’s/90’s/2000’s/now hip-hop, electro, dancehall, new wave, pop, R&B, and disco.

10 pm Gin & Phonic @ The Piston, 937 Bloor St. W. Stax, Motown, funk, northern soul, and jams on strictly vinyl. Dance it up!

10 pm Yes Yes Y’all @ The Annex WreckRoom, 794 Bathurst St. Toronto’s biggest, baddest, freak nastiest queer hip-hop/RnB/dancehall jam! Featuring special guest DJ Rapid Fire from San Francisco + the YYY crew opening and closing the dance party. $6.

10 pm A1 / Grilled Cheese @ Crawford, 718 College St. Upstairs, the D’Stroy crew plays hip-hop, RnB, and mash-ups. Downstairs, DJs Jon Chetty and James Redi play Motown, disco, hip-hop, and reggae while Fundament holds it down front and centre with a mic, a George Foreman grill, a stack of Cheesy slices and a fresh loaf. Yes, FREE GRILLED CHEESE ON THE DANCE FLOOR! $5 before 11:30 pm, more after.

11 pm Stuck On Stupid @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. DJs Fase and Dougie Boom + special guest Drastik throw a no-holds-barred, anything-goes, sky’s-the-limit, all-out dance-a-thon. They’ll play hits and not-so-hits, jams old and new! $10.

SATURDAY

10 pm TITS AND TOQUES @ The Henhouse, 1532 Dundas W. Bring your ladies, your lesbros, and all your homogays out for a night of dancing that will see you jumping and destroying your vocal chords to your favorite indie jams. NO COVER

10 am Dundas West Sidewalk Sale @ Dundas West between Lansdowne & Shaw St. Retailers, cafés, and restaurants along Dundas West will be selling outdoors. Celebrate the neighbourhood and take advantage of amazing one-day specials! Presented by Magwood and Dalston Grey, with the support of the Dundas West and Little Portugal BIAs. Participating stores include The Arrow, Bell, Bivy, The Chief Salvage, Dalston Grey, Day and Night, E.L. Ruddy, The Federal, Full of Beans, LE Gallery, The Garrison, Just Be You-tiful, Kurve, Life of Manek, Lost & Found, Magwood, Milk Glass, Moka, Monkey’s Paw, N/A Gallery, OMG Bakery, Penny Arcade, Ponta Delgada Gifts, Quinta, This End Up, Woodlawn, and more. Until 6 pm.

11 am Fresh Fest @ Ontario Food Terminal, 165 The Queensway. The first-ever public event at the Ontario Food Terminal. The event will raise funds for FoodShare and raise awareness of the Terminal’s importance to fresh produce distribution and the health benefits of eating vegetables and fruit. Guests will enjoy delicious food including a salad buffet, corn on the cob and more! There will also be lots of activities for the whole family including produce sampling, cooking demonstrations, music, games, face painting, and educational exhibits. $10 adult tickets available online and at gate on event day. Until 3 pm.

11:30 am Toronto Girls’ Cupcake Ride @ Prairie Girl Bakery, 18 King St. E. Girls-only bicycle ride in the name of cupcakes! Last one of the season. Meet at Sweet Flour (2352 Bloor St. W.) before riding eastwards to Evergreen Brickworks (550 Bayview Ave). RSVP and check out the Ride Rules at theirFacebook page.

12 pm The Junction Music Festival @ The Junction. More than 20 venues – from cafes to interior design stores along Dundas Street West – will host musical performances all day long. The second stage (on Pacific Ave. north of Dundas St. W.) will present independent musical acts from noon to 8 pm, including local favourites like Young Running, David Vangel, Quadrafonics, the Cedar Strippers, Philly Moves, and more. At 8 pm on the first stage, (southwest corner of Dundas St. W. and Keele) The Junction, jazz trumpet player Brownman and his ensemble Electryc Trio, and Bruce Peninsula perform.

3 pm Toronto Tweed Ride @ Trinity Bellwoods Park Gates, Queen & Strachan. It’s a celebration of old-fashioned style, cycling, and good times. It’s a group bicycle ride through downtown Toronto, in which the cyclists are encouraged to dress in classic tweed or a smart looking outfit. Any effort made to recreate the spirit of a bygone era is appreciated, and any and all bicycles are acceptable. Best of all, it’s a fundraiser for Bikes Without Borders, with some incredible fundraising incentives including Bobbin bikes worth $650! Register online to guarantee your spot.

9 pm Crush Party: Sex & Candy @ The Central, 603 Markham St. Music by DJRayRuby + a burlesque performance by Belle Jumelles, accompanied by the vocal styling of Johnny B Goode, as well as Sevvy Skellington. $7.

10 pm MurderBoner!19 @ The Red Light, 1185 Dundas St. W. DJ It’sMattLangille plays new progressive rap music all night long.

10 pm Fast Times @ The Piston, 937 Bloor St. W. 80’s night with DJs Brendan Canning and Tweed!

10 pm Oliver @ Wrongbar, 1279 Queen St. W. DJ set by Oliver (L.A.) with support from Wheelwells and Arrogahnz. For guestlist requests, email guestlist@wrongbar.com.

10 pm Shake, Rattle & Roll @ Clinton’s, 693 Bloor St. W. Spend the night together with the Bangs & Blush ladies! 60’s pop, soul and rock n’ roll to drink, dance and get messy to. $5.

10 pm Brass Tacks @ The Shop under Parts & Labour, 1566 Queen St. W. A night of hip-hop with Diggy The DJ of Down With Webster. Free before 11 pm, $5 after.

10 pm More Hits. Less Shit. @ 751, 751 Queen St. W. DJs Mobot and Thrillhouse play hits from the 50’s to now. All genres!

10 pm Return of the Double Dragons / Stay Fly @ Crawford, 718 College St. Upstairs, DJs Freeza Chin and Shai (a.k.a. the Double Dragons) play the best in reggae, dancehall, and soca + a touch of hip-hop and old school. Downstairs, it’s an explosion of old school jams. $5 before 11:30 pm, more after.

10:30 pm Bang The Party! @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. Bang The Party! goes tropical! Resident DJ Andycapp will be joined by special guest Alister for a futureboogie-meets-island-vibes kind of party. $10.

11 pm Shake A Tail @ Sneaky Dee’s, 431 College St. 60’s pop, rock, soul, funk, garage, ska, ANYTHING! Always humid. AND, in honour of Toronto Beer Week, Shake a Tail will be boozing till 4 am! $5.

SUNDAY

9:30 pm Crosswires #31 @ The Garrison, 1197 Dundas St. W. A Sunday night series brought to you by Doc Pickles, co-founder and emcee of of Wavelength. Performances by Sarah Greene, Mimi, Ben Veneer, and Ghostly Graves + General Chaos Visuals and DJ selector Acacia Christensen. Sponsored by Steam Whistle. PWYC.

~ Caitlyn Holroyd

(For event submissions, email caitlyn_holroyd@hotmail.com)