By Anne Joyce

Urban Planner is Torontoist’s guide to what’s on in Toronto, published every weekday morning, and in a weekend edition Friday afternoons. If you have an event you’d like considered, email all of its details—as well as images, if you’ve got any—to events@torontoist.com.

Tightrope walker in Trinity Bellwoods Park, Queen West Art Crawl, 2006. Photo by Miles Storey/Torontoist.

ART: Toronto’s Queen West neighbourhood has long been considered one of our city’s most cherished cultural enclaves. Its motley mix of characters, from artists and musicians to local crazies, combined with blocks of tiny galleries and eclectic gathering places conjures an energy that is contagious to residents and visitors alike. Now in its seventh year, the Queen West Art Crawl (or QWAC) taps into this energy to celebrate the area’s unique fusion of creativity and community. Stretching from Roncesvalles to Spadina (in addition to marquee events in Trinity Bellwoods Park and Parkdale Town Square), participants include local galleries, restaurants, boutiques, and studios. The crawl kicks off tonight at Gladstone, where the walls and rooms of the hotel will be devoted to art associated with the festival. And this year, the party coincides with the opening of the taboo-tackling Rated R Show in the hotel’s Art Bar. Encouraging sixteen visionaries to banish boundaries and explore their concept of “rated R,” the exhibit tantalizes with various interpretations of adult art—from the downright dirty to the borderline juvenile. The Gladstone Hotel (1214 Queen Street West) and Art Bar, 7–11 p.m., FREE.
PARTY: After you’ve got your blood pumping with some racy art, hang around the Gladstone for some racy rhythms. Uma Nota, an event series that showcases both live music and dancefloor DJ acts, returns for its September edition after a highly successful two-year-anniversary bash in the summer. Though the series is known for bringing Torontonians a wide range of musical styles (West African, Afro-Brazilian, Latin American, Caribbean, as well as cross-genre breeds), tonight’s line-up has a decidedly Latin flavour. Toronto’s spiciest salsa band, LADY SON y Articulo Veinte—led with rich vocals and percussion by Yeti Ajasin and featuring a wild horn section—heats up the ballroom alongside an opening set by David Dacks (playing doombia—a musical mash of cumbia and dub), DJ eLman (from CIUT’s Dos Mundos), and resident General Electric. Gladstone Ballroom (1214 Queen Street West); doors at 10 p.m.; $5 for first fifty people before 11 p.m., $10 afterwards.
VIDEO: Internationally acclaimed South African artist Candice Breitz rearranges familiar landmarks in our mass-mediated cultural landscape to produce darkly humourous, subversive video installations. Using the language of the entertainment industry—including pop music, television, and Hollywood films—she delves deep into the culture of contemporary media, with stunning revelations. Breitz’s new project, “Same Same,” focuses on the experiences of identical twins in Toronto and will be part of a career-wide survey—the first in North America—taking over the entire Power Plant gallery tonight. The exhibition will also include two of her recent works, Legend (a portrait of Bob Marley) and Him + Her, featuring film images of Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep. The Power Plant (231 Queens Quay West), 8–11 p.m., FREE.
MUSIC: While there are a lot of great music series in Toronto (see Uma Nota above), few of the indie variety compare to No Shame, whose organizers shamelessly promote artists they like and admire rather than giving into what’s hip or trendy. Shunning indie elitism, the series takes risks and trumpets diversity by uniting bands of various musical persuasions on the same bill. After only a few years and ninety-nine energetic shows under their belt, No Shame celebrates its 100th tonight with Guelph-based electro act, Green Go, who will share the stage with Ruby Coast, Pick a Piper and newer band The Skeletons Four. Expect the unexpected. Horseshoe Tavern (370 Queen Street West), 9 p.m., $10.