Photo courtesy of Greystone Books.

It’s not unusual for Dave Bidini to travel the world on various near-spiritual sports retreats; he’s written books on the origin and heart of baseball and hockey that have taken him to Italy, Romania, Hong Kong, and the United Arab Emirates. But finding himself travelling to Australia with some of Toronto’s homeless men and women to compete in a homeless soccer tournament is something he couldn’t have predicted.
A few years ago, the former Rheostatics guitarist/vocalist and current writer/Bidiniband frontman (and now a board member of Street Soccer Canada) happened upon the core team members that would become his travel mates while on a walk through the notorious Queen and Sherbourne neighborhood. Curious enough to pause and watch a few times as a group of them sprung to life as a game started outside the John Innes Community Recreation Centre, he eventually met the players—including Krystal, a then eighteen-year-old runaway from Regent Park, and Billy, a former pro soccer player fallen hard to addictions—and the organizers, and was eventually invited to join and document the trip.

The result is Home and Away, an instantly and tangibly compelling story of these players and their moment in the spotlight, underscored by the transformative powers of team sports. The players are often quick to dispense the linear story of their lives, revealing through their stories of addiction, mental health struggles, abuse, and financial loss, the fine line and the slippery slope most of them have travelled. Bidini’s prose and tone, warm and inspiring, doesn’t tread anywhere near hollow sympathy, and it’s clear he is invested—he’s is still in contact with some of the team members and tells us how they’ve changed: “Krystal got her grade twelve and tried out for the women’s under nineteen team, and Billy is studying to be an addiction counselor.” These successes prove a long-held belief Bidini’s. “Too much sports is better than too little sports. They’re fun, they bring people together and they’re good for you, or at least, they’ve been good for me.”
Home and Away is important; it’s incredibly humanizing. It’s a small package instigating big change to our perceptions of the people that live on our streets. As Bidini says very matter-of-fact, the shift starts small. “Just talk to them. Say hi, make contact. They share our city. They’re a big part of it.”
Bidiniband will be performing at the Justice for Children and Youth benefit show at the Gladstone Hotel on Friday, November 12. All proceeds from the event will help support programs such as Street Youth Legal Services (SYLS) and youth engagement.

The Beauties beautify the Horseshoe Tavern this Saturday. Photo courtesy of Six Shooter Records.

This weekend, crawl for some art along Queen West, the Lab Cab Festival takes over the Factory Theatre, ArtStars* leads a PR workshop for artists, The Beauties hit the Horseshoe, the Toronto Bicycle Music Festival pedal-pushes across town, and a Georges Méliès retrospective (with live music!) screens under the stars.

ART: One of Queen West’s core events, the Queen West Art Crawl, returns this weekend for its eighth year. The festival starts Friday and runs until Sunday, and includes an outdoor art show and sale, a kids zone, walking tours, and performances. On Saturday night, the Parkdale Prom will take place in the parking lot at 1325 Queen Street West, with public space hijackers Newmindspace designing four classic prom themes, and awarding prizes for Prom King and Queen. Saturday night will also include the Parkdale Nightcrawl, taking guests on a whirlwind tour of art, fashion, and music in the neighbourhood. Queen Street West between Bathurst Street and Roncesvalles Avenue; Saturday 11 a.m.–11 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.–6 p.m.; FREE.
THEATRE: In 2006, actor and director Aviva Armour-Ostroff developed the Lab Cab Festival, an annual two-day event in which artists fill every inch of the Factory Theatre with performance pieces (both complete and in progress), using everything from the washrooms to stairwells to courtyards. The Factory, which was formed in 1970 as a forum for experimental theatre, will be jam-packed with performance, music, poetry, comedy, visual arts, and stuff for kids all weekend. Factory Theatre (125 Bathurst Street), Saturday and Sunday 12–6 p.m., FREE.
WORKSHOP: So many starving artists go their entire lives without being appreciated, only to find rabid fanbases and have their works sold for millions after they die. But all you brilliant Toronto visionaries won’t succumb to that fate. ArtStars* mastermind Nadja Sayej will be holding a workshop this weekend for artists on how to cope with the PR machine. Sayej, a prolific freelancer and web-TV maven, will enlighten artists on how to use social media to promote their brands, put together a press kit, get noticed by critics, get press attention, and more. University of Toronto Art Centre (15 King’s College Circle), Saturday 2–4 p.m., $10.
MUSIC: Since their debut album dropped in June, The Beauties have officially gone legit. The quintet, who for four years drew hundreds of fans to the Dakota Tavern every Sunday, are moving to more prestigious venues. Tonight, the roots rockers play the second of two shows at the Horseshoe. Also playing are Simone Felice, the erstwhile drummer of The Felice Brothers, and the Dave Bidini Band, led by eponymous Rheostatics founder, nine-time author, and general Renaissance-man-about-town Dave Bidini. The Horseshoe Tavern (368 Queen Street West), Saturday 10 p.m., $12/advance.
MUSIC / CYCLING: Why not indulge in one more kooky hipster cycling event before winter hits? The Toronto Bicycle Music Festival is just the ticket. The mobile, pedal-powered party will begin in the pit of Trinity Bellwoods Park with a show from Tomboyfriend. The caravan will then mosey over to Dovercourt Park, where Griffin, kit wilson-yang, and Richard Laviolette will perform. The fest will wind up at Dufferin Grove Park, with performances by Evalyn Parry and The Strumbellas. Trinity Bellwoods Park (Crawford Street, between Dundas and Queen streets west), Dovercourt Park (Bloor Street West between Dufferin and Ossington avenues), and Dufferin Grove Park (Dufferin Avenue at Sylvan Avenue); Sunday 2 p.m.; FREE.
FILM: French filmmaker Georges Méliès, one of the fathers of cinema, made over five hundred films between 1896 and 1914, including A Trip to the Moon, a prototype for the science fiction film genre. On Sunday, Bellwoods Bike-In moves to Parkdale for a Méliès retrospective, including screenings of A Trip to the Moon, The Enchanted Well, Fairyland: The Kingdom of Fairies, and more. A number of musicians armed with turntables, accordions, and singing saws will provide live musical accompaniment to the films. 64 Cowan Avenue in the backyard, Sunday 8:30 p.m. (doors at 7:30 p.m.), PWYC.
FILM: TIFF’s in town! Torontoist’s complete coverage of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival is all right here.

Jeff Jones’s one-man musical, This is the Thing, opens tonight at the Theatre Passe Muraille.

Today, the International Festival of Poetry Resistance fights through words, a talk with filmmakers Ken Loach and Paul Laverty, a plethora of author appearances, and Jeff Jones remounts his Fringe hit.

WORDS: Poetry has been an outlet for political and social activism for hundreds of years, from the socialist chants of William Morris to the civil rights lyrics of Maya Angelou to the anti-war songs of Bob Dylan. The International Poetry Festival of Resistance, running from today until September 20, celebrates the poetry of protest, with writers like Monica Rosas and Arnold Itwaru participating. The festival honours the Cuban Five, five Cuban intelligence officers who have been political prisoners in the States since 1998, as well as two other political prisoners, Leonard Peltier and Mumia Abu-Jamal. New Horizons Auditorium (1140 Bloor Street West), 5 p.m., FREE.
FILM: Sure, TIFF is on everyone’s lips and stars are in their eyes, but the Toronto film scene doesn’t end when TIFF does. The Toronto Palestine Film Festival is coming to town in early October, and in the meantime, the festival is hosting a discussion with filmmaker Ken Loach and screenwriter Paul Laverty. The pair have first-hand experience making films about the Middle East—Route Irish, an upcoming film directed by Loach and written by Laverty (and screening at TIFF) explores the ramifications of serving in the Iraq War for a group of Liverpool private security contractors. Loach and Laverty will speak tonight with TPFF coordinator Rafeef Ziadah about the challenges of filmmaking in such a highly politicized climate. U of T’s Sanford Fleming Building, room 1105 (10 King’s College Circle); 5:30 p.m., doors at 5 p.m.; $5 or PWYC.
WORDS: Book events abound tonight, with no less than three author appearances that should be on your radar. First up is Rheostatics founder and author Dave Bidini, who launches his ninth book tonight. The memoir, Home and Away, recounts Bidini’s travels alongside Team Canada at the Homeless World Cup in Australia in 2008. 3 Speed Bar (1163 Bloor Street West), 6:30 p.m., FREE. Next, beloved author Jane Urquhart, known for her evocative renderings of Southern Ontario, speaks tonight with novelist and critic Antanas Sileika about her new book, Sanctuary Line. Toronto Reference Library (789 Yonge Street), 7 p.m., FREE. Finally, Daniel Allen Cox will launch and read from his new novel, Krakow Melt, about a pair of Polish pyromaniacs who fight homophobia. Nathaniel G. Moore, Lisa Foad, and Derek McCormack will also read at tonight’s event. The Ossington (61 Ossington Avenue), 7:30 p.m., FREE.
THEATRE: It played to great acclaim at last year’s Toronto and Hamilton fringe festivals, and now, Jeff Jones’s cathartic solo show, This is the Thing, is enjoying a run at the Theatre Passe Muraille until September 25. Jones wrote and performed the one-man musical play about a man seeking escape from the pain and anxiety of sitting by his mother’s deathbed. The answer? An imaginary audience, to whom he performs music and recounts his history. Jones’s songs have been compared to John Cougar Mellencamp and Johnny Cash, and the play’s subject matter recalls the witty works of Daniel MacIvor. Theatre Passe Muraille (16 Ryerson Avenue), 7:30 p.m., $20 (students $15).
FILM: TIFF’s in town! Torontoist’s complete coverage of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival is all right here.

Horsing around during a 2009 Jane’s Walk in the Jane–Finch neighbourhood. This year’s walks take place all weekend. Photo by ardenstreet from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.

WALK: Few Torontonians have had a greater impact on the city’s urban literacy and community bonding than Jane Jacobs, who lived here from 1968 until her death in 2006. In its three years, Jane’s Walk has exploded from twenty-seven local walks in Toronto to over four hundred in sixty-seven cities across the world. This year’s walks run the gamut from straightforward neighbourhood jaunts to historical flashbacks to queer- and green-themed adventures. Everywhere, Saturday and Sunday walks start at 9 a.m., FREE.
FESTIVAL: Festivals abound this weekend! The Toronto Freedom Festival—which drew over thirty thousand people last year—returns to the north lawns of Queen’s Park with a carnival of over seventy-five exhibitors and over a hundred musicians, DJs, comedians, and speakers, including cannabis advocate Marc Emery (the Prince of Pot). The festival is committed to promoting freedom of choice and expression, but everyone knows that its biggest draw will be the Global Marijuana March at 2 p.m., a peaceful rally celebrating cannabis culture. Queen’s Park, Saturday 12:30–6 p.m. (marijuana march at 2 p.m.), FREE.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Plenty of shutterbugs will showcase their work at the Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival (running until May 31), but one highlight is sure to be Torontoist photog Nancy Paiva‘s series on Hank Young, known as the Gladstone Cowboy, who passed away last fall. For decades, the elevator operator and master storyteller was a Gladstone fixture—an old-fashioned gentleman in a changing world. Paiva’s exhibit includes a photography series and a multimedia documentary, which will be screened at tonight’s opening. Gladstone Hotel (1214 Queen Street West), Saturday 7 p.m.–12 a.m., FREE.
THEATRE: Theatre is supposed to be immersive, and the Theatre Passe Muraille is taking that ideal literally in its new piece, The Tale of a Town—Queen West, which runs until May 16. The site-specific play will actually lead audiences on a journey through the neighbourhood, past new developments, a model loft, a vintage clothing store, a graffiti alley, and more. A true theatrical experience, the show incorporates stock footage, live music, and oral history. Begins at Theatre Passe Muraille (16 Ryerson Avenue); Saturday and Sunday 7:30 p.m.; $12/advance, $15/door.
WORDS: Not to be missed during The Globe and Mail Open House Festival, which started yesterday and runs until Sunday, is the words-and-music cabaret Torn from the Pages, in which some of your favourite Coach House Books titles will be transformed into snappy new tunes by local talent. Among the performers will be Dave Bidini (inspired by Christian Bök’s Eunoia), Paul Linklater (inspired by Guy Maddin’s My Winnipeg), The Billie Hollies (inspired by Claudia Dey’s Stunt), and many more. Some of the authors will also be on hand to introduce their works. Hugh’s Room (2261 Dundas Street West), Saturday 8:30 p.m., $15.
TALK: The third and final Let’s Talk: TTC Riders and Workers town-hall meeting takes place this Sunday in the downtown core. This session will be hosted by CBC Radio’s Barbara Budd, and will be the final opportunity (for now) for front-line TTC workers and riders to come face to face and discuss the issues that affect both groups. In attendance will be TTC workers’ union president Bob Kinnear, who, along with the workers, will be available to answer questions and address concerns. Ryerson University Library Theatre (350 Victoria Street), Sunday 1–3 p.m., FREE.
FILM: Hot Docs continues this weekend, and so does Torontoist’s coverage of it. Get more Hot Docs right here.

An Horse performs tonight at The Garrison.

MUSIC: The story of An Horse could just as easily be the plot of an adorable indie movie. The duo, consisting of Kate Cooper and Damon Cox, met while working at a now-defunct Brisbane independent record store called Skinny’s. Cooper and Cox, who had also been members of Australian indie bands Iron On and Intercooler, respectively, started playing together and installed a P.A. system in the store, where they would rehearse. They’ve opened for Death Cab for Cutie and Tegan and Sara, and tonight, they will headline a show at The Garrison, supported by Hannah Georgas. The Garrison (1197 Dundas Street West), 9 p.m., $10.
WORDS: Who says literature has to be stuffy, and who says sex has to be salacious? A long line of esteemed writers, from D.H. Lawrence to Henry Miller, have indulged in literary erotica. Unlike Lawrence and Miller, none of the participants in tonight’s “ORAL: Adventures in Erotica” reading have to worry about obscenity trials. The event will feature readings by writer and Rheostatics veteran Dave Bidini, novelist Emily Schultz, and NOW sex columnist Sasha Van Bon Bon. Guests can also read their own sexy stories during the Open Mouth (Mic) segment of the evening (please keep pieces under five minutes), while a Quickie writing competition offers prizes from Cupid Boutique and Arsenal Pulp Press. Renegade (1266 Queen Street West), 7 p.m., FREE (donations accepted).
FOOD: Hart House goes classy tonight, hosting the ultimate wine and cheese. The cocktail marketplace is sponsored by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and will feature delicious cow’s, goat’s, and sheep’s milk cheeses from dozens of talented cheesemakers for tasting and purchase. To complement the cheeses will be the finest Prince Edward County wines and beers, as well as artisan bread provided by epi Breads. Hart House (7 Hart House Circle), 6–9 p.m., $35.
COMICS: Keep Toronto Reading month is coming to an end, but there are still some events you can catch before the festivities are over. Tonight, KTR and the Toronto Comic Arts Festival (which will take place in May) cohost a celebration of Jeffrey Brown‘s new graphic novel, Undeleted Scenes, a collection of stories and comics, including rarely seen and previously unpublished material. Brown will be on hand to discuss his use of autobiography in comics and the art of finding a happy medium between fact and fiction. North York Central Library (5120 Yonge Street), 6:30 p.m., FREE.

Anokhi, 2007 by Sunil Gupta, courtesy of Stephen Bulger Gallery.

PHOTOGRAPHY: “Mr. Malhorta’s Party,” a striking exhibit by Sunil Gupta, features a series of photographic portraits that explore issues of gender and sexuality. The exhibit, which runs until July 18, captures the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered individuals in India’s second-largest city, Delhi, over the last three decades. At “Mr. Malhorta’s Party,” a reference to gay nights at clubs in the city, you will meet individuals like Kaushiki, Diepriye, Anokhi, Raju, and Bikram—all of whom identify themselves as “queer”—embracing their identify and outing themselves against an urban backdrop. Stephen Bulger Gallery (1026 Queen Street West), 11 a.m.–6 p.m., FREE.
MUSIC: Dave Bidini and his new band—appropriately named BidiniBand—are celebrating the release of their debut album, The Land Is Wild, tonight at The Horseshoe Tavern. Bidini, a founding member of The Rheostatics, will be joined by musicians, authors, and comedians for a Hoser March. The march—which we previewed on Thursday—will start at Soundscapes Records at 4:30 p.m., making stops at bookstores, boutiques, and bars en route. The Horseshoe Tavern (368 Queen Street West), 9 p.m., $10.
PARTY: SOL[e]D! marks the end of the “Art and Sole” exhibit at the Bata Shoe Museum, featuring the work of twenty-four Canadian artists and designers who used white Keds shoes as their canvases. The sneakers will be auctioned off tonight, followed by a dance party courtesy of theShake a Tail DJs. Admission to the event includes something for your eyes, ears, stomach, and mailbox—access to the museum galleries, toe-tappin’ tunes, free food, cheap booze, and a two-year subscription to WORN Fashion Journal. A portion of the proceeds from this event benefits Fashion Cares, in support of the AIDS Committee of Toronto. The Bata Shoe Museum (327 Bloor Street West), 7 p.m., $28.
MUSIC: Three chords (and a guitar) are all you’ll need to join in Toronto’s effort to break the Guinness World Record for the largest guitar jam. Neil Young’s “Helpless” was voted the top song for “The Great Canadian Tune,” happening as part of this year’s Luminato Festival. The current record is held by 1,802 Germans who descended on a city square in 2007 to play Deep Purple’s classic tune “Smoke on the Water.” Yonge-Dundas Square (2 Dundas Street East), 2 p.m., FREE.
CRAFTS: Freedom Clothing Collective always has something up its sleeve. This weekend it’s a two-day backyard craft show, featuring a crew of Toronto-based crafters and designers selling their whimsical wares, including clothing, accessories, jewellery, papercrafts, and zines. If you haven’t made the Buy Handmade Pledge yet, now is a good time to do so. Freedom Clothing Collective (939 Bloor Street West), 1–9 p.m., FREE.
PARTY: *Pardon My Hindi, a San Francisco–based design studio, is rolling into town on a rickshaw and they’re bringing Koushik of Stones Throw Records to spin some tunes. Mymanhenri and Seven:30 are also on the bill. Pardon my Hindi, but you bet your sweet gaand gaand it will be a good time! You’ll be happy leaving with a free Ghee Happy print and a limited-edition mixed cd by Koushik, featuring hand-screened album art by *PMH. Rolly’s Garage (124 Ossington Avenue), 8 p.m.–2 a.m., $5 (before 10 p.m.).

Illustration by Sasha Plotnikova/Torontoist.

After twenty-seven prolific years of defining quirky Canadiana with defunct hometown heroes the Rheostatics, Dave Bidini will be celebrating the release of his first solo album at the Horseshoe Tavern this Saturday, June 6. Not content with convention, however, he will also be celebrating in record stores, book stores, music stores, and right out in the streets earlier that evening, with guest musicians, authors, and comedians joining him along the way. Saturdays rarely look so musical (and literate and hilarious).
The Hoser March was conceived less as a sinister marketing plan for the release of The Land Is Wild and more as a way for Bidini to simply enjoy—with some of his favourite fellow artists—his beloved city. “I probably would have done it even if I wasn’t launching a record, actually,” Bidini admits. “[I thought] it’d be neat to plan a day like that…it’s really just a way to get into Kensington Market; on Saturdays, it’s so fun.” Infinitely upping the fun quotient of the neighbourhood, the march will start with a BidiniBand in-store at Soundscapes Records at 4:30 p.m. and from there will literally march, parade style, across College Street, through Kensington Market, and down to Queen Street West. Along the way, Bidini will lead the spectacle into She Said Boom (author Claudia Dey), This Ain’t the Rosedale Library (author Brian O’Dea and singer/songwriter Justin Rutledge), Paul’s Boutique (filmmaker Gregory Samsung), Graffiti’s (musicians Stephen Stanley and Ron Hawkins), and the Cameron House (The Billie Hollies and comedian Aurora Browne). All events are free, excluding BidiniBand’s performance at the Horseshoe with Laura Barrett at 9 p.m. ($10).
While this pedestrian-friendly neighbourhood seems a natural fit for the Hoser March, Bidini jokes that nostalgia may have been a deciding factor too: “In the really early days, we’d have questionable shows in Kensington Market, so it’s a little bit of knocking on walls, looking for ghosts. But really, playing in the city, you get to know those corridors really well, and this is a fun way to go through them.” More than secure in his long-term relationship with the city, Bidini even encourages its recent attraction to public acts of art. “If you tried to do this in 1980, it would have been, you know, the band and a cat maybe. People are galvanized by the idea now and into it. This march is also a celebration of that. You need life on the streets. I think it’s hugely important for a city.”