Results tagged “noshame”

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.

ART: The Gladstone’s Art Bar hosts an opening reception for Iranian artist Anahita Azrahimi’s new exhibit tonight. Littering the frame with magazine cut outs of clothing and body parts, Azrahimi creates an absorbing flow of colour and feeling in a small space of paint-swiped canvas. The show’s title, "Mashup," speaks to the jumble of objects that surface in her paintings, but the synthesis is far more coherent and evocative than the name suggests. Gladstone Hotel (1214 Queen Street West), 7 p.m., FREE.

MUSIC: Tonight's No Shame music showcase is over at the Silver Dollar Room, and will serve as a Pop Montréal preview for those lucky enough to attend the festival this weekend (and presumably as some sort of compensation for those who are not). Toronto favourite the Rural Alberta Advantage will be playing, along with the similarly indie pop groups Hooded Fang and Mt. Royal. The Silver Dollar Room (486 Spadina Avenue), 9 p.m., $7.

WORDS: Join the Toronto Cyclists Union at CineCycle tonight for the launch party of Dandyhorse, a new Toronto-based urban cycling magazine. The magazine will feature articles about commuting, advocacy, couriers, safety, fashion, and anything else related to bikes, and the party will have DJs, a cash bar, cake, and—of course—lots of brand new magazines. CineCycle (behind 129 Spadina Avenue), 7:30 p.m., $5.

MUSIC: Grammy Award–winning pop band Maroon 5 is playing tonight. Joining them are pop group The Counting Crows, and some chick named Sara Bareilles who had a song in a Rhapsody commercial. If you go, make sure to encourage all the teenyboppers around you to cheer extra loudly; maybe they'll get invited backstage by Adam Levine! Molson Amphitheatre (909 Lakeshore Boulevard West), 7:30 p.m., $28.50–$126.

DANCE: German electrohouse duo Booka Shade returns to Toronto for what will undoubtedly be a sweaty, sweaty dance party at CiRCA tonight. Hey, remember when CiRCA first opened and everyone was being all “Yeah right, I'm never going to CiRCA!"? Looks like the joke is on you, if you're a Booka Shade fan. CiRCA (126 John Street), 10 p.m., $18.50.