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Urban Planner: March 1, 2010
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 [email protected].
Pattern Is Movement will be performing tonight at the Drake Hotel Underground alongside Via Audio and openers Devin and the Dark Light. Photo by Saucy Salad.
MUSIC: A little bit Pheonix, a little bit Death Cab for Cutie, Brooklyn band Via Audio like to wear their indie influences on their sleeves. That’s okay, because they’ve got tons of support from critics and contemporaries alike. Their upcoming album, Animalore, was produced by Spoon’s Jim Eno, and tonight you’ll get a chance to hear these up-and-comers play along with melodic indie duo Pattern Is Movement. Ontario folksters Devin and the Dark Light will open the show. Drake Hotel, Underground (1150 Queen Street West), 8 p.m., $10.
TOWN HALL: Back in December 2009, after many months of debate and posturing, the billboard tax was approved. However, not quite everything went according to plan: though many had hoped, based on a previous recommendation, that Council would decide to dedicate the tax revenue towards funding arts in public spaces, Council instead decided to send the matter to the Budget Committee for further consideration; the city’s draft operating budget released last month recommended that the money go into general revenues, and that is the proposal currently being considered by the Budget Committee. The people at the Beautiful City Alliance who campaigned for the tax haven’t given up yet, and tonight they’re holding a town hall meeting to discuss what the group can do to get those funds back. City Hall, Committee Room #2 (100 Queen Street West), 6:30 p.m., FREE.
WORDS: Tonight, the Hart House Social Justice and Literary and Library committees are hosting a reading and food-tasting event to celebrate the book The Edible City: Toronto’s City from Farm to Fork. Editors Christina Palassio and Alana Wilcox will be present, as well as contributing writers David Alexander, Joshna Maharaj, Jason McBride, and Wayne Roberts. Food will be provided by local food producers, and copies of The Edible City will be on sale. Hart House Debates Room (7 Hart House Circle), 7 p.m., FREE.
MUSIC: Frédéric Chopin‘s compositions for the piano, like many of his contemporaries’, told dramatic stories through lyrical melodies and technical proficiency. Chopin’s hand in the development of Romantic piano music was great, and today the New Classical 96.3 FM invites you to celebrate the Polish composer’s 200th birthday with a concert in his honour. “Chopin’s 200th Birthday Party” will feature performances of Chopin’s work by young, up-and-coming Canadian pianist Avan Yu. The performance will be followed by a lunch reception with prizes, balloons, and cake! New Classical 96.3 FM building, Concert Lobby (550 Queen Street East), 12–2 p.m., FREE.
This post originally said that the Beautiful City Alliance hoped revenue from the new billboard tax would go to arts funding, but that—instead—there was a recommendation for it to go into general revenues. We have updated it to specify that the desired funding target was not arts funding in general but art in public spaces, and that the suggestion the tax revenue go into general revenues is currently a staff recommendation before the Budget Committee, but has not (yet) been adopted by the Committee.