Night two of Festival Music House is a rockin’ good time

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While most Torontonians are celeb-spying and checking out the latest flicks, TIFF’s Festival Music House gig brought together movies and music last night at the very exclusive ‘invite-only’ three-day Canadian band showcase in which this reporter made an ass of herself in front of the legendary Brendan Canning.

The Mod Club hosted the second FMH show on Tuesday night, featuring a stellar lineup – electronic duo Humans, gritty howlers PS I Love You, lo-fi outfit Hey Ocean!, troubadour Dan Mangan and pop-punkers Yukon Blonde.

After an electrifying set from Vancouver-based Humans, PS I Love You took the stage. The Kingston pair jetted to the peak of the Canadian indie scene this summer and have garnered nods from the ivory dome of music elitism. And they delivered. Singer Paul Saulnier and drummer Benjamin Nelson jumped right into their latest album, Death Dreams, which was inspired by Saulnier’s recurring dreams involving his own mortality. Freaky.

Seeing PS I Love You live is always a bit of a shock – being just the two of them, they have an unparalleled ability to fill a venue with their loud, brooding and experimental punk. Backed by monster drummer Nelson, Saulnier enveloped us with his trademark yowling, resembling Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s Alec Ounsworth. Saulnier busting out his double-necked axe for the old fan favourite, “Facelove,” was a definite highlight.

In between sets, Brendan Canning played DJ behind the booth, while libations flowed from the open bar. That last part being said, I hope Canning will understand, that, when I glimpsed the Cookie Duster frontman and former BSSer, I pretty much had to go for it and give him a great big hug. Forgive me, Canning.

With a balloon bouquet and tambourine in tow, Hey Ocean! followed up. The previously rigid crowd loosened up a bit. How could they not? The Vancouver-based band is so irresistibly endearing that watching lead singer Ashleigh Ball bouncing around on stage had us following suit.

B.C.’s Dan Mangan showcased both his softer folk tracks, as well as those with swelling instrumentation. Combined with his raspy grit, Mangan and his band offered a performance that ignited the entire venue – all eyes on the swoon-worthy bearded crooner.

As always, Polaris Prize-nominated Yukon Blonde closed the show in characteristic form: a punchy, charged and driving performance.

The goal of the FMH series is to show key international players in the music scene; the cream of Canada’s band crop. Mission accomplished.

Tonight, Jason Collett, Young Empires and Down With Webster will play the final FMH show.

David Suzuki ready to make his stand-up debut?

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Just For Laughs is returning to Toronto!

But the Montreal-based festival juggernaut has a very different plan than they had for their last Toronto festival over two years ago. If the original JFL is a mega-resort of comedy, think of this Toronto version as a boutique hotel: hip, trendy and a bit exclusive.

The festival, called JFL42, will be held Sept. 21 to 28 with 42 performers in town but it is centred on one man: Louis C.K.

C.K. is the comedy man of the moment, called the best comic in America by virtually every critic, and the star of his eponymously named sitcom, Louie.

He’s a dark, sad, restless figure whose brutal, self-lacerating stand-up is a tonic for our times. A single dad of two, his anti-glamorous take on his New York life has resonated with millions in our recessionary economy.

Beyond the great Louis C.K., the next best performance has to be Patton Oswalt. His stand-up is almost as good as C.K.’s, and he’s made a name for himself in a variety of ways, including a recurring role on King of Queens. His supporting role opposite Charlize Theron in Young Adult garnered him Oscar talk. If you like smart nerds, Oswalt’s your man.

Then I’d hit the Amy Schumer show. Schumer was another struggling female stand-up until she was tapped to do Comedy Central’s roast of Charlie Sheen. Her take-no-prisoners set catapulted her to fame among the comedy cognoscenti, and she’s fast on her way to becoming a household name.

Then you want to catch the Reggie Watts show. Comedy and jazzy hip hop usually don’t go together, but in Watts’ unique hands they certainly do. He’s been here before, as part of the Toronto Jazz Festival, but you want to catch him now in a medium-sized venue before he blows up and you need binoculars to see him. His stuff is X-rated, so go online and make sure you’re OK with it. All I know is that, when he opened for Conan O’Brien at Massey Hall two years ago, he left the rest of the show in his dust.

I haven’t listed any venues or showtimes because right now they’re fluid. JFL promises to communicate with their customers through their smartphones, which gives the festival a kind of flash mob excitement.

But, for the truly adventurous, there is a new comedian looking to make his mark at JFL42: David Suzuki. Yes, that David Suzuki, the renowned environmentalist.

And then there’s The Scottish Show, part of the Yuk Yuk’s series. Three funny Scots, at least one kilt and some rock ’n’ roll comedy will make this show a winner. Everybody finds the Scots funny! These guys are out to prove that there’s more to Scottish comedy than Billy Connolly.

OK, one more. I’d have to recommend Kelly Carlin’s one-woman show, A Carlin Home Companion. Carlin is the daughter of comedy legend George Carlin, and her autobiographical monologue about growing up in the great man’s shadow has received glowing reviews.

As of press time, JFL had still to reveal the last 20 shows, so I’ll leave you to pick the last show, in the spirit of adventure that marks all good festivals. Go to www.jfl42.com for more info.

Post City Magazines’ humour columnist, Mark Breslin, is the founder of Yuk Yuk’s comedy clubs and the author of several books, including Control Freaked.

Sheer audacity

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A few years ago, British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran was releasing his own videos on YouTube and playing hundreds of gigs a year in the hopes of landing a record deal and making a career out of the music he’d been playing since he first stepped on a stage when he was 15 years old.

Today, the most popular “ginger” in the music biz has Elton John on speed-dial and just finished up an appearance at the closing ceremonies of the London Summer Olympics playing a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” to a TV audience of approximately 3.8 billion people. Up until recently, the Sheeran phenomenon has been more of a uniquely British occurrence, but with the domestic release of his debut album, Sheeran is setting his sights on North American audiences.

He plays a very sold-out show at Echo Beach on Sept. 21.

“Toronto, actually Canada as a whole has been a very good country for me so far,” says a modest Sheeran during a recent interview. “It is really nice to see how it is building.”

A natural performer, Sheeran dropped out of high school and started “gigging” and didn’t stop until he signed a record deal with the aforementioned Crocodile Rocker Elton John’s own Rocket Records.

In 2011, he released a song called “A-Team” that debuted at number three on the U.K. singles chart and made him into a star.

His wide-ranging influences include standard singer-songwriters such as Van Morrison and Crosby, Stills and Nash alongside hip hop icons such as Jay-Z and Eminem. And they are all jumbled up inside Sheeran’s simple, no-nonsense approach: him, his tiny Little Martin guitar and his loop pedals.

“I think, you know, it is healthy to draw influences from all different types of music,” Sheeran explains. “I listen to everything from rap and heavy metal to singer-songwriters and stuff. I keep my mind open to other styles.”

One quality that separates Sheeran from some performers is a work ethic and commitment to entertainment that belies his young age of just 21.

“I think if you’re in the entertainment business, you need to entertain and give them a good show,” he says. “And you have to remember that it is about them.”

And then there’s the Lego.

One of Sheeran’s everyman traits is a love of Lego. He has a habit of piecing together elaborate people or structures to while away the time before taking the stage for shows, not to mention one of his most popular tunes is entitled “Lego House.” Talk about product placement. Let’s just say, people from around the world are, right now, packaging up Lego sets to send to their favourite pop star.

His meteoric rise isn’t uncommon. It’s the coming out the other side with all your faculties intact that seems to give people trouble.

“I think you need to maintain good people around you,” Sheeran explains. “A lot of artists fade out because people don’t have their best interests at heart.”

One thing we know with certainty, if you don’t have tickets to his Toronto show, yet, expect to pay bundles.

Go to edsheeran.com for details.

Voting change needed for T.O. to thrive?

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Its leadership may be dysfunctional and distracted, but Toronto City Council can still be innovative: witness the decision to be the first large municipality in Canada to ban plastic bags, effective in the new year.

Maybe it will also decide to introduce a voting system that better reflects the wishes of the electorate. A city staff report is expected in the next two months on a preferential ballot, where a candidate is successful only if he or she receives the support of more than half the voters.

It’s a pretty simple idea and is widely used by political parties when they choose their leaders, though in Canada those parties have never wanted to extend the practice to elections at large. Those who watch leadership votes know that after the first ballot if no one has half the votes then the candidate with the lowest number of votes is dropped, and a second round of voting is held. That process continues until one person has half the votes — for some campaign watchers it seems to go on much too long, but it produces a good result.

Fortunately, no one is talking about runoff elections to choose members of Toronto City Council. That would occupy too many weeks and a great deal of money. Instead, the idea being studied is a preferential ballot. Rather than just putting an “X” beside the candidate you want elected, you also indicate your second and third choices. The ballots are then counted. If the person with the most votes does not have the support of half the electorate, then the candidate with the least votes gets dropped off, and the second choices on ballots for the dropped candidate are added to the first choices on the others. That process continues until one candidate has support from more than half the voters.

Currently, more than half the members of Toronto City Council achieved their positions without receiving support from a majority of voters in their ward. Preferential balloting would provide legitimacy to those holding public office — they could show that a majority of voters supported them.

Preferential balloting sometimes threatens those running for re-election. Take councillor George Mammoliti, for instance: enough people voted against his re-election that with preferential balloting he might have been defeated. It also helps someone who is trying to achieve broad support at the cost of a single issue candidate. Debate about who the most appropriate candidate for a community is becomes more important than just a spokesperson for a particular issue.

One problem is money: new technology would be required to register and count choices, and one can already hear the objections of those councillors who claim the city doesn’t have the money needed to improve voter choices. Another is timing: six years ago the provincial government unwisely changed the municipal elections cycle from either two or three years to four years, effectively making it difficult for community people to challenge elected officials to either make the changes needed or be replaced.

Another problem is that those most directly affected by the decision — the current elected politicians themselves — make the decision on this issue. Some of us are strong enough to transcend the weight of making a decision that has a personal negative impact, but most of us are not. It’s never a good strategy to appoint the fox to guard the chicken house, and that could be a problem here.

But preferential ballots are a terrific idea, and Toronto City Council should jump at the opportunity to introduce them for the 2014 election. It could change the way municipal politics works in Canada, and it would make for much livelier elections in a city that clearly needs change.

Post City Magazines’ columnist John Sewell is a former mayor of Toronto and the author of a number of urban planning books, including The Shape of Suburbs.

Time as an elite athlete gives Candice Olson the edge

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If someone said you can’t have it all, Candice Olson certainly never listened. After 25 years in the business, this design maven seems to be stepping up her game. With two network shows, Divine Design and Candice Tells All, already under her belt, she is getting ready to add two more books to her collection, as well as launch a new upholstery line. Oh, and she’s also a mother of two.

Entering university, aiming to become a doctor, Olson hit a fork in the road after completing her undergraduate degree. Always skilled at art but also attracted to science, she had to make a choice.

“My mom said, ‘Well if you’re going to do it, you better be a pro,’” she jokes.

Looking over her career, Olson admits it took a lot of determination to get to where she has and credits her upbringing and dedication to sports for her successes. “I was raised by a single working mom who managed to do her best. Just do the best you possibly can do,” she says, also alluding to her own balancing act.

While a university student, Olson played for the Canadian women’s volleyball team and says she owes a lot of who she is to that training.

“I work really, really hard, long hours, all nighters, but you never know how far you can push yourself until you play sports at an elite level,” she says, “I think it teaches you the discipline. I went to school and travelling and training, and you gotta keep your marks up. It really is something that you cannot learn out of a book. And I would say everything I am is due to a little white ball.”

In terms of juggling between work roles, she admits that “Something’s gotta give, and it always does.”

Her work-life balance is, as she says, a lack of balance. She, her husband and children Piper, 8, and Beck, 6, are always on the go. One weekend in August, the family had five hockey games, soccer playoffs, a figure skating competition and guests to entertain.

Now a sought-after commercial and residential interior designer and a household name in Canada, the U.S. and Latin America, Olson continues to cram as much as she can into her days.

She and her husband have also worked as business partners — he as the builder, she as the designer. Though their shared projects have slowed because of her shows, they still create beautiful homes.

Their most recent gig was renovating their own home, and Olson admits it’s not always easy to work with your significant other. “We both said to each other we would fire ourselves.” She laughs. “It was an awful project. We love it now, but we’re never going to do it again!” she says.

With the autumn air rolling in, her creative wheels continue to turn. She recommends livening up rooms to change with the seasons. If it’s for a bedroom, new throw pillows or blankets in warmer colours will gear up a bed for the winter.

“I would tell people … about 10 per cent of your budget in your room should be accessories,” she says. This rule allows for seamless transitioning between seasons. She offers the example of having a light mixed-wool rug out during the summer, but swapping it for a heavier carpet in winter.

“You have to spend wisely,” she says. “You have your core pieces and the real personality-driven pieces are that last 10 per cent.”

Budgeting is the toughest part of her job, but her clients are always satisfied. “It’s my job to manage their expectations, to give them the best that they can possibly do, make smart choices, make the most out of the dollar … and I think that’s the key to a successful business.”

Toronto’s Most Eligible Bachelor

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Canadian Football League wide receiver Brad Smith recently experienced what is probably every man’s dream (or maybe nightmare) — dating 25 women all at the same time. After 16 seasons, the American reality television dating series The Bachelor made its way north of the 49th, and the Torontonian was the first plucky Canuck to jump at the chance to expose his most private and base emotions to the entire nation in exchange for the chance to find lasting love on the small screen.

If it’s to closely follow its American predecessor, the new series, which premieres this fall, will without a doubt include extravagant dates in exotic locations, plenty of helicopter rides, steamy hot tub scenes and loads of girl drama — plus, of course, all the Canadianisms you could hope for.

It’s a far cry from small-town life in Hudson,Que., where Smith grew up. He wasn’t always set on being a professional football player — or a reality TV star.

True to his Canadian roots, hockey was inevitably his sport of choice as a kid. But he quickly learned it wasn’t exactly his forte and joined the high school football team in his sophomore year.

Football was familiar to Smith, the son of former CFL commissioner and current Canadian senator Larry Smith.

Soon after playing for the Golden Gaels at Queen’s University, Smith made Toronto his home base when he joined the Argonauts. Currently, the free agent is signed with the Edmonton Eskimos but still calls Toronto home.

Besides football, Smith has a love for cooking, watching hockey and throwing back a few Frulis at the Bier Markt — one of his favourite T.O. hangouts. So why is this incredibly charismatic, athletic, good-looking guy still single? One word: football.

The bachelor explains that he’s been traded, cut, repositioned and moved to multiple different cities because of his career — and it was difficult to find a woman who would put up with that lack of stability.

“No one wants to follow you when you don’t have your own roots set,” Smith says. “I was never in the position to get a solid foundation in a relationship.”
“You’re going to hear the word ‘eh’ every three seconds.”

So when opportunity came knocking, Smith jumped at the chance to try and find love on a Canadian reality TV series. And though production on the show has already wrapped up, Smith is sworn to secrecy regarding the identity of his chosen lady love. For now, all we know is that he is planning to settle back down in Toronto and back to regular life — without cameras following his every move. He explains that whereas his mom was extremely excited for him to embark on this experience, his dad was worried about how the show would affect not just his son’s privacy, but that of their entire family:

“My dad’s always been in the public eye, and now viewers not only get to see me but my family interactions and how we get along,” Smith says. “You’re not just bringing two or three girls home, you’re bringing Canada into your family situation.”

Bringing contestants home to meet the family is a regular ritual in every Bachelor series, one that is meant to help the bachelor decide which woman will be his best fit — and inevitably one that shines a spotlight on the family’s quirks.

Smith has always looked up to his parents, who are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary this year. He says that what he respects most about their bond is that it’s honest and candid — characteristics that would presumably be hard to come by in the world of reality TV dating.

Smith says watching the American versions of the show (The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and Bachelor Pad) didn’t necessarily impart to him that it would be an easy ride.

“[When you watch,] you judge the cast of the show and [are] critical of them, just like people are going to be critical of me and my decisions and how I act,” Smith says.

Then there’s trying to interpret the motives of 25 women. For Smith, trying to figure out whether they were being truly genuine in every moment was an impossible feat. As Bachelor fans are aware, a lot of people come on the show for different reasons — money and fame often trump love. In his situation, he says he had to simply put blind faith in the fact that these women were there for the right reasons.

When it comes to expectations for finding love, he says, “I said to the girls, ‘I’m going to make a lot of mistakes, but hopefully in the end, I’ll make the one right choice that is good for me. I knew that, if I had put an end goal on this experience, it [would] not turn out the same as if I were to take it day by day.”

As for a particular strategy, Smith seems to have won the ladies over with his easy-going nature — and of course, his looks don’t hurt either.

“I’m pretty much a joker, and although I can be serious, I wanted the girls to see my sense of humour and not come off like the guys on the American version — who are pretty much stiffs.”

That’s not the only way the show will be different from the American version, Smith says.

“You’re going to get a lot more honest situations, rather than stuff that looks forced and contrived, like what we see in the States version.”

So, maybe not so many helicopter rides after all?

And, perhaps most notably, “You’re going to hear the word ‘eh’ every three seconds,” he adds.

When speaking about how it all worked out in the end, Smith seems pretty happy — although he suggests we may still see our fair share of drama on the Canadian version of the series.

“Just on the spectrum of what’s happened in the last two months of my life, I wouldn’t change this experience for anything. It’s one of the biggest up-and-down rides you can take,” he says. “But in the same respect, it’s totally something that I’m going to look back on in 10 years and still not believe that I was a part of.”

The airing of the first rose ceremony is quickly approaching, so grab your girlfriends, a bottle of red and get ready to witness all the ups and downs on Brad Smith’s adventure to find his soul mate.

The Bachelor Canada premieres Wednesday, Oct. 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Citytv.

What I Wore: Sandro, Wild Moon, Nowhereland, Rag & Bone to help ease the transition from summer to fall

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September is always a strange month for dressing. Generally, it’s cool in the morning, hot during the day, and cold at night. This weird weather creates a struggle to come up with an outfit that caters to all the different temperatures we face in one day. September is also the month that immediately creates a divide between those who believe it is still summer, and those who believe it is officially fall.

Just the other day, I was walking around in shorts and sandals, when I passed a woman wearing a full length North Face coat and UGG boots. It was a day on the chillier side, but it was nowhere near negative, or even single, digits.

The other dilemma is figuring out how to transition your wardrobe to incorporate fall trends when it’s still too warm for heavy pieces. This is exactly why I think these Rag & Bone jeans from Aritzia are so brilliant. They’ve got a tweed print (fall) but on a cotton jean in an amazing aqua blue colour (summer).

What I Wore: Sandro jacket from TNT, white t-shirt from Nowhereland, crystal necklace by Wild Moon, Rag & Bone jeans from Aritzia, shoes by Aldo Rise.

Gracie Carroll is a Toronto-based freelance writer whose work has appeared in ELLE UK, ELLEcanada.com, Plaid magazine and FILLER magazine. Keep up with her daily blog at www.graciecarroll.com.

Drink This: Church Aperitivo Bar’s Cain & Abel

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Sitting pretty in a former Slavic Pentecostal church, the aptly named Church Aperitivo Bar has been wooing west end cocktail enthusiasts since opening this past February. With its lengthy bar and cavernous feel, owner Sandra Cassaro has maintained the sanctity of the space, offering up a daily selection of Italian antipasti and stuzzichini to those who pop in for a drink.

The cocktail menu plays on the religious theme, with seasonal picks including more heavenly tipples such as The Saint, in addition to ones bearing more ominous monikers, like our choice, Cain & Abel ($12). Intent on adding a “more masculine option” to their cocktail roster, this pick, named after the infamous brothers, is part of their new fall menu. Built from Maker’s Mark bourbon and Cointreau triple sec liqueur, the beverage is finished with their house-made Earl Grey crème simple syrup. Topped up with some freshly squeezed lemon juice, the final touch is a curl of lemon rind and a maraschino cherry.

It’s up to you whether you’d like to end on a sinfully sweet note—or not.

Church Aperitivo Bar, 1090 Queen St. W., 416-537-1090

Morning Throwback: back in the ‘40s, biking to work in Toronto sucked less

9:42 am

Whether you agree with bike licensing or not, we think we can all agree that we would love to arrive at work like this guy: fancy, sweat-free and, oh yeah, safe.

Hoi Bo, selling luxurious leathers and hand-crafted clothing, opens in the Distillery

3:39 pm

Standing proud in the Distillery District’s main cobblestoned thoroughfare, Hoi Bo is the first stand-alone retail shop for designer Sarra Tang. We first came in contact with the line after spotting one of her beautifully crafted bags at Mjölk, the Junction shop known around town for its discerning design eye.

Slowly gaining a following through careful exposure of her pieces, Tang felt it was time to open up a retail space of her own—it was only natural to stay put in the district’s artisanal environs.

“I’m completely self-taught,” reveals Tang, whose instantly recognizable bags are cut from either beeswax-finished canvas or leather (primarily lamb, kangaroo and cow). Handmade by a team of three, standouts include a washed and waxed lambskin purse in cognac brown ($360) and a wet wax pocket book with a wrap-around strap ($360). A canvas carryall features a notched leather shoulder strap in addition to leather handles, and, like the other canvas bags, will obtain an aged patina as the beeswax changes with wear ($580). Tang’s attention to detail is found every step of the way: leather zipper pulls are wrapped in waxed linen cord; careful pleats add to the landscape of a bag; handles are cut just-so and hand-finished to ensure they lie flat against the body of the purse.

“I don’t like handles sticking up,” Tang specifies.

Additionally, the wax-treated bags are all soil and water-resistant, an important detail for the upcoming Canadian winter.

Having expanded her line into more than just bags, goods now include printed Ts, jewellery, and belts alongside more luxurious picks, such as a washed crêpe de chine slip dress ($420). Eager to help customers suss out the perfect item, Tang is full of suggestions on how to accessorize (wrap a leather lariat around the back of a tunic) and alter (lengthen a bag strap to accommodate heavy winter coats) her pieces to obtain her simple and chic aesthetic.

Currently finishing up her fall line, a couple of prototypes are on display: a supple leather tunic and a hefty necklace starring ropes of leather. Still working out the kinks, Tang notes that they won’t be finished until they’re easy to wear. “People want to just throw things on and go,” she says.

Until then, we’ll be waiting.

Hoi Bo, 15 Trinity St., 647-852-5488, available at Rac Boutique, A2Zane and Mjölk.

Trending in Theatre This Week: Death of a Salesman, Feral Child, As You Like It, Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, Queen West Project

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Death of a Salesman

So what if it’s a depressing play? Arthur Miller’s 1949 classic is a must for all theatre-lovers. As a revered theatre critic once told me, “you’ve got to eat your spinach.” Besides, Justin Ziegler’s portrayal of Willy Loman earned him a Dora Award for Outstanding Performance, so that’s reason enough to go.
Young Centre for Performing Arts, 50 Tank House Lane, 416-866-8666. Now – Oct. 6.

Feral Child

Shortlisted for the RBC Tarragon Emerging Playwrights Competition, the play depicts a chance encounter between a housekeeper and a teenage boy in an Oshawa bedroom, unearthing buried trauma from the housekeeper’s past.
Berkeley Street Theatre, 26 Berkeley St., 416-368-3110. Now – Sept. 22.

As You Like It

Performed in the great outdoors, William Shakespeare’s often revered “musical,” follows the courageous Rosalind as she leaves the French courtly life to find her usurped father in the Forest of Arden. Don’t forget to bring a blanket.
Hart House Circle, 7 Hart House Circle, 416-978-8849. Sept. 12 – Sept. 15.

Danny and the Deep Blue Sea

If Death of a Salesman didn’t bum you out too hard, then you might want to catch this rendition of John Patrick Shanley’s well-received play about love and loneliness set in a Bronx bar.
Sterling Studio Theatre, 163 Sterling Rd., Unit 5. Sept. 12 – Sept. 22.

Queen West Project

Part of Theatre Passe Muraille's “Theatre Beyond Walls Season,” participants wear headphones to hear text, music and instructions while travelling down Queen West (along with some dancers) to learn about the ‘hood.
Theatre Passe Muraille, 16 Ryerson Ave., 416-504-7529. Sept. 12 – Sept. 23.

Toronto Style Radar: Bloc Party, Jenny Bird, Pinky's, Lomography Gallery Store, MOON, Notion Style

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Every week, we round up the best events from the city’s fashion scene. In this edition: Bloc Party and Plaid team up for an after-party, Jenny Bird makes room for the new by selling off the old, Pinky's officially launches, and more.

Bloc Party official after-party with Matt & Russell, hosted by Plaid Magazine

Where: The Hoxton, 69 Bathurst St.
When: Tuesday September 11th, 10pm-3am.
Details: After two nights of back to back shows at The Danforth Music Hall, Bloc Party members, Matt and Russell, will be throwing it down on DJ decks at their official after party, hosted by Plaid Magazine. $10 reduced list with RSVP to [email protected].

Jenny Bird Sample Sale

Where: 174 Spadina Ave., studio 508.
When: September 12-13th, 12-8pm.
Details: Awesome sample sale alert! Toronto’s queen of accessories, Jenny Bird, is making room for her new designs by clearing out her studio with a sample sale. Score her fabulous pieces, ranging from earrings to handbags, at up to 70% off.

Pinky’s Official Launch Party

Where: 688 Richmond St. West.
When: Thursday September 13th, 5:30-10pm
Details: The ultimate beauty trend, over the past few years, has been outlandish nail art. The cray cray-er, the better. Toronto has finally got its first professional nail art studio, which comes in the form of cuter than cute Pinky’s Nails. Although they opened in the summer, they’re finally kicking off their opening with a huge celebration. Join them for an evening of drinks, prizes, nail art and friends.

Lomography Gallery Store’s Sale

Where: Lomography Gallery Store, 536 Queen St. West.
When: September 14-16th
Details: Cool-looking cameras that produce even cooler-looking photos – what could be better? Don’t miss your chance to score your very own Lomography camera at up to 60% off this weekend during their huge sale.

MOON Apparel Pop-Up Shop

Where: 171 East Liberty St.
When: September 14-16, 11am-6pm
Details: MOON Apparel is celebrating the launch of the their new online store with a three-day pop-up shop over the weekend. Shop over 30 new styles from their new fall collection at 20% off. Their colourful and tailored designs are perfect for your working wardrobe.

Notion Style Opening Party

Where: Notion Style, 3333 Yonge St.
When: Saturday September 15th, 3-8pm.
Details: Celebrate the official opening of new Toronto boutique, Notion Style, founded by artist and designer Bisa Bennett and her daughter Tijana Bennett. Be the first to sport their elegant designs while taking advantage of their special promotions on opening the night.

Grace Carroll is a Toronto-based freelance writer whose work has appeared in ELLE UK, ELLEcanada.com, Plaid magazine and FILLER magazine. Keep up with her daily blog at www.graciecarroll.com.

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