CIT Y GUIDE

BARS AND CLUBS
LToronto ROCK CITY

ocated geographically on the northwest shore of Lake Ontario and culturally somewhere between London and New York, Toronto can come across as the clean-cut cousin to those stylish hot spots. But even if Canada’s biggest city has some international self-esteem issues, how can you argue with its inclusive music scene, peerless beer selection, and the fact that even the guy getting beat up in the pit has good health care?

The Deadly Snakes at the Horseshoe Tavern

The Horseshoe Tavern
370 QUEEN ST. W., 416-598-4226
The front bar is a slice of hoser heaven, with Canadian beer on tap and
crooked pictures of Can-rock icons on the well-worn walls. But the back room
is where the 60-year-old venue really comes alive, most vividly to the sound
of meat-and-potatoes rock and both retro and modern country. Psychedelic
shit-kickers the Sadies play a marathon show here every New Year’s Eve.

LOCAL HEROES

After struggling with crack addiction, former journalist Dan Burke resurrected himself as a fast-talking and tireless show promoter, championing far-flung acts like Tokyo’s the Zoobombs and Sweden’s the Soundtrack of Our Lives, as well as handling the booking for some venerable indie-centric venues. Seemingly omnipresent, Burke is the de facto face of Toronto’s rock community.

Sneaky Dee’s
431 COLLEGE ST., 416-603-3090
The dank upstairs room is a bit of a
hole, which makes it a fitting spot
for metallic heavies and petulant
punks. The careworn surroundings
are also home to the popular indie
concert series Wavelength. When the
musicians are done playing, they hang
around to gorge on the city’s most
greasily satisfying grub.

Lee’s Palace
529 BLOOR ST. W., 416-532-1598
Adorned with an acid trip of a mural
that Rob Zombie could’ve vomited up,
this venerable club in the student-heavy
Annex neighborhood is where bands
that have graduated from bars and
basements go to take the next step. It’s
also a great place for Torontonians to
play “I saw them when”—Nirvana and
Oasis, among others, made stops here
on their way up the charts.

Music critic for the prestigious Globe and Mail newspaper, Carl Wilson also writes the Zoilus blog ( zoilus.com), an indispensable storehouse for insight into Toronto music. Besides his site’s impeccably curated gig guide, Wilson’s biggest contribution comes from the case his writing makes for Toronto as home to a uniquely interactive scene.

Gut), shooting the up-crotch and personal cover for Peaches’ The Teaches of Peaches, or organizing dance-parties-cum-scavenger-hunts, Tyler Clark Burke (no relation to Dan) has used her visual flair and big-picture ideas to combat the image of Toronto as merely a colder, more polite New York.

Drake Hotel

1150 QUEEN ST. W., 416-531-5042
A combination restaurant, bar, hotel,
and performance space, the Drake has
earned a reputation for star power
since it opened in 2004—Black Eyed
Peas and the Dixie Chicks have been
special guests. But it’s not all pop
froth—acts like Beck and Peaches
have played at the hotel’s weekly indie
showcase, Elvis Monday.

Tranzac
292 BRUNSWICK AVE., 416-923-8137
Tucked away on a leafy side street, the
nonprofit and largely volunteer-run
Tranzac supports both the experimental
and traditional shades of the city’s
musical identity, as free jazzers, post-
rock noodlers, and folk singers all share
airspace in the intimate, austere setting.
Don’t worry—they serve beer, too.

As the manager for the beloved Rotate This record store, Brian Taylor helps discerning listeners stockpile hard-to-find vinyl and dig up the next big underground thing. Taylor has also made an impact with his Blue Fog record label, which is dedicated to recording homegrown acts such as roots rocker Andre Ethier, gothic folkie Nordic Nomadic, and ghostly psychster Wyrd Visions.

By cofounding the long-running Wavelength showcase and zine, guitarist Jonny Dovercourt channeled the freewheeling energy of college radio into a way of life, providing Toronto’s independent musicians with a regular place to play. Dovercourt might be one of the bigger local tastemakers—his support helped launch the careers of the Hidden Cameras, the Constantines, and Broken Social Scene.

^K HI^YN S^OO T^UW O^RRY

Whether it was founding a record label (the now-defunct Three

Every summer, hundreds
of thousands of revelers
flock to Caribana,
North America’s largest
Caribbean festival.
T.O.’s island roots run
deeper than mere
partying: The Jamaica
to Toronto: Soul Funk
& Reggae 1967–1974
compilation shows
that when Jamaican
musicians relocated to
the Great White North,
they brought the heat
along with them.

CLOCK WISE FROM TOP: CARRIE MUSGRAVE; TOBIN GRIMSHA W/ TORONTO S TAR; SIMON WILLMS