Aussie label mates, The Presets and Cut Copy, teamed up for a show this past Friday at the Sound Academy. It's actually not a bad place to catch a gig, once you make your way down to the darkened environs formerly known as The Docks. It's got great acoustics, open space, and amazing patio with a bar where you can escape if you feel the need.

I got there in time to catch Kordan, a Brooklyn based five-piece outfit who were invited by Cut Copy to open some of the shows on the current North American tour. They seemed an odd fit as openers for acts with a more electronic sound, but the crowd seemed quite receptive.

The place was jammed by the time The Presets hit the stage at around 10pm. It was obvious that a good percentage of those in attendance were there to catch them as much, if not more than, Cut Copy (although tickets were printed with no mention of The Presets on the stubs).

Electronic/dance acts often struggle with how to present their live performances without appearing as computer programmers, but a good light show and a couple of dance steps away from the keyboards kept everyone bopping. The band actually sold more records in their home country last year than both Madonna and Mariah Carey. It's amazing how the internet can help propel otherwise independent bands to a whole different level, catering to a diverse audience.

Last night was the opening of 'Rockers' at the Liss Gallery on Yorkville Avenue, a section of Toronto that once had a thriving music scene during the 60's. Such Canadian luminaries as Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Gordon Lightfoot spent many hours hanging around this hippie haven. Keeping with Yorkville of today, the red carpet was laid out to welcome hundreds who packed this tiny space to view the images of legendary photographer Bob Gruen.

Writing and photography by Patrick Dell.

Diversity sums up Toronto for me. This applies to every aspect of the city, including its aesthetics.

Abstract shapes and textures have always caught my eye as photographic subjects and this essay seeks to capture some of the city's myriad visuals.

I'd like each Toronto pattern to remind you of a different place in the city; a place that may be far removed from the actual location where the shot was taken. A place you may know, or know of. Or a place you may need to find.

Writing and photography by William Self..

"Oh my god! That's a lake?" This is the usual response heard whenever I have taken a visitor down to The Beaches (aka The Beach) neighbourhood of Toronto that stretches between Woodbine to Victoria Park. Standing at the waterfront in Toronto would make one believe that they are standing at the edge of one of our planet's great oceans, making this area truly a rare gem.

On any given day in the summer, you are bound to find countless photographers strolling the boardwalk that stretches from Ashbridges Bay to the R.C. Harris Water Filtration Plant. Oddly enough though, on any given day in the dead cold of winter you will still find these same folks, camera in hand and all bundled up, braving the coldest part of our city at the lake's edge.

In Montreal, where Laurier meets St-Laurent, stands fire hall #30. It was an especially warm night as I chanced to pass by it, taking interest in the building's curious character, owing to its history, and that it is both an active fire hall and a museum dedicated to firefighting of old. Out front, a group of firemen were chatting, and enjoying the late summer air. I might have passed them by, but their shirts struck me with curiosity. These fellows were wearing not the red of their city, but the blue of Toronto, indeed, and not just the colour, but the words TORONTO FIRE as well. Speaking with them, I learned that it was a kind of protest.

Photos and writing by guest contributor Hamish Grant.

Saturday night, pull out on the boulevard in your big block Chevy and cruise with the top down, see some friends and have a good time. How many songs have been written about this favourite pastime?

North Americans' love of the automobile is once again under fire as gas prices rise and environmental concerns make our dependence on non-renewable energy unreasonable. Our recent obsession with SUVs and newly redesigned muscle cars, while never economical, has acquired a ugly, irresponsible stigma resulting in plummeting sales for the big three automakers.

For some, however, it's not about the price of gas, it's always been simply a love affair with the thing itself: the automobile, and streetclassics.ca have been bringing the love to a Canadian Tire parking lot on the Queensway, every Saturday night during the summer.