It's Friday night. It's cold, and it's snowing. For those not in the know, these are two elements that typically put a bit of a damper on skateboarding.

But not, thankfully, on a skateboard party. Skateboard Canada hosted its annual release party at Lee's Palace, and it was a humdinger of an event. Tons of free stuff, the debut of some new skate vids, and an appearance by the Pillow Fight League made this an event worth checking out, even if Mike Rotenberg and I had to venture out into the snow to get there.

The 2-day line up for the Toronto stop of the Virgin Music Festival was announced yesterday. The festival takes place at the Toronto Island Park September 8th and 9th.

But this just ain't a concert. The festival plans to raise money for a great cause. Virgin Unite works on a range of programs across the globe with a special focus on youth-related issues and HIV.

As well, Carbon Neutral, part of the David Suzuki Foundation, will be suppling the festival with on-site recycling, biodegradable food and bevy containers, using "green" power when possible, and planting trees.

So what does your $125 ticket get you? The answers are revealed after the jump.

You've probably seen them - the new pedestrian crosswalk signals - complete with a countdown timer. The timer is designed to let drivers and pedestrians know how much time is left before the light switches from green to amber.

These new timer crossings are starting to appear in busy spots around the city, as well as replacements to the old pedestrian crosswalk lights.

Similar systems have also been installed in a number of US cities, including Washington and San Fransisco. Like those cities, Toronto officials hope that the new lights will help cut down on the 200 plus accidents involving pedestrians that occur each month.

But is that really the case?

Saturday was my final day for CMW shows, and it was all about the loud!

Let's get on with it, shall we?

Another CMW night chock-full of musical goodness. Running across the city to catch shows at different venues is difficult, and not advised for those of you who may have a weakness for cabs (my wallet is pretty mad at me).

Overall, an interesting and exciting Friday night that didn't end till about 4AM.

Here's a double-shot of two bands that played Thursday night.

Attack in Black @ The Horseshoe, 9 PM
Having never heard Attack in Black before, I took a chance and headed down to the Horseshoe for the show.

And what I got was a pleasant surprise. Full bore rock done right!

Attack in Black, hailing from Welland, took the stage and proceeded to rock with heart and elegance. Their music combines high-energy rock with two man melodies and a penchant for vocals you'd just love to sing along too. Worth the time it took to rush from the Opera House. The boys are off across Canada before jetting to Europe to support Moneen on tour.