Wale has had a big year. The Washington D.C. rapper known for his underground mixtape projects has signed on to Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group under the Warner umbrella, put out his second LP Ambition, started his own label himself called The Board Administration and even made an appearance backed by The Roots on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. So you could imagine all the media hype and high expectations for his 3-month Ambition Tour, which included Toronto as a stop.

This past Friday at The Phoenix Concert Theatre, the night seemed long. A host of mediocre opening acts including S Dizzy, Jigz the Flyer and Ronny Orleans served more as hype men than rappers, as each separate performance simply melded into one.

While patrons were being served nachos and beers downstairs at Sneaky Dee's on Friday night, upstairs fans were served something a little different: a night of high-energy, eardrum-busting punk rock.

Pissed Jeans headlined a three-band gig, which also showcased local outfits, Anagram and TV Freaks (who were also releasing their latest LP). As far as the opening acts went, TV Freaks really shone. The lead singer pulled some crazy Iggy Pop/Sid Viscous shit during their show. On separate occasions he spat into the crowd, beat himself over the head with the microphone, and feigned strangling himself with his own belt.

Usually, when I bring up the subject of local craft beers, it doesn't take long for someone to raise the point that these brews aren't typically of the variety one can consume in large quantities. With their hoppier flavour profile or their tendency towards the dark and rich, craft beers aren't often the first choice for people looking for a good, local session beer. Thankfully for those people, the guys at Hogtown Brewers agreed, and decided to do something about it.

Friday night Rich Aucoin took over the Drake Underground to celebrate his latest release, We're All Dying to Live. At the risk of coming off as hopelessly cheesy, that's exactly what it was — a celebration. If Dan Deacon was mixed with a kindergarten teacher with the stereotypical friendliness of a Haligonian, you would have Rich Aucoin. He threw a birthday party for everyone, including a dance party with three projection screens, bursts of confetti, group sing-a-longs and a rainbow parachute. It all began with a faux movie trailer for what we were about to experience, a list of credits and thanks to local Torontonians and finally, an uplifting video filled with words of wisdom that perfectly set the tone for the evening.

I love deer. When I was little my Dad hunted, and venison was our main source of meat. Deer hides and antlers hung in our house, while at school I was incessantly teased for having roast venison sandwiches for lunch. Today a kid like me might be popular (locavore! organic!) but at the hands of cruel school children in an unfashionable small town, all I wanted was a freaking Lunchable.

Nevertheless, a certain nostalgia dictates that bands with deer-species-related-names always tend to catch my attention — and surprise! — I often end up enjoying the music (which is what it's all about, man).

Livejournal is mostly the refuge of spam-bots and underground Russian lo-fi music now (seriously, check it out), but I can clearly remember that time when my after-school job allowed a significant vinyl budget and I spent a lot of energy considering issues related to "girls in the pit," the website was a hang-out which allowed a peek into the lives of friends and strangers alike: a place to chat, express identity, and meet new people — often other music fans.