Toronto events on May 22nd, 2013

MUSIC | AMANDA MABRO + CHRIS ASSAAD DOUBLE BILL
Amanda Mabro and Chris Assad share a bill tonight at The Drake Hotel Underground. Mabro hails from Montreal, and has a sound that is an edgy combination of cabaret and pop. She has toured Canada, and also performed at the Brussels Opera House. Her 2011 album, Die To The Past, received favourable feedback from the Montreal Gazette. Toronto singer/songwriter, Chris Assad, abandoned a law career to pursue his music full-time. His songs are rootsy, and come with a soulful approach, with hints of pop, and some world music influences. His latest EP is entitled, Into The Light.
The Drake Hotel Underground (1150 Queen Street West) 8PM $20

Photo by mcdux in the blogTO Flickr pool

Village staple The Barn closed for good last summer after 20 years in business, and now, rising from the club's ashes, is the Marquis of Granby. The Marquis, at the corner of Church and Granby, will be a multi-purpose venue of sorts, but distinctly not a nightclub like its predecessor.

OK bike nerds and design connoisseurs, this is an event to have on your radar. Brooks, the England-based saddle and bike accessory manufacturer, has organized a five city travelling bike show called "Dashing," which lands at the Kensington Market location of Bikes on Wheels June 8th. More akin to an art/design exhibition than a strictly commercial display, the idea behind the show is to highlight brands that aren't well-known in North America but which are nevertheless noteworthy for their design and craftsmanship. Well, that and to celebrate a little.

"This is a great centre," Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig mused mid-set to a packed house Thurday night at the Sony Centre, where the band energetically zipped through a well-constructed set that culled material from their three album-deep catalog. Flanked by decapitated neo-classical columns and a mystical mirror that flashed with cheeky images of Beethoven and gaudy chandeliers in front of a vibrant floral backdrop, the crowd of urbane youths, bros, mums and kids testified accordingly, dancing in the aisles, singing and generally cutting loose to the irresistibly catchy vibes the Vampires were throwing down.

You know you've got a full-blown scandal when the memes start circulating, but only the most ridiculous and newsworthy events tend to make it onto t-shirts. Do the Rob Ford crack smoking allegations make the cut? Maybe. Spotted on Instagram the other day is this t-shirt (or, perhaps more accurately t-shirt design) that goes to bat for our mayor by proclaiming that all he's guilty of his "having a good time."