SATURDAY, JANUARY 14TH

CLUBS | Pin Ups & Pompadours- Hotties in Hats!
Celebrate National Hat Day tonight at the Velvet Underground! There are so many reasons to celebrate the hat, really, when you think about it. A hat can be protective, like a helmet or hard hat... It can be fashionable or decorative, like a 1920's cloche hat or a fedora... A hat can be religious or ceremonial like a yamulke or zucchetto. It can even be a stigma, like the good old Dunce cap! There's so much to the hat, and it's been with us for so long! Tonight is your opportunity to go head first, wearing your most prized Panama or Pork Pie, and dig deep on the best tunes from the 1950, '60s and modern hits, too. There will, of course, be a prize for the best hat in the house. Your host will be Loriann PunkRockCupcake of Rock 95 fame, and the uber hard working DJ Shannon will be spinning.
Velvet Underground (510 Queen Street West) 11PM $5

FUNDRAISER | STATIC ZINE presents: Electric Dream, a dance party with DJ Alex Pulec
A fundraiser tonight at TO's fave Korean Taco joint! It's a fundraiser for Static Zine's March 2012 issue, and you know that is a worthy cultural cause, right? Alex Pulec of The Ruby Sprit is the DJ tonight, and he will be spinning some very cool tunes! The event poster dropped names like T Rex, The Cramps, Link Wray, Dick Dale, and others that have the term "retro" meaning "golden." Defintiely consider checking this one out, and do your part for TO arts and culture - you'll sleep better at night knowing you did.
Jang Bang Bar (430 College Street) 9:30PM PWYC

CULTURE | True Stories, Made Up Plays
Get ready for an unusual, and very 'arty' event tonight at the Black Swan. There will be storytelling from Danielle Cole and Marco Bernardi, some standup from Zabrina Chevannes, and three different improv teams reacting to the material: C&C Experiment (Shirley Cee, Steve Cole), Olaf and Katrinka (Jess Beaulieu and Marcel Dragonieri), and Painter's Radio (Simon Pond, Jen Littlewood, Carmine Lucarelli). This one is for those looking for something completely different this eve.
Black Swan Tavern (154 Danforth Avenue) 8PM FREE

ART | After The End
O'Born Contemporary is doing its part to promote up and coming artists in the exhibition, "After The End." An apocalyptic theme is at work here, and several artists from various mediums such as painting, photography, collage, and more will be displaying their best work for your discerning eyes. The roster of fresh talent includes: Sylvia Adamcik, Bryan Belanger, Nathan Cyprys, Scott Everingham, Frank Gross, Hanna Hur, Adriana Kupych, and others.
O'Born Contemporary (131 Ossington Avenue) 11AM to 6PM

OTHER SATURDAY EVENTS ON OUR RADAR

• Bitch Craft - Girls play Hip Hop in The Shop
• Yoga Detox with Kate Leinweber and David Good
• TWM: Sky of Sound (digital album release), Little Foot Long Foot, ASK

SUNDAY, JANUARY 15TH

MUSIC | Ed Hanley Tabla Solo concert
Tonght, Ed Hanley plays a solo tabla concert at Musideum. The tabla is by far the most hypnotic, and expressive percussion instrument you will ever witness live. The term "tabla" actually refers to a set of two drums, one tuned higher, called the 'daina' that is actually tuned to a note that is related in some way to the raga being performed, and a lower pitched drum called the 'dagga'. The complex patterns and phrases played routinely on the tabla are mind-boggling! Try counting along if you dare... Hanley will be joined by Rattan Bhamrah, who will play the esraj, an Indian stringed instrument that is played with a bow. Bhamrah will likely be present largely to play a "lehera" for Hanley: this is a repeated phrase associated with a raga that is essentially 'looped', in order to serve as a stable 'marker' to be juxtaposed with the pyrotechnics delivered by the tabla player.
Musideum (401 Richmond Street West, Ground Floor) 7:30PM $15

MUSIC | Music & Truffles - Classical Music for Family Enjoyment
"Music and Truffles" does indeed sound like a good way to spend an afternoon, n'est pas? This is actually a family 'music appreciation' event that promises to be interactive as well as enlightening, although unaccompanied adults are absolutely invited, as well. This could be a great way to expose yourself to live classical music. Works by both Tchaikovsky and Piazzolla are promised for this afternoon.
Walter Hall (80 Queens Park, University of Toronto) 1PM $12

LITERATURE | Draft 7.3
The Draft reading series resumes this afternoon in TO's east end! This is a regular event, and the only place where you can also pick up a hard copy of "Draft", a publication associated with these unique "fast paced, and very eclectic" readings that are meant to encourage participants to try something outside of their comfort zone. Today we will hear from Sandra Campbell, Lily Quan, Melanie Isis Tinken, Myna Wallin, and Kathleen Whelan.
The Only Cafe (966 Danforth Avenue) 3PM

MUSIC | The Woody Allens, The Gracious Collective & DMB live @ SNEAKY DEES
Another Sunday night upstairs at Sneaky Dee's means more great music! Tonight three bands that will give the end of your weekend a fitting soundtrack. DMB, a fun ska-oriented band with a folky kind of sound starts things off, followed by The Woody Allens, an alt-country/Americana band hailing from London, who really don't seem all that neurotic, though two members are bespectacled - you'll have to show up to figure out the story behind their name! The Gracious Collective, also from London, close things off. Should be good!
Sneaky Dee's (431 College Street West) 8:30PM PWYC

OTHER EVENTS ON OUR SUNDAY RADAR

• The Central Ten- Artist Showcase
• Return to Your Roots Burlesque Brunch at The Cadillac Lounge

Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit your own listing to the blogTO Toronto events calendar or contact us directly.

For Toronto movie showtimes, view our Movie Listings section.

Photo by aswilliamson in the blogTO Flickr pool