Toronto knows The Baby G on Dundas West as one of the better live music venues to catch a show in the city.

Recently, the bar showcased the sounds of Ryan Robinson, The Get Alongs and Turtle Johnny. The night was intimate and filled with local fans and friends of the the bands and Montreal-based musician Robinson.

While spending time at The Baby G, I met up with bartender Anthony Maganja, who's been working at the venue since September 2022.

RS: How did you get this gig at The Baby G as a bartender?

AM: A friend who works at the Garrison told me about this bartending gig and I was looking for something in music to explore new artists, I was very adamant to try to get in and yeah, here I am. It's great I get to experience music first hand.

RS: What's the past 6 months been like here, I know Dollhouse played last weekend?

AM: Amazing, honestly, my friend sent me an article about them and told me 'you should ask to work that night.' Chatting with a bunch of them, and it was something right up my alley. You know, I don't go out enough anymore to find out what's going on so I find this translates to me as going out, working here. 

Bartender Anthony Maganja at work.

RS: What's been youre favourite night here so far?

AM: Do you know Tawoos Initiative? I love them, they're so good. That was a really good show. The music that was playing was really stuff I hadn't heard at other venues. They brought us samosas from Scarborough as well and offered it to staff. 

RS: I can imagine you get a lot of rowdy customers.

AM: I feel like the crowds here are pretty chill. I guess because I'm 30, I've been around the block, and if we do get them I tell people you could just be more respectful because attitude isn't going to get you anywhere. I usually get an apology after. But I learned a lot from my mom when I was growing up she was bartending, so I know how to treat people properly. 

RS: Are you doing any other gigs outside of The Baby G?

AM: I also work at Rorschach Brewing in Leslieville and go to school at TMU for professional communication. I also have a little vintage selling thing on the side which is cool, I did the vintage pop-up at the Garrison in December. 

RS: I have to ask, what's it like working with everyone here?

AM: Using the word family is always cliche but we have open conversations, we're able to deal with situations, and our management team is very involved and care about us. It's really lovely, you can ask for help on anything and there's a lot of trust.