street

Radar: September 29, 2009

Photo: "Peaceful" by tara.noelle, member of the blogTO Flickr Pool.

Events on Toronto's Radar for TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 29, 2009... lovingly handpicked from blogTO's events calendar.

MUSIC | Jay Reatard w/Nobunny, Hunx and His Punx
Last April, Jay Reatard came to town and was midway through a ferocious set at the Comfort Zone when this happened. Wildman promoter Dan Burke took to the stage, and when he's the guy in charge of calming a crowd down, well, you know the show's gotten out of hand. Since then, Reatard's released a critically hailed album called Watch Me Fall, and continues to set the standard for frantic punk rock. He comes to the Reverb tonight, and hopefully everyone will be good little punk fans and no one will unplug Mr. Reatard's guitar. Opener Nobunny is a pretty creepy dude who performs wearing a giant rabbit head.
Reverb, 651 Queen St. W., $20, 8 pm

BOOKS AND LIT | Meet Richard Dawkins
Richard Dawkins better be really really sure about all of his ideas, because if he's wrong this dude's definitely going to hell. One of our time's most vocal atheists, Dawkins first came to prominence with his 1976 book The Selfish Gene, in which he laid out the genetic basis for Darwin's theory of evolution and in the process inspired a generation of evolutionary scientists. He's since written The God Delusion, which argues that a belief in a higher power is the product of unhealthy minds. He comes to Toronto tonight to read from his latest work The Greatest Show on Earth, which continues the British scientist's crusade against creationism with ever more insistence.
Isobel Bader Theatre, 93 Charles Street, $10, 7 pm

COMEDY | Nerdgasm - A Night of Geek and Nerd Humour
Ewww, a nerdgasm... That sounds gross. Thankfully if you show up at the Crown and Tiger pub tonight you'll witness a night of comedy rather than a the climax of a dweeby sex act. This is the first installment of Nerdgasm and it features some pretty well-known talent including Simon Rakoff and Gavin Stephens telling jokes about everything that nerds love. We're guessing that means Star Wars? Tater tots? Stuff like that. These guys represent some seasoned comedy talent and they're coming to College St. for the first of what will likely be a long run of performances. There's ten dollar pitchers of beer all night, so tape up your glasses, strap on your suspenders and come down.
The Crown and Tiger, 414 College St., $5, 7:30 pm

BOOKS AND LIT | The Walrus Reads with Joseph Boyden
Author Joseph Boyden lives somewhere between Northern Ontario and Louisiana, where he teaches writing at the University of New Orleans. His latest book Through Black Spruce elucidates the hardships faced by today's aboriginal peoples and the family ties that are as often painful as they are comforting. The novel won the Giller Prize in 2008, and Boyden is taking time away from the bayou to read from it tonight at the McNally Robinson bookstore. Moderating a Q&A afterwards will be Jared Bland, managing editor of Canada's premiere literary magazine the Walrus.
McNally Robinson Booksellers, 1090 Don Mills Road, Free, 8 pm

COMMUNITY | UNICEF Canada's Experience the Magic
Over the years most of us have given money to UNICEF one way or another, and yet we rarely see what our donations are used for. UNICEF will be filling Yonge-Dundas Square today with the products of its efforts, giving the public a glimpse at the tools the organization is using to make life better for vulnerable children around the world. You'll have a chance to taste the therapeutic nut spread used to feed children suffering from malnutrition or examine the HIV test kits used to prevent children being born with the fatal disease. Ever since the once-ubiquitous Halloween Orange Box campaign was cancelled in Canada, there have been less chances to donate to the organization, and hopefully this centrally-located event will raise some much-deserved coinage.
Yonge-Dundas Square, Free, 7:30 am to 5 pm

MUSIC | Micachu and the Shapes w/ Hooded Fang
It's a pretty rare thing for an indie artist to have one of her songs played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, but Micachu proudly holds that honour. The British pop singer is inspired by the UK's grime and garage scenes, and brags that she began composing music at age four. Not sure if any of those compositions have stood the test of time, but she's signed to Rough Trade, a label that has a pretty good nose for sniffing out talent. Micachu uses non-instruments in her performances, including wine bottles, vacuum cleaners, and something called a Chu which she made and named after herself. Experimental is the term often used to describe her sound. Sunny seven-piece Hooded Fang opens.
El Mocambo, 424 Spadina Ave., $13, 9 pm

For full listings, head on over to our events calendar.
Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit your own listing to the blogTO calendar, contact us directly, or use our handy Facebook app.

For Toronto movie showtimes, view our Movie Listings section.


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in Radar

Cavalcade of Lights is coming back to Toronto with a huge tree lighting ceremony

15 things to do in Toronto this November

15 things to do in Toronto this weekend

One of Toronto's biggest winter markets is having a Taylor Swift-themed day

15 things to do in Toronto this week

15 things to do in Toronto this weekend

Night of Dread will see massive puppets take over Toronto streets this weekend

What to expect at the 2024 Christmas market in the Distillery District