Radar: Food Truck Eats, Corso Italia Festival, Soundgarden, Creep with Josh Reichmann, Pride Parade, Ruby Jean & The Thoughtful Bees, The Carry On, Econoline Crush
SATURDAY, JULY 2RD
FOOD | Food Truck Festival
There's a bit of food truck revolution going on. Instead of the traditional grease trucks parked outside of City Hall and the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, kitchens serving a wider variety of foods have gone mobile. In recognition of this trend, Toronto gets its first food truck festival at the Distillery District, featuring Cupcake Diner, Gorilla Cheese, El Gastr贸nomo Vagabundo, Cava, Marben, Buster Rhino's, Caplansky's Delicatessen. Everything on the menu(s) will be $5 or less, so wear your big pants or shorts.
Distillery District, 55 Mill Street
CULTURE | Corso Italia Festival
Summer in Toronto means 'street festival' season! This weekend it's time to celebrate at the 14th Annual Corso Italia Festival, taking place on St. Clair Avenue West, bewteen Westmount and Lansdowne. The street will be taken over with merchants as a sidewalk sale goes down today and Sunday. Great food is part of any celebration, and the many gastronomic hotspots along this strip will be out in full force, offering their best to you. There will be over thirty live bands playing starting at 1pm both today and tomorrow. With sunshine, music, and great food, "fiesta" is the way to describe this great two-day event that is free to attend.
Corso Italia (St. Clair Ave W between Westmount & Lansdowne) FREE
MUSIC | Soundgarden
Grunge masters Soundgarden play the Molson Amphitheatre tonight! After a misinterpreted Tweet, issued by Chris Cornell last April, led to a rumour gone viral of a band reunion, the band decided to make this rumour a reality after being pleasantly surprised by the overwhelming response from fans worldwide. After a few small shows in their native Seattle, they were officially 'back' when they rocked last year's Lollapalooza. A new album has been in the works for a while, and has been talked about in print and television interviews, but there will likely be no sign of it until next year. Last year's compilation release, "Telephantasm", is the official 'excuse' to get this tour underway, but you may very well catch them pulling out some of their new material live tonight.
Molson Canadian Amphitheatre (909 Lake Shore Boulevard West) 7:30PM $39.50 - $69.50
MUSIC | CREEP w/ Josh Reichmann
DJ Lauren Flax, a veteran of Detroit rave circles, is also well known for being the opening act for such notables as Moby and Fischerspooner. Her side project, a duo called Creep, finds her moving in a slightly pop-oriented direction with collaborator Lauren Dillard. While exuding a dreamy and haunting vibe, their sound also carries the weight and edge of UK bass music. Tonight they drop a much anticipated set at The Drake with local opener Josh Reichman, who has a new release "After Live" to share.
Drake Underground (1150 Queen Street West) 9PM $10
CLUBS | GOIN' STEADY 6 YEAR ANNIVERSARY PARTY
The coolest retro dance party going turns 6 tonight! The folks at Goin' Steady are known for their unrivaled taste in classic tracks from the '50s and '60s that get bodies moving on the dancefloor. Unearthing hidden musical gems from the past is a rule, not an exception at these events. Come groove with the best of doo wop, surf, R'n'B, jump blues, boogie woogie, freakbeat, and much more! As with many goings on this weekend, last call is at 4am, so be ready for a serious party!
Gladstone Hotel Ballroom (1214 Queen Street West) 10PM $5
OTHER EVENTS ON OUR SATURDAY RADAR
SUNDAY, JULY 3ND
PARADE | Pride Parade
This one needs no introduction. The only question is will Rob Ford show up? Those looking to get the best sightlines for the parade should arrive early, as the streets tend to fill up quick prior to the 2 p.m. start time. Check the above link for a route map.
Yonge Street, 2pm, FREE
MUSIC | Ruby Jean & The Thoughtful Bees/ Jenocide / Rouge
A serious lineup tonight at Parts & Labour will help you connect with your inner rockin' self, with the help of some classic Grrl Power! Halifax natives, Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bees headline this show, and yes - there's a 'buzz' going around about this band. Their performances are high energy, and a spectacle! A recent appearance at The Great Escape in the UK made some waves "across the pond". Two other aggressive female-fronted acts will warm the stage: locals Jenocide, and Rouge will show you how it's done, and DJs Isoceles and Innez Da Future will fill in the gaps for us, and close out the night.
Parts & Labour (1566 Queen Street West) 9PM $10
CLUBS | The Carry On - Pride Afterparty
Pride Week 2011 comes to an end, and The Phoenix is the place to be tonight for a super-sized blowout to draw this great event to a close! There will be two rooms going, blinged out with lights and the usual club glitter. The musical menu is also jam packed with guests like Jelo, Chiclet, Robb G, HugsNotDrugs, Addy, and many more.
Phoenix Concert Theatre (410 Sherbourne Street) 10PM FREE (before 12am)
COMEDY | Laugh Sabbath presents... PURE GOLD!
"It's gold, Jerry... Gold!" Hard to say what connects this precious metal with the world of comedy, but he connection is there. "Pure Gold" is the latest from Toronto comedy collective, Laugh Sabbath. These guys hold regular Sunday night comedy shows and showcases at the Rivoli, and there's no worshipping of Satan involved, just the craziness of guys like Tim Gilbert, Brian Barlow, Chris Locke, Nick Flanagan, and several others. Come an end your weekend with a laugh or two!
The Rivoli (334 Queen Street West) 8:30PM $5
ART | Sunday Scene with Clara Hargittay
The Power Plant's "Sunday Scene" is a regular event where a guest from the art world shares some insight into the goings-on at the gallery, and about some relevant cultural topic or issue. Today's guest is Clara Hargittay, a Toronto curator, writer and art consultant, who has been active in the Toronto scene for almost thirty years. She has been an editor for the "AGO News", has championed and curated exhibits of Hungarian art that have traveled across the continent, has worked as a consultant with the Toronto International Art Fair, and those are just a few career highlights. Hargittay currently holds the position of Public Art Officer with the city of Toronto, and it will be interesting to hear her opinions regarding local and international issues pertaining to the world of Art.
The Power Plant Gallery (231 Queen's Quay West) 2PM FREE
OTHER EVENTS ON OUR SUNDAY RADAR
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Photo by stillsinflux in the blogTO Flickr pool
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