By Beth Macdonell In 1987, Al Runt was working behind the bar at Lee’s Palace (529 Bloor St. W.). He was let go for drinking on the job, but the owner, “Mr. Lee,” noticed Runt was a talented painter. According to Runt, Mr. Lee was looking to attract cool eyeballs from Queen to Bloor. Mr. Lee noticed that […]

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By Eddie Mumford It’s a cabaret! Or at least it will be, as locals and fans from afar purchase their tickets for the new vaudevillian show Swing into the Night. The premiere at Revival Bar, will take place over the last three Sundays of November, featuring headlining swing bands like Danny & the D’ Notes. […]

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By Bethan Evans Have you ever thought to yourself, Children’s theatre is entertaining for my kids, but I am bored to tears after the curtain opens? Michael McMurtry did and decided to do something about it. “I wanted to create something that entertains kids, but is also sophisticated and will appeal to their parents as […]

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By Karen Bliss Danny Greaves, vocalist from the popular ‘90s rock band The Watchmen, still plays live with the band, but he’s been working on solo material, composing for film, and has ventured into the restaurant biz. The Watchmen—Greaves, guitarist Joey Serlin, bassist Ken Tizzard and drummer Sammy Kohn—broke up in 2003, but for the […]

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By Karen Bliss Toronto indie rockers The Coast, who celebrate the release of its sophomore album, Queen Cities, on Sept. 23 at the El Mocambo, began life in the Annex. Frontman Ben Spurr and guitarist Ian Fosbery were living on St. George Street at the time and called their band The July 26th Movement. “We […]

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The popular graphic novels make use of many Annex locations. Image courtesy Oni Press. By Tim Legault As Bryan Lee O’Malley, creator of the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels, sat signing a stack of his sixth and final volume in the series (Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour) in preparation for the book’s launch party, he recalled Publishers […]

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By Emily Dontsos If master pianist Anton Kuerti’s spectacular opening night performance for the Toronto Summer Music Festival on July 20 is any indication of what to expect from the festival’s 12 remaining concerts, then classical music lovers are in for a treat. Held at the architecturally and acoustically astounding new Koerner Hall in The […]

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By Brendan Hair On July 17 and 18 The Theatre Centre in partnership with Cooking Fire Theatre Festival will be presenting a public napping project called Z’s by the C. At this event residents can craft their own sleeping mask and have a sweet dream or catch up on lost sleep from the hectic work […]

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By Min Kang Mayor David Miller has officially proclaimed July 12 to 18th  Mad Pride Week. “It’s throwing the word back in the face of the general public who think mad is a horrible kind of state to be in, so we throw it back into the face of society, just like gays throw queer […]

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By Karen Bliss More than 2,500 artists applied for a spot at the 2010 North By Northeast music festival, which takes place all over the city from June 14 to 20, so the 650 bands and solo acts that were accepted have obviously been given the thumbs up from the organizers. “We have a jury […]

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Courtesy: Lily Barnes By Emily Landau To outside eyes, Lilly Barnes may be a woman of the world, but her world ends in the Annex. “My kids tease me—they say I act as if I get a nosebleed north of Dupont,” she chuckles. Barnes has lived in the Annex for almost six decades, where she […]

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Cinema has worn many hats over the century, online doc shows By Matt James The Bloor Cinema (506 Bloor St. W.), like a lot of centarians, has shrunk with age. Back in 1941 when it was known as the Midtown, it could seat 1,125 people. You could catch a flick for 35 cents, and if […]

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