With the stores and aisles stocked full of beauty supplies, the average consumer has a lot to choose from, and wading through all the big budget marketing to find a quality product can be challenging. Loose Button is helping to take the guesswork out of finding your new favourite beauty and lifestyle products. Aside from the excitement of receiving a beautiful box filled with trendy new goodies, there is a chance you may find a product you can't live without. Loose Button allows online consumers to sample products before committing to a luxury price tag.

I had the pleasure of sitting down with one of the founders, Aditya Shah, to learn more about how Loose Button is trying to make a splash in the beauty supply space.

Tell me more about Loose Button. Where did the inspiration come from?

From the very beginning, we wanted to create a business that connected consumers to brands through newer business models that leveraged technology and social media. We began with an online apparel company, but found that the market was saturated and had little room to grow. During this time, we were also having conversations with the major beauty companies. One thing that kept coming up was how sampling programs were essential drivers for sales but there was a lack of clarity (data) around how effective these programs truly were.

On the other side, consumers were looking to shop for these products online but they needed to visit the stores first to learn more and try them out first-hand. That's how the idea of Luxe Box was born. We set out to create a compelling experience around the idea of receiving a surprise in the mail that someone could always look forward to.

How does Loose Button actually work?

When a member signs up, they fill out a Member Profile through which we better understand their needs and preferences. Our beauty editors then work with our brand partners to appropriately target and curate a collection of products that they think a member would enjoy receiving. A Luxe Box is filled with seven to eight trial-sized products that gets delivered every 3 months (once a season), along with tips and tricks on how to make the most out of the products.

After receiving and trying the products, members are encouraged to provide detailed feedback on what they liked and didn't like about the products in their Luxe Box. This information is then packaged together into a detailed analytics report to be sent back to the brand partners. Along with the Luxe Box, members also receive special perks, such as access to new product launches, and contest and giveaways throughout the season.

Can people purchase the full size of a product if they like the sampler?

Currently, our members can purchase the full-sized versions of the products from retailers (both online and physical) with whom we partner to provide special incentives to our members. However, this is set to change very soon. Starting this holiday season, members will be able to purchase full-size products through the Loose Button online store, which will complete the entire shopping experience for our members from discovery to trial to purchase.

How can people sign up if they are interested?

Membership is usually invite-only, but from time to time, we expedite the invitation process (i.e. interested customers can sign up right away) based on availability of membership spots. We continue to see a huge demand for our membership but we strongly believe in ensuring that every member receives a consistently great experience with us.

What are the next steps for Loose Button?

When we started this company, our vision was to radically improve the way consumers shop online by providing a complete end-to-end experience. Our soon-to-launch online retail store will allow them to shop for products from the convenience of their own home, which frees them up from having to go to the retail stores to purchase their favourite products.

We are also looking to expand beyond the beauty space, and are launching into the Women's Essentials vertical with Pink Beryl. We have put the same creative energy into this new vertical that we did with Luxe Box--rethinking the experience from the ground up and coming up with a service that we think will fill a void for consumers and get them truly excited. This is launching very soon.

After "testing the waters" for the last few months with a pop-up in the Burroughes Building, Jaya Kahlon decided to take the plunge and open a permanent boutique just down the road. The clothing and accessories you'll find here are sourced from around the globe (sorry, local designers), offering brands such as Senso, Jas M.B., Gaya and more.

Read my profile of Sauvage in the fashion stores section.

Toronto's green bin composting program is hugely underrated. Each week roughly a million containers of kitchen waste and other organic material is collected, processed, and turned into useful products like biogas and soil. If you've ever wondered how the magic happens, read on. This week's post also takes a look at old-time chauffeur duties in Toronto and wonders what ever happened to the old sign on the disused Eastern Avenue bridge.

The lead image by Ben Roffelsen shows the Yonge subway tunnel just before it curves into Union Station. Close by, major engineering projects by Metrolinx and the TTC are adding new concourses and subway platforms to the grand Front Street building. On the surface, the City of Toronto is finalizing plans for a revised area outside the station that includes a new section of PATH tunnel and improved drop-off and pick-up areas.

A Compost DigestThis week, the city's green bin recycling scheme became the latest victim of budget constraints at city hall. New funds needed to reach a 2007 target for waste diversion didn't make it into the 2013 solid waste budget, and some councillors fear we might grow stagnant on composting kitchen waste. Currently just 49 per cent of waste finds a better home away from a landfill.

But what exactly happens to our eggshells, carrot tops, and potato peelings after we put the bin out to the curb? How does it end wind up a useful brown soil? Well, it's a four-step process:

Step 1: Collection

Your neighbourhood's kitchen waste is gathered up in a special "organics" compartment at the back of the garbage truck and taken to a processing plant where any unwanted foreign objects are removed. Roughly a million bins are handled by collection workers each week.

Step 2: Pre-Processing

The bagged compost is put into a hydropulper, which the city described as "like a large blender." The plastic bags are separated from the organic material and water is added to make a really disgusting smoothie.Step 3: Anaerobic Digestion

Here's where it gets cool. A giant container similar to a backyard composter creates perfect conditions for naturally occurring bacteria in our mush to develop and grow. After 20 days, the material has separated into biogas, a combustible mixture of methane and carbon dioxide, and a brown "digestate."

Biogas is a renewable energy source and roughly 110 cubic metres of the stuff is created from single ton of green bin waste, the equivalent of 670 kwh of energy, enough to power a single freezer for an entire year.

Waste air is passed through a filter to remove the stench of decomposition before its released back into the environment and water is squeezed back out of the organic material.

Step 4: Aerobic Composting

Our now waterless waste material is taken to the final processing plant outside the city where its left to develop into usable soil. Naturally occurring bacteria and fungi break down any remaining organic material in the digestate over six months. When it's finished, the material is safe to use in gardens.

Chauffeur DutiesEarlier this year, many Torontonians were calling for Rob Ford to get a chauffeur and stop terrorizing the Gardiner Expressway with his distracted driving. But what would exactly does a chauffeur have to do? Picking through the archives this week, I found an old instruction and etiquette manual for official drivers that details how to arrive, drive, and deliver dignitaries to their destination without upsetting or generally enraging anyone.

Here is the official protocol for receiving a VIP into a vehicle:Later, the manual tells drivers how to speak with their patrons with comical use of speech marks.You can read the complete document here.

What Happened to the Eastern Avenue Bridge Sign?The abandoned and marooned Eastern Avenue bridge across the Don River, marooned by rail tracks on one side and the Don Valley Parkway on the other, cuts a sorry figure from the cycle path that passes by its western end. Looking at recent pictures, an old orange life preserver sign once hung from the side of the bridge, labeling the river below. Now it's gone and just the mount remains. Did it meet a watery grave or get lifted by some light-fingered walkers? No-one seems to know.

Climate Change Comes to Toronto

Advertising boards around the city and on the TTC this week have been showing worrying images of rapidly receding glaciers along with pithy cartoons and ominous warnings of our present environmental problems. Part of Ship of Fools: Artists and Climate Change, an introduction to a larger installation coming to the ROM this next year, the videos aim to boost climate change awareness by commandeering advertising space around the city.

You can sample the videos on the campaign's website.

WHAT WE LEARNED THIS WEEK:

• Rob Ford might actually be good at coaching high school football [National Post]
• Some stores can open on stat holidays, provided they're in the right neighbourhood [The Star]
• A uranium processing plant has been hiding in the city's west end for decades [The Star]
• Replacing a highway bridge doesn't need to take forever [CTV]

Images: "Riding the Rails" by Ben Roffelsen, "Recycling, Even in Chinatown" by I am Bidong, "Free Leaf Compost!" by the worms! from the blogTO Flickr pool, City of Toronto Archives, Wikimedia Commons, Chris Bateman/blogTO, and "Last Words" by Heather O'Neill & Jean-Paul Kelly

Photo by sniderscion in the blogTO Flickr pool

MUSIC | Tame Impala @ The Phoenix
Tama Impala hits The Phoenix tonight! Even with the psych rock centre of the "Western world" currently residing squarely in Austin, Texas, the most popular and beloved psychedelic rock band going right now is beyond a doubt Australia's Tame Impala. Their debut album, Innerspeaker cemented their rep and locked in their fanbase, and tonight they hit TO, touring on their latest, Lonerism, which has been received very warmly by fans and critics alike. They're joined by Stockholm's The Amazing.
The Phoenix Concert Theatre (410 Sherbourne Street) 7PM $20

BOOKS & LIT | Burns + Tomine + Ware: The Beguiling 25TH Anniversary
Tonight is a special evening for The Beguiling, as the Annex comic and graphic novel retailer celebrates 25 years in business. The store, originally opening in 1987 on Harbord Street, has been a leader in its niche ever since, even scooping up the first Will Eisner Spirit of Retailing Award in the process. This evening, three great graphic novel creators will stop into TO to debut some eye-popping new works, supported by audio visual materials to make this a spectacle and celebration to remember. Charles Burns will be presenting The Hive, Adrian Tomine is debuting New York Drawings, and Chris Ware will introduce you to Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth.
The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema (506 Bloor Street West) 8:30PM $10

THEATRE | Playwrights Canada Press Fall Book Launch
Playwrights Canada Press hosts a special event this evening that will appeal to anyone who loves theatre or literature. To help launch some of their Fall releases, a group of stellar TO playwrights will be delivering readings including Brad Fraser, David Yee, Catherine Hernandez, Ted Dykstra, Richard Greenblatt, and Ravi and Asha Jain. Jon Kaplan and Susan G. Cole of NOW Magazine will be hosting tonight, so come out and support the creators of the works that are the lifeblood of the Toronto theatre scene.
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre (12 Alexander Street) 6:30PM FREE

MUSIC | Gavin Slate, Todd Clark, Donovan Woods, Robyn Dell'unto at The Piston
An all-acoustic evening of singer/songwriters goes down at The Piston tonight, featuring Gavin Slate, Todd Clark, Donovan Woods, and Robyn Dell'Unto. These four talents have all got a following here in town, and most have also seen the strength of their material land placements on shows like Degrassi, Being Erica, Less Than Kind, and Saving Hope. Steam Whistle Brewery is sponsoring this gig, so pints will be cheap and plentiful. Junkhouse DJ will be spinning in The Piston's front room, as well.
The Piston (937 Bloor Street West) 8:30PM $10

OTHER EVENTS ON OUR RADAR

Lydia Lunch + The Dave Howard Singers + Yamantaka / Sonic Titan
7Numbers Motacular

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 allanparke in the blogTO Flickr pool

Firefighters are damping down after an apartment fire on Queen Street West next to the Cameron House. Right now, fire crews are still partially blocking Queen Street and 501 streetcars are diverting both ways via both ways via Spadina, King and Shaw. Two people were injured, one seriously.

Full service has now resumed on the 501 streetcar, according to @TTCnotices.

The drawn-out fate of Postal Station "K" at Yonge and Eglinton took a turn for the worst over the weekend when Canada Post announced they had sold the art deco building to development company Rockport Group. The building is on the site of Montgomery's Tavern and has several rare qualities, including the royal cipher of Edward VIII. Meanwhile, the developer says it may put up a condo.

On Friday, for one day only, Caprice Herjavec was mayor of Toronto. Well, not quite. The 14-year-old won a "mayor for a day" competition and got a chance to shadow Rob Ford at a parks and environment committee meeting and read the proclamation for Let's Get Physically Active Day. This article is worth it just for the photos of Ford laughing.

Two tunnel boring machines will soon begin cutting under the small slither of Lake Ontario that separates Billy Bishop airport from downtown Toronto. In 2014, for the first time, there'll be a walkway connecting the terminal with the city.

There's been a lingering odour around these parts the last few days and apparently leaves are to blame. Damp, decomposing plant material and direct sunlight combined to make a stench something between pumpkins seeds and poo. The source was discovered by an investigator from the Ministry of the Environment.

The Jarvis Street bike lane will officially be part of the deadpool by early December according to a construction notice. A contentious reversible vehicle lane was approved for the street earlier this year.

Toronto native Eric Leong has won an international award for his role in designing a stylish new Popemobile. The armored vehicle has a special titanium coating, kevlar wheels, and a solar panel on the roof. It also looks pretty sleek, considering the current version is possibly the goofiest thing on two wheels.

Finally, sticking up notices on King West just got a little harder. New non-stick hydro poles have been installed by local businesses in an attempt to keep unsightly makeshift adverts at bay.

IN OTHER NEWS:

• Argos crush Eskimos, advance to East final [CBC]
• Another poppy box stolen from Tim Hortons in Toronto [The Star]
• One injured after shooting near College and Bathurst [The Star]
• 76ers hand Raptors their 3rd consecutive loss [CBC]

FROM THE WEEKEND:

• Sunday Supplement: Compost, 1960's chauffeurs, the lost Eastern Ave. bridge sign, and glaciers
• Sauvage pop-up gets a permanent home
• Get to know a Toronto startup: Loose Button
• Four FIT projects in the GTA worth knowing about
• What the Toronto airport used to look like
• Alligator Pie has lots of great ingredients
• Where to do erotic life drawing (for a limited time)
• This Week In Comedy

Photo: "Humber Bay Park" by MSVG from the blogTO Flickr pool.

Live music picks for MONDAY NOVEMBER 12 through SATURDAY NOVEMBER 17, 2012.

MONDAY NOVEMBER 12 / YELLOW OSTRICH / THE GARRISON / 1197 DUNDAS W / $13 / 19+

It's always refreshing to come across a band with a unique and fresh sound, and this is certainly true of Brooklyn's Yellow Ostrich. In the past, they've opened for Of Monsters and Men and Los Campesinos!, and now they're on tour in support of their latest album, Strange Land. Their music is very percussion-heavy, and it's definitely an interesting blend of experimental and indie-rock, so if you're looking for something a bit different, you might want to check this show out. Strand of Oaks will open.

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 14 / THE FRESH & ONLYS / PARTS & LABOUR / 1566 QUEEN W / $13 / 19+

As one of the premier bands in San Francisco's so-called "new garage rock" movement, The Fresh & Onlys have been very busy making a name for themselves since forming in 2008. In that time, they've released two EPs and four full-length albums, including the recently released Long Slow Dance. There is definitely a garage rock sound here, blended expertly with indie-pop. It's very, very good stuff, and I'd highly recommend checking this show out if you're able to. Quilt, out of Boston, will offer support.

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 15 / THE ONCE / GLENN GOULD STUDIO / 250 FRONT W / $29.50 / ALL AGES

If you're at all like me, you at least have a passing enjoyment of music with a little East Coast flavour. And if that's the case, you'll definitely want to take a look at St. John's folk trio The Once. Their performances are a mix of original songs and traditional tunes, and they've become well-known for their three part harmonies. I haven't been to the Glenn Gould Studio before, so I can't say for sure what kind of venue it is, but I reckon that it has to be fairly decent for an act like this to play there.

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 17 / WORLD'S STRONGEST MO W/ TEENAGE KICKS & THE ELWINS / ACADEMY OF LIONS / 64 OSSINGTON / $10 / 19+

Every year, girlfriends and wives alike dread the coming of November. For it's during this month of the year that men of all walks of life take part in Movember - growing out a moustache to raise funds and awareness for men's health. All kidding aside, it's a great cause, and on Saturday, the Toronto-based Young Lions Music Club will be throwing a moustache-themed fundraiser party. Called "World's Strongest Mo," the evening will be chock-full of moustache inspired events, including arm wrestling contests, weightlifting demonstrations, and $1 shaves and moustache trims courtesy of local barbershop Garrison's. Best of all, Toronto-based bands Teenage Kicks, the Elwins, and Alright Alright will be on hand in all their mustachioed glory. This promises to be a great night, and it's for an awesome cause.

For more music listings, check out our events calendar.

Looking for tickets? Check out Rotate This or Soundscapes to avoid Ticketmaster robbery.

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

Photo of Yellow Ostrich courtesy of smulligannn on Flickr.

Dave Mitton has been bartending since he was a teenager, and has become a prominent figure on Toronto's nascent cocktail scene over the past decade. A founding partner of Czehoski on Queen Street West, with Bradley Denton - now of Le Petit Castor - he is now co-owner and bartender at The Harbord Room. He is also president of the Ontario chapter of the Canadian Professional Bartenders Association, as well as working as a consultant, judge, and organiser for numerous cocktail competitions.

We dropped into The Harbord Room on a crisp, fall afternoon to speak with Dave about the Toronto cocktail scene and the joys of bartending.

Are you from Toronto originally?

I was born and raised in small-town Albert County, New Brunswick.

How did you start out with bartending?

After high-school I had worked in theatre for a few years. I had the notion to become an actor, and I knew it wasn't going to happen in New Brunswick. I had an old Volkswagen van at the time and two mates and were driving around. We stopped in L.A. for a few days, and I fell in love with it. My friends took the van and carried on up to B.C., but I stayed. I didn't know a soul and didn't have a ton of money, so I started walking down Sunset Boulevard, and I came across one joint called Red Rock Bar & Grill.

The patio was full and there were a lot of good-looking girls, so I walked in, sat down, and ordered a beer and a tequila. The bartender asked me what part of Canada I was from. It turned out that he was from Vancouver, and there were a ton of Canadians at this bar. I sat there with them, and when I left that night, I had two jobs and an apartment. One guy had an extra room, and I moved in two days later. It was fabulous.

So you got a job at that bar?

No, the job was as a bathroom attendant in Beverly Hills. I had no working papers, and I was 18, so too young for bartending, and was working for cash. Then after about a week they gave me a job greeting at the front door. They had a lot of celebrities come to this place, and I ended up being a shadow for celebrities. I became buddies with the bartender, who was from Nova Scotia, so I got into doing some bar-backing, and learning some tricks behind the bar. Eventually, I ended up moving back to Canada. I'd fallen in love with working in bars so I got a bit more experience under my belt, and then I took off and went traveling overseas. To pay my way I ended up slinging drinks at a lot of places, and after a couple of years I ended up in Toronto.

What was the cocktail scene like in Toronto back then, in 2001?

There was Souz Dal and Cobalt on College that Jen Agg owned, and there was Insomnia on Bloor. Lots of nightclubs and lots of good drinking places, but not a ton of specialty bars by any means. There was really nothing on Dundas, and only a couple of places on Harbord like Splendido. In Queen West there was everything east of Spadina - Horseshoe, Rivoli - and not much west. Maybe Cadillac Lounge but there was no Drake Hotel, no Beaconsfield. Everyone went to College Street; nobody went to Queen West or Dundas, let alone King Street, which is so funny to think of now. Communist's Daughter or Sweaty Betty's weren't even there yet. There was nothing unless you wanted to go to a karaoke bar on Ossington.

So where did you end up working?

Two months went by, and I eventually got a response from the Rivoli. They were the most lovely people, and I'm so indebted to all of them. I got a job working days, but luckily there were so many staff there - probably about 30 people - that everyone wanted a shift covered. Within a month, I'd managed to work up to night bartender, and work all 3 bars, and absolutely had a blast. I made some of my best friends that I still have today.

So how did you end up opening Czehoski?

After about two years of working at Rivoli, one of my good friends Brad approached me - I'd worked for him in Halifax earlier - and asked if I wanted to open our own little place here in Toronto. One night, we walked by 678 Queen Street West. It was an old abandoned butcher's shop with a sign out front from 1923 that said 'Czehoski' and Brad said "I always wanted to do a space in here." It had been closed down for 12 years, and there was no sign of anything happening.

One week later there was a 'For Rent' sign in the window. Apparently the landlord had 80 applicants within 48 hours and we ended up getting the space. I remember asking him years later why he picked us and he said to us "You guys were the youngest, you had the least amount of experience, you had the least amount of money - but you had the best idea." It took us 2 and a half years to build the place; the liquor license was easy, but we had to rebuild the place from top to bottom which meant a lot of permits from the city. We had to find money from an investor, and we did a lot of the work ourselves.

So you were specializing in cocktails at Czehoski?

I was interested in cocktails, and thought that since the original Czehoski opened in the '20s, we'd put some cocktails from that time period on the list. I looked through books for anything I could find on classic cocktails. I still have a copy of the old Czehoski cocktail menu from 2004, and it's funny. I look at it now and I was making half of them right and half of them wrong, but essentially we tried it and nobody wanted them. People were ordering them and sending them back, like an Old Fashioned or a Manhattan, complaining "It's all booze." We realized right away that this wasn't going to work.

Do you think people's taste for classic cocktails wasn't quite there at that point?

When you look back at it, the craft cocktail movement was really catching on in a couple of major cities like London, San Francisco, and New York, where Audrey Saunders was making her own bitters and tinctures and using fresh juice instead of mixers. It was unheard of! There were places around town doing lychee martinis or apple martinis, and zesty, juicy, vodka-based things were really in at that time. We did sell some cocktails on the weekends but it was more of a gin & tonic, vodka soda place, and lots of beer, as most clubs still are today in Toronto.

What do you think changed that?

When we opened The Harbord Room in January 2008, I wanted to give some classics a shot again, especially seeing how in the States it had really taken off. I remember one night a couple both asked for an Old Fashioned, and I was kind of excited as it wasn't on the menu. I started making it and they were watching me very carefully, and they asked "Can you tell us, what's in an Old Fashioned?" I was confused at first and then clued-in.

I asked, "Did you guys by any chance see this on Mad Men?" and they were like "Yeah." I started realising how much Mad Men was probably gonna help the movement here in Toronto, and sure enough it did. People come in and ask all the time for certain things, to the point where I find myself not knowing the recipes. People are asking for the most obscure things, which is great because I like to learn something new every day.

The bartending community really seems to be coming together here in Toronto.

It's been a long time coming and it's only going to get better. Imbibe Magazine just did its first piece on Toronto, which is amazing. It's my favourite drink publication. They did a piece on Vancouver a few years back, and I believe it's their second piece ever in Canada - it's a six-page spread just on Toronto. We're one of the major features along with Black Hoof, BarChef and there are mentions of Miller Tavern and Blowfish.

I know you've been working hard to bring the bartending community together.

I'd been doing a lot of traveling, and noticed that when you went to places like New York or San Francisco, the community of bartenders was so tightly-knit. They were all friends, they all recommended places to go, shared secrets, and at cocktail events, the bartenders knew each other from across the country. Here there wasn't such a community. A couple of years back I approached thirty people - cocktail makers, barkeeps, aficionados, writers - that I thought really cared about the cocktail movement and said "I'm gonna close the restaurant for the night, my partners have agreed to it, and I'd really like every single one of you to come and let's just talk about anything."

Kevin Brauch, The Thirsty Traveler, helped me put it together and we introduced everyone and we sat around and shot the shit for three hours. That was January 2011, and now the list has grown to 300 people, mostly Toronto people, but also a few people from New York or Vancouver that just want to know what's going on here.

Has the list helped build the community?

It really has. A few years ago, we would do competitions, and nobody would come and watch. Now we host a Bowmore competition at Parts & Labour on a Tuesday night, or a Hennessy competition at The Drake Hotel, and we get 200 people coming out. The sense of community and the pride is really taking off. You're seeing people share each other's recipes on menus, or see people do guest spots at other people's bars which is fantastic.

How do you think Toronto compares now to cities in the U.S?

From doing events down in the States, I've realised lately that we're kind of on par with places like L.A. and Chicago, where the movement's moving along at the same pace as us, and started around the same time. Because it's so new, everyone's getting excited, working extra hard, and being more creative. Three years ago, I would've been hard-pressed to send you to 10 places for cocktails in this city, but now I could set you up with two weeks worth of nights out to go try different cocktails, whether it be from certain bartenders or just places that specialise in them.

Many restaurants have realized how important it is to have even the smallest cocktail list as part of their repertoire, along with wine, beer, and food. Even at local neighbourhood haunts, where I'll just go and have a pint of Guinness and a Jameson, they've started up small cocktail lists because the customers are asking for them now.

You have a wide range of bitters. What's the most interesting one you have?

That's like asking me what my favourite movie is. Off the top of my head I would have to say the most interesting I have at the moment would be a batch given to me by good friend Danielle Tatarin from the Keefer Bar in Vancouver. She makes them herself with traditional Chinese medicinal ingredients, and they are exceptional.

What drove you to make your bitters?

Couple of reasons really. One, I wanted to see if I could do it; and two, back when I started making bitters, we were extremely limited to what we could buy here in Ontario. I would drive to Buffalo all the time for bitters, or friends or customers would pick me up bitters if they were traveling in the good ol' US of A. I still make one or two, but thanks to Donna & Kennedy Pires of The Crafty Bartender we now have access to more bitters than we'd ever imagined here in Canada.

Do you have any advice for up-and-coming bartenders?

Learn your classics. Don't start trying to invent things right now. Learn how you can take a spirit, a sweetening agent, and a bittering agent and balance them out, like a Negroni, an Old Fashioned, or a Manhattan. Once you figure that out, then you can start playing around. Have lots of fun when you're doing it, and don't take it too seriously. We're here to enjoy each other's company. There's nothing I love more than people coming here at 6 o'clock at night because they just gotten off work and wanna loosen their tie, take a load off, have a couple of drinks, and have a laugh with some friends.

It's the best feeling in the world to know I'm helping these people to unwind, and just enjoy life a little bit. You know, I'm not a mixologist and I don't get into crazy things. We don't reinvent the wheel here. We just simply try to do things well, plays on a lot of classics.

What's your favourite drink when off duty?

Guinness would be my go to drink. I love trying new drinks, but let's face it: cocktails catch up with you much faster than a beer or a glass of wine. If I do have a cocktail, it'll be a Negroni or a Vieux Carré, and now that we've got the Antica [Formula Carpano] in town, too, I love a goddamn Negroni with the Antica.

For more bartender profiles, visit our Toronto Bartenders Pinterest page.

Writing by Vincent Pollard. Photos by Jesse Milns.

It'd be fair to say that there's been something of a west-side bias to the collection of historical posts we've published over the years, so by way of increasing the breadth of our history series I'll be taking a look at some important east-side street and neighbourhoods over the next little bit. Up first, perhaps naturally, is Danforth Avenue. First built in the 1850s, the street is named after the man originally commissioned to build a route that headed east from Scarborough towards Trenton. Danforth's Road, as it was called after Asa Danforth Jr., would eventually fall into disuse when Kingston Road became the more popular passage between Toronto and destinations to the east of the city.

Danforth Avenue was built in the 1850s as a connection between the city and these east-heading routes, though to look at photos from the early 1900s there's nothing particularly urban about the the street. Aside from an area of density around Broadview and the presence of Toronto Civic Railway cars from 1913 onward, the Danforth was a mostly lazy stretch of road that wouldn't see major development until the 1920s, following the completion of the Bloor Viaduct in 1918.

It's difficult to overstate the importance of the Viaduct as a connection between the east and west ends of the city. Although there were bridges across the Don River to the south, as the city to the west was expanding northward, there was no easy way to cross the Don Valley north of Gerrard Street. With the bridge came regular streetcar service and a wave of construction ensued.

The street's Greek presence dates back to the late 1950s as the city experienced a surge of immigrants from Italy and Greece during this period through the 1960s. Although Greektown has lost some of its identity in recent years as this stretch of the Danforth is steadily commercialized and diversified, core businesses — many of them restaurants — ensure that this bit of the street's history remains vibrant.

PHOTOS

Not the Danforth, but what Bloor Street looked like before the ravine was filled in for the Viaduct, 1908

Danforth approaching Broadview, 1910s

Danforth, 1912

Danforth & Broadview, 1912

Western terminus of the Danforth (pre-Bloor Viaduct), 1912

250 Danforth Ave, 1912

Danforth looking east from Pape, 1913

Danforth & Don Mills, 1913

Danforth Car Barns, 1912

Interior of Danforth Car Barns, 1915

Danforth looking west from Woodbine, 1915

Laying track on Danforth, 1918 (any guesses as to the location?)

425 Danforth Avenue, 1919

Pape & Danforth, 1919

Broadview & Danforth looking south, 1920

Danforth public lavatory, 1920s (55 Danforth, just east of Broadview -- the building is now the École Napoléon)

Danforth Fruit Store, 1930

Danforth east from Bowden, 1932

Carlaw & Danforth, 1934

Dramatic accident in 1935 (location unspecified)

Danforth east from Coxwell, 1935

Danforth & Coxwell, TTC waiting room 1936

Danforth looking east from Ladysmith, 1936

Danforth looking west from Monarch Park, 1936

Linsmore Hotel, 1945 (now the Linsmore Tavern -- near Greenwood)

Hotel Quigley, 1945 (near Oak Park Avenue)

Danforth & Greenwood, 1947

Danforth & Jones, 1952

Power Supermarket (near Danforth & Woodbine), 1953

Danforth & Woodbine, 1954

Danforth looking east from Luttrell, 1959

Danforth looking west from Woodington, 1960

Danforth at Birchmount, 1960s

Danforth looking west from Westlake, 1960

Danforth looking west from East Lynn, 1960

Danforth Autobody, 1965

Photos from the Toronto Archives

Friday night marked the first of Fucked Up's four-part Long Winter series at The Great Hall, which was also part of Exclaim!'s 20th Anniversary Concert Series. As promised, live music, art, food and readings came together under one (very hot) roof. (Sidenote: why is The Great Hall always so fucking hot? Please fix this for future events!). I think few would argue that Unfinished Business stole the whole show, but hey, other stuff happened too.

Vish Khanna hosted the evening's festivities in his delightfully awkward manner, introducing acts and directing people around the venue. A strange grinding sound drew me into the foyer where The Latch Key Kids were cutting keys and adding them to an ever-growing mobile. Elsewhere, an old-fashioned telephone booth allowed people to read prank calls that were subsequently projected throughout the entire hall (cue the searching questions as to whether this constitutes art). Faux pho was served.

But really it was a trio of twelve-year-old girls — the previously mentioned "Unfinished Business" — who turned out to be the coolest thing all night (ever?). The first song ended with the drummer lighting a mallet on fire and banging a gong. The singer had sass and confidence way beyond her (my) years. Their short set consisted of songs about ghosts, haunted houses and people falling down stairs. The crowd was clearly impressed as smiles were plastered on just about everyone's face — it was a shame the turnout was a bit sparse this early on in the night.

The least cool thing all night was a fight that broke out at the main bar. My friend and I (quite stupidly) first thought it was orchestrated and part of the night, though it quickly became clear it was the real thing as blood and beer were spilled. Although it was quickly broken up, it was evident that participating artists and patrons alike were not happy. Not. Cool. At. All — whoever you were.

DIANAwas another highlight of the night. I had heard not-so-great things about their AGO performance — sound issues led to some frustration and awkwardness — but they were great. For a band still without a label and only a few live performances in the bag it was amazing to see the crowd react to "Born Again" as if it were an old favourite.

Fucked Up took the stage around 11:45pm while Faked Up — a convincing group of imposters — simultaneously played in the front room. I, perhaps unsurprisingly, opted to watch the real thing along with the vast majority of the crowded Great Hall. Their long overdue homecoming was received with incredible energy and excitement — and was a tiny reminder that I need to start wearing earplugs to shows. I can't wait to see what they have in store for us next month.

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Photos by Denise McMullin

Toronto could have its first east-west separated bike lanes within a year if the public works and infrastructure committee accepts a new report calling for a total reworking of the cycling facilities on Wellesley Street and Hoskin Avenue.

If adopted and approved by city council later this month, new curved curbs like the ones presently found on Sherbourne Street could be in place between Parliament and Yonge by next year. A second phase would witness separated lanes installed on Hoskin Avenue with a connection between the two added to Queens Park Crescent in 2014.

The project will cost in the neighbourhood of $975,000 and will likely be tethered to planned resurfacing work on Wellesley scheduled for next summer. In what could be a controversial move, the new lanes will eliminate all street parking on the thoroughfare except at busier sections near Queens Park and Bay Street. New, accessible TTC bus stops on raised platforms are so part of the plan.

At major intersections along the proposed bike lanes, cyclists will be able to make two-stage left turns using special bright green painted areas. The city also plans to add bike boxes at the head of each set of lights and ban right turns at red lights for motorists.

Presently, the cycle lanes on Wellesley are identical to the ones about to be removed from Jarvis Street: painted road markings without any physical barrier to vehicular traffic. "Sharrows," markings telling bikers and drivers to share the road, are used in narrower sections of the street.

The proposal joins the already confirmed Queens Quay East lanes, a precursor to separated biking along the entire waterfront street, which should be open in the spring. Is this sudden surge in the number of in-construction and proposed separated lanes surprise you? Is this a good place to build the first major east-west cycle way?

Images: City of Toronto

To be the winner of the Canadian Beatbox Championships, now in its third official year, has become a highly sought after distinction for all serious beatboxers in Canada. What may have started for many as a cool ability to showcase for friends at parties has evolved into an art-form in its own right, and for some even a legitimate profession. The theme and title of Beatbox Canada's main event this year was "Freedom of Beats," celebrating not only the uncanny talent displayed by beatboxers to copy the sounds of others, but also their ability to come up with original and creative styles of their own.

I arrived at the Mod Club to a crowd of just over 50 people. Around the venue were clothing vendors and sponsors set-up to showcase their wares and a few visual artists doing some live sketching and painting with performance themes. The preliminary round soon began, with the top sixteen artists selected to compete (based on video submissions) each taking a minute to perform as a way to introduce themselves to the judges and crowd, and to determine their placement for the actual competition.

After a short break, the competition began; the crowd now numbered closer to 100 in attendance. We were informed that the five judges would be basing their decisions for the one on one battles based on five criteria: Originality, Technical Skill, Creativity, Battle Tactics, and Crowd Reaction. The competitors would each be given two 90 second sets to battle back and forth before the judges selected a winner for each round.

The first battle was between Calgary fan-favourite PeterPot and Daeph FX, which PeterPot won by displaying a higher level of energy and range of skills than his competitor. The second battle was between Mighty Mouse and two-time defending Canadian Beatbox Champion KRNFX (pronounced Korean Effects). Although Mighty Mouse displayed notable creativity and originality, KRNFX`s laser-sharp precision and masterful display of technical skill ended up winning him the round. C-Fresh, and Scott Jackson, who had placed second for the past two years of the championships, also won their respective matches.

The battles became closer and more hard-fought as the first round progressed. Exzam vs. Balu Ballistic was a good example, with Balu's creativity standing out but not being enough to compensate for Exzam's more cohesive sets. Then, Chris Fernandez showcased his hard-hitting vocal amplitude, but lost to the notable cocky BBK. Young lost his battle against Heat, and Killa Beatz won over Subconscious.

After a long break, during which DJ Dough Low spun some dope golden era hip hop with accompaniment from special guest judge and performer Scratch, the venue had become quite full. There was a notable increase in competitiveness in the second round of battles as the skill levels became more closely matched and the stakes a bit higher. The battle between Heat and C-Fresh was particularly close and the judges demanded a 30 second overtime, after which Heat was declared the victor. Peter Pot, KRNFX, and Scott Jackson were the other three performers to win their battles and advance to the semi-final round.

Before the semi-finals were a few performances. The trance-infused group Times Neue Roman put on a mediocre show. Their first song, "Sade in my Tape Deck," sounded great, but their front-man emcee's vocals got muffled into the background of their heavy, hypnotic production, and their remaining songs were hit or miss. They were followed by an at-first-awkward performance by a beatboxer named Dharni who proved to be quite talented, although his long set left me wanting the battles to resume.

In the semi-final battle between Peter Pot and Heat, Peter Pot comically pulled some stuffed/plush toast toys out of his pocket and handed them to his opponent. Heat put up a good fight, but next to Peter Pot he lacked charisma and gave a relatively unexciting performance. KRNFX next faced off once again against Scott Jackson (the two had ranked #1 and #2 in the past two Beatbox Championships, respectively). The battle was extremely close with some entertaining competitive mimicry happening between the battlers, and the judges again asked for a 30-second overtime. Scott's extra bit of energy in the overtime round clinched him the win in the end, with KRNFX saying some nice words and being a good sport about it afterwards.

Before the final battle was a performance by guest judge and former member of The Roots crew Scratch, who did an old school beatbox-plus-vocal-loop-machine set through a distorted microphone. He paid tribute to Ol' Dirty Bastard and the classic "You're All I Need" (Method Man and Mary J. Blige), did some excellent vocal scratching over a Phil Collins song and finished with some well-known reggae tunes.

The final round between Peter Pot and Scott Jackson consisted of three 60-second rounds. The back and forth showmanship between the two beatboxers was extremely entertaining and intense - both clearly very hungry for the victory. While most of the judges' decisions of the evening had been unanimous, the final round was the most divisive, with the judges ultimately being split 3 to 2 - in favour of Scott Jackson. In his third consecutive year of competing in the Canadian Beatbox Championships, Scott finally took home the long and hard-fought title he had been working for.

The Canadian beatboxing scene has definitely grown over the years and has become increasingly competitive. With events like The Canadian Beatbox Championships happening annually, I can only hope that the scene, culture, community, and art-form continue to grow and thrive in years to come.

Photos by Ryan Enn Hughes / Beatbox Canada

Fans of West Queen West's Ruins were sad to hear of its closing a few short months ago. Happily, designer Michael Joseph Thomas is now devoting himself to his eponymous brand, and has switched locations with vintage shop Chosen. You'll now find his men's and women's clothing (along with his two cats) in an almost gothic retail space just upstairs from his previous location, where he also has an open studio.

Read my profile of Thomas in the fashion stores section.

We all knew this day was coming; the Jarvis Street bike lanes are finished. Starting now, road crews are beginning the process of scratching out the painted curbside markings and carrying out preliminary work on a fifth, reversible vehicle lane. One thing we didn't see coming, though, is the arrival of on-street parking.

New solar-powered meters on the west side of the street between Queen and Bloor, installed last week, represent the final step back to a car-dominated Jarvis. It also sends a message to anyone involved in protesting the changes: on-street car parking is more important than bike lanes.

Rob Ford seems pretty happy work is getting underway. He told the Toronto Sun he "listened to the taxpayers and [did] what they wanted me to do."

The removal of the lanes coincides with a report about to be considered by the public works and infrastructure committee that recommends kicking the existing painted lanes on Wellesley Street up to a fully separated cycling path between Parliament and Queens Park, then up onto Hoskin Avenue.

Spacing said their goodbyes today with a clever and biting series of (Photoshopped) images that show several of the new parking meters bearing dedications to the councillors that voted to remove the lanes earlier this year (follow that link — it's worth it!).

A protest at the removal is planned for later today but there's presently a few supporters sitting in the bike lane blocking the progress of a vehicle painting over the markings. For now, the vehicle seems to be simply driving around the parked protesters.

Here's how the story is unfolding on Twitter:

Photos: Chris Bateman/blogTO and Spacing.

Photo by Martin Reis in the blogTO Flickr pool

ART | Multipli[City]
Toronto the cosmopolitan is expressed by OCAD graduates in the opening of Multipli[City], an exploration of urban existence and how that translates into art. The exhibit explores the city as a metropolis with a platform for artistic dialogue, set forth by artists such as Faraz Anoushah Pour, Jason Deary, Ryan Ferko, Brette Gabel, Trent Hunter, Alex Morrison, Anjuli Rahaman, and Stephen Surlin. The exhibit opens at the OCADU Graduate Gallery today and runs until November 24th.
OCADU Graduate Gallery (205 Richmond Street) 12PM Free

COMEDY | An Evening With Robin Williams
Legendary actor and comedian Robin Williams sits down with Canadian comedian David Steinberg for a chat in front of a Toronto audience tonight at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts. The Academy Award-winning actor will discuss the absurdities of life with Steinberg, who is known for having appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson 130 times. Tickets to see the 61-year-old Williams are on the expensive side, but are worth the hefty price tag considering the rarity of his tours.
Sony Centre for the Performing Arts (1 Front Street East) 8PM $85-$145

FASHION | At My Feet: Suggestion and Contradiction in the Language of Shoes
Writer and broadcaster Margaret Visser uses her background in history and anthropology to discuss the meanings embodied in modern footwear. The lecture is a part of the Founder's Lecture series, an annual event where The Bata Shoe Museum features a leading thinker at the forefront of culture, dress and society. Visser, who has written several books, will give an illustrated talk on footwear as an extension of her research. Tickets to the lecture and reception, which Visser will attend, are $50. Reception tickets allow attendees to preview the latest exhibit, Collected in the Field, with museum founder Sonja Bata before it opens to the public.
George Ignatieff Theatre (15 Devonshire Place) 6:30PM $30

BOOKS & LIT | The Toronto Review of Books Issue Five Launch Party
The Toronto Review of Books celebrates the launch of its fifth issue, which continues the TRB's mark of publishing the poetry and essays of local writers. Taking place at Poetry Jazz Café tonight at 8PM, the launch party will include poetry readings, drinks, and socializing. Though the event is free, donations are accepted to keep the Toronto Review of Books operating, publishing, and supporting local writers.
Poetry Jazz Café (224 Augusta Avenue) 8PM Free

OTHER EVENTS ON OUR RADAR:

• SPRiNG | To Offset or Not to Offset? A Critical Look at Carbon Strategy
• Philly Moves at the Central! with S.C.R.I.P.T, Spesh K and DJ Jo Blo
• The Keyhole Sessions: White Wedding

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 yedman in the blogTO Flickr pool

Rob Ford will have to prove he didn't defame George Foulidis when he made controversial comments about the Boardwalk Café owner's lease arrangements during the 2010 mayoral campaign. According to The Star, Ford may be helped by changes to the "fair comment" defense. Former mayor David Miller and councillors Frances Nunziata and Doug Holyday could testify as witnesses in the $6 million suit.

The planned removal of the Jarvis Street bike lane was delayed yesterday after a small sit-in protest prevented work vehicles removing the controversial line separating road and bicycle traffic. Work is scheduled to resume at 10 this morning but more protests are planned. Last night die-hard cyclists held a candlelight vigil at Jarvis and Wellesley.

A man is being hailed a hero after running back into a burning Queen West building yesterday. Pavel Tosiek returned to the fire above a hardware store next to the Cameron House to rescue a trapped roommate after he heard his screams from the street. The cause of the fire isn't known.

Toronto's used and abused plastic street bins are the focus of the Toronto Star's "Fixer" column this week. Apparently, more than a quarter of the pedal-operated receptacles are broken, requiring users to push the slimy flap open by hand.

The Toronto Underground Cinema is up for sale for a cool $1.6 million, almost twice what the current owner paid for the theatre in the basement of a condo building near Queen and Spadina. The rep house ran into financial troubles in 2011 and was forced to close.

Hazardous poop from a community of barn swallows nesting in the rafters of the Toronto Police Marine Unit's boathouse is ruffling a few feathers. Airborne particles from the dried avian droppings can cause a serious fungal infection, but so far no cases have been reported.

IN OTHER NEWS:

• Could mystery Toronto woman hail from Delaware? [CBC]
• One of two women on Mayor Rob Ford's executive committee quits [Metro]

Photo: "Approaching" by Joseph.Morris from the blogTO Flickr pool.

The Beguiling comic book store hosted a talk between graphic novelists Charles Burns, Adrian Tomine and Chris Ware last night at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema as part of the store's 25th anniversary celebrations. The almost-full house was treated to a thoughtful discussion, moderated by local cartoonist Seth, between the artists, about their motivations and inspirations in their careers, and how they see their occupation now as compared to how they thought it would be when they started their careers.

One interesting point was how all three have made frequent contributions to the New Yorker magazine, in large part due to a shared connection to (and respect for) the magazine's cover editor, Francoise Mouly, who worked previously for the influential comic magazine RAW - giving her a unique viewpoint and enthusiasm for cartoon covers.

The talk was followed by Burns, Tomine and Ware presenting slideshows of their work and discussing the process involved in creating it, sharing anecdotes along the way. The evening ended with an autograph session, the line for which snaked out into the lobby, leaving no doubt the event was a resounding success.

Writing and photos by Hamish Grant

When Vancouver's Babe Rainbow moved to Toronto earlier this year, the west coast's loss was Ontario's gain. Warp Records artist Cameron Reed has been settling into the city's electronic scene, and will open for New York rapper LE1F this Friday at Moskito + Bite.

The day before Reed's thirtieth birthday and just two days after he returned from a five week tour of Europe, we hooked the producer, musician, organizer, and writer up with one of our favourite Trinity Bellwoods dogs--the photogenic Otto Krahn--before Reed headed downtown to buy his first ever winter parka.

After Reed and Krahn made fast friends, Reed answered questions about Friday's Babe Rainbow set, touring in experimental R&B artist How to Dress Well's band, writing Canadian politics for Vice Magazine, and his smooth transition from Vancouver to Toronto.

You have so much going on that I don't know how we're going to fit it all into one interview, so let's get to Babe Rainbow right away. What's your set going to be like on the 16th?

Cameron Reed [CR]: I'm currently working on a set that consists of two or three long form ambient piano-based pieces that I wrote on the road. I'm trying to put some really low-key, minimal beats under it, but the core--the way it was written--was as three, ten minute long ambient pieces where I want to try to naturally play the piano, and then have the ambience and all the other production coming in and out on top.

I'm hoping that it'll be ready--that's the plan. Otherwise, I may do one of my Babe Rainbow live sets, which is a cross-section of a lot of the music I've produced over the last few years, with a bunch of new stuff I've written in the last six months--but I'm really working hard on this.

What have you found is an ideal live show for Babe Rainbow, from the line-up, to the venue, to the audience?

CR: I've actually played with a pretty decent collection of different artists; I played in a church with Oneohtrix Point Never, which was an awesome experience and I mostly did a sort of low-key, ambient set that night; I also have really enjoyed playing bigger rooms where it's more of a dark dance vibe. When I did a short tour with oOoOO a little while ago, we played a show in LA with Pictureplane, and it was more of a dance vibe. I think with that sort of line up--where you have other artists that have darker aesthetics even though they might be making hip-hop based music or rave throwback music--similar aesthetics and approaches really help to set a vibe. Even if your music doesn't necessarily work together on paper, the energy of the crowd [tells you that] they get it; they see the line between the artists involved.

I feel somewhat fortunate that a lot of the music I've produced in the last four or five years is diverse enough that I can pick and choose what I want to play in different settings. I do really like doing those small church shows, but I also really love playing parties.

I think Babe Rainbow's going to be a great opener for LE1F: you have a similar dark but cheeky vibe, yet you achieve very different sounds. Do you know him at all, and do you think you'll ever collaborate?

CR: I met him very briefly in Vancouver and Portland, while I was performing in How to Dress Well. He was opening for Lemonade and it seemed like they had a similar route to us--we kept ending up at the same shows--and we were able to have a few drinks after our show in Vancouver. He seems really nice. I've worked with a handful of people that have produced for him, but I've never really approached him as far as doing anything with him. This might actually be the opportunity to talk to him about that.

I think he's a phenomenal rapper, and understated--I think a lot of people are paying too much attention to the scene that he is allegedly coming out from, and not enough people are saying outright that he is just a fantastic rapper, and has a really great vision in terms of the type of production that he works with. He's a really great performer, too, so I look forward to that.

You recently moved to Toronto from Vancouver, where you were really connected to the music scene. Why did you make the change, and how's the transition been for you?

CR: The transition has been pretty seamless. I tried to not make a huge deal of leaving; I love Vancouver and it was difficult to leave, but by joining How to Dress Well's touring band and knowing I was going to be on the road so much, it made sense for me to give up my apartment in Vancouver. I was already resigned to the fact that I would be giving up a lot of the things that kept me in Vancouver, like music festivals I was involved in (Music Waste and The Victory Square Block Party).

When I did end up here it felt natural: I have a lot of friends here. Everyone that I've met since I got here, and in the music scene has been really awesome, open, and inviting. I'm still slowly navigating it as you will in any city, but it's been fantastic. I really enjoyed my Toronto summer; I tried to do as many Toronto things as I could. I went up to cottage country, went camping, and went to the island. The only thing I didn't get to go to was a Jays game, and though I'm not a huge baseball fan, I think that would be a cool thing to go to.

Have you found the music scenes in Toronto and Vancouver different? In what ways?

CR: I was involved in a number of scenes in Vancouver over the years: going to a lot of punk shows, then post punk stuff in my early twenties, then really going into noise and weird punk. I played in a punk band for a while. Then after that band broke up, I slowly started doing Babe Rainbow and getting a bit more into the electronic community and DJ scene, and while I can't necessarily speak to Toronto's weirdo punk scene or noise scene so much, everyone that I've met in the electronic and DJ community has been really awesome, and I do see a lot of similarities.

I would say that main difference is more in terms of environment: Vancouver doesn't have a great deal of bars, so you'll find a lot more events and DJ nights happening in a lot of the little bars in Toronto, whereas in Vancouver those sorts of events are almost exclusively at clubs. I would say that's the main difference: though I was never for want of venues in Vancouver, there's more variety out here.

You've been touring in How to Dress Well's band. Can you tell us about what you do, how you and Tom Krell meet, and how long you've been working together?

CR: We met through mutual friends. My good friend Patrick runs the label Acéphale, which is putting out How to Dress Well's Total Loss in North America, as well as a number of acquaintances through the music industry. Tom and I linked up and chatted online. He was looking to create a live band and was looking for people with the know-how and who also were musicians, and I started looking at some of the music--I thought I'd be able to figure something out.

We created a pretty dynamic set--myself and Aaron Read, who plays synth, pedals, sampler and violin in the band. I play piano, synth, drum machine, and I also do a lot of samples, and launching any backing tracks or samples that are needed.

Are you on the new How to Dress Well album at all?

CR: No, that's all him, and a producer.

You've been touring most of the fall. Do you enjoy being on tour, and what have been some recent high points?

CR: I really enjoy being on tour; I think it's a great way to see the world and definitely see cities that you wouldn't necessarily visit otherwise. I don't know whether I would have ever visited Philadelphia, or Lucerne, Switzerland. I like seeing the way that different countries, different people react to different music and I really like performing live. Playing the Pitchfork Festival in Paris was definitely a recent highlight. That was definitely the most people that I've ever performed for-- easily over a thousand, maybe more.

What's the strangest place you've ever played a show?

CR: On this last tour, we played in Hamburg in what was an anti-aircraft gun tower and munitions cargo space, and it was just this insane, enormous fifteen story structure with five or six foot-thick walls of concrete. We got to go up on top of it and look over Hamburg as the sun was going down, and they still had the areas where the anti-aircraft guns would have been placed--the kickback from those rifles would have been so intense, they had to have another block of eight foot thick concrete underneath them. That was the weirdest place, but it was also an awesome show.

You're also a writer: can you talk about your column on Canadian politics for Vice Magazine? How did that begin, what are you trying to achieve, and what's your head-space like when you're conceiving and writing these pieces?

CR: I was working in advertising, and right around the time that I was laid off from the agency where I was working, myself and a bunch of friends had created a website called ShitHarperDid.com, which was a pitchy humorous site that would remind voters during our last federal election of some of the more questionable policies, characteristics, and beliefs that our prime minister has. The site became viral, and CTV news asked us to create a short sketch comedy series about Canadian politics. We created a series about a group of young people who tried to start their own political party.

Eventually we created an agency that took on work for organizations like Green Peace and our civic party in Vancouver, Vision Vancouver. I'd been working in politics in this way for about a year or so when I was approached by Vice about possibly doing some writing about Canadian politics for them.

My approach has always been to use humour, or at least a light-hearted approach, as a way for people to engage with politics more easily. All politics can be very difficult to engage in when you're not that aware of what's going on. What I wanted to do with Vice was try to write about something as serious as the environment or the new budget, and both provide a summary of what was currently happening in a way that was approachable and easy to read, but that was also somewhat humourous in tone.

I'm one of those people that while I'm watching or reading the news, I'll just yell at it--even yell at the newspaper--and I'll need someone nearby to rant at. So I try to channel these ideas I think are absurd or just generally wrong, and put them on paper.

Do you feel your music and your political writing and beliefs are connected, or separate?

CR: I don't think of them as similar, but if I were to look at myself, I would say that when I'm reading an article or looking at a political issue, it's the ability to try to find the thing that's not there--the thing that's unsaid--and highlight its relevancy or absurdity. You could say that when I sit down to produce music, often I'm not trying to create something normal, but rather trying to find the sound that evokes something other than just the regular emotions.

If you're able to create a melody, song structure, or sound that's able to evoke some sort of anxiety or insecurity--those aren't necessarily emotions that people are trying to get at. Like many producers, I'll take a traditional house structure and bring something in four bars later, then add something else four bars later to make something totally different but still using the same basic loops--I like the idea of completely transforming that original sound. Not building on it and bringing in new elements to intensify one emotion, but rather changing the way the people were thinking about that first thing they heard.

You've released two EPs on Warp Records and an uncountable number of free tracks and remixes online. What's coming up for Babe Rainbow?

CR: I'm excited about these ambient piano pieces I've been writing and I'm really hoping to get those into a place where I can record them. One thing I've been inspired to do playing with How to Dress Well is actually going into a studio and getting people who play cello or violin to record these pieces I write, and recording them as more of an ensemble piece, rather than relying entirely on electronics. I would prefer to do that, and manipulate it in the mixing and arranging. It would be cool to pretend to be a composer for a day.

I'm sitting on a handful of other demos that I was working toward being the next EP, but I haven't been able to find the time to go back to those lately. Hopefully I'll finish those up soon. My friend Markus and I (he was formerly in LOL Boys) are working on a record that's a lot of really dark jazz samples. We jokingly say we're trying to make a trip hop record, but ultimately we're just using dark jazz and basic electronic structures.

RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS

Favourite Toronto neighbourhood? Where I live! (Trinity Bellwoods)

Best eats in Toronto?Woodlot

Dog watching, or people watching? Dog.

Favourite Toronto venue?Parts & Labour

Double plaid, or double denim? Double plaid.

Favourite Toronto album or EP from this year?Sandro Perri - Impossible Spaces

How to Dress Well at Pitchfork Music Fest photo by Tom Spray.

Babe Rainbow plays with LE1F and Blackcat at #TØKYØTW3RK 001 Friday, November 16th at Moskito + Bite, 423 College St.

This week on DineSafe includes a York U shout-out and Danforth Avenue delinquent. First, it's Berries and Blooms over in York Lanes, which finds itself with nine health infractions after a year of relatively good inspections. I actually thought worse of you, Berries, so good job (until now, that is). Creme A Sweet Buzz at Danforth and Pape also deserves honourable mention this week, not so much for its four recent infractions, but for a conditional pass so soon after a closure back in May. Well done, all. Here's a look at some of the DineSafe notables this week.

Astra Deli
Inspected on: November 7
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional Pass)
Number of infractions: 7 (Minor: 3, Significant: 3, Crucial: 1)
Crucial infractions include: Failure to ensure/provide for proper employee hygiene/handwashing

Bach Yen Vietnamese
Inspected on: November 8
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional Pass)
Number of infractions: 4 (Minor: 2, Significant: 1, Crucial: 1)
Crucial infractions include: Failure to protect food from contamination

Berries and Blooms
Inspected on: November 2
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional Pass)
Number of infractions: 9 (Minor: 3, Significant: 4, Crucial: 2)
Crucial infractions include: Failure to prevent food from contamination, failure to ensure/provide for proper employee hygiene/handwashing

Creme A Sweet Buzz
Inspected on: November 5
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional Pass)
Number of infractions: 5 (Minor: 0, Significant: 2, Crucial: 2)
Crucial infractions include: Inadequate food temperature control, failure to protect food from contamination

Gold Diamond Chinese Restaurant
Inspected on: November 6
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional Pass)
Number of infractions: 4 (Minor: 1, Significant: 2, Crucial: 1)
Crucial infractions include: Inadequate pest control

Hasty Market (Church)
Inspected on: November 7
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions: 5 (Minor: 1, Significant: 2, Crucial: 2)
Crucial infractions include: Inadequate food temperature control, failure to ensure/provide for proper employee hygiene/handwashing

Ristorante Roma
Inspected on: November 7
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional Pass)
Number of infractions: 13 (Minor: 3, Significant: 9, Crucial: 1)
Crucial infractions include: Failure to ensure/provide for proper employee hygiene/handwashing

Times Square Diner
Inspected on: November 5
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional Pass)
Number of infractions: 12 (Minor: 3, Significant: 7, Crucial: 2)
Crucial infractions include: Inadequate food temperature control, failure to protect food from contamination