Photo by Nick K in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Each month we profile a collection of shows opening soon in Toronto.

Macbeth / Monarch Tavern / November 18-23 / $17
Having made waves on the indie theatre scene with clever and contemporary adaptations of The Taming of the Shrew, Much Ado About Nothing, and Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare BASH'd returns to present the playwright's dark, macabre tale, Macbeth. This time around, the Monarch Tavern serves as the site-specific setting for their immersive, bare bones adaptation which aims to portray the dissolution of a loving relationship between the title character and his Lady, brought down by greed and ambition. The company proves that beer and the Bard is a natural fit.

NSFW / Theatre Centre / November 7-30 / $15-39
In our technologically-driven lives, a deluge of shared media glides effortlessly across our touchscreens and feeds. Some such posts are definitely Not Safe For Work. Riffing off the ever-popular acronym, which at once tempts and warns, playwright Lucy Kirkwood explores the world of digital media and the lack of personal integrity it sometimes takes to get eyeballs on content. The play considers two opposing magazines--an attention-seeking men's magazine and a refined women's publication--and whether or not their constructions of ideal femininity differ or are in fact equally as destructive.

Spoon River / Soulpepper - Young Centre / November 4-15 / $23-$89
What may get lost among solid adaptations of seminal dramatists and the presentation of Canadian classics at Soulpepper are their more experimental performances gleaned from great poetry, such as (re)Birth: E.E. Cummings in Song and Alligator Pie. Their latest poetic foray, in an adaptation from Mike Ross and Albert Schultz, explores Edgar Lee Masters' poems of the dead featuring stories of love, loss, and personal truth. In Spoon River, residents of the town generously share stories from their lives weaving together a patchwork portrait of rural America.

Arcadia / Royal Alex Theatre / November 4 - December 14 / $25-$99
Tom Stoppard's Arcadia is one of the playwright's finest achievements and has been hailed as a contemporary masterpiece. On the grounds of Sidley Park, a Derbyshire country home, Stoppard layers his characters across time and space, going back and forth between 1809 and the present day, as they engage with the mysteries of sex, mathematics, and truth. The production is directed by Eda Holmes and arrives in Toronto after a successful run at the Shaw Festival.

Sextet / Tarragon Theatre / November 5 - December 14 / $23-$55
The various elements at play in Morris Panych's Sextet sound like the setup for a good joke: a blizzard, six stranded musicians, six instruments, and not enough beds. Panych pens his characters thoughtfully so each member of the sextet is struggling with something that's not in correct alignment -- their careers, marriages and unrealized desires. Panych directs a stellar cast including Damien Atkins, Rebecca Northan, Laura Condlln, Bruce Dow, Matthew Edison, and Jordan Pettle.

Take Me Back to Jefferson / Factory Theatre / November 5-23 / $35-$45
Theatre Smith-Gilmour's multi-narrative adaptation of William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying follows the Bundrens on their 40 mile funeral procession across the Mississippi. After the death of their mother, the family must surmount a number of challenging obstacles on their way to the grave site. The blend of tragicomic elements--one part funeral, one part calamity--makes this a fitting story for the Canadian clown and movement-based artists.

Also on stage for a short November run at Canadian Stage is Opus, featuring the legendary Australian performance troupe Circa accompanied by the world-renowned Debussy String Quartet.

Photo by David Cooper

Almost as long as there have been cars, there have been traffic jams in Toronto. Add road space and, like the ocean into a harbour, cars and vehicles arrive to fill it. It's been called the "fundamental rule" of traffic: greater road capacity leads directly to more cars and longer journeys.

With that thought it mind it should come as no surprise that Toronto's downtown streets have been a congested mess since before the 1930s, when people were driving Buick Series 40s and Plymouth Model 30Us and horse-drawn carts were still a relatively common mode of transportation.

To celebrate tonight's overnight lane closures on the Gardiner and the weekend shutdown of the subway between Eglinton and Bloor, here are some classic photos of Toronto traffic.

Traffic cop at King and Yonge streets, 1912.

Heavy traffic on Queen following a snowstorm on Christmas Eve 1924.

A congested Bay looking north from Adelaide, December 24, 1924.

Yonge near Albert (close to today's Eaton Centre) in December 1924.

Traffic jam, unknown location, circa. 1929.

Pedestrians spilling off the sidewalks at Queen and Yonge, August 31, 1929.

Street parking forces Yonge down to one lane north of Shuter February 17, 1930.

Yonge St. looking south from Albert St., August 31, 1929.

Crowds of people board Peter Witt streetcars at Queen and Yonge, August 31, 1929.

Cars at a standstill on Queens Park Crescent in 1936.

Cars squeeze under the rail underpass near Davenport Rd. in 1936.

Bumper-to-bumper traffic in 1954.

Cars cover the street at Bay and Temperance, 1954.

Construction forces traffic into a single lane in 1954.

Traffic cop looks on as a car fails to clear the intersection, 1954.

Queen and Yonge in 1954.

Rail underpass in 1954.

St. Clair traffic, 1954.

Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.

Images: City of Toronto Archives (as labeled.)

Craft beer delivered to your door. It's the dream of beer fans, extremely fat people, shut-ins, and extremely fat, beer-drinking shut-in across the world. And now it's available to people in cities across Ontario.

The Brew Box Company, founded by five young Torontonians with varying business backgrounds, arose from the recognition that there was a need for a service that could help Ontarians discover new and unique craft beer from independently owned brewers across the province. "We were at the Corned Beef House," co-founder Rob Jackiewicz tells me, "and I had just come back from Montreal with a couple cases of craft beer and we started wondering why it isn't possible to get a selection of good craft beer in Ontario without driving everywhere."

Offering tiered packages, members can opt for the introductory tier, which is $55 per month, or you can opt for a higher tier that runs $85 a month and focuses more on seasonal and small batch releases. The company aims to bring you as much beer for your dollar as they can and instead of a guaranteed monthly volume of beer, the selection will be based on value (i.e. you'll get what you pay for based on how much the beer costs, and not necessarily the same amount of bottles every month).

This second tier is also available on a bi-annual or quarterly basis for those who can't in good conscience commit to spending over a $1000 a year on beer delivery. For those looking to do one time orders, Brew Box will also do private deliveries and will pull together a case for you from one brewery or from several breweries for what they call "a high-value one-time purchase" (read: it'll probably cost you).

Their monthly deliveries include "brewery specific merchandise" and tasting notes so you can learn about the beers and read a little bit about the brewery that makes the beverages. While a perusal of the founding members' bios seems to come up pretty light when it comes to official "beer experience," the blog on the Brew Box Company website readily displays their enthusiasm for beer, and I get the sense that these guys aren't just in this to make a buck, but really appreciate the brews--generally a good thing when you're talking about a business related to craft beer.

Jackiewicz tells me that the company already services every urban area in Ontario and lists London, Ottawa, Hamilton, Niagara, Windsor, and Toronto as cities with members already.

The company's very first shipment went out in September and included The Blonde Ale, a spiced Belgian style blonde from Smithworks Brewing Company in Peterborough, Cheap Gold, a Belgian strong golden ale from Block 3 in St. Jacobs, and The Extra Special Bitter from Toronto's own Junction Craft Brewery.

13 breweries are currently in negotiations with the company to offer their beers in the mail and in addition to the above, Niagara on the Lake's Silversmith Brewery, Perth Brewery, Peterborough's Publican House, Toronto's Indie Ale House, Hogtown Brewing Company, and Brickworks Cider all already have formal agreements with the service.

The Brew Box Company is currently accepting new members and hopes to build awareness (and more capital) for expanding their idea with a kickstarter campaign in November. For more information, check out their (soon to be updated) website (their pricing structure only very recently changed so the site's info might not yet match the correct info that's written here. It will very soon).

Ben Johnson also writes about beer over on Ben's Beer Blog. Follow him on twitter @Ben_T_Johnson.

There are so many great Toronto club events announced already for November that the return of the massive stadium EDM party/branding exercise Bud Light Sensation didn't manage to muscle its way onto the list. Even the list of parties that didn't make the cut from Coda alone is overwhelming, including great acts like UK dancehall experimentalist The Bug, and lots of top shelf house talent, like Martinez Brothers (November 29) and Bob Moses (November 14).

A Tribe Called Red / November 7 / Danforth Music Hall / 8 pm / $33.75
The Ottawa DJ collective have come a long way since they first started mixing club beats with pow wow music: they've won a Juno, been shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize, and now headline increasingly big venues all over the world. Expect their full audio/visual production for this show.

DJ Sneak / November 8 / Coda / 10 pm / $20
Even before relocating to Toronto from Chicago, house veteran DJ Sneak always had a close relationship with our city, and his annual birthday parties have a long tradition. A staunch traditionalist, his approach to house is still very true to the kinds of highly influential records he put out in the mid-90s.

Al Kent / November 21 / Geary Lane / 9 pm / $10
The folks behind the Beam Me Up parties are bringing Glasgow disco hero Al Kent back to town for a night of rarities and special re-edits. They've also elected to go the old school warehouse route, and are throwing it at the increasingly active Geary Lane event space.

Joy Orbison / November 22 / Coda / 10 pm / $20
Over the past five years, UK DJ/producer Joy Orbison has emerged as one of the more unique voices in modern dance music, freely borrowing just as much from drum'n'bass as from house (not to mention techno and dubstep), and continues to surprise listeners with exciting new tangents.

Richie Hawtin / November 28 / Maison Mercer / 10 pm / $20
If you've only ever heard Canada's most famous techno DJ at one of his festival appearances, you're missing the magic that he can work in a more intimate club setting, especially playing on a powerful sound system like Maison Mercer's. Snap up a ticket quick, as demand will be high.

Photo of Richie Hawtin by Brian Morton

A consistent go-to for Hong Kong expats, Toronto natives and/or everyone in-between, this Chinese restaurant is known for dishes you won't otherwise find in Chinatown, like beef tenderloin with avocados and cashews or "tofu pie." They opened in 1976, but this Spadina fixture is still going strong - as you can tell by the inevitable lineups after 6:30pm.

Read my profile of Lee Garden in the restaurants section.

October was a good month for restaurant openings in Toronto, with an impressive new crop of kitchens finally ripening in time to take advantage of the fall harvest. Among the list of new dining destinations are also a number of hotly anticpated spin-offs from well-established favourites - namely, Buca's Yorkville outpost and Khao San Road's sophomore effort.

In no particular order, here are 10 Toronto restaurant openings that made me drool in October.

Buca (Yorkville)
Rob Gentile's third Buca outpost debuted posh new digs in Yorkville mid-month. The new all-day destination has already become instantly popular for scrupulously-crafted pizzas, pastas and seafood specialties.

Schmaltz Appetizing
Anthony Rose opened this little retail gem behind Fat Pasha this month, where Jewish delicacies like schmears, spreads and smoked, pickled and cured fish are available by weight for take-home bagel brunching, or crafted into thick sandwiches for quick consumption.

Fresh Off The Boat
Making a splash on Queen West, this new seafood-centric sandwich shop totally impressed me with overflowing Maine lobster rolls and deep-fried soft shell crab. It was an easy sell with Torontonians, considering the menu is big on three main things; seafood, deep-fried stuff and Sriracha.

Nana
The new spin off from Monte Wan of Khao San Road is now open on Queen Street. Serving up street food-style spins on Thai staples, the menu features an incredibly addictive Southern fried chicken laab as well as deep bowls of boat noodle soup.

Little Fin
This playful but pricey new take-out shop, from the same folks behind The Chase, hopes to get the Financial District hooked on fresh seafood for lunch. I thought the sandwiches were prohibitively expensive as a daily option, but I can get 100% behind the take-home lobster dinners on offer.

The Borough
October marked the first month for this new haven for locavores on the Danforth. The menu features the hallmarks of Brit-style gastropubs: chicken pot pie bites, bangers n' mash, and mini Yorkshire puddings with seared beef.

Buna's Kitchen
Lunchtime on Richmond and Spadina got a whole litter better this month with the arrival of this new eatery. On the opening menu, expect to find soups, salads and sandwiches stacked with toppings like duck confit and fried egg.

Louis Cifer Brew Works
The Danforth brew pub opened its doors this month to mixed reviews when it cames to the namesake beers, though the food menu, featuring stick-to-your-ribs-type pub grub (think wings, nachos, burgers and pot pies) has been well received. Kinks aside, it seems likely to do well in Greektown thanks to its comfortable, laid-back atmosphere and family-friendly attitude.

Bobbette & Belle
The Leslieville patisserie branched out this month with a second location on Yonge, north of Lawrence. Stocked with cupcakes, cookies and confections, the bakery-cafe has been only open for mere weeks and has already attracted a steady local following in love with its made-from-scratch offerings.

Gourmet Gringos
Beach(es) residents are probably rejoicing at the arrival of this well-established taco truck turned multi-location chain of express Mexican kitchens. The newest outpost can be found on Queen East, making top notch burritos, empanadas and quesadillas available for dine-in or take-out.

Photo of Buca Yorkville by Jesse Milns.

Photo by Jonavin in the blogTO Flickr pool.

In the heyday of neon signs immediately following the second world war, cities like Toronto were ablaze with brilliant enticements to eat, drink, sleep, or watch girls dance. The cost of maintenance and improvements in technology led most to ditch their signs in the decades that followed, but thankfully many still remain.

If the outcry over the potential loss of the Sam the Record Man sign taught us anything, it's that stick around long enough and your gloriously tacky sign has a chance of finding a place in our hearts. Honest Ed, I'm thinking of you.

Here's a short guide to the most iconic signs in Toronto.

Filmores
The front of the Dundas St. E. strip club is lit up like a neon Christmas tree every night, its marquee carrying titilating messages such as "merry XXXmas and a happy nude year," "feeling blue? ... our girls will cure what ails you," and "baseball is back and our girls are ready to play." The best parts are the giant neon lettering on the roof and the cocktail and treble clef above the doorway.

Zanzibar
Another strip club that's impossible to miss, Zanzibar on Yonge St., just north of Gould St., is covered in brightly coloured stars, the largest of which carries the name of the business in giant lettering. Up top near the roof, a scantily clad girl with a top hat and cane lures men like a neon siren.

Honest Ed's
The massive carnival-inspired sign on the outside of Honest Ed's has seen better days. Many of the 23,000 light bulbs have burnt out, the wiring is a mess, and rust eaten away at much of the internal structure, according to a 2013 Toronto Star story. When the store closes in 2016 the sign will likely vanish for good.

Massey Hall
The oversized, electric red marker outside Massey Hall has been casting a warm glow over the famous Shuter St. entrance to Toronto's most prestigious music hall for decades. When the hall gets its long-awaited overhaul, the distinctive fire escapes will vanish, but the sign will remain.

Maple Leaf Gardens marquee
There was a time when it looked like the famous black and white Carlton St. marquee outside Maple Leaf Gardens might hit the scrapheap, but thanks to a loving restoration, the sign once again proclaims the name of the stadium where the Beatles played their first Toronto concert and the Buds last won a cup.

El Mocambo
At time of writing the future of the El Mocambo sign is uncertain. The famous tropical sign for the famous Spadina Ave. music hall was put up for sale on eBay last week but removed a few days later. Co-owner Sam Grosso says it hasn't been sold (unlike the venue itself) so we will have to wait and see.

Royal York
The sign has changed over the years but neon lettering has graced the upper floors of the Royal York Hotel since the 1940s. Most recently Fairmont, the name of the company that operates the hotel, has been added in a scripted flourish above the name of the hotel.

Patrician Grill
The Patrician Grill is a weird little place. The squat one-storey box on King St. East keeps odd hours and is often acting as a backdrop for movies and TV shows, such as Suits and The Firm (it has also appeared on Due South.) The diner's neon sign shows just one word at night: "GRILL."

The Goof
Officially the Garden Gate Restaurant, "The Goof" owes its affectionate nickname to its classic diner-style neon sign. The electric lettering spells "GOOD" vertically and "FOOD" horizontally so that, when the "D" inevitably burnt out, the sign read "GOOF" and "OOD." The sign has now been updated to take advantage of the unfortunate design flaw.

The classic TTC subway sign
When the TTC opened the Yonge street subway in 1954, it debuted a modified version of its maroon and yellow logo with the word "SUBWAY" printed across the bottom. The signs appeared outside entrances, on maps, and other promotional material but, thanks to years of hodgepodge design standards, today the icon appears only sporadically.

BONUS: Canada Life beacon
Part stylish decoration, part public service, the Canada Life beacon ("The Thing" internally) is a icon of Toronto that, if you know how to read the code, flashes out a weather forecast; yellow lights move upward when the temperature is set to rise, move down when the weather is cooling, and remain stationary when the mercury is stable. The box at the top flashes red for rain or snow, solid red for grey skies, and solid green for clear weather.

Images: John Tavares, Matt, Ian Muttoo, Chris Lyn/blogTO Flickr pool, City of Toronto Archives; Series 381, File 298, Item 11847-16.

This was one of the first bakeries in Leslieville to offer gourmet cupcakes before the whole craze caught on, but that's not all this cozy country-style shop has to offer. Freshly baked cinnamon buns on weekends and reasonably priced (especially for this part of town) coffee are just a few of its other highlights.

Read my profile of Sweet Bliss in the bakery section.

The top tattoo artists in Toronto come from a thriving local scene. There is no arguing that tattoos have hit the mainstream, a fact underscored by Toronto's growing number of quality tattoo parlours. But with such a huge field to choose from who are you going to go to? Ask anyone with a tattoo and they're bound to have an opinion, but ask around and you'll see some regular names start to emerge.

These are my picks for the top 10 tattoo artists in Toronto.

Jay Decator, Passage Tattoo Parlour
Jay Decator's parlour is the definition of a custom shop. Built on a word-of-mouth reputation, he caters to those who know what they want. "When I started tattooing in '94, there was none of this "my own style" bullshit. You had to do everything and anything, or you wouldn't be paying rent," he says. "So we'd take their idea and interpret it in the cleanest, slickest, design possible. I still try to use as much of my customers ideas as I can while maintaining the integrity of the design."

Matt Ellis, Seven Crowns Tattoo
With skills honed at now defunct Way Cool Uptown, Matt Ellis quickly went on to become one of the most recognizable names in the local tattoo community. His colour work is easily amongst the best in the city. As conceptually solid as he is with his palette choices, Ellis creates stunning large-scale pieces that are more that just your run of the mill patchwork sleeve variety. He also helps those in need of cover up, and estimates that 40% of his work is of this nature.

Ronan Gibney, Imperial Tattoo
Ronan Gibney learned the trade the old fashioned way. "I was an eager 21 year old willing to answer phones, mop floors, scrub and sterilize equipment, and make line drawings of flash in exchange for the opportunity to be immersed in a professional shop environment," he says. Under the tutelage of Anthony Stephenson of Way Cool Uptown he built his trade on a solid foundation, and boasts a reputation for exceptional black and grey realism, a skill that's won him accolades at the Northern Ink Exposure convention.

David Glantz, Archive Tattoo Studio
Commended by media including Complex magazines' list of "50 Tattoo Artists You Need To Know," David Glantz is helping put Toronto on the map. Taking influences from the classical and contemporary, Glantz has developed a unique and highly sought after style. Starting his career with an apprenticeship at Lucky 13, he began sowing the seeds for his unique approach under their guidance.

Aaron Hill, Speakeasy Tattoo
In a list of the best of the best there's always room for a newcomer. Aaron Hill qualifies as exactly that. Many established artists have singled him out for praise, and in turn he speaks very respectfully of his predecessors. Hill did his apprenticeship at Good Points Tattoo in Oakville under artist, Cory Ferguson. During his tenure at Speakeasy, he's been filled with much work, including several high profile clients like Death From Above 1979's Jesse Keeler.

Derek Lewis, Lewis Family Tattoo Company
A strong illustrator, Derek Lewis brings a well-cultivated love for drawing to his tattoo work. "I grew up with comics, and just started copying them as a kid," he explains. "I do what's been called comic book realism. I guess it could be deemed illustrative as well. The "How to Draw the Marvel Way!" is a book I had given to me when I was younger, and its the one book I recommend to everyone that comes to me asking how."

Andreas Merrill, TCB Tattoo Parlour
Andreas Merrill has witnessed a lot of change in the 12 years he's been working exclusively in Toronto. TCB Tattoos, the shop he established with partner Scott McEwan in 2002, has become a mainstay of the burgeoning Toronto scene. If pressed to describe his style, Merrill would say it's "traditional with a bit of a biker tinge, but a little more modernized and clunky." But the 22-year veteran comes from a time when versatility was a job requirement. "It was very rare for some one to be specialized in some kind of folk-artsy style of tattooing and be busy back in the day."

Lizzie Renaud, Speakeasy Tattoo
Having worked with people she considers the best of the best in the Toronto community, Lizzie Renaud came by her considerable skills honestly. She is a consummate professional and takes what she does very seriously. "Every client is going to gravitate to their tattooer for a few reasons, but I like to think that I'm very reliable, so people can trust that I take their time seriously and know I'll be ready for them on appointment day." Her work is very bold, with a style she says "tows the line between American Traditional and illustration."

Chris Wellard, Chris Wellard Tattoo
Formerly of Passage Tattoo Parlour, Chris Wellard recently left to run his own private studio (launching this month) in conjunction with his fiancé's shop, Far Away Eyes. Wellard came to tattooing following a career in graphic design. "I studied at Sheridan College in Oakville and graduated with a job that I wasn't stoked on," he explains. "Three separate apprenticeships and a lot of hard work later, I am a tattooer." With a foundation built on Japanese and American traditional influences, Wellard has become known for tattooing that is graphic, bold and balanced.

Eric Newstead, The Okey Doke Tattoo Shop
Eric Newstead has been tattooing professionally since 1995. Originally apprenticing under Oz Paredes at Tat-a-rama, he moved on to New Tribe after a five year stint. As he approached his 40s, he decided to open the doors to his own shop in 2011. The Okey Doke has slowly been building its reputation as a pretension-free destination. A playful attitude is reflected in his installation of the Tattoo Vending Machine at the shop.

Who did I miss? Add your favourite Toronto tattoo artists to the comments.

Photos by Ryan Bolton and Denis Marciniak

Cheap gyms in Toronto are increasing in number, just as the grumbling over exorbitant gym fees is increasing in volume. It's a common tale: You throw down the dough for a gym membership, promising yourself you'll get your money's worth, then let that card sit in your wallet all year long. (Maybe you even thought spending all that money would motivate you to work out. You masochist, you.)

Of course, high hopes and good intentions are no match for a busy lifestyle - and heck, maybe you really are a workout junkie, but don't want to have to pay for an on-site masseuse and a raw kombucha bar when a couple of cardio machines will do just fine. Whater camp you fall into, these cheap and low-commitment gyms will help you get your butt and your bank account in shape.

Striation 6
Commitmentphobes, take note: This brand-new gym near Yonge and Davisville offers pay-as-you-go workouts: You just show up, plunk down your $6, and get to use their array of workout machines. If you actually end up following through on that vow to work out three times a week and come back 10 times in a month (for a total of $60), all subsequent workouts are free.

Hone Fitness
Billing itself as "Toronto's first $10 gym," Hone at Yonge and Isabella is already earning itself some steady buzz around town. You can either spring for the $10 monthly package, which gets you access to their 170 pieces of training equipment, or the $20 membership, which gets you unlimited tanning/massage, a 30-minute health assessment, and half-price drinks at the front cash (ooh). Mercifully, neither package requires a membership.

Fit 4 Less
Goodlife's little-sister chain of budget gyms is making inroads into the GTA, with locations in North York, Mississauga, Scarborough and one more on the way to Etobicoke. They're also making a name on a $10 monthly membership fee, which requires a one-year membership commitment; their $20 tier comes without a contract and allows transferring between family and friends.

World Gym Scarborough
World Gym is part of the sister chain to Gold's; their Scarborough location is open 24 hours and features weights and cardio machines, a basketball court, and extras like a smoothie bar and child care. They currently have a no-frills membership available at just $10 a month, and a $20 all-access tier (plus a $79 registration charge and a $19 card fee - apparently, even cheap comes at a price).

Did we miss any? Leave your favourite place to work out for $30 or less a month in Toronto in the comments.

Photo by Jesse Milns

The top concerts in Toronto this November have stiff competition - that stiff competition being spending what is known in some circles as Kafka's month (those circles being the bags under my eyes) curled up on a burrito blanket next to the space heater at home. Thankfully, this month local promoters are working overtime to do everything they can to save you from a firey improperly positioned space heater fate.

If the list below doesn't prove that to you, Deerhoof, Pup, Ryan Hemsworth, Petra Glynt, Bob Dylan, Johnny Marr, Thee Oh Sees, Ghostface Killah, Rae Spoon, Gordan Lightfoot and Sloan are among the noteworthy artists also touching down in November. Sarah McLachlan is in town to croon you into a little kitten ball of weepy tear-matted fur, and if you really like to cry there's The Ataris at Lee's (or uh, Slipknot). See our dance preview for A Tribe Called Red and more. I'm not going to touch the Amanda Palmer appearance.

Before we start I have to say, Toronto, your Halloween missed connections are a let down, and you're not going to land a date if you can't even spell Twin Peaks.

Here are the November's must-see concerts in Toronto.

Tanya Tagaq - November 6 - The Great Hall
The winner of the 2014 Polaris Prize is in Toronto on Thursday. If you haven't seen Tagaq perform, you are not a good listener, or you have trust issues, because I'm guessing someone has told you to check her out. Watch below knowing that her genre and tradition bending music is infinitely more impressive in person.

Mac Demarco - November 6 - Danforth Music Hall
Two Polaris nominees in one night? That's Toronto. All I remember about Demarco's Polaris Prize performance is coveralls, which might be a good merch idea for Mac 2015. If you're looking for an indie entertainer with oodles of charm, look no further.

Feast in the East - November 7 - Jam Factory
Do live shows make you hungry? This east end tradition will feature some of Toronto's most beloved garage/stoner groups: Teenanger, The Soupcans, Hooded Fang, and Rotzig (ddmmyyyy) and a "Soylent" dinner by local weirdo Tough Guy Mountain. I'm not sure if I want to eat something Tough Guy Mountain on the off chance it turns my vision into computer pixels, but okay.

Kevin Drumm & Jason Lescalleet, Knurl, Advice - November 9 - Double Double Land
Noise pick of the month is this dream collab between scene lords Kevin Drumm and Jason Lescalleet. Read Tad's description, he knows what he's talking about.

alt-J - November 11 - Kool Haus
Ever since winning the Mercury Prize, indie Brits alt-J have been riding a pretty Awesome Wave (sorry, had to) of success. Despite losing a member - guitarist Gwil Sainsbury - the band's still been releasing tracks with the catchy, harmony-laden hooks that fans are addicted to. When you see them at the Kool Haus, their second album (This Is All Yours) will have dropped, so you'll have twice the familiar jams for sing-alongs. SK

TV On The Radio - November 12 - Phoenix Concert Theatre
They already came through Toronto for Luminato this summer, but the curfew-shortened set was probably enough for neither band or fans, so it's a good thing that TOTR are coming back for round two. Expect high-energy performances of their eclectic indie-rock brew, which they always seem to effortlessly translate to stage despite the complex and multi-layered nature of their songs. The exciting news of new LP Seeds means that you can probably hear a few live previews before it drops the following week. SK

Reykjavik Calling - November 15 - Horseshoe
This year's free (free!) Taste of Iceland concert will feature four acts from indie pop mecca Iceland: Retro Stefson, Young Karin, Hermigervill, and Uni Stefson. LYON (Toronto) is also on the bill.

Not Dead Yet Music Fest - November 22-23
Stuck in the City's hardcore punk festival Not Dead Yet is back and they're pretty impressed with the line up - and have a right to be. Venues S.H.I.B.G.B's, Sneaky Dee's, Nocturne, Hard Luck, The Garrison, Magpie, Soybomb, and more are in for hosting shows for the likes of Forward, Perfect Pussy, Iron Lung, Career Suicide, Destruction Unit, Pleasure Leftists, S.H.I.T., and way more. Naturally the fest offers tons of all-ages options for the wee ones.

Still Boys + Zoo Owl + Bataille Solaire - November 22 - Music Gallery
One of our bands to watch in 2014, solo electronic artist Zoo Owl will make an appearance at the much lauded Music Gallery, along with Still Boys, a local project where performance art and music meld in a terror-scape you cannot look away from - or stop dancing to.

Caribou - November 24 - Danforth Music Hall
Electronic wizard Dan Snaith has put aside his Daphni moniker to refocus on main project Caribou, much to the delight of experimental music fans. New album Our Love is due in October and promises to deliver more innovative genre-fusion with the help of Owen Pallet and Jesse Lanza guesting on tracks. Flanked with a full set of live musicians, Caribou's live shows are always a flurry of instruments, lights, projections, and dance-worthy beats, so it'll definitely be worth your while. SK

Run the Jewels - November 26 - Danforth Music Hall
El-P and Killer Mike's tag team project Run The Jewels delivers thought provoking hip hop in a context where a cuddly, cat-focused Meow the Jewels side scheme is totally acceptable. Cat lovers and hip hop fans: the venn diagram. (I can't confirm if the rappers will be performing as or with cats.)

Skinny Puppy - November 28 - Sound Academy
No, they're not from Toronto so they didn't make our goth band list, but these legends of industrial music have strong ties to the city's darkling community, and the Sound Academy show is sure to be a who's who of people who still keep studded jackets in their fall repertoire and who really nail down the complaining about Sound Academy thing, since complaining is like, their thing. Our thing.

Blonde Redhead - November 29 - Horseshoe Tavern
What are Blonde Redhead up to lately? Hint: being as amazing live as ever (oh, and a new album). It's positively magical that they're playing the relatively tiny Horseshoe venue.

See also

• November dance parties in Toronto
• Top concerts this fall in Toronto
• Just Shows

Contributions by Shazia Khan

Photo by Matt Forsythe

Free events in Toronto this week are the solution to the problem posed by the current state of capitalism in this country wherein Halloween candy cannot be traded for goods and services in 99.9% of all life-supporting establishments and worthy enterainment venues. My experiences at No Frills today support this.

From Day of the Dead to free cookies, here are your free alternatives to autumn leaf photography in Toronto this week.

MONDAY

• New Music 101: Reference Library Mobile Performance (Balzac's, Ref Library)
• Comedy + Karaoke Mondays (The Social Capital)
• Playwrights Canada Press's Thirtybash (Hotel Ocho)
• Les heures/Ah! La lettre!/ Germaine Liu [PWYC] (Ratio)

TUESDAY

• Everyday Miracles: A Michelle Latimer Retrospective [PWYC] (Videofag)
• BL PRINT :: an arachnidiscs showcase :: COLIN FISHER & MIKE GENNARO // HOLIDAY RAMBLER // BEARD CLOSET // THE UNQUIET GRAVE [PWYC] (Smiling Buddha)

WEDNESDAY

• enRoute Film Festival (Scotiabank Theatre)
• Sheniz Janmohamed Reads at the Brockton Writers Series (Full of Beans)
• Words at the Wise (Wisebar)
• QUEER CAB - BUDDIES' MONTHLY QUEER YOUTH OPEN MIC NIGHT [PWYC] (Buddies in Bad Times)
• Jay Pollock [PWYC] The Cameron House)
• Toronto Queer Lit Night [PWYC] (Steady)

THURSDAY

• STANDARDS Music Trivia (Junction City Music Hall)
• SpeakEasy's November Jam Session (Studio O)

FRIDAY

• Culture talks @ Goethe: Pedro Ferreira (Goethe-Institut)
• Tell Me Something Good: November Sexy Storytelling Slam - Playground Edition (Holiday Inn)
• Great Books Lecture Series: Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist" (Wychwood Library)
• Damaged Goods [Before 11pm] Parts & Labour)

SATURDAY

• Day of the Dead (Harbourfront Centre)
• A Very Special Afternoon In Paradise With Adam Gorham and Gibson Quarter (Paradise Comics)
• Cookiepalooza! (Degrees Kitchen Store)
• A Concert of Remembrance (Yorkminster Park Baptist Church)
• Teenage Template presents "#NOTMTL" [PWYC] (White House)

SUNDAY

• New Star Books and BookThug's Book Launch (Supermarket)
• Immigrant Women Small Business Expo 2014 (Metro Hall)
• That Choir Remembers (Metropolitan United Church)
• Lizzie Violet's Cabaret Noir featuring Cate McKim, Supertash and Roberto Angelis AKA Muther Tung [PWYC] (The Central)

Also check out these regular free events

• Elvis Mondays at the Drake
• Foosball Battle Royale, Monday, Disgraceland
• Art Gallery of Ontario free evening, Wednesday, 6-8:30pm.
• IFOA Weekly, free for supporters, students, & youth under 26, Wednesday, Harbourfront Centre
• Skin of My Nuts Comedy Show, Thursday, Sonic Espresso Bar
• Canadian Opera Company's Free Concerts series
• While nearly all art galleries in the city are free to enter, it's worth noting The Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA) is always PWYC.
• The ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) offers discounted tickets on Fridays ($10).

Do you want everyone to know about your kinda random free or pay-what-you-can event? Submit it to our event section. (You can also submit your for-money events here, greedy-pants.)

Photo by Anna Sakin via Flickr

Photo by Tony Mo in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Today in Toronto English indie rockers The 1975 are at Kool Haus for a second night, and though it's a stiff $40 ticket, chances to see shows in the venue are getting slim. The excitement over the new Stanley Kubrick exhibit at the TIFF Lightbox will have died down, so you can check it out in peace and quiet. Check out our preview here. You can also learn about Reiki for Pets - yeah. For more events, click on over to our events section.

• Music: New Music 101: Reference Library Mobile Performance (Balzac's, Ref Library)
• Comedy/Music: Comedy + Karaoke Mondays (The Social Capital)
• Theatre: Playwrights Canada Press's Thirtybash (Hotel Ocho)
• Music: Les heures/Ah! La lettre!/ Germaine Liu [PWYC] (Ratio)
• Art/Film: Stanley Kubrick (TIFF Lightbox)
• Music: The 1975 (Kool Haus)

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

Photo of Kool Haus by Alejandro Santiago

UK producer extraordinaire, Aaron Jerome brought his masked alter-ego SBTRKT to The Danforth Music Hall for a two-night stint over Halloween weekend. What should have been one of the best costume-concert dance parties in the city on Halloween night was apparently stopped dead in its zombie make-up as technical difficulties prevented that show from really rising from the grave.

Fortunately technical issues were sorted on night two, the final date on their North American tour. On Saturday, SBTRKT executed a nearly flawless set of soulful, bass-heavy cuts from their excellent self-titled 2011 album and 2014's Wonder Where We Land.

Conspicuously absent from the stage were any of the guest vocalists that provide SBTRKT's post-dubstep with so much of its cross-over pop-appeal. This includes frequent collaborator Sampha who handles the majority of lead-vocals across their two LP's.

In their stead, Jerome brought a live drummer and an auxiliary keys/sampler/e-percussionist to flank his centre-station full of analogue synths, samplers, keyboards, computers, molecular transporters, a replicator - seriously, it looked like the bridge of the starship Enterprise up there. The band managed to elevate the backing tracks and canned vocals into a legitimate live experience.

Jerome lead his face-painted away-team through extended versions of "Look Away", "Trials of the Past", "Never Never", and the super-funky "New Dorp, New York". Every song was presented as a new frontier to be explored, a fresh subject to be dissected, and the band was surgically precise.

Jerome was bouncing tirelessly from synth to synth, module to module, cutting up live samples and mixing effects as the band built and deconstructed tracks in real-time. This was a masterclass on how dance music can be done live. What is offered on record as succinct electronic-pop became long-form explorations into beats, sampling and production.

Ethereal visuals were projected on a screen downstage while pulsing strobes and sweeping lasers held the house in visual awe. The real fun began when the 80's disco-nouveaux of "Pharaohs" kickstarted the dance-party everyone was waiting for. "Wildfire" warmed the icy Danforth Music Hall to the point where people could shed their layers and their inhibitions.

By the time they started their four-song encore, sensory overload had become a way of lyfe. Yet SBTRKT unlocked a new level of hyper-stimulus as their remix/redux of Radiohead's "Lotus Flower" dissolved into a percussion-frenzied tribal-house free-for-all. It was an unbelievable finale of flashing lights and thumping bass and hoots and hollers and hands in the air. Fantastic and spectacular - SBTRKT's live show was redeemed in Toronto.

Photos by Alejandro Santiago

This neighbourhood institution has been in business for almost half a century, and is locally famous for its greasy old school pies, panzerotti, and arguably the best Italian sandwiches in Little Italy. (Broke locals know to stack a panzo inside of a sandwich - don't knock it 'til you've tried it.)

Read my profile of Bitondo's Pizzeria & Sandwiches in the restaurant section.

It's been a tumultuous past few years for this cafe, which served both Village denizens and Ryerson students looking for some serious espresso since 2010. After a new condo development booted them from their previous space around the corner, they found a new home around the corner, where owner Stuart Ross is now slinging their signature espresso drinks.

Read my profile of the new Bulldog Coffee in the cafes section.

The annual Sorauren Park Pumpkin Parade took place on Saturday as hundreds of lucky folks with intact jack-o'-lanterns put their best carving skills on display. While there were no Rob Ford pumpkins this year (thankfully), snakes, dragons, and a CBC reference kept things interesting.

Check out all the best pumpkins in this photo gallery.