Toronto will play host to the fourth in a series of important international art festivals in the new year. Co-organized by Raster Gallery in Warsaw and Art Metropole, over 20 contemporary art galleries will take over Union Station between January 16-23rd for Villa Toronto.

While not all the details have been made public, the participating galleries have been revealed. It's an impressive lineup, including locals like Jessica Bradley, Cooper Cole, Clint Roenisch, and Erin Stump alongside international spaces like i8 (Reykjavik), IBID Projects (London/LA), Johann König (Berlin), LABOR (Mexico City), Misako & Rosen (Tokyo), and of course Raster.

The first in the Villa series of festivals took place in Warsaw in 2006 and gathered together 10 galleries from Europe and the US. The series then headed to to Reykjavik in 2010 and Tokyo in 2011. The Toronto iteration marks a return of sorts for the festival, which promises to feature a host of "collateral events held by major Toronto institutions, [including] concerts, performances, and discussions."

In short, this sounds like a big deal. And while Union Station doesn't promise to be as interesting as a villa in Warsaw or an impromptu art district in Reykjavik, it's a novel use for a gorgeous Toronto space and hell of a lot more intriguing than another art fair. Stay tuned for more information about the performance-based events, and mark your calendars for what already sounds like the art event of 2015 in Toronto.

Photo by Ben Roffelsen in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Photo by Paul Hillier in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Holiday concerts in Toronto this year have the usual array of punk, rap, and long hair, plaid-button-down indie rock shows, but never fear - we have some outsider fringe picks for the oh-so-cynical and edgy sing-a-long chorus set. O come all ye faithful / suspicious but tolerant of supernatural themes: there are ways to embrace the season whether you're a Grinch or you're burning to belt out your holiday favourites in a mosh pit.

Here are my picks for holiday concerts in Toronto this year.

Telephone Explosion Xmas Party (December 5, S.H.I.B.G.B.S)
Toronto record label Telephone Explosion invites you to "come get sloppy" at their annual punk X-mas party. This year's line-up includes the Soupcans, Teenanger, and LIDS, an 'old/new' band featuring Brian from Holy Fuck, Doug from The Cons, and Alex from Metz. Merch will be discounted in the spirit of the season, tickets are $10, and it's all ages.

Jason Collett's Basement Revue (December 5, 12, 26, The Dakota)
This year's Basement Revue shows might be the break you need from the carols and sleigh bells blasting through the radio. There's always an element of surprise as you don't know who will be performing (from music to slam poetry). Previous years have included Feist and Metric's James Shaw performing Pink Floyd's "Nobody's Home" on piano. Tickets are $25 in advance.

Singing Out Christmas Show (December 6, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts)
Toronto's favourite LGBTQ choir won't let you down this holiday season as they host their 23rd annual Closer to the Flame Christmas concert. The concert will be performed twice this year, one matinee and one evening show, both on December 6. Tickets are $25 and are available on their website.

Andy Kim Christmas Show (December 10, Mod Club)
It's been ten years since Andy Kim's first Christmas show and this year's confirmed guests include Kevin Drew and LIGHTS. Tickets are $25.

The Wooden Sky's Fifth Annual Holiday Revue (December 16, 918 Bathurst)
At The Wooden Sky's 5th annual charitable holiday revue the musical line-up will be complimented by a holiday market for local artists and craft-makers. Other performers include One Hundred Dollars and Highest Order. Tickets are $20 and all proceeds will go to the Daily Bread Food Bank.

Handel's Messiah (December 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, Roy Thompson Hall)
This is a holiday classic. For some it's not really Christmas until Handel's Messiah is ringing through their ears. This year, like every other, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra will perform the masterpiece with Toronto's Mendelssohn Choir a whopping five times. Tickets range from about $40 - $110.

Kardinal Offishall's 16th Annual Christmas Party (December 18, The Everleigh)
This will be Kardinal's 16th annual bash at The Everleigh Club on December 18th. More information has yet to be released. The less you know, the more you want to go, right?

Unsilent Night (December 19, Music Gallery)
Not quite a flash mob but still you can experience what it is to be a part of something bigger than your usual Christmas caroling. Forget caroling door-to-door, this original composition by Philip Kein is meant to be sung outdoors and has been performed across the world, in 98 countries. Klein wrote this as homage to his love of caroling and electronic music. Admission is PWYC.

Sing-Along Messiah (December 21, Massey Hall)
What's Christmas without repeating Hallelujah about 1000 times? Boring. Sing-along to Handel's Messiah at Massey Hall to get enough Hallelujah's to last you a lifetime. Don't worry, there's no audition and you'll be backed by professional singers to help you through the toughest high notes.

Blue Rodeo (December 21, Danforth Music Hall)
Here's another chance to give to charity with the Toronto music scene. Blue Rodeo will perform with friends at their Christmas show for a last-call to get some holiday cheer before the big day. All the proceeds from the concert will go to The Daily Bread Food Bank. Tickets are $50.

What did I miss? Add other holiday concerts to the comments.

Lead photo by zakonslike

Gerrard is an unusual Toronto street. Unofficially divided into two parts, upper and lower, the former spears east from University through Cabbagetown, Regent Park, East Chinatown, and Little India before abruptly terminating at Coxwell. A few hundred metres north, lower Gerrard (once called Lake View Ave.) takes the street east to its terminus between Victoria Park and Warden. Two streets under the name of Samuel Gerrard.

The street's namesake was a businessman and friend of Capt. John McGill, receiver-general of Upper Canada from 1813 to 1822. Curiously, Gerrard St. used to have a tiny twin at Carlaw Ave. The small road, which could be renamed to avoid confusion, is a relic leftover from before the road was reconfigured to pass under the railway tracks.

In a fairer world, the TTC's 506 Carlton streetcar might be called the Gerrard streetcar instead of being named for a street it follows for barely 8 percent of its 14.8 km length (on the other hand, the Gerrard portion of the 506 accounts for almost half the line.) It's like calling the King streetcar the 504 Broadview.

Here's a look back at what Gerrard Street used to look like.

Store selling Old Chum tobacco and Coca Cola, Gerrard and Bay.

The Ontario College of Pharmacy, the first eductational facility of its kind in Canada, erected this building at Gerrard and Church in 1887. It was demolished in 1963.

Looking west on Gerrard to Allan Gardens.

Row housing near Gerrard and Sumach, before construction of Regent Park.

Victorian terrace between Sumach and River streets.

Small house, just before the Don bridge, heading east.

The old Gerrard St. bridge over the Don River.

The isolation hospital at Gerrard and Broadview, which has now evolved into Bridgepoint Health.

The Riverdale branch of the Toronto Public Library at Broadview.

Gerrard and Broadview track replacement, looking southeast.

Chimney cleaning required a long ladder and nerves of steel in 1936.

Gerrard and Carlaw. The streetcar tracks curving north were part of the lost Harbord line, which once snaked its way down Pape from the Danforth, west on Riverdale Ave., south on Carlaw, west on Gerrard to Broadview and through downtown to Davenport and Lansdowne via Dundas, Spadina, Harbord, and Ossington. The route was abandoned when the Bloor-Danforth line opened in 1966.

The art deco Gerrard St. fire hall near Gerrard and Carlaw. Now Toronto Fire Station 324.

The International Varnish Co. complex which used to at the northeast corner of Carlaw and Gerrard. Today, it's a No Frills supermarket.

The newly completed underpass at Carlaw. Note the streetcar tracks curving north.

The Conger Lehigh Coal Co. building on the north side of Gerrard, just west of Pape.

An unidentified section of Gerrard St. when it was still a dirt track through the trees.

A half house on Gerrard.

The south side of Gerrard near Hastings Ave.

Looking west along Gerrard over Greenwood. The dip in the land is a (now) lost creek on the old Ashbridge family farm.

Crowds at Greenwood Ave. wait to board the first streetcar on Gerrard.

Kids line up for a photo on Gerrard St.

The section of Gerrard that was severed when the new rail underpass was created. Confusingly, it's still called Gerrard.

North side of Gerrard, just west of Pape near present day Gerrard Square. It still looks pretty much the same.

Another bucolic scene on an unidentified stretch of Gerrard.

Looking west on Gerrard at Main St.

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

Images: City of Toronto Archives (as marked)

Sherry, Spain's multi-purpose fortified wine, has found its way into the Toronto drinking scene of late. Having spent the best part of the last 25 years consigned to the back shelves of the LCBO and harbouring a reputation as a tongue-coating grandma's drink, it's currently being reconsidered, reimagined, and repurposed as it finds a place in many of the city's top dining establishments.

First of all, sherry is much lighter in body and alcohol content than hard liquor. Secondly, depending on the style, it offers all manner of fragrant qualities: manzanilla and other fino sherries will give delicious almond flavours with a pungent flor, and sometimes even a light saltiness, while oloroso styles will offer a deep, rich, nuttiness. Finally, sherry is probably the last product available in the LCBO that offers real value for money (at least for now).

Here are my top five picks for sherry cocktails in Toronto.

Geraldine - Cigarettes & Smiles ($14)
The historical appeal of sherry fits in very nicely with Geraldine's post-Victorian styling, reminiscent of a Gatsby party. Johnnie Walker Scotch whisky and apricot liqueur are stirred up with amontillado (fino sherry), with a touch of orange flower water and Coster's coffee & cigarette bitters.

Lo Pan - Geisha ($14)
A sour-style cocktail made with yuzu in place of lemon juice, Lo Pan's Shane Mulvany shakes up fino, beefeater gin, and ginger liqueur with egg white and the aforementioned asian citrus fruit. It's bright, with a palate-cleansing spice that's ideal after indulging in the fare downstairs.

Bar Isabel - Lobo de la Noche ($15)
Two types of sherry make their way into this drink, available at the only Spanish restaurant on our list. Both Tio Pepe fino, and Osborne Pedro Ximenez (a dark and rich sherry made from sun-dried grapes) are stirred with Bulleit Rye bourbon and Angostura bitters.

Cocktail Bar - Tailor of Panama ($15)
Jen Agg is one of Toronto's original craft bartenders, dating back to well before forging her mini Hoof empire (she used to mix up drinks at Cobalt, probably the first serious cocktail bar in Toronto). Using the richer, nuttier Oloroso sherry, this tiny speakeasy mixes up Abuelo rum with Lillet (a fortified wine from Bordeaux) and Cynar (a bitter artichoke-based liqueur similar to amaro).

Thoroughbred - Catalina Wine Mixer ($13)
This new spot in the Entertainment District has excelled at blurring the lines between restaurant and bar, with a DJ converting the downstairs dining room into a dancefloor within seconds of the end of dinner service. Heading in a fruitier direction for this cocktail, Tio Pepe fino is shaken up with strawberry cordial, gin, Aperol, and a black pepper tincture.

Photo of Geraldine

The top events in Toronto this December should keep your mind off the horrors of family gatherings past and (possibly, you masochist) future, instead warming your frosted heart at dance parties, craft and fashion expos, art exhibits and more. If you are feeling the spirit, there are plenty of holiday concerts and gift markets on the horizon, and we'll have a full guide to New Year's Eve decadence coming at you soon enough.

Here are my picks for must-attend events in Toronto this December.

Union Station Holiday Market (December 1 - 7, Union Station)
While the massive One of a Kind Show, also on until December 7th, is the dominant force in the city's holiday craft scene, this newcomer is mighty intriguing. Local vendors will pack Union Station (which isn't already a chaotic mess or anything) for one week - here's everything you need to know.

IIDEXCanada, (December 3-4, Metro Toronto Convention Centre)
A design fan's paradise, IIDEX runs on the first Wednesday and Thursday of December this year. Canada's National Design and Architecture Exposition & Conference's array of ideas and artistry will include hundreds of exhibitors plus keynotes and industry seminars.

Human Rights Film Festival (December 5-7, TIFF)
December isn't as film fest-addicted as November, what with all the sprees of Christmas nostalgia on TV, but the Jayu's 3rd Annual Human Rights Film Festival should get you in a charitable spirit. The theme is pretty timely: "persecution, women, and children." Check out the schedule here.

Koffler Couture: Designer Vintage Sale(December 7-8, Koffler Gallery)
Want to wear Chanel home to the trailer park? Me too. Koffler Gallery at Artscape Youngplace wants to set you up with vintage designer duds for cheap. Pro tip: chant Versace over and over until spending $50 on the VIP showing and free champagne starts to seem cool.

City of Craft (December 12 - 14, Theatre Centre)
Toronto's favourite craft show is a must-hit. High quality wares by deftly curated established and/or promising local crafters and artisans will be on sale amid installations and workshops at the new Theatre Centre.

Art Spiegelman Retrospective (December 20, 2014 - March 15, 2015, AGO)
Pulitzer Prize winner and one of the Time's 100 Most Influential People, the Maus cartoonist's work is a thrill to see in person. The AGO exhibit will include rarely seen works from Spiegelman's career, including the autobiographical continuous strip called Portrait of the Artist as a Young %@?*!.

Stout Night (December 20, Indie Ale House)
In the Junction, the Indie Alehouse's 3rd annual Stout Night is where beer snobs want to be. Don't get confused - the two Ontario stout tasting sessions are actually afternoon/early evening-ish: 1-4pm and 5-8pm. Both will be at IA's barrel at 165 Geary Ave.

25th Annual Kensington Market Winter Solstice (December 21, August Ave)
Do you want to play with fire, little girl? The Kensington Market Winter Solstice will fill Augusta with night-defying antics, complete with puppets on stilts and a healthy dose of pyrotechnics and fire jugglers. If you want to help out, donate to their Kickstarter here.

Solaris Winter Music Fest (December 26, Direct Energy Centre)
On Boxing Day, EDM fans can get a head start on NYE and dance off their sins with Skrillex, Kaskade, Boys Noize, Adventure Club, Tchami, and 3LAU and more. This is one of those all ages dance parties City Hall isn't fond of, so enjoy the glowsticks while you can, little elves.

What's in the Box (Boxing Day Week, The Drake)
This annual party series at the Drake gives a warm home to those who haven't flown east or west to gorge themselves on homestyle cooking. The lineup for this year's multi day fest is TBA, but expect live bands, dancing, and way less drama than Auntie Anne's.

See also

The top dance parties in Toronto December 2014
The top 10 art shows in Toronto for winter 2014
Holiday craft shows in Toronto for 2014
The top 10 holiday concerts in Toronto for 2014

For more events this weekend click on over to our Events section. Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit it for free using this form.

What did I miss? Add other December events in the comments.

Photo by Christian Bobak

Toronto's longstanding reputation as an uptight puritan town often overshadows our vibrant underground queer history. After all, how else would our massive Pride celebrations easily dwarf San Francisco's, if there weren't such a strong local queer community? Not surprisingly, evidence of that defiantly homo undercurrent has long run through Toronto's music scene, even if it wasn't always immediately recognized.

Toronto's earliest well known out musician was Jackie Shane, a talented R&B singer who'd relocated from Nashville to become one of the biggest names on the raucous 1960s Yonge Street strip. Shane attracted a lot of attention for his androgynous style, often wearing full makeup, sequins, and gloriously big hair. While this kind of flamboyance wasn't generally accepted, being an exceptionally charismatic entertainer seemed to allow Shane to get away with it.

He even had a local radio hit in 1963, when his version of "Any Other Way" reached number two on the CHUM chart. While most radio listeners likely didn't catch the way he twisted the meaning of the line "tell that I'm happy, tell her that I'm gay," anyone who caught him playing live would have quickly picked up on the subtext. Shane disappeared before his career could really take off, but in more recent years his recordings have been rediscovered by a new generation of soul music fans.

It wasn't long after Jackie Shane first pushed up against Toronto's homophobia that Carole Pope and Kevan Staples began testing the sexual boundaries even more. Performing under various names starting in 1968, in 1975 they finally settled on their most well known moniker: Rough Trade. If their name wasn't enough of a hint, Pope's habit of performing in bondage gear made their queerness more explicit, not to mention the lascivious lyrical content.

Before they became famous for their 1981 hit "High School Confidential," Rough Trade had already made queer culture integral to their image by putting on a musical called Restless Underwear with the legendary drag queen Divine.

Nevertheless, that didn't stop the song from blowing up, even if some meeker radio stations insisted on censoring that infamous "she makes me cream my jeans when she walks my way" line. The band faced similar issues over the descriptions of a gay male couple in the song "Crimes Of Passion," but there was no way to make the band straight just by removing a few lines.

Rough Trade's impact on other musicians was as important as the effect they had on fans. Their controversial 1982 performance at the Juno Awards (in which Pope sang the 'cream' lyric against the wishes of the organizers) helped inspire k.d. lang to come out of the closet, and they've been covered by pre-Peaches Merrill Nisker, Lesbians On Ecstasy, and even Dusty Springfield (who briefly dated Pope).

The '80s Queen West new wave scene was a hotbed of queerness in general, as was the early punk scene. That burgeoning activist mentality was unexpectedly thrust into mainstream when Parachute Club's 1983 equal rights anthem "Rise Up" became a huge pop hit.

It's obvious, however, that many missed the subtext behind lines like "we want freedom to love who we please," which was a reference to the infamous 1981 gay bathhouse raids that sparked Toronto's early gay rights protests. When McCain tried to use the song for a for a frozen pizza commercial, the band successfully sued to regain control of their material, although that wouldn't stop Canada's right wing from attempting to misappropriate the gay rights song during the 1999 United Alternative convention to bring together the Reform Party and the Progressive Conservatives.

The 80s also saw the a cappella group the Nylons moving from the afterhours scene to the pop charts, despite the unlikely selling point of the concept of the band: a gay barbershop quartet. Apparently some US versions of their debut album removed the line about "discos and gay cabarets" from the song "The Kind Of Man," so at least some in the music industry were concerned about potential controversy.

Over the years the band has had straight members as well, but their strong links to the gay community have never been hidden.

Far away from the pop charts and commercial radio, Toronto's post-punk scene was also becoming more outspokenly homo. Fifth Column had few contemporaries in 1982 when they began recording their fiercely feminist and queer-positive experimental punk songs, and they've since been credited with inspiring and helping kickstart both the queercore and riot grrrl movements.

Their song The Fairview Mall Story documented the police harassment of men cruising washrooms in the St. Catharines mall, and Kathleen Hanna has said she thought they were a much better band than Bikini Kill. The fanzine J.D.'s that they ran with Bruce La Bruce also helped create a visual record of what would later become queercore.

The beginnings of the underground house scene was also a fertile breeding ground for queer culture '80s Toronto. While legendary after hours club the Twilight Zone wasn't officially a gay club, it attracted such a diverse crowd that many saw it that way.

Of course it also helped that the bouncers would tell groups of rowdy bros that it was a gay party to help scare away the types of dudes who couldn't handle partying with queers. Industry Nightclub continued that tradition of mixed sexuality crowds when it ruled the after hours scene in the late 90s.

The gay party scene also had a big impact on the rock world, mostly through the influence of Will Munro's innovative queer punk dance party Vazaleen, as well as the many other quirky parties he ran until brain cancer cut his life far too short in 2010. While not a musician himself, the influence he had on the larger music scene of Toronto was immense, and brought a queer consciousness to even the straightest corners of the indie and punk scenes.

Vazaleen helped nurture a whole generation of gay musicians. Acts like the Hidden Cameras found a ready audience for their concept of "gay church music." Peaches found her most receptive early local audiences within that scene, even if many years later music journalists are still inexplicably surprised to find out that she's got a big queer following.

You'd think collaborating on a song called "Lesbians In The Forest" with Carole Pope might have made it obvious.

Synth pop band Austra came up after Vazaleen's height of popularity, but Katie Stelmanis made it clear how much impact the monthly party had on her in their early song Young And Gay, which was dedicated to Munro. While she and several members of her band have long been out and proud, she's expressed disappointment that their queerness has often been omitted from the narrative by journalists.

Similarly, Owen Pallett has also talked about his feelings of being othered for his sexuality by hetero music critics. As the go-to guy for string arrangements in indie music and as a touring member of Arcade Fire, he's achieved a visibility that most musicians would be envious of, while also using that platform to spark dialog about queer issues in a community that often sees itself as too progressive to be criticized for subtler forms of discrimination.

As gay culture became mainstream enough to make its way into television series, Toronto musicians often provided the soundtrack. The American version of Queer As Folk featured a theme song performed by Greek Buck, a Toronto duo of Don Pyle (best known for his work with Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, with whom he performed the music for Kids In The Hall) and mixed media artist Andrew Zealley.

The Cliks also provided music on the soundtrack of the L Word, not to mention being the first band with an out transman singer to infiltrate the conventional rock world.

In more recent years it's become increasingly normal for Toronto bands to have openly gay members, and not have that be the defining aspect that gets latched on to. While now-defunct Toronto house music band Azari & III made no secret of their debts to vogueing and early gay house, the mixture of sexualities among their members was always only a minor tangent to their story.

And while the obvious sapphic overtones to Vag Halen's feminist reappropriation of cock rock tropes are an integral part of their concept, they get just as much attention directed at their gender.

It might feel relatively recent that Toronto's music scene has become welcoming to the wider spectrum of sexualities, but that diversity has long been there. Nevertheless, it is a very different social climate now than it was when Jackie Shane was working the Yonge Street strip. Who knows how much further he could have taken his career if he had started it in this era?

Peaches photo by Alejandro Santiago; Vag Halen photo via the AGO

Toronto event venues took a leap forward in diversity this year, with vibrant art incubators, loungey clubs, and DIY multi-use spaces welcoming public and private happenings. At any given time, you could step through the doors and could find art shows, live music, comedy, craft sales, or a really good dance party. Add it all up, and you get a Toronto headed for an even more vibrant year ahead.

Here are my picks for the top new event venues in Toronto for 2014.

Jam Factory
This open-concept loft space, located upstairs from Merchants of Green Coffee in Riverside, does octuple duty as a live concert space, a party venue, and even a rentable shared office space (during the day).

Geary Lane
At the forefront of Geary's transformation from an industrial sidestreet to a burgeoning culture hub is this new multi-disciplinary space. The dark, cavernous room boasts a surprisingly refined vibe, while the events calendar runs the gamut from avant-garde performances and visual art installations to live music.

Artscape Youngplace
Artscape breathed new life into a long-empty Shaw St. school, overhauling the building into a modern, airy hub of studio spaces and galleries (including the Koffler gallery, which hosts pieces from local and international artists).

Social Capital
The Black Swan's upstairs room has long hosted comedy shows, but now it finally has a name (and a beefed-up calendar to match). The Social Capital books standup, burlesque, improv, and all manner of indie theatre.

8-11
That weird little fake Sev-Elev in Chinatown? Turns out it's the hub for an artists' collective of the same name. The tiny gallery space primarily handles visual arts, but has also hosted live shows (including some Wavelength gigs).

Coalition
Taking over the former Neutral space in Kensington Market, Coalition has already been making a name for itself as a good event venue for DJ nights or anything involving ladies in minidresses. The self-styled urban lounge also doubles as a comedy club.

Ratio
This multi-purpose space just east of Spadina on College makes the most of their tiny footprint with a busy calendar of art shows, concerts, performances and craft events.

Propeller Coffee
The Bloor and Lansdowne coffee roastery serves up some mean caffeine, but their high-ceilinged, concrete-floored space has played home to parties, art shows and fashion pop-ups. (They even do weddings.)

District 28
Capitalizing on the swaths of space available in the movie studio-land near Logan and Eastern, District 28 has the real estate for over 3,000 guests. Formerly the Mountain View Coffee Factory Outlet, the cavernous white-walled space can be converted into a space for anything from art shows to lavish receptions.

The Theatre Centre
A massive, multi-million-dollar renovation converted a former West Queen West library into this "live arts hub and incubator." All manner of community-based programming goes down here, from craft shows to hackathons - though, naturally, performance art takes centre stage.

What did I miss? Add your suggestions for new event venues in the comments.

Photo of the Theatre Centre by Andrew Williamson.

The Fifth Estate, CBC television's investigative news program, has turned its lens on the broadcaster's fallen star Jian Ghomeshi. With loads of archival footage and interviews with media experts, CBC staff, and the host's alleged victims, the episode is the most in depth examination of Ghomeshi that's been assembled in the wake of his termination from the CBC.

Despite the opprobrium that surrounds the allegations directed toward former Q host, the investigative report is well balanced and insightful, particularly as pertains to the internal meetings at the CBC leading up to Ghomeshi's dismissal and what role Q staff members might have had in presenting evidence against the host. It's particularly intriguing to watch how CBC Radio head Chris Boyce handles a series of pointed questions from reporter Gillian Findlay.

Watch the whole episode below.

This Japanese clothing and housewares chain, which boasts thousands of cleverly-designed, minimalist products (and a huge cult following), has finally landed in Canada with a Yonge and Dundas flagship. It's the perfect place to stock up on wardrobe basics, kitchen and bath products, cute office supplies, and a million things you didn't know you needed (but will probably make your life run a lot more smoothly).

Read my profile of Toronto's first MUJI store in the design section.

Photo by von Loewen in the blogTO Flickr pool.

On Friday night one billion goths descended onto Toronto's lower east side venue Sound Academy to see industrial legends Skinny Puppy. Here, highlights from my night would be the overwhelming smell of hot dog, blinding house lights, a comical but slightly creepy washroom attendant, and getting molested by some weirdo. Hot dogs!

The Docks (does anyone else still call it that?) had installed a hot dog vendor inside the club right next to the crowd, so the entire cavernous room smelt like steamy dogs. Why would they do that? It was revolting (Morrissey would have cried).

Then, why would a venue turn on the house lights in between any bands - but in between industrial bands? Now we had a room full of awkward people dressed in black, trying not to make eye contact. My friend put his sun glasses on. Meanwhile the washroom attendant was yelling things like "You touch your dink, wash your hands in the sink", which was actually pretty funny, though awkward. Lastly, some creep grabbed my butt. Not cool...

Enough gothly complaining - Skinny Puppy still nailed it, 4.5 bats out of 5 to the wall. The Canadian god fathers of industrial are a machine that just won't quit. With Cevin trapped behind his synths and the drummer tucked neatly into the corner, it's left entirely up to Ohgr to command the attention of the audience and he never fails to impress.

Even under a mask and cloak, you can feel Ohgr's energy seething off the stage and into the crowd. Of course no Skinny Puppy show would be complete without several costume changes, weird props, and other tricks.

Three bands opened the show: LA's Youth Code were great. I'd heard a lot about them: more raw and minimal, they revisit the roots of early industrial but with the fresh perspective of hardcore influences. They manage to cut through some of the things about modern industrial that I don't like, and focus instead on simple sounds, energy, and emotion. Huajobb put on an enjoyable set as well.

But I'll get a lot of flack for this, Vancouver's Front Line Assembly were horrible. I have a lot of respect for Bill Leeb and these Canadian industrial pioneers, but I definitely was not feeling them on Friday.

Their faux hawked keyboard player was doubling as "hype man," and failing - his high pitched squeaking "yahhhhhs" were driving me nuts, while the band's visuals seemed like a slideshow a time traveling 90s goth teenager would put together out of cool jpegs he found on the internet. Whoa a circuit board photo, that's so "1337"!

Maybe I expected too much, but everyone I spoke to, from old fans talking about how great FLA were back in the day to newer fans who were excited to see them for the first time, was disappointed. Too add insult to injury, Leeb forgot Youth Code's name when thanking the bands, which he smugly laughed off.

Yet despite the above, and the blinding lights, the creepers, and the never ending smell of processed meat, every bat in attendance seemed to fly back into the night with a smile on their face.

Writing by Aaron Cunningham, photos by Matthew Kozovski

The top army surplus stores in Toronto don't just specialized in war memorabilia and uniforms: they're also the best places to get inexpensive camping gear, warm winter coats and boots, Swiss army knives, and cheap or long-lasting backpacks. Paintball fanatics in the city are also well-acquainted with these shops for camo gear and accessories for maximum protection on the field.

If you're into the outdoors - hunting, fishing, bird watching, hiking - our surplus stores carry all the necessary fixings for a good few nights spent roughing it in the woods.

Here are my picks for the top army surplus stores in Toronto.

AAA Army Surplus
This Kensington Market staple, located on Baldwin Street, has plenty of deals to go around for students looking for inexpensive canvas bags and clothing or outdoorsy folk in need of supplies. The interior may be a bit of a tight squeeze for shopping comfortably, but the product selection of warm winter apparel--parkas, pea coats, wool military tunics--leaves little to be desired.

Central Surplus
Central Surplus is a must for hobbyists: anyone looking for rare military collectibles like pins, belts, and other clothing items are sure to find it here. Family owned and operated since 1961, Central Surplus knows its customers are families, too, and supplies its store with top-notch camping and hiking gear suitable for any age. (Take note for next year - they're also great for Halloween costumes.)

The Little Army Store
Among industrial buildings in East York sits The Little Army Store, a shop that isn't as little as it says it is. The warehouse stocks sturdy Coleman camping accessories - lamps, grills, coolers - and a number of streamlined, well-organized traditional uniforms, jackets, and other war memorabilia. They don't sell self-defense equipment, but The Little Army Store is certainly worth exploring for costumes and inexpensive outdoor gear.

Beavers Surplus Exchange
Beavers Surplus Exchange specializes in genuine military surplus from Canada and the U.S.. They're the place to go for magnum tactical police boots, clothing for cold arctic nights, and camouflage gear for hunting and bird watching. The Dufferin location (found just south of Yorkdale Mall) also buys, sells, and trades military gear. The store is organized into clothing and accessory products for police officers, security teams, firefighters, and outdoors enthusiasts.

ARK Army Surplus
Hunters and sports gun collectors should head to ARK Army Surplus on the corner of Wilson Avenue and Murray Road, where pellet air guns and airsoft guns come in
a number of desired shapes and styles. The store licenses firearms as well, although there are none available in store and viewings are made by appointment only. Besides weaponry, ARK stocks camping accessories, survival kits, emergency meals, and military clothing and footwear.

BONUS

Wolf Army Surplus Fashion
Wolf Army Surplus Fashion, on Kingston Road (between Pickering Street and Beech Avenue), is well stocked with a selection of army clothing and boots. The location sells head-to-toe camo products and is an optimal location for paintball gear, both clothing and guns alike. Like any army surplus store, they provide camping tools and survival equipment, though are best known for their clothing (as the name suggests).

Did I miss any? Leave your favourite Toronto surplus store in the comments.

Photo of AAA Army Surplus by Jesse Milns.

When it comes to smokehouse favourites like ribs, wings and brisket this roadhouse just north of the city limits is on point. This is the place to go for Super Bowl-worthy party platters and monstrous sandwiches, like a burger piled with pulled pork.

Read my profile of Memphis BBQ in the restaurants section.

From the sidewalk on Gerrard between Greenwood and Coxwell, Toronto's Little India (officially the Gerrard India Bazaar) certainly seems to be living up to its name. South Asian restaurants like Lahore Tikka House and Udupi Palace populate the strip, as do authentic stores like Neelam Silk and Milans Saree Emporium. At night, the neighbourhood comes alive with street food vendors and toy salesmen, but change is in the air.

Little India is, according to reports, becoming less Indian. Increasing property prices and rents are driving the South Asian population, who arrived in the area following the second world war, into the suburbs. Many storefronts carry signs announcing impending closure and trendy coffee shops like Flying Pony and Lazy Daisy's Cafe are taking over vacant premises. Even the New York Times is taking note of the change.

Statistics now say the area has fewer immigrants than the Toronto average. Who knows if in 10 years the street signs will still reflect the prevailing demographic.

Here's a look back at Little India in its heyday.

These buildings are now gone (or perhaps heavily modified.) The brick building poking in the right side of the frame is currently home to Maharani Fashions.

Eat at Samraat Restaurant, it's the king of spades.

Shopping at Malton Sarees and Fabrics, now Rana Gems Inc..

Businessman in a turban strolling on the north side of Gerrard near Hiawatha Rd.

Clothes for sale near Moti Mahal restaurant.

Sarees, $16.95.

Looking east from Sonu Saree Palace towards the Gerrard Ashdale Library and the Naaz Theatre, the first dedicated Bollywood theatre in North America.

More coverage of Sonu Saree Palace, which is presently in the process of closing down.

The Gerrard Ashdale Library

Kohinoor Foods on the northeast corner of Ashdale Ave.. It's still running with a (slightly) better sign.

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

Images: City of Toronto Archives

Free events in Toronto this week will have you playing dare or dare at the art gallery, dancing to local music, watching films from Japan, and playing with antique toys. You can also have fun for cheap at Array Space with free noise ensemble Gravitons with Brodie West, a video investigation of the awkward years with That Teenage Feeling at Videofag, and an issue launch for one of Toronto's coolest indie mags, cleo - all are PWYC.

Here are my picks for keeping your rag covered nose out of the wind in Toronto this week.

1. Dare Night (December 3, AGO)
On Wednesday you can play truth or dare in the Art Gallery of Ontario just like you always wanted thanks to Mammalian Diving Reflex's residency. One catch - the truth is out (sorry Agent Mulder) and this is all about the dares. I'm not sure what happens if you get dared to touch the art.

2. Field Trip Discovery Series VI (Dec 4, Drake Underground)
Miss Field Trip's big summer outing at the park? It may be indoors, but Field Trip is curating free indie expos off season. This one features Calvin Love, Michael Rault, New Hands, and Aron D'Alesio. Just like extra time at recess, there's a catch - you've got to RSVP here.

3. Bedroomer Vol. 1 Release Party (December 4, Bambi's)
On Dundas West this Thursday celebrate the release of the (free) first Bedroomer mixtape, which has Toronto pop and dance fans pretty excited. AM, Eytan Tobin, Gill Bondy, & Lum will perform, and it's free to attend. Read more on Thump.

4. Free Japanese Movies (December 7-9, Bloor Cinema)
Toronto's Japan Foundation teams up with the Consulate-General of Japan this Sunday to present free programming focused on the youth of Japan. Films include 'Til the Break of Dawn, Kids Police, and a movie I watched on a plane once and fell in love with, the adorably twee Akko-chan: The Movie.

5. Toy Pop Up Museum (December 7, Spadina Museum)
On Sunday, lovers of the colourful and kitschy art of toys can see this pop up display on Spadina including vintage toys that the City of Toronto has been hoarding in their collections. You can also bring your own toys, from battered Buzz Lightyears to handmade Russian nesting dolls, to add to the show.

Also check out these regular free events

Elvis Mondays (Mondays, The Drake)
Toronto's longest running indie showcase, William New's free show has put thousands of bands on stage. It's at the Drake Underground every Monday.

Free Nights at the Horseshoe (Monday/Tuesday, The Horseshoe)
The Legendary Horseshoe has a storied history, and hosts free indie rock shows in the early week with Shoeless Mondays and Dave Bookman's Nu Music Night on Tuesdays.

Free Evening (Wednesday, AGO)
The Art Gallery of Ontario's free evening runs from 6-8:30pm. It can be a little crowded, but sometimes the people watching is as good as the art (sometimes).

CINSSU's Free Friday Films (Fridays)
Though the Innis Town Hall is still under construction, you can follow the Cinema Studies Student Union for reliable Friday night movies and solid picks at Isabel Bader Theatre and/or Alumni Hall 100.

Canadian Opera Company (Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre)
September through to early June, catch free classical shows at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts "most Tuesdays and Thursdays at noon, and some Wednesdays at noon or 5:30 p.m."

MOCCA (Monday - Sunday)
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.

Have a free event you'd like to plug? Submit it using this form.

Lead photo: Akko-chan: The Movie

The top concerts in Toronto this December will keep us heathens in tip top shape as we dart from one gloomy non-solstice gig to another, blissfully free of familial obligations with blood relatives who just don't get Gwar. (If you're leaving town for the holidays, sorry but you're missing some good music, and Skrillex.) Then on the 31st, New Year's Eve won't all be DJs - Rich Aucoin, Good Enough, Buck 65, the Sadies, and more will ring in the new year for live music fans. Watch for our upcoming guide.

Speaking of that New Year's kiss, here are your November music missed connections: if you were wearing something furry at Friday's Skinny puppy show, you have an admirer, and I hope this punktastic Not Dead Yet (top notch festival, well done everyone) meet up happened. And, tragically or not, if you accidentally held hands at a Tragically Hip show in early fall, someone is still thinking about you.

Here are my picks for December concerts in Toronto. May you find the love you need.

Jason Collett's Basement Revue (December 5, 12, 26, The Dakota)
Collett's annual Basement Revue shows promise an element of surprise, as you don't know who will be performing out of the star-studded contact list of locals on his phone. From punk to choral, find more holiday concerts here.

GZA (December 6, Adelaide Hall)
The Wu-Tang member is touring in advance of Dark Matter, to be released in 2015. The new disc has a definite science bent - see below.

GWAR (December 9, The Opera House)
Legendary Gwar live on despite the passing of Oderus Urungus (RIP). For this tour College music prof Blothar is back, and more importantly the band are made 1000 times more hardcore by artist Vulvatron, whose future-breasts spew blood. If Gwar can survive, maybe we can too.

Timber Timbre (December 11-13, Lee's Palace)
The band with a fancy name that still summons images of lumberjacks will be doing the just-give-me-indie-something thing for three straight engagements at Lee's this month. Sean Nicholas Savage opens on December 11th, FIVER on the 12th, and Last Ex on the 13th.

Long Winter (December 12, Great Hall)
It's fun, PWYC, and all ages. This carnival inspired multidisciplinary celebration of leaving the house in cold weather will feature music from Man Made Hill, Sean Nicholas Savage, Army Girls, Animalia, Wrong Hole, Wish, and more.

BADBADNOTGOOD (December 13, The Opera House)
Are they good-bad, or are they bad-good? Figure these genre fusing young men our with our jazz bands to watch list.

The Birthday Massacre (December 18, Mod Club)
Toronto's cuddliest bunch o' goths are back from tour and ready to make your holidays full Nightmare Before Christmas.

Austra (December 20, Opera House)
These bats of glittering neon wingspan may be more popular over in Europe, where dancing to strange electronic music is as natural as owning eighteen different plaid button downs is over here, but Toronto fans will show them a good time. Blue Hawaii will open.

Nadja (December 20, Geary Lane)
What have metal-gaze duo Nadja been up to since we interviewed them in Berlin? Knowing the prolific doomers, releasing countless albums and playing one 1000 shows around the world. Black Walls will open. Also don't miss Nadja's Aidan Baker at Ratio on Dec 11.

Stacey (December 20, Gladstone)
Be here if the cold weather puts you in the mood for singer-song writers hiding out in an old, formerly sketchy hotel. Stacey, one of Toronto's most promising up and coming pop writers, will be joined by LUKA and and Day Wilson.

Offerings Compilation Release (December 30, Cinecycle)
The new compilation from free Offerings Magazine, Toronto's own version of Show Paper, is stacked with weirdos (full disc: I have a song on this comp where I skip radio stations for three minutes), as is this line up. Zacht Automaat, Zones, Doom Tickler, New Chance, Nick Storring and more will perform.

See also

The top 10 holiday concerts in Toronto for 2014
The top 5 dance parties in Toronto December 2014

What did I miss? Leave your must-see December concerts in the comments.

Photo of Austra by Brian Morton

Photo by 416Shots in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Today in Toronto the first ever Union Station Holiday Market, running December 1-7, will see local vendors will packing Union Station. Here's everything you need to know. MOCCA wants to warm you up with their Transit Bar with a wine workshop tied to their current exhibition Vera Frenkel: Ways of Telling. At Revival, the competition will heat up at Canada's Female Bartender Finals. Skratch Bastid is on decks. For more events, click on over to our events section.

• Craft: Union Station Holiday Market (Union Station)
• Drink/Music: Mademoiselle Cointreau Canada's Female Bartender Finals (Revival)
• Music: Karaoke Mondays (Social Capital)
• Art/Drink: MOCCA's 'Art of Wine' Workshop (MOCCA)
• Music: Strand of Oaks (Horseshoe)

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

Photo by omiala in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Mayor-elect John Tory has revealed his picks for deputy mayor, the executive committee, and several other important positions for the next term of council.

Denzil Minnan-Wong, who most recently made headlines for holding a sign outside a public bathroom, will serve as Tory's official second in command, but the incoming mayor wants to appoint three other deputies to represent different parts of the city: Vince Crisanti in the west, Glenn DeBaeremaeker in the east, and Pam McConnell downtown. The move requires the approval of council, which will meet for the first time on Tuesday.

Under plans revealed Sunday, Cllr. Josh Colle, a SmartTrack supporter, will become the new TTC chair, Jaye Robinson the chair of the public works committee, and Gary Crawford the budget chief. Michelle Berardinetti will take over control of the parks committee, Paul Ainslie will be responsible for the government management committee, while Michael Thompson will stay on as chair of the economic development committee.

David Shiner will head up the planning committee chair, and Cesar Palacio will take on the municipal licensing and standards committee.

Rob Ford, perhaps for health reasons, is not expected to become part of the inner circle.

Under Tory, the executive committee will consist of two downtown councillors for the first time since the Ford era, Ana Bailao and Mary-Margaret McMahon, but other left-leaners have been shut out.

Surprisingly, Cllr. Frances Nunziata, who wasn't exactly renowned for her coolheaded control of the council chamber, will return for a second stint as speaker. Shelley Carroll will be her deputy.

The incoming mayor will also be sit on the police services board with Cllr. Carroll and Cllr. Chin Lee.

Norm Kelly, who was deputy and then de facto mayor after Ford was stripped of his powers, will not be returning to a key position at his own request, the Toronto Sun reports.

Notably absent, of course, are left-leaning councillors. One imagines that this team isn't so different from the one that Doug Ford would have assembled should he have been elected mayor. What do you think of Tory's choices?

Tory is due to meet Premier Kathleen Wynne today. He will be officially sworn in ahead of the first council meeting.

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

Image: Jesse Milns/blogTO