From: Greg Clow <ecurrent@zooid.guild.org>
Subject: Alternative Guide to Toronto (part 2 - long)
Reply-To: ecurrent@zooid.UUCP (Greg Clow)
Organization: The Zoo of Ids
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 17:49:12 GMT

(continued from previous message)
 
 
Bars/"Hang-outs":
----------------
A couple of places to check out if you're in the mood for some place to
just hang out, drink, maybe shoot some pool, and listen to loud music:
 
 
BOVINE SEX CLUB
542 Queen Street West  (Queen just east of Bathurst)
Ph#:  367-4239
TTC:  Take streetcar WEST from Queen Station or Osgoode Station to Bathurst
      OR  take streetcar SOUTH from Bathurst Station to Queen and walk
      about a block EAST from there.
OPEN: 7 days a week from 5 PM
 
The Bovine is very much based on the Scrap Bar of New York... the walls
and ceiling are literally covered with bit and pieces of metal and
plastic taken from everything *including* the kitchen sink.  It's a
long, narrow space with a pool table in the front, a "standing room
only" bar area running towards the back, and another pool table and a
few tables and chairs in the backroom.  The music rarely ventures out of
guitar territory... favorites include Soundgarden, Nirvana, Black
Sabbath, etc... but different DJ's tend to add a bit of their own flavor
to the mix.  The last few times I've been there, it's been a bit too
crowded and a bit too "metal" for my tastes, but it's a nice change from
the dance club scene.
 
 
LA HACIENDA
6?? Queen Street West  (Queen just west of Bathurst)
Ph#:  ???
TTC:  Take streetcar WEST from Queen Station or Osgoode Station to one
      stop past Bathurst
 
Not only is the Haci' a cool place to hang out and drink beer, it's also
the cheapest Mexican restaurant in town.  The tables and chairs have all
been salvaged from the local Salvation Army and Goodwill thrift shops,
and the walls are covered with art by local artists (it changes every
month or so).  The food ranges from edible to quite good (check out the
baked beans 'n' rice and one of their wonderful burritos!).  It's also a
great place to pop into on Saturday afternoon to hoist a pint or two
while shopping along Queen.  And I've been told that their Sunday
afternoon brunch is pretty nice, as well.  Since it's a restaurant, no
ID is required for entry.
 
 
MRS. SMITH'S COCKTAIL PARTY
609 Queen Street West  (Queen just east of Bathurst)
Ph#:  363-5175
TTC:  Take streetcar WEST from Queen Station or Osgoode Station to Bathurst
      OR  take streetcar SOUTH from Bathurst Station to Queen and walk
      about a block EAST from there.
OPEN: 7 days a week
 
I have yet to check this place out, but it appears to be more
pretentious and fashion-concious version of the Bovine.  It also looks
more comfortable... looking through the front window reveals a bunch of
comfy looking couches and easy chairs, and, of course, the obligatory
pool tables.  Very lounge-like.  They advertise their music as being
"eclectic"... take that as you will.
 
 
RIVOLI
334 Queen Street West  (Queen just east of Spadina)
Ph#:  596-1908
TTC:  Take streetcar WEST from Queen Station or Osgoode Station to Spadina
      OR  take bus SOUTH from Spadina Station to Queen and walk about a
      block EAST from there.
OPEN: 7 days a week
 
I wasn't really sure where to put the Riv, since it falls into several
catagories of the guide: the back room is a live venue, the front room
is split into a bar on one side and a restaurant on the other, and the
upstairs just opened as a pool hall.  Once again, the bar is a nice
place to just hang out with friends and drink, and the music isn't as
over-powering as the Bovine, making conversation much easier.  The bar
area, however, has become much less attractive in the last couple of
months, since recent renovations included the removal of the booths
along the wall, so it's basically standing room only now.  As for the
"live venue" side of the Riv, check out the section below.  (The
restaurant is nice, but a bit pricey and pretentious.)  The Rivoli is
also an all ages place, since it's technically a restaurant, but
underagers might get snagged at the bar.
 
 
SNEAKY DEE'S
431 College Street  (College and Bathurst)
Ph#:  368-5090
TTC:  Take streetcar WEST from College Station or Queen's Park Station
      to Bathurst  OR  streetcar SOUTH from Bathurst Station to College
OPEN: 7 days a week
 
For some strange reason, the two best restaurants to "hang out" at in
Toronto (this and the Hacienda) are both Mexican places.  Very odd.
Anyway, Dee's is much more spacious than the Haci', having a sort of
"beer hall" feel (as opposed to the Haci's cave-like appearance).  The
menu is also a bit more extensive here... and a bit more *expensive* as
well.  It's big advantage, tho', is that it's open all night, so it's a
great place to go to sober up after a late-night party or boozecan.
And, of course, you don't need ID to get into the main floor.  The
upstairs, however, is a live venue which sometimes books interesting
acts, and which also requests ID at the door.
 
 
 
Live Clubs:
----------
As you might expect, there aren't any live venues that book *exclusively*
alternative bands, but the ones that I list below tend to book alternative
acts on a regular basis.  I've tried to give you an idea of what to expect
at each venue, but your best bet is to check NOW or Eye to see who's playing
where and when.  Note that at live club shows, the headlining band generally
hits the stage around 11:30 PM or so, although this may vary depending on
the number of opening acts, etc.  I've also included capacity and a
description of the club as taken from NOW Magazine's Live Music Directory.
 
 
1150 QUEEN WEST  (aka Under the Drake)
Ph#:  536-9948
TTC:  Take the streetcar *really* far WEST from Queen Station or Osgoode
      Station and watch for the huge "1150" sign... ya can't miss it
Capacity: 150
"Independent original rock 'n' roll"
 
This venue, which had been closed for quite sometime, was resurrected a few
months back.  I have yet to attend a show there, but I've heard pretty good
things about it.  Their booking policy tends to be: Bands With Loud Guitars.
Lots o' local, grungy talent along with the occasional international act
(i.e. The Dwarves put on their usual carnival of destruction there
recently).
 
 
EL MOCAMBO
464 Spadina Avenue  (Spadina just south of College)
Ph#:  922-1570
TTC:  Take the streetcar WEST from College Station or Queen's Park Station
      to Spadina  OR  take the bus SOUTH from Spadina Station to College,
      and look for the palm tree.
Capacity: 500
"Original roots, blues, and alternative music"
 
Downstairs at the El Mo tends to have local blues artists, etc., but the
upstairs, which formerly catered to a pretty mainstream audience, started
booking more interesting acts a year or two ago.  Recent shows vary from
local bands to international acts like the Young Gods and the Dead Milkmen.
Unfortunately, it's not really the best place to see a band, since the
layout and the sightlines are lousy.
 
 
HORSESHOE
Ph#:  598-4753   (Queen and Spadina)
TTC:  Take streetcar WEST from Queen Station or Osgoode Station to Spadina
      OR  take bus SOUTH from Spadina Station to Queen
Capacity: 250
"Local and international rock, blues, country and R'n'B"
 
Don't let the description scare you... although they tend to stick to
folky/rockabilly acts, once in a while, they'll spread out and book something
a little more interesting.  However, the presence of a guitar on stage is
pretty manditory.
 
 
LEE'S PALACE
529 Bloor Street West  (Bloor just east of Bathurst, above Lee's Palace)
Ph#:  532-7383
TTC:  Walk EAST on Bloor from Bathurst Station
Capacity: 300
"Local and international bands of all types"
 
Another long-lived venue on the Toronto scene, Lee's hosts a pretty eclectic
mix of local and international acts.  They're pretty heavy on guitar bands,
but have booked other styles in the past (Front Line Assembly played there,
for example).  Not a bad place to see a show, with an atmosphere similar to
it's upstairs neighbour, the Dance Cave.
 
 
OPERA HOUSE
735 Queen Street East  (Queen just east of Broadview)
Ph#:  466-0313
TTC:  Take the streetcar EAST from Queen Station or Osgoode Station to
      Broadview  OR  take streetcar SOUTH from Broadview Station to Queen
Capacity: 600
"All types of local and international acts"
 
This former live theatre (the seats have been removed) is the best mid-sized
venue in Toronto.  After a shaky start as a mainstream dance club, they made
the switch to a live venue, and have been booking more and more alternative
acts of late: not only local bands, but international acts like Alien Sex
Fiend, Laibach, the Disposible Heroes, and Cop Shoot Cop.  An excellent
venue all round.
 
 
RIVOLI
334 Queen Street West  (Queen just east of Spadina)
Ph#:  596-1908
TTC:  Take streetcar WEST from Queen Station or Osgoode Station to Spadina
      OR  take bus SOUTH from Spadina Station to Queen and walk about a
      block EAST from there.
Capacity: 150
"Varied, eclectic booking policy: original acts that fall between the cracks
at other venues"
 
Probably my favorite small live venue in the city, the Rivoli combines a
great space with an almost exlusively alternative booking policy.
Everything from grunge to hardcore to industrial to goth, and everything
inbetween.  The majority of the acts are local talent, with a few
international bands popping up now and then.  Past offerings have included
Nocturnal Emissions, Tori Amos, Legendary Pink Dots, and Zoviet France.
As mentioned above, you don't need to be legal drinking age for entry.
 
 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
RECORD STORES
 
Toronto has no shortage of record shops, both "new" and "used".  Listed
here are the ones most worth visiting.  Note that none of the used
stores are exclusively alternative, but all of them tend to have a
pretty good selection of alternative material most of the time.
 
 
CD BAR
281 Queen Street West  (Queen and McCaul)
Ph#:  977-6863
TTC:  Walk WEST several blocks from Queen Station or Osgoode Station
NEW only
 
As the name suggests, the CD Bar sells CD's, and that's it.  They tend
to avoid titles that are easily available at the "big" stores on Yonge
Street, so thier selection is pretty eclectic, and encompasses not only
alternative and experimental music, but also jazz, blues, world beat,
and other stuff.  Although they are a bit pricey in some cases, you'll
often find titles there that you *can't* find anywhere else.  They also
have very friendly and helpful staff, and you can listen to any CD in
the shop before you buy it.
 
 
DRIFTWOOD
257 Queen Street West
Ph#:  598-0368
TTC:  Walk WEST several blocks from Queen Station or Osgoode Station
USED only
 
Driftwood is one of those places where you probably wouldn't expect to
find much, but once in a while you stumble across something that makes the
visit worthwhile.  For example, I recently found a copy of the long
out-of-print Butthole Surfers "Live PCPPEP" in mint condition for 5 bucks.
Elsewhere, it would've ended up on the "rare wall" for $25 or more.  And
thier "5 bucks a disc" CD bin often contains a few pleasant surprises.
Definately worth a quick browse.
 
 
FLIP CITY
418 Queen Street West  (near Queen and Spadina)
TTC:  Take streetcar WEST from Queen Station or Osgoode Station to Spadina
      OR  take bus SOUTH from Spadina Station to Queen and walk WEST
USED only
 
Like Driftwood, Flip City has a pretty slim selection at times, but gems
often appear when least expected.  Again, a 5 minute browse might be worth
it.
 
 
HMV "SUPERSTORE"
333 Yonge Street   (Yonge and Dundas)
Ph#:  596-0333
TTC:  Walk NORTH from Dundas Station
NEW only
 
Yah, I know, HMV is a big chain store owned by a nasty multi-national
corporation, etc., etc..  If you choose not to shop there for political
reasons, fine.  But you'll be missing out on a surprisingly excellent
alternative section which includes music from every alternative genre
under the sun.  The alternative section of the store is located on the
second floor at the top of the escalator.  They also have a pretty good
dance section (in the basement... or "BASSment", as they call it) which
has a good number of techno releases for those who are so inclined.
 
 
PENNY LANE
400 Queen Street West  (near Queen and Spadina)
Ph#:  941-9261
TTC:  Take streetcar WEST from Queen Station or Osgoode Station to Spadina
      OR  take bus SOUTH from Spadina Station to Queen and walk WEST
mainly USED with a bit of NEW
 
Penny Lane is the perfect place to find the ultra-rare French pressing
of an early Cure single, or that purple vinyl Depeche Mode 12 inch from
Germany, or... well, you get the idea.  The emphasis is on rare goth and
"new wave" gems of the 80's, and the prices aren't for the faint of
heart, but it's a nice place to go and just drool for a while if you're
feeling nostalgic.  They also have a good selection of bootlegs of the
expected bands (Cure, Smiths, Sisters, Bauhaus, etc.), but, as always,
you should probably ask to have a listen to any you wish to purchase
before doing so.
 
 
RECORD PEDDLER
621 Yonge Street
Ph#:  921-3566
TTC: Walk NORTH from Wellesley Station  OR  walk SOUTH from Bloor
     Station
NEW only
 
The Peddler is the longest lived alternative record shop in the city.
It was spawned by the punks and 'cores of the late 70's and early 80's,
and has managed to survive through three moves and competition that has
come and gone.  However, the Peddler has seen better days.  It's been
more and more obvious in the last couple of years the the competition
(especially the recognition of alternative music by the mainstream
record shops) has started to take it's toll.  However, no visit to
Toronto is complete without at least a quick browse around the place.
 
 
ROTATE THIS
620 Queen Street West  (Queen just west of Bathurst)
Ph#:  603-0695
TTC:  Take streetcar WEST from Queen Station or Osgoode Station to one
      stop past Bathurst
USED and NEW
 
Rotate This is the new kid on the Queen Street block, and is a definate
"must visit" for fans of grungy guitar rock.  The emphasis of the new
material in the shop is obviously the American guitar bands from the old
standbys of the Minneapolis "scene", to the Seattle folks, to everyone
in between.  If it's grungy and heavy, Rotate This'll have it.  And, of
course, they have a pretty good selection of used stuff that is almost
exclusively alternative in one way or another.
 
 
VORTEX
553 Queen Street West  (between Spadina and Bathurst)
Ph#:  360-6787
TTC:  Take streetcar WEST from Queen Station or Osgoode Station to one
      stop past Spadina
USED and NEW
 
WARNING:  there are *two* Vortex's on Queen Street.  *Avoid* the one at
Queen and Spadina (next to Tortilla Flats), unless you're in the market
for over-priced "rarities".
 
The other Vortex, tho', is pretty much the biggest and best used shop in
the city.  The selection is great, and you'll be pretty much guaranteed
to find one or two titles that you want.  They also have a good
selection of new stuff with prices that used to be a bit high, but that
have been coming down in the last while.  This is a great place to just
dig and browse.
 
There is also a Vortex at Yonge and Eglinton, which is in the north end
of the city.  Although I wouldn't recommend going up there just to visit
the store, it's definately worth dropping in if you're already in the
neighbourhood.
 
 
 
==========================================================================
 
That's it so far, kids.  Like I mention above, I'd like to add a few other
catagories (like book shops. clothing stores, etc.), but that'll only happen
if enough interest is expressed in this "project" to make it worth my while. 
Anyway, let me know what you think.
 
 
Greg
ecurrent@zooid.guild.org
sizone!ecurrent@ee.ryerson.ca