Thanksgiving is just around the corner, which means some of us get to enjoy roasted turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie all weekend long. But if you’re feeling stuffed from the food — and stuffy from laying around all day — why not head outside to catch some autumn air and spend your time at a few of Toronto’s culture events happening this week.
Comedy: Toronto Comedy All-Stars
Oct. 12 at Comedy Bar
Earlier this year, Just for Laughs Toronto was forced to cancel this year’s festival — which was set to take place last month — due to financial struggles, leaving a massive hole in the city’s comedy scene. Fortunately, Toronto has a thriving indie comedy scene. On Saturday, some of Toronto’s top comics will take to the main stage of Comedy Bar on Bloor, including Leonard Chan, Rasha Elfeky, Will Hitt, Sam Norton and more.
Tickets available here.
Music: Air
Oct. 12 at Danforth Music Hall
Air performing their 1998 space-pop masterpiece “Moon Safari” in its entirety at Massey Hall — sounds chill, right?
Apparently not, at least according to a recent review of the French electronica duo’s tour, which described the show as “a wild, jaw-dropping, widescreen extravaganza.”
“The music is widescreen, too,” the review continues. “Everything larger and wilder than on record, with vintage synthesizers taking on the work of the studio arrangements and the drummer injecting prog-rock steroids.” You won’t want to miss this one.
Tickets available here.
Dance: Toronto International Dance Festival (TIDF 2024 Fall)
Oct. 11 to Oct. 13 at the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto
Put on your dancing shoes and learn from the experts at a three-day indoor dance festival. Renowned dance artists and companies from around the world come together to showcase the “rich tapestry of global dance forms and dance journeys.”
On Friday, learn from the best at a panel that explores the intersectionality of dance and the diaspora; on Saturday, enjoy the main showcase with award winning Canadian and international dancers; on Sunday, register for a free dance workshop taught by international dancers.
Registration is available on the TIDF website.
Film: 25th Annual Planet in Focus International Environmental Film Festival
Oct. 15 to Oct. 20 at Paradise Theatre
An annual film festival that aims to tell stories about “the world in which we live” is celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary this year and it returns to the city on Tuesday for a six-day run.
The Planet in Focus International Film Festival is the country’s largest environmental film festival which uses film “as a catalyst for public awareness, discussion and engagement on a broad range of environmental issues,” according to the festival’s mission statement.
A lineup of both Canadian and international films, the festival is set to screen over 40 films and also has a lot more in store including other programming such as an industry conference, a free ‘family day,’ a series of panels and Q&A sessions with filmmakers.
Some topics that the documentary-style films will touch on include environment, energy, immigration and sustainable cities.
More information about the programming and to buy tickets, visit http://planetinfocus.org.
Film: Toronto Arthouse Film Festival
Oct. 16 to Oct. 18 at Fox Theatre
Ready to get weird?
Now in its ninth year, the Toronto Arthouse Film Festival (TAFF) is dedicated to showcasing innovative work by risk-taking filmmakers from around the world who “explore and develop new filmmaking conventions in their quest to realize their visions effectively on a limited budget.” Best of all, entry to the festival is completely free.
Check out the program and grab tickets here.
Music: Justin Timberlake
Oct. 17 and 18 at Scotiabank Arena
Bring the ‘good soul in your feet’ and revel in the feeling this week as global popstar Justin Timberlake is bringing his ‘The Forget Tomorrow’ world tour to Toronto on Thursday and Friday at the Scotiabank Arena where he is scheduled to play double-shows.
The “Cry me A River” singer was originally booked for only one date in the city but due to “overwhelming demand,” a second show was added for his fandom ‘the TN Kids,’ short for ‘The Tennessee Kids.’
Timberlake is expected to perform his greatest hits as well as songs from his latest studio album, ‘Everything I Thought It Was.’
Theatre: Next Stage Theatre Festival
Oct. 16 to Oct. 27 at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre
Following the lively Toronto Fringe Festival in the summer which saw 77 productions — ranging from new Canadian musicals and ensemble dramas to solo comedy shows and puppetry for kids — another theatre festival at the Toronto Fringe is set to return this month.
The Next Stage Theatre Festival happens annually each October and provides theatre lovers with a “more intimate, cosy festival experience.”
This year’s lineup includes a selection of six theatre productions, in a variety of formats, that all share a theme of asking “what it means to be ourselves.”
The 12-day festival will feature stages including ‘Civilized’ by Keir Cutler, ‘Gemini’ by Louise Casemore, ‘I was Unbecoming Then’ by Lyndsey Bourne, ‘The noose’ by Frankétienne, ‘Prude’ by Lou Campbell and ‘This Feels Like The End’ by Bonnie Duff.
Tickets and passes for the Next Stage Theatre festival are on sale now.
Toronto artist spotlight: Jeremie Albino
Hailing from Scarborough, blues-rock revivalist Jeremie Albino spent years working as a vegetable farmer in Prince Edward Country. Eventually, his music was discovered by the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, who invited Albino to Nashville to record a new album alongside members of The Dap-Kings and The Heliocentrics. The result is “Our Time in the Sun” — arriving Nov. 1 — a buoyant blend of country and blues, which showcases Albino’s engaging approach to musical storytelling. We asked Jeremie to share some of his favourite spots in Toronto, plus a few things he’s into right now.
Q: What are 3 things you’ll always do/places you’ll always go during a free weekend in Toronto?
A: A Sunday walk with my wife to Ella’s Uncle, our favourite coffee shop in Toronto. Another favourite spot in the east end, is a Vietnamese Restaurant called Que Ling —they’ve got the best bánh cuốn and pho. Then off to an evening of shooting pool and having a couple drinks with pals at Wenona Lodge on Bloor.
Q: Your music is a blend of country, blues, rock music — where does this scene live in the city?
A: I think the biggest hub for that blend of music is The Cameron House. It’s such a legendary institution for musicians in the city.
Q: What’s your favourite venue to perform, and to see live music?
A: I think it might be Massey Hall. It’s a venue that I’d always wanted to play since I was pretty young. I’ve seen so many great shows there. My favourite show I’ve ever seen was Feist at Massey Hall when she was touring her “Metals” record. There’s just some magic to that place, I’ve played two shows there and it’s always a treat being on that stage.
Q: What upcoming concerts or shows are you most excited to see this fall?
A: I’ve got a couple shows lined up that I’m really excited about, especially Leon Bridges with Hermanos Gutiérrez at Massey Hall on October 28. Then my friends in The Dip, a band from Seattle, are playing the Concert Hall Nov. 6 and also Adrienne Lenker at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on November 16th.
Q: What are you reading right now?
A: ”Project Hail Mary” by Andy Weir.
Q: What’s the last movie you saw that you’d recommend?
A: ”My Octopus Teacher” was a pretty touching film, I’m always recommending that to folks when I’m talking about movies.
Q: What are you streaming right now?
A: Guy Ritchie’s “The Gentlemen” series has been a really fun watch.
Q: Who is one under-the-radar Toronto artist more people should know about?
A: One of my favourite Toronto artists is Claire Davis. She’s got such a great soul sound and is an amazing songwriter and singer. Her record “Get It Right” is always on rotation.
The Star recommends …
Here are a few things that the Star’s Richie Assaly is into this week:
I’ll admit I was skeptical upon seeing the early trailers for “So Long, Marianne,” the new Crave original series that tells the story of a young Leonard Cohen and his Norwegian paramour, Marianne Ihlen, whose storied romance in the 1960s took place on the idyllic Greek island of Hydra. Like many fans, I was worried that a half-baked portrayal might undermine the mystique of Cohen’s oeuvre, or flatten the complexity of his character. So I’m pleased to report that the series — or at the least first three episodes that have been released — have been phenomenal, largely due to the stellar acting, particularly Alex Wolff, who approaches the character of Cohen with an endearing blend of charm and awkwardness. But the show’s true strength was the decision to focus not only on Cohen, but on the character of Ihlen, who — far from being reduced to “the muse” — is played be Norwegian actor Thea Sofie Loch Naess as a spirited, fully developed equal in the romance. Check out Briony Smith’s interview with Wolff and Naess here.
There are also a couple interesting albums released by major Canadian artists last Friday that are worth your time.
The first is “Honey,” a new album from Caribou, one of the pseudonyms of the prolific electronic producer Dan Snaith. Filled with prismatic dance-floor bangers, it’s easily Snaith’s most joyous release in years. However, it’s not without controversy. Turns out that all the vocals on the album were performed by Snaith, but manipulated using various software services that provide licensed AI voices. The result is a series of songs that seem to feature different singers, a technique he claims “still captures all the phrasing, the pitch imperfections, the delivery, the breath.”
Though many feel that this use of AI is appropriate — indeed inevitable — others believe that it sets a dubious precedent. “The rap verse on ‘Campfire’ is also Snaith, and it edges toward racial ambiguity in a way that feels queasy,” wrote critic Shaad D’Souza in an otherwise positive review. “At best, it’s a misguided experiment; at worst, outright minstrelsy.” You can check out my profile of Caribou from 2021 here.
My second suggestion is the latest release from the legendary Montreal band Godspeed You! Black Emperor, whose latest album, “NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024 28,340 DEAD” is yet another stellar serving of the band’s signature style of crunchy, dark post-rock, which Star contributor Stuart Berman described in his Pitchfork review as among “their most exultant” and cathartic works.
“As textual exercises go, ‘NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024 28,340 DEAD’ is like ‘The Zone of Interest’ condensed to album-spine format, contrasting the mundane formalities of naming a record with the horrors unfolding in Gaza at the time of its conception while also forcing us to consider where that number stands today,” Berman writes.
I asked Berman why this album hasn’t generated much hype or interest so far. “‘Unfortunately, “great band makes another great record’ is not the sexiest media narrative in 2024,” he quipped.
