Arts & Culture

Myseum of Toronto and Toronto Public Library have partnered up to present a musically delightful series of talks and music.

The Sounds of Toronto: The Great Debate; One City, One Album

If you had to pick just one album that captures the sound of Toronto, what would it be? Join host Eric Alper, music industry veteran and host of That Eric Alper on SiriusXM, as he moderates a debate between two teams of diverse musicians arguing for the definitive Toronto record. The library will also feature a selection of local albums from its vinyl collection, available for your listening pleasure, so you can continue the debate with your friends.

Atrium, Toronto Reference Library, Wed, Nov 29, 6-7 p.m. (all ages – no tickets)

Note that this event will be recorded live for broadcast on That Eric Alper show at a later date.

Sounds of Toronto: When Yonge and Yorkville Were Cool

Long before the luxury hotels and boutiques of Toronto's "Mink Mile", the heart of our music scene was here where the rock and R&B sounds of Yonge Street met the bohemian folk of Yorkville's hippie village. Join us as Stuart Henderson, author of Making the Scene: Yorkville and Hip Toronto in the 1960s, spins historic records and discusses how Yorkville and Yonge Street solidified as focal points of Toronto's music scene in the 1960s.

Novella Room, Braum & Bluma Appel Salon, Toronto Reference Library, Mon, Dec 11, 6-7 p.m. (all ages – no tickets) 

Note that this event will be recorded live for broadcast on That Eric Alper show at a later date.

Sounds of Toronto: The Island Connection

The Toronto music scene has changed a lot in the past few decades. It now features music and artists from around the world. One of the strongest movements within this city has been the rise of local Caribbean music: reggae, dancehall, soca, salsa, calypso, chutney and many more. Join us as producer DJ Agile spins some local Caribbean albums, and a panel of experts discuss how this music has shaped the sonic identity of Toronto.

Beeton Hall, Toronto Reference Library, Tue, Jan 9, 2018, 6-7 p.m. (all ages – no tickets) 

Note that this event will be recorded live for broadcast on That Eric Alper show at a later date.

If you're interested in the local history of music you may also enjoy:

Books:

• Making the Scene: Yorkville and Hip Toronto in the 1960s by Stuart Henderson.
• Before the Gold Rush: Flashbacks to the Dawn of the Canadian Sound by N Jennings
• King Alpha’s Song in a Strange Land: Jamaican Migrant and Canadian Host in Toronto’s Transnational Reggae Music Scene by John Jason Collins Wilson.
• Alone and Gone: The Story of Toronto’s Post Punk Underground by Nick Smash.
• Toronto Jazz Treasures by Ted O’Reilly and Pat LeCroix.
• Then & Now: Toronto Nightlife History by Denise Benson. 

Movies:

• Yorkville and the Sixties Music Scene (2007).
• The Scene: An Exploration of Music in Toronto (2014).
• The Last Pogo Jumps Again: Punk's Last Waltz (2013).
• Breakin' In: The Making of a Hip Hop Dancer (2006).
• Toronto Rocks (a.k.a “SARS Concert”) (2004).
• Lowdown Tracks (2015).

Online Resources: 

• Treat Me Like Dirt: An Oral History of Punk in Toronto and Beyond, 1977-1981, by Liz Worth (ebook). Available through Overdrive.
• Trouble in the Camera Club by Don Pyle (ebook). Available through Overdrive
• Research Guide to Reggae Lane: Toronto's Jamaican Music Scene, 1960s to the Present [Blog] by Barbara (June 2, 2016). Available through the library website.