Broken Social Scene's Toronto

Article by: Ghita Loebenstein, March 2008

After co-founders Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning debuted the instrumental album Feel Good Lost in 2001 to local acclaim, they opened their basement door, let in their friends and collectively created the indie-pop megaphone known as Broken Social Scene. As they draw their breath on tour in Melbourne, Australia, principal Scene-sters Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning talked about their favourite Toronto haunts.

Best record stores:

Brendan Canning: For records we go to Rotate This on Queen Street West. We've been buying there for the longest time. Soundscapes on College Street is a classic. Slinky Music on Queen St. If you're living in Toronto and playing in a band these will be pretty standard.
Kevin Drew: The places that people don't go to as much.
BC: There's a place on the Danforth called Open City... although the guy would whistle along to every tune that came on the stereo and it was so fucking annoying. It got to the point where I'd think 'Well, I'm gonna leave your store, I don't want to give you my business.'

Favourite music venues:

KD: I like Dakota Tavern. It's a new venue on Ossington Street. It's tiny but it's consistent with its bands and the vibe down there is great. There's wonderful staff. It makes you wanna drink and have a good time.
BC: That was the last BSS gig we did before we left on this trip as well. One of our cohorts Jason Collett does a weekly series there so we got up and did a few songs.
KD: Lee's Palace is always good. Cameron House on Queen St, that's a good one.
BC: The Cameron House is right down the street from where we did our recordings the last few years. The studio was in more of a parking lot which is Cameron St by default but I don't know if it actually had an address. The studio was called Stars and Sons. It's not around anymore but that's where we made our two 'most known' BSS records.

Cafes of choice:

BC: My friend just opened up a restaurant called Tati on Harbord Street. I used to DJ at a bar/restaurant that he owned and he just opened up a new place.
KD: The Roxton (379 Harbord Street; tel: 416 535 8181) is really nice. The people that work there are cool. There's Gandhi Cuisine (554 Queen Street West; tel: 416 504 8155) on Queen St.
BC: Yeah, that's sort of our neighbourhood. It's right across the road from the fire that just burned down a section of Queen Street. I'd recommend the malai kofta roti. We did the sag paneer for a while and the butter chicken one too but now it's the malai kofta.
BC: Oh, for a good little $1.25 snack I'd get 'a double' in the Kensington Market on Baldwin. It's a Caribbean place. The snack is just called a 'double'. It's a sandwich between two pieces of squishy bread. Pretty tasty, and a couple of those will get you through to your next meal for $2.50. There's lots of good places in Kensington Market. The empanada place is good and I highly recommend the corn pie.

Where to go walking:

KD: The east side is pretty wild. We don't go there at all. But we should really encourage people to start going to the east because there are some amazing restaurants…
BC: Leslieville, that's the name of the area. It's actually on Queen St but in the other direction. Past the library.
KD: There's lots of great restaurants around there, cafes. You get a whole different feel for the city down there.
BC: You've got Chinatown up the road.
KD: Also Terroni, the new one on Adelaide St. They just opened up. It's fun, it's big and loud.
BC: A good coffee bar on Queen East is Mercury cafe. I do some work in a studio down in the east end and on my bike ride there I stop off for an espresso to get me to my destination. It's quite a little hot spot.
KD: There's an Ethopian place on Bloor Street between Delaware and Dovercourt. Right by Pam's roti. That's great food there.
BC: The Concord Café. Great espresso, great breakfasts.

For art/books/film, go to:

KD: That guy with a gallery across the road from the Social on Queen Street.
BC: There's a whole slew of galleries right from Shaw St right to Dufferin. There's the Katharine Mulherin gallery.
KD: Ha ha… We always mention that one in articles about Toronto…That's where you go for galleries. Along Queen, Manning and Dufferin.
BC: Our hang-out area is generally Kensington Market. I Deal Coffee. Louie's.
KD: Yeah, that's amazing.
BC: For cinemas we go to The Cumberland (159 Cumberland Street; tel: 
416 964 9359).
KD: Pages on Queen and John for books.
BC: Oh and She Said Boom! on College St and there's one on Ossington.