Lazy Daisy’s Café is the place to be for unique entertainment offerings this month.
On Saturday, Feb. 8, Linda Lavender and David Shilman host the Woodshed Open Mic at 7:30 p.m. Bring an instrument – or your vocal cords – and join in the fun.
On Friday, Feb. 14, the café will host a Valentine Family Dance Party. This all-ages party runs from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $5 for children, free for babes in arms, and include a light buffet dinner, cupcakes, a chocolate fountain and loads of family fun. Email dawn@lazydaisyscafe.ca or call 647-278-3966 to reserve tickets, as space is limited.
Those with something to say will find a venue to say it on Saturday, Feb. 15, at the Smashmouth spoken word open mic night. Poets and writers of all stripes are welcome. There will be a stage, a feature artist and music, all hosted by Steve Bowa. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the words start flowing at 8 p.m.
Lazy Daisy’s Café is at 1515 Gerrard St. E., at Coxwell Avenue. Visit lazydaisyscafe.ca for more information.
Carin Redman, performer and owner of the late, much-loved Ten Feet Tall on the Danforth, is booking music at Morgans, with a series of Sunday afternoon jazz gigs.
On Feb. 9, Allyson Morris will play with Adrean Farrugia. Morris is a Toronto-based vocalist, while Farrugia is a pianist and composer who plays in several bands and can be heard on dozens of albums, both on his own and those of other artists.
The following week, Feb. 16, Yvette Tollar and Dave Restivo will perform. Tollar is a leading jazz vocalist and member of a well-known, musically talented and diverse family. Restivo has performed on piano with dozens of nationally and internationally recognized artists, and currently teaches at Humber College and the University of Toronto.
All shows run from 2 to 5 p.m. Morgan’s is at 1282 Danforth Ave., just around the corner from Greenwood subway station. For more information, visit morgansonthedanforth.com or call 416-461-3020.
Erika Raum brings her formidable four-stringed skill to the East End on Sunday, Feb. 16 for another installment in The Violin concert series.
Raum, the daughter of a composer and a trombonist, began music lessons very young. By the age of 12, she was playing with the Regina Symphony Orchestra, two years after her stage debut with the same city’s chamber orchestra.
Now based in Toronto, her career has taken her across North America and Europe, playing with some of the world’s renowned orchestras. Her appearance at the Seicho-No-Ie Centre will give the East End the chance to hear one of Canada’s most impressive violinists.
The program will be a mix of Raum’s repertoire, spanning from Bach to 20th century composers. Bach’s Sonata no. 2 will be one of the pieces performed.
Tickets to The Violin are $20, with free admission for children under 12. The concert takes place at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 16 at the Seicho-No-Ie Centre, 662 Victoria Park Ave. at Danforth. For more information, call 416-690-8696 or email snitoronto@rogers.com. Proceeds will go toward the Seicho-No-Ie roof fund. Bring along a non-perishable food item for the Daily Bread Food Bank.
Beaches Presbyterian Church is offering the chance for families to come together and enjoy some independent performers on Feb. 17.
Chynna Lewis is a singer-songwriter from Guelph, currently enrolled in the Humber College music program. She combines a unique vocal style with piano to make a lasting impression. Graham Nicholas takes inspiration from roots and Americana legends, offering his own energetic contribution to the folk scene. Also on the bill is The Composer’s Collective.
Organizers are inviting Beachers to grab a coffee and chill out at the church, starting at 3 p.m., on Family Day, Monday, Feb. 17. The church is at 65 Glen Manor Dr., south of Queen Street. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for kids under 12. For tickets or other information, email office@beacheschurch.org or call 416-699-5871.
The Toronto Catholic District School Board’s staff arts group presents Surprise!, a play by Fred Carmichael.
The story covers the opening day of retired actress Ella Wimsley’s inn in Vermont. As they tend to do in theatre, complications arise – in this case, the inn’s proprietor is mistaken for the mistress of an amnesiac chiropractor, while her granddaughter arrives for the weekend with hippie boyfriend in tow, and a patient on the lam from a local seniors home tries to figure out who he is.
Teachers and staff from the board put on a play every year at St. Patrick Catholic Secondary School, 49 Felstead Ave. The curtain rises at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 21, 22, 28 and March 1. Tickets are $20 and are available from tcdsb.org/staffarts.
Relish Bar and Grill, 2152 Danforth Ave., just east of Woodbine, offers live entertainment almost every night of the week on east Danforth.
Wednesdays feature The BTBs, while Bentroots take over on Mondays. Kiki Karaoke is on Thursdays, with the Stir It Up open mic night on Sundays.
Tim Grant will take the stage on Thursday, Feb. 6 before karaoke. The Danger Bees play Friday, Feb. 7. Saturday sees RedBrick on stage. James Carroll will play Thursday, Feb. 13, with The Joyful Sinners on Saturday, Feb. 15.
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