The Final Days Of The Silver Dollar


As Toronto continues to grow into a booming 21st century metropolis, there’s good deal of concern about the rising costs of housing and rents for small businesses.

One of the most talked about casualties of the boom has been the loss of multiple music venues in the city. The Silver Dollar Room is one of those magical watering holes that’s straight out of a movie: a 50s blues bar steeped in equal parts charm and grime that became a focal point of new and exciting music. But unfortunately the corner of Spadina and College where it sits is being re-developed into student housing for the nearby University of Toronto.

When local gonzo-rock-promoter Dan Burke asked Biblical to play alongside local lights such Metz and Dilly Dally for a farewell concert series, I felt compelled to cook up a design to try to capture how I was feeling. The closing of the Dollar might be the perfect encapsulation of old Toronto vs. the new.