With all the clubs in town opening and closing down, it is hard to keep track to where you should be going out to see live music. 3030 in the Junction recently and sadly closed down. This was a bad blow for a vibrant part of our city.

Just as we were still wiping our tears from this tragic passing, news came that this place was not going to turn into another dollar store. In came a man who loves music too much to see this building become something less than what it is meant to be. A large room that houses many music fans to come out and experience a great night out.

This new place started at the tail end of 2024 and is gearing up to make 2025 a great year for music fans. The new hangout is called Rosario’s and right now its plans are to include plenty of world sounds for people to explore. It will have Latin music for people who love to Salsa.

On this particular night, I walked in to find a Serbian duo that turned this place into a discotheque. They are called Dragana Jovic and Balkan Express. They have a unique style of pop sensibility with a retro 80’s style to it. If you can remember all those keyboard styled soundtracks from the mid-80’s you have an idea of what I am talking about.

What I found interesting about this band is once they got started, they never stopped. They never took a break to explain the next song they were going to play, they never chatted up the audience with stories or created a special banter. They just played non-stop for their entire set.

It was like having a live DJ just spinning one tune into the next and kept the party going no matter what. Their song choices were from their home country. Even though I am unfamiliar with their music, the audience seemed to know all the songs as I watched them singing along to each song. Clearly this is the popular music that they all love.

The club was filled with people dressed to kill and have fun in style. The music was very young, and the audience was filled with all kinds of people where age didn’t matter. They were there to enjoy the sounds and the view. In a typical club fashion, the music started around 11pm and even at midnight people were still arriving.  

The highlight came when the singer departed from the stage and went from table to table to sing with each member of the audience. It was part live karaoke and part family as everyone felt they belonged and shared warm friendly moments with the singer. Drinks were bought and shots were done as Dragana sang to them.

Toronto should feel like celebrating that we did not another popular live music spot, but a new energy was born, and we should support this place so it can thrive as another great spot for live entertainment. I have a feeling this place will be bringing in more diversity so people can experience music from different part of the world under one roof.

I would like to hear your comments and let me know what you would like to see happen to the Toronto music scene next. Should I interview the owner and find out what his future plans are? This is the time for the music lovers to speak up and guide us to what should happen in this city for our entertainment.

Rosario’s is located at 3030 Dundas St west and you can find them on www.instagram.com/rosariostoronto_/

Photos of Dragana Jovic: