The Cameron Public House is a small bar, hotel, and informal cultural centre located on Queen Street West

Queen Street West

Queen Street West describes both the western branch of Queen Street, a major east-west thoroughfare, and a series of neighbourhoods or commercial districts, situated west of Yonge Street in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Queen Street begins in the west at the intersection of King Street, The...

, just west of Spadina Avenue

Spadina Avenue

Spadina Avenue is one of the most prominent streets in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Running through the western section of downtown, the road has a very different character in different neighbourhoods....

, in downtown Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. The Cameron has a front lounge and a back room, both with the capacity for audiences of no more than sixty people. It has been described as a unique Toronto crossover of CBGB's

CBGB

CBGB was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City.Founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973, it was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk and New Wave bands like Ramones, Misfits, Television, the...

 and the Chelsea Hotel

Hotel Chelsea

The Hotel Chelsea, also known as the Chelsea Hotel, or simply the Chelsea, is a historic New York City hotel and landmark, known primarily for its history of notable residents...

 in New York

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

.

First opened as a working hotel in the early 1920s, since October 1981 the Cameron has provided a stage, backdrop, canvas and incubator for the production of experimental and leading-edge music, performance, and visual art. Blue Rodeo

Blue Rodeo

Blue Rodeo is a Canadian pop and country rock band, which was formed in 1984 in Toronto, Ontario. They have been signed with Warner Music Group since their debut album Outskirts in March 1987...

, Jane Siberry, Ron Sexsmith

Ron Sexsmith

Ronald Eldon "Ron" Sexsmith is a Canadian singer-songwriter from St. Catharines, Ontario, currently based in Toronto. He started his own band when he was fourteen years old, and released the first recordings of his own material seven years later, in 1985...

, Molly Johnson

Molly Johnson

Molly Johnson, OC is a Canadian Juno Award-winning singer-songwriter of pop and jazz.-Biography:Johnson began as a child performer, receiving formal training from the National Ballet School and the Banff School of Fine Arts...

, Gordie Johnson

Gordie Johnson

Gordie Johnson is a Canadian musician, best known as the front man for the reggae-rock band Big Sugar, and later southern rock band Grady.-Biography:...

, Holly Cole

Holly Cole

Holly Cole is a Canadian jazz singer, particularly popular in Canada and Japan for both her versatile and distinctive voice, along with her adventurous repertoire, which spans such divergent genres as show tunes, rock, and country music.-Holly Cole Trio:In 1983, Cole travelled to Toronto to seek a...

, Barenaked Ladies

Barenaked Ladies

Barenaked Ladies is a Canadian alternative rock band. The band is currently composed of Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Ed Robertson, and Tyler Stewart. Barenaked Ladies formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario, then a suburban municipality outside the City of Toronto...

, The Meligrove Band

The Meligrove Band

The Meligrove Band is a Canadian indie rock band, based in Toronto, and consisting of Jason Nunes on vocals, guitar and piano, Darcy Rego on vocals and drums, Brian O'Reilly on guitar and synthesizer, and Michael Small on bass guitar.-History:...

, Lorraine Segato

Lorraine Segato

Lorraine Segato is a Canadian pop singer-songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist for and a principal songwriter of new wave and pop rock group Parachute Club, with which she continues to perform.- History :...

, Willie P. Bennett

Willie P. Bennett

Willie P. Bennett was a Canadian folk-music singer and song writer.-Life and career:Born William Patrick Bennett in Toronto, Ontario, Bennett was part of the 1970s folk music scene in Canada, alongside such figures as Bruce Cockburn, Stan Rogers and David Wiffen...

, The Government

The Government

The Government was a Canadian new wave, art punk band, primarily active in Toronto during the 1979–1981 period.-Singles:* 1979 "Hemingway " / "I Only Drive My Car At Night" -...

, Fifth Column, Mary Margaret O'Hara

Mary Margaret O'Hara

Mary Margaret O'Hara is a Canadian singer-songwriter and actress, who has been hailed as one of the greatest cult heroines in rock music despite having released very few of her own recordings. She is best known for the critically acclaimed album Miss America, released in 1988.-Early stages:O'Hara...

, The Golden Dogs

The Golden Dogs

The Golden Dogs are a pop-rock band based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Formed in 2001, the band is known for their wild, energetic live shows and were labelled as one of the best live bands in Canada by Chart Magazine.-History:...

 and many other well-known Canadian musicians all performed here early in their careers.

House acts at the Cameron in 2005 included The Cameron Family Singers

The Cameron Family Singers

The Cameron Family Singers are a Canadian country music band, who play weekly shows as the house band at the Cameron Public House, a major live music venue in Toronto, Ontario....

, The DoneFors, The Countrypolitans, Run With the Kittens, The Backstabbers, and Kevin Quain

Kevin Quain

Kevin Quain is a Canadian cabaret artist, who plays weekly shows the Cameron Public House, a major live music venue in Toronto, Ontario.He is a self-taught musician, singer/songwriter, and award-winning playwright. He has written music for film, TV, and the stage, and has performed with scores of...

 and the Mad Bastards. , the house acts were Betty Stew and Toronto Alt-bluegrass band The Strumbellas

The Strumbellas

The Strumbellas is 7-piece Canadian indie-rock/alt-country band, whose music has been described as alt-country, indie rock, and "folk popgrass".- History :...

on Monday; Luke Nicholson on Tuesday; Joshua Cockerill on Wednesday; Corin Raymond on Thursday; and the Jack Marks Band and Kevin Quain

Kevin Quain

Kevin Quain is a Canadian cabaret artist, who plays weekly shows the Cameron Public House, a major live music venue in Toronto, Ontario.He is a self-taught musician, singer/songwriter, and award-winning playwright. He has written music for film, TV, and the stage, and has performed with scores of...

and the Mad Bastards on Sunday.