KEVIN HEARN
MUSICIAN

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Kevin Hearn, 34, is a pianist, accordionist, guitarist and vocalist with the Barenaked Ladies, and has also played with the Look People, Corky and the Juice Pigs and Rheostatics. His second solo album, Nightlight, hits stores on Tuesday.

Living I live in the Queen West neighbourhood near Trinity Bellwoods Park. I moved here from Parkdale. I like the neighbourhood because people are always happy, courteous, friendly, smiling, laughing and giving high fives. The park is a great place to walk my dog. I like popping into Songbird Music or Paul's Boutique (in Kensington Market) to see if they have any rare or interesting instruments for sale. I like shopping for records at Rotate This and Cosmos. I'm not far from the lake, and I'm in the heart of our great live music scene, which I love.

Eating I like Jules on Spadina. The food is delicious, and they are really nice folks. For special occasions, Susur on King Street. Dining there is always a memorable experience. Then there are the old standbys: Bachus Roti, Swatow and the Swan.

Drinking I like to go to Teatro, especially when Wayne is DJing -- I like bars where the owner DJs and sings to you. Nice wines and good food as well. I like a cold bottle of Creemore Springs. I can't drink like I used to, so I'm glad it comes in the smaller bottle now.

Working Toronto has a great musical community. Yvonne at the El Mocambo is a Toronto culture hero, always supportive of up-and-comers. I like the sound at the Horseshoe, but often the audience is talkative, so watching a show can be frustrating. My favourite place to play is Massey Hall. I have many memories there from my days with the St. Michael's Choir, and I've seen some of my favourite concerts there -- Lou Reed, Tom Waits, The Stranglers, Flaming Lips, the list goes on.

Resting I saw The Producers last weekend. My friend Sean Cullen is in it. Sean was great. His solo scene in the jail cell was the point of the show where he was most able to be himself and bring his unique talent to the staging. I frequent the AGO. Sitting in the Henry Moore room for a few minutes is a favourite. I enjoyed the Tom Thompson exhibition. I really like Marcel Dzama's drawings. I went to see some of his new work recently. When I'm on tour, I like to sneak in visits to art galleries whenever I can.

Avoiding Any visit to a government office. Passports, certificates, always dreadful. Long lineups and, more often than not, nasty-as-orcs people at the end of them. Also, Terminal 2 at Pearson. I've had many mindboggling, frustrating experiences with Air Canada, including a guitar that was "lost."

Escaping Up north to my cottage in the woods. It's my favourite place to be, just me and six million flies.

Improving A pedestrian-only area downtown, like Montreal. Clean up the waterfront, make it more accessible and encourage outdoor fitness, like Vancouver or Chicago. Plastic-bag dispensers in parks, to encourage dog walkers to help keep them clean, like California. Cobs of corn -- free corn on every corner, like in Cornville.