One advantage of being a musician-turned-author is that when you launch your book, you can turn back into a musician to gather and entertain a crowd. That’s what Dave Bidini will be doing in the front window of Pages Books & Magazines in Toronto on Saturday.

The performance/launch is particularly apt for Bidini’s new book Around the World in 57 Gigs (McClelland & Stewart), which is an account of his post-Rheostatics-breakup solo tour that took him as far as England, Finland, Russia, China, Sierra Leone, and Ghana.

The performance will be accompanied by a marathon reading of the entire book. No word on whether Bidini or any of the band will be dressed as elves to compete with Christmas window displays.