WAVELENGTH 12TH ANNIVERSARY FESTIVAL with FUCKED UP, NO JOY, PS I LOVE YOU, SANDRO PERRI, OFF THE INTERNATIONAL RADAR, ODONIS ODONIS, CATL, BONJAY and others, Thursday to Sunday (February 16 to 19), various venues. $10-$20, $36 for festival pass. wavelengthtoronto.com. See listings.
Twelve years ago, Wavelength started throwing pay-what-you-can music showcases every Sunday at the now defunct Ted’s Wrecking Yard, and they quickly became a key gathering space for the local music scene. Over the years, countless diverse Toronto acts played their first gigs, met future bandmates and tested musical boundaries at Wavelength.
The cross-genre approach, DIY attitude and grassroots scene-building provided a model that has influenced a generation of Toronto promoters, musicians and record labels. While the non-profit, artist-run org may no longer be doing weekly Sunday shows, Wavelength continues to have a strong presence in Toronto.
This weekend’s anniversary festival is stacked with talent. Rather than focus on individual highlights, we thought it more in the spirit of Wavelength to ask some of this year’s performers to reflect on the impact it’s had on them personally.
“Back in 2002 I affectionately referred to it as ‘church.’ It was the same group of people getting together every Sunday to worship the spirit of underground music or whatever. I was too shy to play in a band or even meet people, so I would just pay $1 at the door, buy one bottle of beer, sit in a corner of Sneaky Dee’s and nurse it for the whole night. Thank you, Wavelength, for giving me hope for the future when I was so young, poor and alone.”
PS I Love You guitarist/vocalist Paul Saulnier
“I remember going to one of the first Wavelength nights at Ted’s Wrecking Yard. Someone was playing an extremely unsettling electric violin while someone else used a garbage can lid for percussion. By the set’s end, most of the room had cleared out except my sister and me. We agreed that it was amazing that there was a place for different types of musical expression, where people were encouraged to experiment and try new things. It’s been good to see such a receptive, positive community build up around that idea.”
Off the International Radar keyboardist Aaron Dawson
“It wasn’t an official Wavelength show, but [current programmer] Ryan McLaren’s bloodbath birthday with Lullabye Arkestra was the most memorable for me. Our bathroom at [Buzz Records headquarters/DIY venue] the Garage was destroyed by an irate fan who got soapy blood in his eyes. The blood was being shot out of water guns, balloons and a piñata. I can’t really blame the guy.”
Odonis Odonis bassist/vocalist Denholme Whale
“Having grown up on Toronto Island, I was really excited to get the invitation to play there as part of Wavelength’s ALL CAPS! festival. Being back there was totally surreal the area where most of the bands played was my old school cafeteria. It was a warm summer evening, so at the last minute we decided to set up in the schoolyard. My heels kept sinking into the soft grass, so off they came, spending the rest of the night perched on my organ. The fireworks going off behind us while we played our finale were strange, awesome and hilarious, but the highlight was my feet being attacked and bitten by red ants. A true Island experience.”
Catl keyboardist/vocalist Sarah Kirkpatrick
benjaminb@nowtoronto.com
