Wavelength announces new Artistic Associate & concert curator Daniel Monkman (of Zoon + Ombiigizi) plus fall Wavelength Monthly Series shows
The Wavelength Music Series is pleased to announce the appointment of its new Artistic Associate, Daniel Monkman, who will be curating the Toronto-based non-profit organization’s monthly concert series and annual festivals in 2022-23.
In the Ojibway language, the word Zoongide’ewin means “bravery, courage, the Bear Spirit.” It’s no wonder Daniel Monkman adopted Zoon as their musical moniker. The Toronto-based musician has spent the better part of their 31 years finding and channeling their strength to overcome such adversities as racism, poverty and addiction.
A talented Anishnaabe musician and composer, Monkman rose to prominence in 2020 with shoegaze-inspired Zoon and their debut album, Bleached Waves (Paper Bag Records). Monkman followed that up with a second project, Ombiigizi, a reimagining of classic indie-rock, as heard on their 2022 debut, Sewn Back Together (Arts & Crafts), co-produced by Kevin Drew. Both albums were short-listed for the Polaris Music Prize. Zoon’s latest EP, A Sterling Murmuration, recently reached #1 on both the Earshot and NACC Canada campus radio charts.
“I’m excited to have a chance to book the bands that I want to see,” says Monkman of their new curatorial role at Wavelength. “I spent a lot of time feeling that the type of music I was into was underrepresented in Canada’s music scene. A lot of the folks I want to present are very unique, and I’m looking forward to showcasing some really deserving artists. You don’t see a lot of artists or curators like me, but things are changing, so it’s important for people like me to get these positions. Wavelength encourages this kind of experimentation and a culture of being open to anything. That’s just like my art practice.”
Daniel Monkman’s curation of the Wavelength series kicks off Sunday Nov. 20 at 918 Bathurst with a double-bill of Charles Spearin and Sunnsetter, and continues Dec. 1 at the same venue, with Montreal’s Thus Owls and Toronto’s Shirley Hurt.
Event Listings:
Sunday November 20, 2022
Charles Spearin (Member of Broken Social Scene & Do Make Say Think / Toronto post-rock pioneer plays gorgeous instrumentals with an all-star band of friends)
Sunnsetter (Member of Zoon & Ombiigizi / solo ambient shoegaze folk excursions / Norfolk County, Ontario)
@ 918 Bathurst Centre for Culture, Arts, Media & Education
918 Bathurst St.,Toronto
Doors 7pm
$15 advance at ShowClix.com
$20 at the door (NOTAFLOF – No one turned away for lack of funds)
Ticket Link: https://bit.ly/WL-Nov2022
All Ages + Licensed
“Charles Spearin represents a very unique part of Toronto, the scene that really built indie music. And Andrew McLeod (aka Sunnsetter) is a direct result of that kind of musical influence on a city. I don’t think Andrew would have developed his talent without Charles’ music, especially projects like KC Accidental. It was almost a singularity, sort of a torch-passing, when I think about their music side by side.”
– Daniel Monkman, concert curator
Thursday December 1, 2022
Thus Owls (Montreal-via-Sweden / saxophone-studded poetic jazz-infused art-rock / supporting album #5, Who Would Hold You If The Sky Betrayed Us?)
Shirley Hurt (Toronto / experimental indie folk-pop / self-titled debut LP out on Telephone Explosion Records)
@ 918 Bathurst Centre for Culture, Arts, Media & Education
918 Bathurst St.,Toronto
Doors 8pm
$15 advance at ShowClix.com
$20 at the door (NOTAFLOF – No one turned away for lack of funds)
Ticket Link: https://bit.ly/WL-Dec2022
All Ages + Licensed
“Shirley Hurt is an example of an artist really staying true to themselves and creating music that is so unique. Moving to a big city like Toronto, for me it’s amazing to connect with all these really talented artists in my own backyard. And the first time I saw Thus Owls, at the Baby G with their bass saxophone, it was just a wall of sound and I was so inspired hearing them. I love their new album and hearing all their creative ideas concentrated into one record, I’m excited to bring them to a stage where they can inspire even more people.”
– Daniel Monkman, concert curator
Wavelength Monthly Music Series is supported by:
Ontario Creates
The Canada Council for the Arts
Ontario Arts Council
Toronto Arts Council
Department of Canadian Heritage
The SOCAN Foundation
Slaight Music
TD Bank
ArtsVest
Collective Arts Brewing