Khôra: The Wavelength Interview
July 18, 2014Purveyors of: Drifting forms and formlessness File next to: Nick Storring, Tim Hecker, Plato’s Timaeus Playing: WL606: Khôra + Dirty Inputs + Thom Huhtala @ 8-11 Matthew Ramolo has been releasing albums as Khôra since 2006, including his Silent Your Body is Endless, which was re-issued as part of the first volume of Constellation Records’ Musique Fragile series. Taking his name from an untr
White Poppy: The Wavelength Interview
June 19, 2014File next to: Peaking Lights, Walter TV, Maria Minerva Purveyor of: Gritty guitar, distorted dreams Crystal Dorval’s Bandcamp page for her musical project White Poppy proclaims: “EXPERIMENTAL THERAPEUTIC POP.” Based in Vancouver, she is signed with west coast DIY, cassette-tape gurus Not Not Fun Records, who release a lot of her music, including her first full-length and self-titled albu
Tim Hecker: The Wavelength Interview
June 18, 2014Purveyor of: Magmatic chambers of sound File next to: Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Brian Eno, plate tectonics Playing: Wavelength 602 at NXNE, Thursday June 19 at the Great Hall (1:00AM) Tim Hecker is a one-man genre, taking elements of ambient music, punk rock, contemporary classical, digital experimentation and Zen attitude into a molten sound blender, to create a beautifully ominous sound
Fresh Snow: The Wavelength Interview
January 28, 2015Purveyors of: Sprawling post-rock freakouts. File next to: GSY!BE, Broadcast, Mogwai Toronto’s Fresh Snow elbowed onto the scene in 2013 with their punishing and beautiful debut I, an hour of staggering epics that put the mental in ‘instrumental,’ an album carefully and painstakingly reconstructed from six hours of improvised material. Dean Williams caught up with guitarist Bradley Davis t
Twist: The Wavelength Interview
June 15, 2014Purveyors: Dusty, drum-machine-y music. Think Lana Del Rey with more heart and less collagen. File next to: Young Marble Giants, Juliana Hatfield, the Eric’s Trip tunes that Julie sang Playing the Wavelength showcase at NXNE June 19 @ the Great Hall On their official website, Twist describes themselves as “Laura Hermiston of the BB Guns flees to the desert and returns on a western- sunburnt e
Zones: The Wavelength Interview
June 16, 2014Purveyors of: organic decay grooves File next to: Sun Araw, Mystic Triangle Playing: NXNE: Tim Hecker + Fresh Snow + White Poppy + Twist + Zones @ The Great Hall. Zones surround us — you may be moving though one right now. Zones will similarly engulf you if you enter their field. Derek McKeon’s musical project is perfect for any hazy, drifting excursions you might find yourself on. Joe Strutt
Digits: The Wavelength Interview
May 28, 2014Purveyors of: Melancholy electronic pop File next to: Milosh, Mr. Little Jeans Playing: Red Bull Sound Select Showcase a.k.a. WL 601, Thursday May 29, 2014 at Adelaide Hall. Alt Altman has been performing as Digits since 2009, and though he currently resides in Toronto, it was during extended stays in London and Berlin that he began to garner attention for his singular style of crooning over
Meeko Cheech: The Wavelength Interview
May 16, 2014Purveyors of: Buttrock for your brains File next to: Grandaddy, The Dandy Warhols Meeko Cheech are a Toronto-based 4-piece who have been serving up psychedelic, synthy rock’n’roll since 2010. 2013’s Motif is their latest, a marked refinement in their sound that has earned them comparisons to The Dandy Warhols, and a mellower Death From Above 1979, and even Lou Reed. Dean Williams caught
Gold Pony: The Wavelength Interview
May 17, 2014Purveyors of: Magic morbidity, fine meats and cheeses. File next to: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Hole, Vivian Girls, Bikini Kill Gold Pony are made up of Maggie Smith (lead vocals), Dan DeMaria (guitar and vocals), Liz Keston (bass and vocals), and Andrew Heule (drums and vocals). You know those kids at your high school who were listening to killer garage bands long before you? The ones who were always goi
Connoisseurs of Porn: The Wavelength Interview
April 19, 2014Purveyors of: BBQ, axe-throwing and dissonance. File next to: TV Freaks, Waylon Thornton and the Heavy Hands, Family Curse Playing: Saturday, April 19 at Smiling Buddha (961 College St.) for WL #595 Connoisseurs of Porn are a Toronto-based, three-piece DIY indie/garage/punk/rock band. The Mississauga-raised trio of Grant Spooner, Greg Keefe and Chris Thomas describe themselves as “three pale
Cellphone: The Wavelength Interview
April 16, 2014Purveyors of: Hard rock/loud rock infused with crunchy keyboards and weirdo vocal tricks File next to: Butthole Surfers, early Trans AM Playing: WL 595, Saturday April 19 at Smiling Buddha, 961 College St. Cellphone aren’t an easy band to categorize. This Toronto outfit definitely love their guitar riffs, but their music is perhaps most notable for an atypical usage of keyboards that augment
Mystics: The Wavelength Interview
April 15, 2014Purveyors of: Drunk-and-greasy fuckrock File next to: The Cynics, Black Lips, Jay Reatard Playing: Saturday, April 19th at Smiling Buddha (961 College St.) From the smokestack shores of Hamilton come Mystics, high energy garage rock bathed in punk and booze. After a few years and a handful of releases (including a 45 on Boppa Do Down), Mystics have solidified themselves as guaranteed good tim
Picastro: The Wavelength Interview
April 9, 2014Purveyors of: Creaky, creepy caravan folk File next to: The Microphones, Dirty Three Across 15 years, through pivotal periods in Toronto’s musical maturation; through six releases and several line-ups, Picastro have issued forth challenging, emotional and dense music — music that has lost none of its intensity or character, demanding ever to be foreground. Picastro’s work is not cra
Magali Meagher: The Wavelength Interview
April 8, 2014Purveyor of: interesting, introspective tunes, delivered with a soft touch File next to: Julie Doiron, Cat Power Magali Meagher has been a longtime Wavelength favourite, both through her early stint in the Hidden Cameras and her dearly-missed project, The Phonemes. Now performing under her own name, including a slot opening for Picastro this Wednesday, Magali is also enjoying another gig, bringi
Live Action Fezz – The WL14 Interview
February 10, 2014WL14 Interview – Live Action Fezz Purveyor of: Otherworldly visuals File next to: 3D without the glasses Visualizing: Night two of WL14 Friday, February 14th @ Adelaide Hall (250 Adelaide St. W.) General Chaos Visuals has always been our go-to when it comes to creating an ethereal, dreamy space for Wavelength showgoers to enjoy not only what they hear but also what they see. This year he
Ark Analog – The WL14 Interview
February 10, 2014Purveyors of: Sweet synth-based disco dance-pop File Next To: Little Dragon, Giorgio Moroder, late night fun Playing #WL14 Sunday, February 16 @ Sonic Boom Music (Annex location – 3:00pm start) Ark Analog is Dan Werb (Woodhands) and Maylee Todd (Maylee Todd). They combine old vintage synthesizers with sequencer and samplers to create something that is both classic and fresh. This duo definitely
Purveyors of: Soft-rock meets synth-pop File Next To: Fleetwood Mac, Grimes Playing: WL14 Thursday, February 13th @ The Silver Dollar Room TOPS is a four-piece band based out of Montreal. Their music artfully bridges the melodies and complexities of ‘70s pop rock and ‘80s synth-pop, all whilst maintaining a freshness indicative of their time and place of creation. TOPS’ collaborative soun
Purveyors of: Synthetic seduction File next to: Roxy Music, Austra, Vangelis, Braids, John Hughes movie soundtracks Playing next: Night two of WL14 Friday, February 14th @ Adelaide Hall (250 Adelaide St. W.) DIANA are a Toronto-based four-piece synth-pop supergroup of sorts, whose membership includes Kieran Adams of Bonjay, Joseph Shabason of Destroyer, Carmen Elle of Army Girls and Spiral Be
Gambletron – the WL14 Interview
February 5, 2014File Next To: Fennesz, John Cage, Gang Gang Dance Purveyor of: Sizzllllllll…. ckrrrrrrrr…. shhhhhhh…. weuuuhhhhhhh…… dn-dn-dn-dn Playing: #WL14 Saturday, February 15 @ Polish Combatants Hall Gambletron is the crackling sonic manifestation of Lisa Gamble’s mind juice. A multi-talented, multi-faceted installation/ sound artist, Gambletron has flitted and glitched through countless pro
Tough Guy Mountain – The WL14 Interview
February 9, 2014Purveyors of: Success. File Next To: Your files. Engaging: #WL14 Thursday, February 13 @ The Silver Dollar Room AND Sunday, February 16 @ The Garrison Toronto’s most evolved and dynamic start-up enterprise, Tough Guy Mountain ®™© is a capable business engine and lifestyle provider for the upwardly mobile dollar fan. Simple, classy solutions for the urbanite on the go. TGM gets it don