CONTACT US
Wavelength Music Arts Projects
226 Crawford Street - Suite #1
Toronto, ON  M6J 2V6
(T) 416-546-2745
(E) contact (at) wavelengthtoronto dot com

What is Wavelength ?

Wavelength is Toronto’s longest-running and most influential underground music forum, dedicated to presenting genre-smashing concerts and festivals, building innovative bridges within our city’s musical communities and throughout our country’s artistic landscape while challenging artists and audiences to broaden their aural perceptions. "Support art locally. Globalize it vocally."

Wavelength is a non-profit, artist-run arts organization, incorporated under the name Wavelength Music Arts Projects, organized and programmed by a team of seven musicians, writers and civic enthusiasts.

Wavelength began as a weekly live music series and monthly print zine. It was conceived in late 1999 and launched in Feb. 2000 by a loose collective of frustrated yet hopeful independent musicians trying breathe some life into some of the darker corners of Toronto's then-overlooked indie music scene. From the beginning, the Wavelength crew were guided by the idealistic notion of uniting like-minded members of Toronto's scene, and enlarging that scene both within itself and outside the parameters of the city to incorporate an awareness that kindred spirits might be living anywhere in the world, and that a mutual support network could exist. By fostering a sense of community and co-operation, a genuine alternative was sought, in contrast to the competitiveness usually encouraged by the music industry. Wavelength was also founded with accessibility in mind — its weekly series always offered a Pay What You Can admission price. Documenting local cultural history was also an aim — as such, every Wavelength series show since the start has been numbered.

There is no stylistic criteria for the bands that are booked for the series — the only demand is that the music is fresh, honest and engaging. It is the live-show equivalent of an "open format" college radio show. Wavelength has helped launch the career trajectories of now-internationally renowned Torontonian and Canadian artists like The Constantines, Broken Social Scene, Holy Fuck, Final Fantasy, The Hidden Cameras, Great Lake Swimmers, Tokyo Police Club, Cadence Weapon, Peaches, Caribou, Junior Boys, Crystal Castles, Fucked Up and many others.

The Wavelength music series concluded its 500 week run of weekly Sunday shows in February 2010, at our current home base, The Garrison, located at 1197 Dundas Street West, west of Ossington Avenue. Wavelength was originally located at Ted's Wrecking Yard, at 549 College Street in Little Italy. The series ran there from its inception on Feb. 13, 2000, until the club unexpectedly closed down on Oct. 24, 2001. The following Sunday (Oct. 28), Wavelength had a one-night stand at the El Mocambo, before that club closed. From Nov. 2001 to May 2002, the series found a home at Lee's Palace, located on Bloor Street West in the Annex neighbourhood. Wavelength then moved to its longest-running venue, Sneaky Dee's, at the corner of College and Bathurst streets, which the series called home for over seven years until moving to the Garrison in Oct. 2009. Following the end of the weekly Sunday series in Feb. 2010, the Wavelength series relaunched in a new monthly format, taking place at both The Garrison and other, more unconventional spaces.

Every February, Wavelength celebrates its birthday with an Anniversary Festival. These Anniversary parties have become an annual Toronto tradition, lighting up the darkest month of the year with some of the best and brightest music from the Toronto underground, and taking place over three to five nights at a different venue each night. Our most recent Anniversary Festival, Wavelength TWELVE, marked our 12th Anniversary.

Expanding on the success of our Anniversary Festival, Wavelength began producing a series of quarterly special events at alternative venue spaces in 2008, with the support of the Toronto and Ontario Arts Councils. Such events have included The Kalimba Summit at the Tranzac, co-presentations with the Images Festival of experimental film & video, , the Summer Courtyard Series in the Music Gallery Courtyard, Getatchew Mekuria & The Ex & Guests at the SPK Polish Combatants Hall, and the ALL CAPS! Island Show at Artscape Gibraltar Point on Toronto Island - which has now expanded into the annual ALL CAPS! Island Festival, our second annual festival taking place every August.

Wavelength acknowledges the support of the Ontario Arts Council through its Presenter/Producer and COMPASS programs, the Toronto Arts Council through its Music program, and the SOCAN Foundation through its Festival Grants program.

FAQ:

What happened to the zine?
From 2000 to 2005, the Wavelength zine was printed and distributed free of charge every month in record stores, cafes and other hangouts throughout Toronto. The zine featured photos and interviews with the acts performing each month, as well as irreverent opinion pieces, news, lists and comics. The zine was for the most part written by musicians and brought an often surreal sense of humour and irony to its coverage of Toronto's burgeoning music scene. Financial and time pressures forced an end to the regular publishing of the zine, though special editions have published to coincide with more recent Anniversary Festivals. The zine ran online here at wavelengthtoronto.com from 2005 to 2008, when it was replaced by a group blog called the Wavelog.

I want to play Wavelength - how do I get booked?

Though the Sunday night Wavelength series finished last February after 500 amazing nights, we are still presenting monthly shows — but openings are, naturally, less common. If you are an artist interested in performing, please send us a few short words about yourself and a link to your music at contact (at) wavelengthtoronto dot com. Please do not send attachments or EPKs — they will just get deleted.

I want to get in contact with Wavelength about something else - how do I talk to you people?

For media requests, publicity materials or general info about the series or our festivals and other shows, please email contact (at) wavelengthtoronto dot com.

If you want to go old-school snail mail, drop us a line at:
Wavelength Music Arts Projects
226 Crawford Street - Suite #1
Toronto, ON  M6J 2V6

How many bands have ever played Wavelength, anyways?
Good question! We estimate upwards of 1,100. The Archive of past Wavelength series performers can be accessed here:
2000-2005
2005-2010