Swoon.
ginla
WAVELENGTH 15 + A LOOK BACK AT THE FINAL ALL CAPS!!!
This weekend marks the 15th annual Wavelength Festival and the celebrations are well underway. For those of you not in the know, Wavelength is a non-for-profit that aims to highlight all the exceptional talent Toronto has to offer, that often goes overlooked. They're about the weird stuff and help foster the scene and arts community. Not to mention the festival runs Valentines Day weekend, when often some good music and good people are what we need the most. Respect.
The past couple of weeks have been full of rad events at Huntclub where they've set a Pop Up, featuring tons of packed showcases and some free talks worth checking out. There's also a sweet $3 pre-party Thursday the 12th (tonight) featuring Speedy Ortiz, WISH & HSY (RSVP now) at The Garrison. The festival kicks off Friday night at Sneaky Dee's with a bunch of local acts covering other local heroes. Saturday, the festival takes over the Polish Combatants' Hall with my babes ginla and Lowell. Things close up Sunday with a bang. Fresh Snow, New Fries, Mozart's Sister and more, not to mention the 4am last call. You can check out the full line up and all the sweet deets over at this link.
And as we celebrate this 15th Wavelength Festival, we also look back and go HOLY SHIT FUCK YEAH WAVELENGTH RULES! In honour of this here Wavelength 15, I thought what better time to look back on one of my fondest Wavelength memories and some photos from the final ALL CAPS! Island Festival. Thrown by Wavelength , ALL CAPS! was held annually at Artscape Gibraltar Point on the Toronto Island from 2009 - 2013. While I sadly only made it to the final year, it lives forever in my heart. A great weekend of memories soundtracked by choice tunes, ALL CAPS! stands next to Sappy Fest and Iceland Airways in my top 3 best festivals. What SXSW has in hype and VIP blah blah blah, ALL CAPS! matched in CHILL VIBE, good people, awesome music and then some. It was also the only time you were technically allowed to camp on the island. The festival was also "technically" Saturday & Sunday but if you got a camping pass you could come Friday night which was when (sorry if this is too cheesy) the magic begun...
Riding the ferry out of the city towards the island at sunset was stunning. Like... crazy beautiful. Like... so pretty. Like... my heart was exploding. Just melting really. It was mid-August and the perfect mix of warm wind. Talk about setting the scene for the weekend.
Upon arriving on the island it was totally tent times. Set up them tents. I was super excited.
So very hype.
After settling in and linking up with friends/making some new ones via tent help set-up, we went down to the beach where Lemon Bucket Orchestra were welcoming us with some crazy sounds. Horns! Accordion! Gypsy punk tunes man. Say what you will, it's some fun stuff.
Their set ended and off went fireworks. ALL CAPS hadn't even officially begun, but that doesn't mean you can't start things with a literal bang. Like, ARE WE IN A MOVIE WHY IS THIS ALREADY SO CUTE?
Classically, the dude with a guitar around a campfire is annoying and maybe kinda sucks, but seeing as a bunch of the bands playing the festival were also camping on the island, the late night campfire sing-a-longs till sunrise were actually great. We drank. The campers got to know each other. We were all friends by the morning.
Benefit of camping of the island? Waking up & already being on the festival site. Biking around and adventuring. Going to the beach. Swimming in the lake. Hanging out with babes.
Justine is a true hippy & is allowed to wear flower crowns.
The first official ALL CAPS set that I caught on Saturday was Toronto duo Most People. The electro-indie dance dudes released their self titled debut in the winter of 2012, stream it from their bandcamp yo. They're actually playing Wavelength 15th this Friday, covering Broken Social Scene. Neat!
Local electronic pop experimentalists ev re whun followed. They make the kind of stuff that is both chill and hype at the same time. Check out their new track "Namazu" to hear what I mean.
Vancouver post-pop indie-rock kids beekeeper slammed it down. Fun fact: Devon (playing on the left above) interviewed me on his old podcast The Exploding Sandwich back in 2010. I'd link you to it but it's probably super embarrassing...
Shotgun Jimmie played to some amazing fans who came dressed in homemade Shotgun Jimmie shirts and drunkenly sang-along to every song.
We joined in. Enthusiasm is contagious!
My dear friends Alex and Kathleen are great dancers and so good at having fun.
Giant Jenga break. I love giant Jenga.
Hooded Fang kept the dancing vibes going.
By the end there was a nice lil mosh pit.
The Blow closed up the mainstage that night with a bunch of fun weirdness.
So many moves and crazy crowd surfing .
She ended her set by taking off her pants and dancing but not in like a "sexy" way more of a wild toddler taking control way. It was amazing. We all headed down to the beach where DJ Eytan Tobin did it up.
There was more campfires and the most magical Cher dance party.
Another late night. Another sunrise.
After waking late on Sunday, I was more than happy to stumble down to the beach & enjoy Eons.
The waves crashed along the shore as they played.
It was lovely calm Sunday.
We watched the sunset.
Catl rocked out.
Rich Aucoin closed up the festival with his trademark interactive good times. So much crowd surfing. Parachute popcorn. Posi vibes x a million. Way too fun.
ALL CAPS all in all? All love.
Taking the ferry back to the city that night it almost felt unreal.
Thanks for the memories Wavelength! Looking forward to making more. See you this weekend!
the 2014 albums that made me swoon + some photos I took
Here's my obligatory favourite albums of 2014 list in no particular order.
There's also some photos I took from various festivals and shows throughout the past year.
Happy new year dudes!
Ought at Sappy Fest 9
More Than Any Other Day by Ought: I think I saw Ought 6 times this year but to be honest it could be more. The first time I heard "Habit" I was sold. They told me what the weather was like and I followed their forecast. Live, they punch you even harder. Lyrically they consistently stab you with truths and and today more than any other day I am prepared to make the decision between two percent and whole milk.
Sharon making my tear up at Chicago's Pitchfork Festival
Are We There by Sharon Van Etten: I can't listen to this record too often cus I'll start crying & questioning everything. So intense. Fucking amazing. Your love is killing me Sharon.
Hot Dreams by Timber Timbre: Shit is sexy and weird and dark and smooth. Sounds like pink smoke, slowly turning disco balls, neon lights and dimly lit rooms. Hold me closer Grand Canyon.
Weaves on the Williamsburg Bridge during CMJ with Calvin Love and crew in the background
EP by Weaves: Holy shit I love Weaves. They are so fucking cool. They melt my mind. They are so fucking weird in the best way. So unexpected. I didn't know my ear needed them so bad. They sound like nothing else. It's impossible for my not to dance/shake/slither along to this EP. They are my bbs and my buttercups.
St. Vincent slaying at Pitchfork Paris
St. Vincent: Annie Clark is a goddess guitar god. That is all. Happily her digital witness.
LP1 by FKA Twigs: Sexy sexy sexy sexy sexy sexy sexy sex. Also Arca. Doesn't take two weeks to get under your skin, the effects are instant.
TOPS on the top of the Wythe Hotel in Brooklyn during CMJ
Picture You Staring by TOPS: My late summer soundtrack. Was worried I'd get sick of this one cus I was listening to it so much but it simply got sweeter with each listen. Sounds like sunshine on the rocks. Saw them something like 5 times in one week this year. What can I say? I like grooving and it's the way that I want to be loved.
Adult Jazz doing it up at Iceland Airwaves
Gist Is by Adult Jazz: These brits may be new kids on the block but you wouldn't know it from their debut. Start off with Idiot Mantra and sink in from there to see what I mean.
Shrink Dust by Chad VanGaalen: Weird folk banjo beauty. Perfect for when you're not feeling totally human. Monster mashes.
Caribou with special guest Jessy Lanza at Pitchfork Paris
Our Love by Caribou: Electronic music with actual instruments. Hype as heck. Can't do without it.
Kalaboogie by Doomsquad: Rad tribal dance chants that shake you up. That description doesn't do it but just trust me. Really dope shit.
Meredith Graves of Perfect Pussy at Chicago's Pitchfork Festival
Say Yes To Love by Perfect Pussy: Because they actually put blood into their work. Say yes to that.
Ruins by Grouper: Like the soft sounds of rain. Stunning. Made of air.
Odonis Odonis being bad ass in Iceland
Hard Boiled Soft Boiled by Odonis Odonis: Industrial surf gaze haze perfection. A definite highnote. The homies hit hard.
You're Dead! by Flying Lotus: It's fucking FlyLo dude.
me and my beloved Foxes and Fiction vinyl
Ontario Gothic by Foxes In Fiction: Orchid Tapes are cool as shit and Warren Hildebrand is a soft voiced angel baby. This album was HEAVY in my fall rotation and continues to be. It's as crisp as the cold air and as satisfying as crunching leaves under your feet. Also Owen Pallett plays on it so automatic win.
In Conflict by Owen Pallett: I've loved Owen Pallett since high school and consistently he turns out only the best shit. Each album takes you higher and higher and THOSE STRINGS! It's a complex listen that turns my anxiety into something that soars. He's always been on a path and wherever he goes I will follow.
ginla in Montreal
Lydia Ainsworth in New York during CMJ
The War On Drugs in Paris
Lost in the Dream by The War On Drugs: Sounds like highways and motorcycles and clouds in the sky and red eyes.
Ginla in New York
in photos
Ginla is a duo, made up of two dudes who make sounds and play a lot of NHL on Xbox. One of them is named Joe - he makes space noises and cries at space movies. The other is a giant named Jon who comes from all over and knows how to tell a story. They're both secretly jazz geniuses but will never admit it. It's Ginla as in "Jarome Iginla" in case you were wondering.
Listen to their new EP Dreaming In Circles above.
Check out some photos I took of these goofs while in NY this past October below.
