Staff & Contributors

Jonathan Bunce (better known as Jonny Dovercourt) has been participating in the independent music community in Toronto — as a musician, writer, editor, presenter, organizer and advocate — since he was a teenager. In 2000, Jonny combined his experience in both the music scene and journalism to help co-found Wavelength Music; over the years, he led the organization from grassroots collective to professional non-profit arts organization and has been Wavelength’s full-time Artistic / Executive Director since 2014. 

Jonny is the author of the book Any Night of Week: A DIY History of Toronto 1957-2001, published in 2020 by Coach House Books, with a spinoff podcast, walking tours and maps. He co-edited two volumes of Coach House’s acclaimed uTOpia anthology, and currently writes regularly for MusicWorks Magazine. As a presenter and arts administrator, he previously held senior roles at the Music Gallery and Images Festival. He was a 2017/18 Toronto Arts Council/Banff Centre Cultural Leaders Lab Fellow, and in 2013, was recognized with a “Vital People” Award from the Toronto Community Foundation. As guitarist, bassist or vocalist, Jonny has been a member of more than a dozen bands, including Several Futures, Republic of Safety, Secret Agent, and A Tuesday Weld. When not absorbed with music, Jonny rides his bike and thinks about writing sci-fi.

In 2023, he co-authored the Reimagining Music Venues study with Dan Silver, Professor of Sociology at University of Toronto Scarborough.

jonnydovercourt.com

Photo: Tim McCready.

Kat Estacio is a Tkaronto-based creative and recovering overachiever. An experienced administrator, Kat has a B.Comm and over a decade on-the-ground work with community non-profits and arts organizations. They previously worked as managing director at Kapisanan Philippine Centre for Arts and Culture, and continues to be involved in different capacities throughout the years as an arts mentor, committee member, and consultant. As festival director, Kat facilitated the scale of Kultura Filipino Arts Festival from a block party to a multi-day event. They also gained confidence crunching numbers at the Centre for Mindfulness Studies as their long-time finance coordinator. Kat is currently involved as a member of the Artistic Advisory Council at The Music Gallery, and is Exclaim! Media’s print magazine layout editor.

When working on their sound and visual art practice, Kat often focuses on collaborative and exploratory projects. They blend analog and acoustic elements with digital and electronic as a palette for self-expression. Informed by their lived experience as a diasporic queer racialized woman, Kat centres intentional and embodied remembering in creating for the senses. They are also a member of Pantayo, an all-women Filipino kulintang gong ensemble. Their debut album was shortlisted for the 2020 Polaris Music Prize.

Kat likes to spend time in nature doing nothing, making food for friends and going to queer dance parties.

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 channelling their strength to overcome such adversities as racism, poverty and addiction.

Dave has worked in the live music industry for the better part of a decade — from organizing small DIY events to managing large-scale, multi-day festivals. He is passionate about supporting and uplifting the local music scene by helping to create memorable experiences through event production and creative programming.

When he’s not working on events, he can be found flipping through bins at local record stores, exploring the city’s hidden nooks by bike, or at Taco Bell ordering a combo 3 (soft shell) with beans instead of beef, upgrade those fries to the fries supreme and a Dr. Pepper to drink, easy on the ice.

Ayşe is a music industry worker, connector, and cultural advocate. A graduate of the Arts Management (Specialist) + Music and Culture programs at the University of Toronto, Ayşe’s experience spans across marketing, education & outreach, artist management, publicity, music journalism, research, policy making, content production, and event management. When not working for Wavelength, Ayşe is a key part of the MOM3NT Network team, conducts artist interviews for Sidedoor Magazine, and assists the Northside Hip Hop Archive with content production. Additionally, she actively contributes to the Anti-Racism and Equity Committee at Music Managers Forum Canada. 

Throughout her career, Ayşe has worked with various organizations, including Massey Hall & Roy Thomson Hall, Hart House, Jackman Humanities Institute, NXNE, Field Trip, Soundstreams, Porchfront Collective, Trade Routes, Afrosonic Innovation Lab, and Radio FWD. She is also the co-writer of “#djlife During the Pandemic: Reflections from DJs Rearranging Relations and Improvising Continuity” at IICSI with Dr. Mark V. Campbell. Ayşe’s greatest passion lies in helping musicians succeed through a communal approach.

Photo by Selina McCallum

Tara Hejazi is music enthusiast and lover of all arts. She has a specialist degree in Arts Management from the University of Toronto (and somehow still has her sanity). Throughout her undergraduate career, Tara has gained years of marketing, outreach, and admin experience through her involvement in both academic and professional experiences.

Tara is also a huge creative herself, writing for magazines and journals about art, fashion, music, and advocacy. Additionally, she loves to draw and create content. If Tara isn’t working, she’s with her pets and sister binging trashy reality shows and cooking competitions.

Another entry in a long tradition of DIY punks-turned-professional-gig-people, Em has worked in and around the live music industry for over ten years. With a background in studio engineering and music production, Em made the switch to live event tech work and FOH audio in the latter half of 2016, taking inspiration from the countless hardworking musicians that keep local scenes alive and vibrant in Toronto and around the world.

When not behind the soundboard at a Wavelength event, Em works alongside the rest of the Wavelength team to prepare for future shows, as well as freelance work as a touring audio engineer and tour manager for a wide range of Canadian and international artists, and as an in-house engineer at other concert venues across Toronto. Between gigs, Em can usually be found under a tree in a city park, engrossed in vintage sci-fi novels, sipping a lemon and ginger juice from Galaxy T&T, and eating beef momos from Loga’s Corner, doused in garlic sauce — often all at once.

Mike Mērnieks-Duffield is a musician and a Toronto independent music scene lifer from the tender age of 14. He is an in-demand session drummer who has toured North America extensively, has appeared on 50+ recordings and currently performs with many Toronto-based acts including Beams, Praises and Flowers of Hell. He values community and enjoys traveling, soaking up regional musical histories, connecting like minds and making bands from all over the world feel at home in Toronto. He attended his first Wavelength event in 2003 (WL148) and first performed for Wavelength in 2006 (WL278).

Inspired by the psychedelic, immersive visuals at the shows of his favorite band, Hawkwind, Steve Lindsey founded General Chaos Visuals in 2000 alongside fellow prog-rock fan Eric Siegerman, and since then has provided distinct backdrops to over 600 Wavelength shows. The images used on his hand painted gels are entirely abstract, using techniques he personally developed to give his imagery its unmistakable look. General Chaos’s visual artistry serves to draw attention to the artist in a busy environment, enhancing what the artist is trying to put across. General Chaos considers it his privilege to see and present the music of so many amazing talented musicians.

Although some may be concerned his still growing collection of projectors points to deeper issues, Steve considers his 40-year-young collection of projectors a must to keep pace to present visuals that do justice to the bands and halls that lucky Toronto audiences get to enjoy year-round.

Roxanne Ignatius is a Toronto-based illustrator, costume designer and textile installation artist. Roxanne draws inspiration from folk arts, traditional textiles and weaving, creative collaboration and community, and the natural world and our place within it. As an installation artist for live comedy, theatre, and music events, Roxanne seeks out unorthodox collaborations across art forms, and finds ways to engage audiences and build community through visual art and installation. Past projects include a 20-foot knitted crepe paper scarf for the Wavelength Winter Festival, a portable vulva doorway installation for Maylee Todd, and a 300-square-foot immersive blanket fort set for Caterwaul Theatre. Her wearable textile art has appeared in music videos by Brave Shores, Keys N Krates, and Jeremy Dutcher.

www.roxanneignatius.com
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