Entertainment > Local

Wavelength Music Series To Reformat After 10 Year Anniversary Festival

01/13/2010 | Aaron Miller, CityNews.ca

Alana T. Devee of Machetes plays Wavelength at Sneaky Dee's, 2009.

If you played in an independent band in Toronto over the last 10 years and needed a gig to help cut your teeth, there was always at least one outlet in the city that could be counted on.

From its humble beginnings as a monthly music forum and zine, Wavelength grew in name thanks to the tireless efforts of a core of local enthusiasts and in the years that followed developed into a pay-what-you-can Sunday night showcase that in its time featured the likes of 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, 2009 Polaris Prize winners Fucked Up and countless others.

The zine eventually went online and then disbanded while the show itself moved from Ted’s Wrecking Yard to Lee’s Palace (with a very quick stop at the El Mo) to Sneaky Dee’s and most recently, to a new home at The Garrison just months ahead of its 500th show.

And that impressive milestone will mark even more change for what’s truly become the first name for cost-friendly, pretension-free new music in the city.

Following Wavelength 500 the series will undergo an overhaul, taking on a new, to-be-determined monthly format, but not before a five-day festival celebrates the brand’s amazing longevity.

That festival will run from Feb. 10-14. Individual tickets and festival passes are $50 available at: