What is DOMINIONATED?
DOMINIONATED is an independent collective of music enthusiasts committed to conversations about what it means to create and consume music made within the geopolitical area of Turtle Island referred to as “Canada”. Our editorial approach focuses on responding to music versus reporting on it, aiming to amplify and celebrate music that may otherwise go unacknowledged, specifically music made by BIPOC and 2SLGBTQIA+ artists who have historically been marginalized by the music industry and media.
Since its inception in 2016, DOMINIONATED’s website, podcasts, newsletter, and social media streams have been spaces where volunteer writers and producers express their appreciation and admiration of (and on occasion consternation with) Canada’s diverse musical past, present, and future.
Music creators from across Canada are welcome to share their work with our team through our online submission form. Our writers may choose to cover submitted music via one or more of our spaces or write about their own musical discoveries. No matter how we find it, the intention in sharing music through DOMINIONATED’s spaces is always the same: to celebrate creativity and diversity, foster communities of mutual respect, and engage in conversations that redefine and re-contextualize the concept of “Canadian music.”
How does DOMINIONATED operate?
DOMINIONATED relies on the collective support of Community Members, Contributors, and Volunteers to keep our conversations about music going.
Community Members
Community members (whom we affectionately refer to as the DOMINIONation) feel our conversations are important and support our work through one-time or recurring donations, or as a subscriber to PRESS PLAY, a monthly new music feature through Patreon.
Contributors
Contributors assume administrative duties and determine our organizational and editorial direction. Contributors support our collective work through either monthly or annual donations that go towards equitably compensating all contributors for their work.
Volunteers
Volunteers have always been integral to keeping DOMINIONATED’s conversations going. Volunteers give their time and energy to create content for which they are credited without monetary compensation while gaining writing experience and mentorship from contributors.
Meet our Contributors
BORNA ATRCHIAN (he/him)
Born and based in Vancouver but raised in Halifax, Borna has experienced two thirds of Canada’s coasts. With brief contributions to Discorder and Grayowl Point, he now struggles to meet publishing deadlines at DOMINIONATED. He also plays the guitar and keys so hit him up if you’re a Vancouver band on the verge of becoming famous. Follow Borna on Instagram @bornaatr.
MACKENZIE CAMERON (he/him)
Mackenzie Cameron is a co-founder of DOMINIONATED, a lover of music, a pusher of buttons, an early riser, an amateur musician and a full-time listener. It’s all gravy. He lives in Toronto and you can find him @mackenziecmrn on both Twitter and Instagram.
JIM DI GIOIA (he/him)
Jim started the music blog Quick Before It Melts in 2006 and has been engaging in music conversations ever since. In 2016, he ended Quick Before it Melts and co-founded DOMINIONATED, its spiritual successor. He's serves on the Polaris Music Prize and Prism Prize juries, and frequently deletes unfunny tweets and photos of his cats from his home in Niagara Falls.
DANIEL FIELD (he/him)
Daniel spends most of his time as a special education teacher and father of three young children. He spends what little free time he has left creating ambient music as Kilometre Club and completing large puzzles on his kitchen table in Toronto.
ALYSSA GELATA (she/her)
Alyssa had a tough time deciding between music and writing so now she does both (sometimes at the same time!). She’s a bassist to her core and probably drinks too much coffee. She lives in Waterloo and hangs out on Twitter and Instagram.
MATT HERTENDY (he/him)
Matt is an Ottawa-born/Toronto-based photographer, designer and visual storyteller. His favourite thing about music is album artwork, promo shots and gig photos — and uh, the music is pretty cool too. Other interests include sport mascots, hot dog adjacent miscellany, humour, and finding perfect slow cooker recipes. Matt is on Twitter @matthertendy and Instagram @hertndee.
TIA JULIEN (she/her)
Tia Julien is a writer, musician, and ethnomusicologist based in Toronto. She likes going fast on her bike, befriending trees, and leaving paintings half finished. She copes with existence by writing songs about things that have happened. You can find Tia on Twitter @tiaajulien and Instagram @tia.alandra.
WEAJUE MOMBO (she/her)
Weajue is a full-time hermit hiding away in the nooks of Toronto and Windsor. When she's not obsessively listening and discovering new music, she spends her time drawing, reading and training as a triple jumper. She also happens to have a twin, who shares her Instagram account.
SOPHIE NOEL (she/they)
Sophie is a words enthusiast who spends time in Vancouver, the Yukon, and (primarily, these days) Halifax. She simply cannot choose a coast or even latitude to save her life. She makes music under the moniker Magnolia, goes on poorly planned but fun adventures with her dog Rookie, and hasn't used her science degree even once. Follow Sophie on Instagram @srophie.
MYLES TIESSEN (he/him)
Myles was born and raised in southern Manitoba and after finding his way to the big city, snatched a degree in Communications & Media. Since Winnipeg is ice for seven months of the year, Myles spends much of his time at concerts in bars or a friend's house chatting about newly discovered records and shit-talking Kim Mitchell. Based on his fellow contributor's bios, you probably already guessed he listens to pretty much any type of music. Oh, he also has a deep passion for science fiction novels. Follow Myles on Twitter @myles_tiessen.
Meet our Volunteers
ANTON ASTUDILLO (he/him)
Anton is a writer born and raised in Manila, Philippines. He moved to Vancouver as a teenager committed to playing drums with anyone he could find. You can find him reading a novel or struggling to learn to kickflip.
MICHAEL BEDA (he/him)
Michael Beda was born and bred up in the whimsical northern town of Timmins, Ontario. He is a national champion in Quidditch (seriously, ask him about it yourself), and has taken a seat behind the drums in a variety of groups in different townships. He's currently based in Toronto and is on Twitter @michaelbeda and Instagram @michaelbeda.
SCOTT GUBB (he/him)
Based in Timmins, Scott has been involved with music through promotion, production and management since high-school and has been hung-up on music as long as he can remember. He does not play any instruments. Follow Scott on Instagram.
SEBASTIAN JOHNSTON-LINDSAY (he/him)
Sebastian is currently the Coordinating Editor of Arthur Newspaper in Peterborough, Ontario. He is also a PhD candidate, radio host, and union steward. In what spare time he has, he can be found listening to Blue Jays or Dodgers games, attending local shows, or walking the many trails of his adopted city. He can be found posting infrequently on Twitter and Instagram, and his past radio exploits can be found on Mixcloud.
JON NEHER (he/him)
Jon plays in too many bands, but he’s working on that. Jon also wants people to talk about the music they listen to in greater detail and he’s working on that too, whether it’s through his work as an artist, as an educator, or as a writer. He's from Regina SK and you can follow him on Twitter @Jon_Neher.
GOEFF PARENT (he/him)
Geoff Parent is an aspiring writer/musician who lives in Toronto. He hopes to one day complete the gene sequence of dinosaur DNA using that of a frog’s in order to open a prehistoric biological preserve off the coast of Costa Rica. He plays drums in a band called Somersaulter. Follow Geoff on Instagram @geoff.parent.
MACKENZIE SMEDMOR (they/them)
Mackenzie Smedmor is a musician, broadcaster, and writer based in Montréal. They fell in love with Canadian music when they started volunteering in community radio at age 15. Mackenzie has served on the Polaris Music Prize jury since 2018, and is a proud Aries.
LAURA STANLEY (she/her)
Laura is a freelance writer from Toronto. Her work has appeared in Exclaim!, NOW, Bandcamp, She Shreds, No Depression and more. She has a lot of feelings. Follow her on Twitter @LStanley24.
MICHAEL THOMAS (he/him)
Michael is the founder of the now-defunct Canadian music blog Grayowl Point, and will probably never stop loving Canadian music. He is a court reporter based in Vancouver who also does improv in his spare time and enjoys talking about comedy podcasts and the Toronto Blue Jays. Follow Michael on Twitter @mceethomas.
VALIE (she/her)
For $0 a month you can dedicate your life to Valie. Not only can you read her music reviews here at DOMINIONATED, you can listen to her radio show on CiTR and stream her music on all platforms too! Call 1-800-VALIE right now and, for no additional fees, get exclusive access to her resume as she tries to figure out what jobs she can get with a creative writing degree! Valie is based in Vancouver and you can follow her on Twitter @Valievalievalie and Instagram at @valievalievalie.
HILLARY JEAN YOUNG (they/them)
Hillary has their doctorate in contemporary music performance, which is about as useful as it sounds. Hillary works for a record label during the day and spends the rest of their time either making, listening to or talking about music. Hillary is from Victoria but is currently living in Toronto and really misses the ocean. You can follow Hillary on Instagram @mcbuckwheat.
