The music at Waverley has been custom curated by Cultural Designer, Chris Wilson. Wilson is an experienced cultural designer and has previously held music, culture, and talent booking positions with some of North America’s most celebrated boutique hotels including the Ace Hotel as well as the Drake Hotel.
Wilson designed Waverley's playlist on Spotify and drew inspiration from both the Silver Dollar Room and the College and Spadina neighbourhood. “I wanted to tap into the musical influences from the past that helped build and define the vibe of the neighbourhood and pull from the current influences that are now having an impact and take it to a whole new level,” said Wilson.
As an avid storyteller, it is important for Wilson to create a narrative and tell a story through music. He approaches designing a playlist in two steps:
The first step, according to Wilson is comprehensive research. Wilson further explained, “I like to spend my time understanding the different elements that make up the brand so I can start to build a narrative with the music that will be played within the space.”
The second and final step is to get an understanding of the space where the playlist is going to be experienced. According to Wilson, “I can tie the playlist to how someone is going to interact and move through the space.”
When describing his favourite tracks on the playlist Wilson commented, “I chose songs that were built on the songs of the past and throughout the playlist you get to experience those songs from the past that the new songs were built on.”
Here are some of Wilson’s Favourites:
Time Moves Slow by BadBadNotGood
A Toronto native band that is pushing the boundaries of jazz and frequented the College and Spadina neighbourhood during their come up.
Sun for Someone by Oscar Jerome
His influences are some of the musicians that would have played shows at venues in the area surrounding Waverley. He pulls them all together to create his own vibe.
Going Down by Freddie King
One of the top three greatest blues guitar players alongside B.B King and Albert King. Blues was an important part of the local area and the venues that make it up.
Heatwave by Snail Mail
An alternative rock vibe that feels like the 90s.
It was important for Wilson to feature a track by Sault in the playlist. He explained, “Sault is a band that adds value to Waverley's playlist. This band is a music collective that for along time the members were a secret.” Wilson particularly likes how the band takes on the media. He went on to illustrate, “they [Sault] have never played a live show, given an interview or released a music video in support of their music.”
Listen to the nostalgic tracks on Waverley's playlist for a good vibe and follow wilsonsounds on Spotify.