ON-FOOT Gaybourhood Music Tour

Poster image with a hand holding a smartphone horizontally. Smart phone displays a woman with blue hair wearing headphones with audio equipment on a table top. 'Gaybourhood Music Tour" is written in bold, uppercase letters in the top right corner of the image. There is a large building with mural art in the background.

The ON-FOOT “Gaybourhood Music Tour”, a project nominated for the 2022 Heritage Toronto Awards. Courtesy of Pop Sandbox Inc.

Organization: Pop Sandbox Inc.

Project Website: http://www.on-foot.com

Date of Release: June 24, 2021

The ON-FOOT: ‘Gaybourhood’ Music Tour showcases some of the Toronto’s most iconic 2SLGBTQ+ music venues and landmarks of past and present. These stories are told through a podcast-style immersive experience that blends compelling audio narration with songs, archival images, concert memorabilia and other artifacts, transporting users to key moments in the city’s rich 2SLGBTQ+ music history.

The tour highlights venues located in or near Toronto’s traditional gay neighbourhood, affectionately referred to by many as ‘The Gaybourhood.’ During the 1970s, Yonge Street was the main artery of Toronto’s gay social life. It shifted to Church Street in the mid-1980s. The tour takes participants to pioneering dance clubs and live music venues in the area to share the stories and songs of the queer and queer-positive vocalists, DJs, producers, and bands who performed at them.

Additional Contributors:

Accountant: Aucoin Enterprises

Art Director: Craig Small

Atmospheric Music: Blitz//Berlin

Audio Director & Story Editor: Garvia Bailey

Audio Studio Technician: Lionel Pedro and Trench Recordings

Audit: Kudlow Ye

Composer: Martin Macphail

Credits and Attributions: Developed by Pop Sandbox

Developer (CMS): Ian Zamojc

Developers (Mobile): James Essex and Sonal Ranjit

Exhibition Assistance: Andrea Nesbitt

Insurance: Kase Insurance

Legal: Dentons LLP

Marketing Manager: Edward Kanerva

Marketing Design: Jason Gilmore

Music: Barry Harris, Cozmic Cat, Greek Buck, The Hidden Cameras, Jackie Shane, Owen Pallett, Regina Gently, Rough Trade, Stratavarious, Vivek Shraya & Queer Songbook Orchestra, andWitch Prophet.

Music Licensing Coordinator: Wendy Basian

Photographers: Mitchel Raphael, David Hawe, Gokche Erkan, Terry Robson, Tristan Tiggeloven, Patrick Cummins, Wendy Peacock, Gerald Hannon, Nancy Kim, Vince Carlucci, John Wulff, Andrew Davidson, and David Figueiredo

Producer & Creative Director: Tristan Tiggeloven and Alex Jansen

Research, Writer & Voice Performance: Denise Benson

Support: Canada Media Fund and FACTOR & The Government of Canada

Technical Project Manager: Ernest Yap

UI Designers: Adam Freeborn, Fusun Uzun, and Rui Jie Wang

Visual Researcher: Tristan Tiggeloven

Special Thanks: The 519 Community Centre, ArQuives, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, Canada Media Fund, City of Toronto Archives, FACTOR & The Government of Canada, Gary Topp, Shawn Riker, Steve Ireson, Daryl Gomm, Mark Scaife, and Toronto Public Library.