Editor-in-chief

Brandon Wallis

Brandon Wallis moved from his hometown of Swift Current, SK to work in Vancouver’s film industry at age 18. After realizing it wasn’t always what it’s cracked up to be, he went back to school and earned a degree in New Media with honours. Between living in three different provinces (and roughly 10 cities), Brandon has worked as a freelance web designer, graphic designer, photographer, animator, and videographer/video editor. He has also worked in advertising sales and layout/design for a newspaper; set decoration, art direction, and props on several films; and a myriad of other jobs, ranging from roughneck to crab boat fisherman. Currently, he is the manager of content and production for the National Music Centre.

Managing Editor

Julijana Capone

Originally from Winnipeg, Julijana Capone is NMC’s senior publicist and the managing editor of Amplify. Also a freelance writer, her work has previously appeared at HuffPost Music Canada, BeatRoute, Winnipeg’s now defunct alt-weekly Uptown Magazine, and more. For Amplify, she has profiled historic Canadian music venues—including infamous outsider nightspot Die Maschine in Winnipeg—and interviewed industry trailblazers, such as late teen idol Bobby Curtola, Vancouver’s original rock ‘n’ roll DJ, Red Robinson, blues queen Rita Chiarelli, and others.

Editor

Juliette Jagger

Juliette Jagger is a Canadian music journalist. Her byline has appeared in such media outlets as The Huffington Post, Noisey, and This Week In Palestine. She currently is an editor here at Amplify, and is the creator of NMC’s ongoing interview series Origin Stories, which uncovers the stories behind hit songs. She is also associate editor of US-based outlet CelebrityAccess.

Previously, Juliette has held positions as Communications Coordinator for Canadian Music Week, and as the curator of New Music From The Inbox, an independent music segment that runs weekly via AJournalofMusicalThings.com.

Current Contributors

David McPherson

David is the author of The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern: A Complete History (Dundurn Press, 2017). Ever since attending his first rock concert in 1989 (The Who) and buying his first LP (Freeze Frame by The J. Geils Band), music has become “the elixir of his life.” A regular contributor to SOCAN’s Words + Music, Hamilton Magazine, and No Depression, over the years his writing on music has also appeared in Paste, American Songwriter, Bluegrass Unlimited, Exclaim! and Canadian Musician. As president and chief creative officer of McPherson Communications, David helps clients get the words right. He lives in Waterloo, Ontario, with his wife and two children.

Matt Williams

Matt Williams is a writer and photographer. Born and raised on the Prairies in Winnipeg, he’s slowly made his way farther and farther east, spending a few years covering music in Toronto before running clear out of country and ending up on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. In between, he’s made numerous detours, interviewing and photographing countless artists across North America and beyond. He heads up Amplify’s Instrumental series, where he talks with musicians about the relationships they’ve formed with their most important tools.

Bob Mersereau

Bob Mersereau is a music writer and broadcaster from Fredericton, NB. He’s the author of several books on Canadian music, including the national best-seller The Top 100 Canadian Albums (Goose Lane, 2007). His music reviews and articles can be found at www.bobmersereau.com.

Sara Pun

Sara Pun is a native Calgarian, music therapist, and music educator. She is currently a PhD Ethnomusicology student at Memorial University in Newfoundland. Her passion is in world music with a special interest in Indonesian gamelan. Sara’s research will explore how music can bring communities together and address issues like intercultural dialogue through playing and improvisation. Her first love is the piano, and other instruments include guitar, clarinet, Balinese gamelan, Japanese taiko drums, and accordion. Music is powerful and she likes to share with new audiences how music can have a positive effect on health, overall well-being, and social change. She has published two books and they can be found at sworldmusic.com. When she is not musicking, you can find Sara painting, practicing yoga, climbing a mountain, or embarking on her next adventure.

Hayley Robb

Hayley is an emerging conservation professional, specializing in the care and treatment of decorative art and historical objects. A recent graduate from Fleming College’s Cultural Heritage and Conservation Management program, she also holds a Bachelor of Arts Honours in Art History from Queens University. After spending over six years in Ontario, Hayley is back in her hometown of Calgary, and is on contract with the collections department of NMC for the next year and a half. As objects conservator for NMC, Hayley is responsible for the recovery and re-organization of the electronic parts collection damaged in the Calgary flood of 2013. Though new to the world of electronics and instrument conservation, Hayley hopes to learn as much as she can from the talented collections team, without embarrassing the organization too much with her lack of musical talent.

Photography

Julijana Capone

Brian Mills

Chad Schroter-Gillespie

Brandon Wallis

Matt Williams

Neil Zeller

Jenn Five

Videography

Mike Mattson

Evan Rothery

Chad Schroter-Gillespie

Brandon Wallis

Website Coordinator

Alvin Zacarias