about

Fresh, brilliant, and funky as hell are just some of the ways startled audience members describe Junestone. It doesn’t take long for waves of iridescent guitar chords, lush keyboard improvisations, and the band’s wild and groovy vibe to sweep a room. As sincere as they are beguiling, Junestone’s music is ear-catching, memorable, and at times delightfully outrageous. The band features Borys Franiczek on guitars, Ian Aisling on keyboards, Olivia Brown on bass and vocals, and Justin McHugh on drums.

Junestone’s music is psychedelic and often alludes to themes of self-realization, assertiveness, and vision. Smitten with jazz and rock as they are, the band’s playing is routinely inspired by America’s Classical Music and 90’s alternative hits alike. Junestone is consistently influenced by music from everywhere, but their songwriting ingenuity owes it all to American music legends like Charles Mingus, James Brown, and Erykah Badu.

The band began in the summer of 2018 when Olivia devised a band practice with three of her dear friends: Ian, Justin, and Borys. She had written three new songs and was ready to put them together. One of these songs, “Who Cares”, would be the band’s first single less than a year later. Since then, the band has released seven singles. As time has passed, writing has become a more collective endeavour. The band’s repertoire has now expanded to include dozens of originals. Junestone has performed at the Toronto Undergraduate Jazz Festival (2020), and Ontario Place Summer Live Music Festival twice (2021, 2022). Other notable performances include this year’s WinterTide and SummerTide events at the Royal Botanical Gardens and most recently, Hamilton Originals at The Westdale. Upcoming events include shows in Oshawa, Peterborough, and a set at Wintersong 2023.