PROGRAM GUIDE OVER 250 BANDS PLUS FILM, ART & COMEDY ACROSS 30+ VENUES! MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL CALGARY, ALBERTA JUNE 19-22, 2013 SLED ISLAND STAFF Claire Allore - Film Program Assistant Kelsey Baker - Administrative Assistant TABLE OF CONTENTS Jeanette Burman - Film Coordinator/Programmer Phil Cimolai - Technical Director Jesse Cumming - Film Programming Assistant 07 CURATOR/DIRECTOR NOTES Linnea Dixon - Volunteer Coordinator Alex Eakins - Partnerships Assistant 08 FILM Colin Gallant - Web Content Nivedita Iyer - Merchandising Coordinator Natasha Jensen - Visual Arts Curator/Coordinator 11 ART Megan Jorgensen-Nelson - Box Office Coordinator Drew Marshall - Marketing Coordinator 14 COMEDY Rachel Park - Graphic Designer Shawn Petsche - Festival Manager 17 SPECIAL EVENTS Maud Salvi - Executive Director Paisley Sim - Artist Logistics Coordinator 21 ALL AGES Michelle Slade - Press Assistant Colin Smith - Sustainability Coordinator 23 BAND BIOS Catie St. Jacques - Event Assistant - Film 37 PULLOUT SLED ISLAND SCHEDULE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Christina Colenutt 67 EAST VILLAGE EVENTS Peter Maitland Brian Milne 69 GREEN ISLAND Dan Northfield Zak Pashak 72 DISCOUNT GUIDE Chad Saunders Craig Stenhouse 76 THANKS LIST Scott Wenger 78 SPONSORS SLED ISLAND FILM COMMITTEE Adele Brunnhofer Jeanette Burman Richard Larson Drew Marshall HOW TO ATTEND Jesse Pruden Evan Wilson SLED ISLAND VISUAL DIRECTOR Entering its seventh year, Sled Island is an annual independent music and arts festival featuring over 250 bands plus film, Ross Milne / Working Format art and comedy across 30+ venues in Calgary from June 19 -22. We offer a number of ways to explore and discover this BOOKING staggering amount of music and art. Amy Hersenhoren Zak Pashak FESTIVAL DISCOVERY PASS I $199 Our first recommendation for anyone wanting the full festival experience. Armed with a Festival Discovery Pass, you’ll have PUBLICITY Grace Jones - requiem media access to all Sled Island events, subject to capacity. Really can’t go wrong with this one! Available at sledisland.com. WEBSITE DESIGN FESTIVAL DISCOVERY PLUS PASS I $349 Structured Abstraction The ‘premium deluxe’ option features everything the Festival Discovery Pass provides, with the upgrade of priority access www.structuredabstraction.com to all Sled Island events, subject to capacity, plus Artist Lounge privileges, your very own Sled swag and a whole lot more! PROGRAM GUIDE MANAGER Available at sledisland.com. Todd Harkness ALL-AGES FESTIVAL PASS I $50 EDITOR Created specifically for our “under 18” buddies, an All-Ages Pass offers full access to the all-ages venues. Please note that Sebastian Buzzalino the All-Ages Pass is for holders under 18 years old only. COVER ILLUSTRATION Ed Kwong SLED ISLAND FILM PASS | $30 Only interested in film? Get access to all films and film events (registration is still required for NCC workshop!). PULLOUT SCHEDULE DESIGN Mason Hastie OLYMPIC PLAZA TICKETS I FRI: $40 SAT: $50 PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS Olympic Plaza is the festival’s main outdoor venue featuring headliner performances. A ticket offers guaranteed access into Ron Joe one of the days at Olympic Plaza. This is a licensed event with an outdoor beer garden. Welcome to all-ages! Kids 12 and Rachel Park under get in free. Megan Paterson WRITING FLAMES CENTRAL TICKETS I FRI: $30 SAT: $25 Sebastian Buzzalino One of the premier large venues in Calgary, Flames Central features performances by Joel Plaskett Emergency and guests on Colin Gallant Friday, June 21 and Divine Fits and guests on Saturday, June 22. Ticket holders are guaranteed access. Nivedita Iyer Cory Jones John Julius SINGLE SHOW TICKETS PJ Lavergne A limited number of advance tickets are available for select shows throughout the festival. See the website for a complete Shawn Petsche listing of shows with advance tickets on sale. Lee Shedden Evan Wilson Advance tickets for Olympic Plaza, Flames Central and more are available online at sledisland.com and at select retail AD SALES outlets including: Sloth Records, Heritage Posters and Music, The Uncommons, Purr, and Luke’s Drug Mart. Glenn Alderson Karolina Gajewska WALK-UP TICKETS PUBLISHER Door tickets are available for those looking to catch last-minute action, show up early to get in! Prices Vary. Available at all BeatRoute Magazine venues (except for OFF! at Commonwealth) during the festival subject to capacity. 5 CURATORS CURATORS/DIRECTOR JOHN DWYER GUEST CURATOR Festival favourite John Dwyer, singer and guitarist for the critically-acclaimed San Francisco-based, psych-tinged, Krautrock- inspired garage rockers, Thee Oh Sees, returns as guest curator for Sled Island 2013. TFormerly a member of Coachwhips, the Hospitals and Zeigenbock Kopf, Dwyer has earned his reputation as a wholly engaging live entertainer and as one of the best and most challenging independent songwriters working today. This reputation was cemented at Sled Island during Thee Oh Sees’ jaw-dropping 2011 set, which is still hailed as one of the best performances in the festival’s history. This year, Dwyer has hand-picked bands from across North America, ranging from lo-fi, bilingual pop, to psychedelic garage rock, to stomping surf rock. What the following bands all have in common is his personal stamp of approval: The Beets (Jackson Heights, NY) The Blind Shake (Minneapolis, MN) Burnt Ones (San Francisco, CA) Cop City/Chill Pillars (Orlando, FL) Heidi Alexander (San Francisco, CA) Running (Chicago, Il) Warm Soda (Oakland, CA) Make sure to catch one of multiple sets by each of these artists throughout the festival, and join John Dwyer and his band Thee Oh Sees as they headline a two-floor party showcasing the full list of his curated bands on Saturday, June 22nd at the No.1 Royal Canadian Legion! MAUD SALVI SLED ISLAND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR When I landed in Calgary on January 22 and found myself face to face with a giant dinosaur while waiting for my suitcase, it did cross my mind: “What have I done? Is this job really worth it?” Today I can tell you that yes, absolutely it was. For the past five months, I haven’t had much time to look back, as I’ve been living, eating and breathing Sled Island — and loving every minute of it. This edition is going to be pretty magical. Heading into our seventh year, we’ve got more exciting things lined up than ever before. With 250 bands, comedians and an amazing selection of films and art shows, there will be hard choices to make but, really, is having to make up your mind between Iceage and Swans, or Superchunk and Jon Spencer, such a bad dilemma in which to find yourself? During Sled, the rules aren’t the same: it’s okay to talk to strangers. In the true spirit of the festival, be sure to share a beer with someone you don’t know and follow them to see a band you’ve never heard of — it often makes for the best memories. And if you happen to run into some of our staff, please give them a high five. By the time you get your wristband, they will have all sacrificed their sleep, social lives and sanity to bring you a week of pure fun. So, even if you’re caught in a lineup, don’t forget to lend them a smile. Finally, in an effort to let you down easy and help you cope with the dreaded post-festival blues, we’ve lined up some great movies to ease you into the following week. Unwind, reminisce, catch a great film and savour the last moments of this very special time of the year. Thank you all so much for your support and for sharing this with us. A city is only as good as its people and Calgary is a pretty great place to be right now. TIM HECKER GUEST CURATOR Joining Dwyer to shape Sled Island 2013’s programming is the celebrated and hugely influential Montreal-based electronic artist, Tim Hecker. Hailed as one of the most significant ambient musicians since Brian Eno, Hecker has been staggeringly consistent in his recorded and live output under his own name and through collaborations with Stephen O’Malley, Aidan Baker (Nadja) and Oneohtrix Point Never. Following his superb and powerful Hillhurst United Church set at Sled Island 2012, Hecker has brought his uniquely cerebral and emotive touch to programming as the festival’s first electronic music curator. His selections include: Colin Stetson (Montreal, QC) Jerusalem In My Heart (Montreal, QC) Le Révélateur (Montreal, QC) Pete Swanson (Brooklyn, NY) Rene Hell (Los Angeles, CA) Together, they represent perhaps the most exciting and experimental music to be showcased at Sled Island in its seven years. Make sure to start your festival off with a set by one of Hecker’s most talked-about selections, Colin Stetson, then don’t miss the remainder of his artists play at the beautiful Vertigo Theatre, which debuts this year as a Sled Island venue. 7 SLED ISLAND FILM JUNE 18 – JUNE 25, 2013 We are thrilled to present the 7th edition of Sled Is- land film, complete with exciting premieres, special events, guests and after-parties. For trailers, bios and more details, visit sledisland.com. All events are All-Ages unless noted. Admission is included with: Sled Island Discovery, Discovery Plus, and Film Passes. Individual tickets will be available. xo Jeanette Burman, Film Coordinator APOCALYPSE PATIO PARTY TUES JUNE 18, 3:30 PM: BROKEN CITY PATIO, FREE EVENT Join us for an afternoon patio party with great music by DJ Gary and the amazing folks at Broken City SIGN PAINTERS Co-presented with the National Music Centre before the screening of Apocalypse: A Bill Callahan Followed by NMC ONDES MARTENOT DEMONSTRATION Tour Film. WED JUNE 19, 7:20 pM: GLENBOW MUSEUM (CONOCOPHILLIPS THEATRE) 8:30pm, admission to demonstration by donation or Sign Painters is a beautiful and surprisingly touch- with film admission.