By Amanda Hu
Calgary’s own hipster-haven music festival is making preparations to slide back into the summer.
The second annual Sled Island festival announced its preliminary lineup as well as some very unique additions to the event’s already successful format Wed., Mar. 26. The undertaking, scheduled for Jun. 25-28, garnered surprise and excitement, announcing acts like Of Montreal, RZA and Mogwai as well as local darlings, Woodpigeon. The festival will also run a central outdoor venue for the night of Fri., Jun. 27 and entirety of Sat., Jun. 28 on Mewata Field, near Shaw Millennium Park.
The event is the brainchild of Broken City Social Club owner Zak Pashak, whose goal to foster the burgeoning–and often underrated–music scene in Calgary and even create a potential answer to already infamous gatherings, like Austin’s South by Southwest music festival, seems on the way to being realized. The Sled Island group gained not-for-profit status this year, opening the doors to more government funding as well as several grants which have played a large part in the event’s return this year.
In the pursuit of furthering the event’s signature indie tinge, Pashak has enlisted the help of former Pavement guitarist and current Preston School of Industry member Scott Kannberg to curate three of the concert venues. While excited at the prospect, Kannberg admits he came in with a different view of the festival than most.
“When these guys asked me to curate, I kind of had no idea [as to what it was about], so I kept e-mailing them, saying, ‘Yeah, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Linkin Park and all these great bands,’” he says. “They kind of brought me down to earth and thank God they did.”
After finding his bearings, Kannberg has proved to be an asset to Sled Island’s direction for 2008.
“My vision for bands that I want to come here to play are kind of bands that people haven’t really heard of,” he says. “Wire hasn’t ever played here in Calgary and they’re a bunch of old English punkers who are still around, making amazing music. I’m really excited about that.”
A new aspect to festival features incorporating a visual and mixed media element through various art installations, most of which will be housed at the Glenbow Museum. Under the direction of art curator Wayne Baerweldt, the festival has procured several interesting items. Electro-punk shock-goddess Peaches’ “Peach Pit, A Fanbase” will be among the artwork and features a very interesting concept.
“In this cave of hers, you’re going to be able to pass by and brush by about 300 different articles that have been thrown up on stage to her over the last four years, especially when she’s been presenting a song called, ‘Fuck The Pain Away,’” explains Baerweldt.
There are other installments edging even further provocatively like Belgian artist Wim Delvoye’s Cloaca project, which mimics the human body and when fed twice a day, produces “feces” that is excreted later on. The art will ultimately run the gamut in variety as shown by the contrast to some installations with Wil Murray’s collection. The artist, originally from Calgary, has collected works that will likely bring everything a little closer to home.
“That Wil Murray show is exciting because he’s found a bunch of Calgarians that are now [all] around North America,” Pashak says. “He’s going to bring their work back to Calgary and kind of look for a theme as to why Calgarians leave and to see how their painting has a commonality to it, even if they go to different places.”
Though the full lineup and collection of visual art won’t be announced until May 1, excitement is abounding for Calgary’s own indie music festival and what it’s bringing to the city, even in the wake of other events like the Virgin Music festival, slated for the week before Sled Island.
“I’m not really [worried about Virgin Music festival],” Paskak says. “I think it’s probably a good thing. More things happening in Calgary are good. If it’s a similar lineup, that’s great. If it’s more of the well-known bands, then that’s an interesting complement.”
For a full listing of the announced Sled Island attractions thus far, go to sledisland.com.