And so it begins.
After announcing this year’s guest curators in mid-January — Deerhoof, for those who somehow missed it — the next item on the annual Sled Island to-do list is releasing the first wave of acts who will play the fest.
So here it is.
Acts and artists attending Sled this year from June 20-24 at various venues around Calgary include: veteran Brooklyn indie rock band Dirty Projectors; California synth popper John Maus; 2017 Polaris Music Prize winner Lido Pimienta; Grouper, the longtime project of singer-songwriter Liz Harris; Phil Elverum’s Mount Eerie, which performed Sled last in 2013; and reunited Vancouver punk legends Slow.
Also announced by organizers are the first curatorial picks from Deerhoof, including: Seattle hip-hop pair Shabazz Palaces; indie rock duo Wye Oak; Eucademix, which is the project of Yuka Honda from Cibo Matto; and cheeky pop act Cherry Glazerr.
The first wave of acts announced is rounded out by Ufomammut, Bat Fangs, Tyondai Braxton, Guerilla Toss, Lithics, Synkro, Wand, 40 Watt Sun, The Body, and Oren Ambarchi & Will Guthrie.
The other 230 acts attending this year’s Sled Island, as well as the visual arts, film, comedy and special events components, will be unveiled in the coming weeks.
A limited number of single tickets to select Sled shows go on sale Friday, Feb. 16 at noon from SledIsland.com.
Festival passes are on sale now from the website, with the following options: Discovery Pass, which includes access to all events at Sled, subject to capacity, for $214; Discovery Plus Pass, which grants priority access to all of those events, albeit again subject to capacity, as well as access to the artist lounge and goodies including T-shirt, tote bag and poster, for $366; and the All-Ages Pass for $40, which allows anyone access to more than 50 all-ages events to those Sledders under the age of 18. (Please note: You’ll get 15 per cent savings if you purchase before Jan. 13 at midnight.)
(Photo of Lido Pimienta courtesy John-Paille.)
