Confirmed acts include post-punk legends Television, recently reunited guitar gods Drive Like Jehu, explosive noise-rock duo Lightning Bolt, beloved Canadian producer and composer Daniel Lanois, riff-heavy shredders Ex Hex (featuring Mary Timony of Wild Flag), power-pop garage dude King Tuff, American doom metal masters Pentagram, stoner rock bros Fu Manchu, local post-punk world dominators Viet Cong, noisy hardcore ####-disturbers Pissed Jeans, Norwegian jazz outsiders Jaga Jazzist, Detroit producer-rapper Black Milk, digital folk act and Skrillex buds Hundred Waters, alt-rap outsider Son Lux, electronic pop explorer Lydia Ainsworth, garage-punk quartet The Coathangers, Danish post-punk cowboys Iceage and art rock act Oxbow. As for Godspeed’s choices, there are plenty of top-notch acts. These include Kim Gordon’s post-Sonic Youth project Body/Head, Dutch free-jazz punks The Ex, experimental composer (and Godspeed’s Constellation label-mate) Matana Roberts, experimentalist Carla Bozulich (also on Constellation), immortal rock ’n’ roll couple Fred & Toody (of Dead Moon and Pierced Arrows), outsider Afro/Krautrock group Avec Le Soleil Sortant De Sa Bouche (the new project of Fly Pan Am’s Jean-Sebastien Truchy), Montreal trio Big Brave and veteran singer-songwriter David Dondero.
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As a result of those names and their standing as long-time coveted acts, Petsche says — after obvious bias admitted — that it’s shaping up to be probably the strongest overall lineup Sled has had, and one that represents a distinct and cohesive vision for the event.
“Most festival lineups that have come out recently just seem like vomited up band names on a poster with no real connection to each other,” he says.
“When I look at our lineup I do feel like it’s a consistent vision — there’s some common thread with these bands and the show they’re going to put on.”
“We do still have another 240-something bands to announce, so who knows,” Petsche says.
Viet Cong are a very good Calgary postpunk band whose self-titled album we heralded as Album Of The Week back in January. But despite how good their music might be, the problem with naming your band Viet Cong — and then revealing your ignorance about the lasting significance of this name — is that people don’t brush off offensive, racially-charged statements anymore. Like it or not, identifying their band as Viet Cong does constitute a statement, and it’s one blatant enough to spur the concert promoter for the Oberlin College venue Dionysus Disco to cancel the band’s appearance.
The most troubling aspect of the whole story is that the band admitted they were ignorant of the name’s implications, and even when they did realize, still didn’t really seem to care about its offensive nature:
“That [name] comes from our drummer, and from us being teenagers and watching movies. The Viet Cong were always the bad asses in movies. We are getting a lot of #### for the band name—it’s fairly controversial. I’ve looked into it a bit more since then, but I didn’t really know the history of it. [The Viet Cong] did terrible things, but so did the American military."
Awesome lineup. This is a good mix of classic bands I've always wanted to see (Television, Drive Like Jehu, The Ex) and new favourites (Viet Cong, Iceage). And I'm obviously chuffed at the chance to see GY!BE!
On April 7, Sled Island will announce our exciting second wave of 2015 festival artists!
To celebrate, we're headed to Local 510 for a Sled Island Music Video Party featuring videos from 2015 festival acts, with DJs to follow. It's a great way to get acquainted with our lineup and party at the same time!
A lot more bands I've never heard of....more research I guess!
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UK shoegaze legends Swervedriver; rising American electro-pop duo Teengirl Fantasy; Canadian faves the Cancer Bats; Aussie-born, Iceland-based composer and experimental artist Ben Frost; Haligonian indie rockers Cousins; prolific soul, punk and noise man Obnox; local, laughing madcap Astral Swans; giddy, Portland surf band Guantanamo Baywatch; post-metal pair Mamiffer; noisy garage merchants Meat Wave; West Coast ambient performer Loscil; quirky, retro troubadour Juan Wauters; newbie rock sensations Sumac; eight-piece, eclectic, jazz brother band Hypnotic Brass Ensemble; and reunited Winnipeg mod-poppers Duotang.
With the release of their first album since 1998, Swervedriver will be joining this year's lineup along with experimental electronic composer and producer Ben Frost as well as cyborg electro-pop act Teengirl Fantasy. Also making the trek are Cancer Bats, a band known for infusing southern metal and hardcore; the always prolific Obnox; lo-fi three-piece Guantanamo Baywatch; veteran ambient artist Loscil; as well as hilarious yet heartfelt songwriter Juan Wauters. The festival will also welcome grungy post-punk and garage rock band Meat Wave, tyrannical duo Sumac, minimalist post-metal band Mamiffer, bad boys of jazz Hypnotic Brass Ensemble and Godspeed You! Black Emperor pick Mdou Moctar, who is coming all the way from Niger, Africa. You can also catch Chinese punk/noise outfit Birdstriking, the newly reunited Duotang and guitar/drums duo Cousins.
I'm curious as to who would headline the Olympic Plaza shows. I think Television will and should draw a decent crowd but I don't really see another popular band that will bring a decent sized crowd on the lineup. GY!BE is huge but Sled has already said they are playing Central United Church.
Can't get enough Sled Island announcements? Our next one is just a week away! We'll be sharing some of this year's comedy lineup on Tuesday, April 14. That same night, come bust a gut in celebration with some of Calgary's and one of Edmonton's finest and funniest, telling jokes big and small and even medium-sized for Sled Island's final pre-festival comedy showcase!
