Sled Island

The 6th festival edition of Le Guess Who? in Utrecht, Holland runs November 28 - December 2 and features some Sled Island alumni including the likes of Mac DeMarco, Destroyer, Tim Hecker, Chain and the Gang and a host of other international acts. Our very own Paisley Sim will be there. Follow us on instagram for her updates. Here is what we're most looking forward to: Tropa Macaca, Each Other, White Fence, The Soft Moon, Grouper and Grup Ses Beats. Learn more about Le Guess Who? here.

The Courtneys are a Keanu Reeves-obsessed witch pop band based in Vancouver. Whenever they're not recording or performing rad summertime smooth pop songs, The Courtneys keep themselves busy by hosting episodes of "Cookin' with the Courtneys," posting questionnaires like "Which COURTNEY are you?" on their Facebook page and figuring out new inventive ways to reach their ultimate crush, Keanu circa 1992. Have a listen to them here. 

Bands! Pals of bands! Pals of pals of bands! Applications are now open for Sled Island, taking place across multiple venues in Calgary, Alberta from June 19 - 22, 2013. The Sled Island Music and Arts Festival attracts thousands upon thousands of attendees who have a sincere interest in discovering emerging artists to add to their personal best of the fest lists. That passionate and hungry-for-discovery audience is a major part of what makes Sled Island truly unique in North America and the experience of playing at this festival so much fun! Don't miss out on your chance to have your own piece of that fun - Apply now!

If you're curious as to how you go from a band who applied to play the festival to one who is booked to play the festival, here's a quick breakdown of how we select bands:

A diverse listening committee made up festival staff, musicians, critics, promoters, radio DJs and other industry professionals from across Western Canada - all of whom are required to be serious lovers of music - will assess the hundreds of applications received based on a combination of the quality of music submitted, its fit with the festival's current vision and its fit with the festival schedule's needs. The quality of the music is far more important to the assessment panel than any professional promotional photos or lengthy band bios (however strong live reviews and great performance footage can help tip the scales from a band we like to a band we'd be dying to see live at Sled!).

In short, our listening committee is hoping to be excited by your music and the thought of seeing you or your band perform live at one of Sled Island 2013's slots. No reason not to apply now!

Set in the wilds of Nova Scotia's coastal forests, Lowlife is the surreal tale of one woman’s quest to outlast a living drug. Sled Island is proud to host a satellite screening of Lowlife, a film directed by Seth Smith (Dog Day) at Broken City on November 18th at 5pm for $7 admission. This is part of the LOWLIFE XCANADA TOUR with screenings from November 16 - 18 in every province. See facebook.com/lowlifemovie for details. 

We're excited to co-present Tanlines with Gold at Commonwealth Bar & Stage on November 13th for the venue's One Year Anniversary! Tanlines are a NYC-based dance group with pop and rock sensibilities. Their latest album "Mixed Emotions" is available on True Panthers Sounds. Gold are a fantastic dream pop band from Calgary. Advance tickets are on sale for $17 plus service fees here. RSVP on Facebook here.