In case you missed it, we just announced Japanese punk rock four-piece おとぼけビ～バ～ - Otoboke Beaver as guest curator for Sled Island 2025!
Along with guest curator duties, Otoboke Beaver will perform at The Palace Theatre on Saturday, June 21, 2025!
Early bird passes (20% off!) and individual show tickets for Otoboke Beaver will go on sale this Friday, December 13, 2024 at noon MST.
New this year, payment plans will now be available for purchases of $50 or more! Now you can buy multiple single show tickets or an early bird pass, and have the option to pay in installments!
All-ages passes will also be available, giving attendees under the age of 18 access to all events open to minors.
Learn more at SledIsland.com!
CONTEST ALERT! Quickdraw Animation Society’s GIRAF Festival of Independent Animation kicks off next week, running November 14-17 in person, and November 18-24 online.
This year, we’re excited to be a community partner for BOYS GO TO JUPITER, playing Friday, November 15 at Globe Cinema!
An aimless teen doing his best to fill his pockets hastily drops out of high school to spend his time slacking, shoplifting, and occasionally making a delivery for a food-on-demand app. During a routine fast-food drop-off, he becomes the caretaker of a bizarre donut-shaped creature from another world. Things spiral and he finds himself having to make hard choices about love, friendship, and the most important thing of all: cash money dollar bills.
Tag a friend you’d love to see this with for a chance to win a pair of tickets!
For more information and for passes and tickets, visit giraffest.ca.
CONTEST ALERT! We’re also very excited to be a community partner for the Alberta premiere of PAVEMENTS at this year’s CUFF.Docs Documentary Film Festival, running November 20 – 24 at Globe Cinema!
An examination of the iconic ‘90s indie band Pavement, PAVEMENTS appears to be just another music documentary, until it doesn't.
A prismatic, narrative, scripted, documentary, musical, metatextual hybrid, the film intimately shows the band preparing for their sold-out 2022 reunion tour while simultaneously tracking the preparations for a musical based on their songs, a museum devoted to their history and a big-budget Hollywood biopic (featuring performances from Joe Keery, Jason Schwartzman, and Tim Heidecker) inspired by their saga as the most important band of a generation.
PAVEMENTS plays on Saturday, November 23 at 9:30pm.
Tag a friend for a chance to win a pair of tickets!
For more information, visit calgaryundergroundfilm.org.
SLED X SET: GOLPESAR
Over the past two years we’ve been thrilled to partner with the Iranian artist-run festival SET Experimental Art Events, who have curated a selection of electronic and experimental Iranian musicians to perform at the festival.
The project, titled SLED X SET, is a collaboration meant to build relationships between the Iranian and Canadian artistic scenes, and to bring more cutting edge and boundary-pushing music and multimedia art to Calgary and beyond.
At Sled Island 2024, Jarrett Edmund and Em Medland-Marchen were on site to shoot the four acts involved with the project.
For our final video of the series, we get a glimpse of GOLPESAR’s spellbinding performance at The Palomino Smokehouse and Social Club, mixing avant-garde electronics, spoken word and Iranian sonics.
Directed by Em Medland-Marchen
Camera work by Em Medland-Marchen
Additional footage by Jarrett Edmund
Edited by Em Medland-Marchen
SLED X SET: Niloufar Shiri & Caleb Klager
Over the past two years we’ve been thrilled to partner with the Iranian artist-run festival SET Experimental Art Events, who have curated a selection of electronic and experimental Iranian musicians to perform at the festival.
The project, titled SLED X SET, is a collaboration meant to build relationships between the Iranian and Canadian artistic scenes, and to bring more cutting edge and boundary-pushing music and multimedia art to Calgary and beyond.
At Sled Island 2024, Jarrett Edmund and Em Medland-Marchen were on site to shoot the four acts involved with the project. This week’s video features a beautiful set from Niloufar Shiri & Caleb Klager at Central United Church.
Directed by Em Medland-Marchen
Camera work by Em Medland-Marchen
Additional footage by Jarrett Edmund
Edited by Em Medland-Marchen
SLED X SET: ArtSaves
Over the past two years we’ve been thrilled to partner with the Iranian artist-run festival SET Experimental Art Events who have curated a selection of electronic and experimental Iranian musicians to perform at the festival.
The project, titled SLED X SET, is a collaboration meant to build relationships between the Iranian and Canadian artistic scenes, and to bring more cutting edge and boundary-pushing music and multimedia art to Calgary and beyond.
At Sled Island 2024, Jarrett Edmund and Em Medland-Marchen were on site to shoot the four acts involved with the project.
Fresh this week, we’ve got a new video showcasing the ambient brilliance of ArtSaves during their performance at Loophole Coffee Bar.
Directed by Em Medland-Marchen
Camera work by Em Medland-Marchen
Additional footage by Jarrett Edmund
Edited by Em Medland-Marchen
CONTEST ALERT! Calgary International Film Festival - CIFF is just around the corner, running September 19 – 29, and this year we’re very excited to be a community partner for THEY ALL CAME OUT TO MONTREUX!
In 1967, one man started a musical revolution that turned a sleepy town on Lake Geneva into one of the most famous festivals ever. Claude Nobs had virtually no knowledge of the music industry, yet with drive and passion, he enticed artists such as Aretha Franklin, David Bowie, Etta James, Prince, and many more to "come out to Montreux."
Claude constantly filmed the proceedings each year, resulting in an archive of extraordinary depth, much of which has never been seen. From revelatory live performances to jaw-dropping b-roll and interviews, this extraordinary film provides a window into the famous Montreux Jazz Festival, which is still going strong today.
Tag a friend for a chance to win a pair of tickets! THEY ALL CAME OUT TO MONTREUX plays on September 21 at THE PLAZA THEATRE and September 26 at Globe Cinema.
For more information and for tickets, visit ciffcalgary.ca.
Joining us from New York City, guest curators Show Me The Body are a powerhouse of musical defiance. Blending punk rock rebellion, alternative hip-hop and sludge, their music hits like a raw, unfiltered punch to the senses.
Frequently rocking the banjo at the forefront, the hardcore trio's thunderous basslines and relentless drumming make up their signature sound.
With a reputation for rageful live performances, expect a whirlwind of intensity on Saturday, June 22 at the #1 Royal Canadian Legion along with experimental rapper and curator selection Wifigawd, ECHTHROS, L4ZR GR1D and more!
Heads up, this show is sold out of advance tickets, but festival passes and day passes still grant entry, subject to capacity. We highly recommend that passholders show up early to secure their spot!
Get your passes now at SledIsland.com/Passes.
Juana Molina's sound is comparable to an ethereal party where folk, electronica, and experimental pop mingle under starlit skies. From dabbling in comedy, to becoming a musical mystic, Juana's journey is a kaleidoscope of creativity, infusing luminescence into every note.
Check out her 2022 appearance on KEXP, live from the Kirchner Cultural Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina!
Presented in partnership with connectFirst Credit Union and CJSW Radio, don't miss Juana Molina on Friday, June 21 at the #1 Royal Canadian Legion with Tess Roby, Aniqa Dear, mineo kawasaki and more!
Festival passes, day passes and tickets are on sale now at SledIsland.com!
Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted
We’re very stoked for film at this year's Sled Island!
On Tuesday, June 18 at the Globe Cinema, don’t miss the Alberta premiere of SWAMP DOGG GETS HIS POOL PAINTED.
Hidden away deep in the suburban San Fernando Valley, legendary cult musician Swamp Dogg, alongside housemates MoogStar MoogStar and Guitar Shorty, has transformed his home into an artistic playground.
Together, they navigate the tumultuous waves of the music industry, and forge a wonderfully bizarre and inspiring path across time and space.
The musical force known as Swamp Dogg (AKA Jerry Williams Jr.), has spent the past 65 years in the music industry as a singer, songwriter, A&R man, performer, and record producer.
Once described as “one of the great cult figures of 20th century American music,” and “the soul genius time forgot,” Williams is a genuine eccentric responsible for some of the most unique rock-influenced R&B (and wildest album covers) ever made.
For festival passes, day passes and tickets, visit SledIsland.com.
Another incredible Rock Lotto is in the books!
A major thank you goes out to Calgary Arts Development, The Palomino Smokehouse and Social Club, and all the participating musicians and attendees for creating such a memorable night!
We’ll post the event photos to our Flickr account soon, but in the meantime check out this awesome recap from videographer Jordan Lee!
