Sled Island 2016 Official Program Guide - Published by BeatRoute Magazine

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MUSIC
JONS
VICTORIA, BC
Wed 6:30pm - Local 510
Thu 5:00pm - Local 510 (Parking Lot)
Jons’ last tape of lackadaisical, lo-fi pop Serfs of Today
sounded like Harry Nilsson on (more) acid. Their
music is delightfully sweet with a sonic palette that
burbles and warps as if it were coming from a broken
cassette deck. The band is overdue for a release, so
expect some fresh material from the four-piece.
JOOKLO ZAPPA
ROME, IT
Wed 11:00pm - Wine-Ohs
JOOKLO ZAPPA’s frenetic free jazz approach is
propelled by the unhinged dual saxophones of
Virginia Genta and Stanley Zappa (nephew of
Frank Zappa) and the primal drumming of David
Vanzan. Together, they create a demented cacophony
that ably straddles the boundaries of tonality
and rhythm.
JUNGLEPUSSY
BROOKLYN, NY
**PEACHES PICK**
Thu 11:30pm - Commonwealth (Upstairs)
Junglepussy’s percussive and head-turning beats
make quite the impact. She confidently spits catchy
and often humorous rap ballads about self-love,
female power and sexuality. Sound like anyone you
know? It’s no wonder Peaches picked her.
KAYTRANADA
MONTREAL, QC
Fri 11:00pm - Flames Central
Kaytranada is one of the most in-demand producers
of the moment. His production style has
old-school influence with a distinct electronic bent,
and his prolific output has cemented him as one
of the most exciting young producers in the game.
His hazy boom-bap beats can be heard on albums
from the likes of Vic Mensa, Mick Jenkins and
Anderson .Paak. Many of his esteemed collaborators
appear on his stunning debut album for XL
Recordings, 99.9%, a work that has solidified his
place among the production elite.
KIM GRAY
VANCOUVER, BC
Thu 12:00am - Bamboo
Sat 1:00pm - Broken City
Much like the surf-stompers of Kim Gray’s other
outfit, Skinny Kids, his solo work keeps the reverb
buzzing, but at a decidedly mellowed pace. The
latest single off his forthcoming debut solo LP,
“Perfume Ghost,” is a surf-psych sedative with
traces of doo-wop. Spritz gently and bask in the
lo-fi mist.
KISO ISLAND
VANCOUVER, BC
Wed 7:30pm - Broken City (Patio)
Fri 11:40pm - Tubby Dog
Named for an ill-reviewed Mount Pleasant sushi
joint, Kiso Island is a Pacific Northwest power-pop
band that actually pops. A brand-new all-star trio
featuring members of Jo Passed, Redrick Sultan
and TV Ugly, they oscillate between cute melodies
and angsty shrieking, all the while putting the
bounce in your pogo.
L.A. FOSTER
MONTREAL, QC
Fri 10:00pm - Flames Central
L.A. Foster’s soulful vocals and eclectic dance
beats make for a melodic combination. Her latest
release Saudade was produced by Stephen Ramsay
(of Young Galaxy). Both artists make melancholy
dance music, although dancing in the crowd at this
show will melt your troubles away.
L.T.LEIF
CALGARY, AB
Tue 9:00pm - Commonwealth (Downstairs)
L.T.LEIF is the latest nom de plume of enduring
Calgary performer Laura Leif. Her idiosyncratic
folk-pop is a heavenly coo wrapped in ukulele
plucks and droning soundscapes. Working her
music magic solo, or banging away behind a drum
kit with her scrappy cohorts HexRay, it’s no matter.
Leif brings effortless sweetness to whatever she
touches.
LAB COAST
CALGARY, AB
Wed 7:00pm - Local 510 (Parking Lot)
Thu 10:30pm - Broken City
This five-piece created by Chris Dadge and David
Laing has humble beginnings rooted in lunch
hours working at the paint store and taking walks
in the park. Exposed and wistful, Lab Coast has expanded
to involve more instrumentals (including
sax, percussion and violin) to add to their tried
and true home recording techniques. Their pop is
part dreamy lo-fi fairy dust, part forthright melody.
Their latest album, Remember The Moon, is timed
perfectly to set off your summer.
LAFAWNDAH
BROOKLYN, NY
**PEACHES PICK**
Sat 9:30pm - Flames Central
Ever a citizen and student of the globe, Lafawndah
makes eclectic club music that bends geography
to her will. Her rhythms and vocal delivery take
cues from far-reaching styles, synthesizing a new
frontier of borderless electronic bangers. Her last
EP for Warp Records, Tan, is a trip through the
world’s best dancefloors that doesn’t require you
to move an inch.
LAND OF TALK
MONTREAL, QC
Sat 6:50pm - Olympic Plaza
Elizabeth Powell’s gorgeous songwriting, backed
up by some of the heaviest of heavy hitters in
indie rock (Stars, Arcade Fire, Silver Mt. Zion) lent
the lush pop of 2010’s Cloak and Cipher the grand
orchestration (and occasional riff!) it deserved.
Their return from hiatus is as welcome as the first
breath of spring, if spring were great live and had
more strings.
GUIDED BY VOICES
DAYTON, OH
Sat 9:30pm - Olympic Plaza
The return of “the greatest rock & roll band of the modern era.” Sure, truth may
not always be at the top of the priority list for White House Press Secretaries,
but when Obama’s right-hand man Jay Carney famously said it, it kind of felt
like we were all on the same page, didn’t it?
A lot of ink has been spilled on Guided By Voices’ prolific output since schoolteacher
Robert Pollard formed the band in the early ‘80s—over 500 songs credited
to the band and over 1,600 to Pollard himself—but not nearly enough has been
spent expounding just how many of them are untouchable. Perfect two-minute
(and under) pop gems with equal roots in the British Invasion, punk, post-punk,
psychedelic rock and indie styles, all wrapped in the trademark GBV lo-fi aesthetic;
a musician’s and music fan’s band, through and through.
In 2004, to pay tribute to an undeniably great band on their farewell tour, over
ten cities in the United States declared a Guided By Voices day. So, with their
2016 new lineup marking Sled Island’s 10-year anniversary…what do you say,
Mayor Nenshi?
Sled Island 2016