Sled Island 2009. Come hell or high water I was planning to go to this year's festival in Calgary right after last year's successful event that featured the likes of Yo La Tengo, Wire, Of Montreal, Broken Social Scene, Mogwai, The Dodos, Deerhunter and No Age to name a few. The festival which is in it's third year didn't get booked with big names this time around but there was still a good sampling of acts both from abroad and locally that would keep the most discerning festival goer their festival pass money's worth.

Endearing recording artist Julie Doiron performed a show last Sunday at the Biltmore in support of her new album entitled "I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day".

I usually make the drive to my hometown of Calgary at least once each summer. It's a decision I often end up regretting, but every year around the end of June the "Stampede" cries of my mechanical bull-mad high school buddies are enough to lure me back. By the time I arrive (typically in the middle of a pre-pre-Stampede pre-party involving pre-fried breakfast food) and someone throws a caesar in my hand, I'm quickly reminded that a) no, I still don't own an boots b) I don't drink (or "lack spirit") and c) no one I came to "visit" with will any way be able to maintain coherent conversation for at least two weeks.

Last year I decided to do the Calgary thing three weeks early; I'd guarantee some famliy/friend sobriety and be able to check out the too good to be true Sled Island music festival. The trip turned out to be one of my all time greatest concert experiences - if the sheer number of words I wrote about the whole thing isn't proof enough, google anyone's reaction to the event and you're bound to find nothing but praise. That's a rare thing indeed for a summer music festival...

The fest is on once again from June 24-27, complete with an exciting and eclectic slate of over 250 bands from across the globe. I'm still unsure if I'll be able to make the trip this time, but I'd love to send two readers. I chatted briefly with festival founder Zak Pashak the other day and now have a pair of festival passes to give away to one lucky winner. Some thoughts from Zak, more on the festival, and details about the contest after the jump....

Chaos, pure chaos.
If there is one thing you can count on from a Crystal Castles concert, that would be it.
Thursday night's concert at the Commodore Ballroom was just the experience that I remembered from last year's night at Richards on Richards. Alice Glass was still jumping onto monitors, falling all over the stage and screaming the lyrics with her black rimmed eyes wildly, blindly raking the crowd. Ethan Kath was still melting us with his frenzy inspiring beats and sizzling melodies. Girls who walked in with straight hair, walked out with ringlets and guys who walked in wearing shirts, walked out shirtless.

Somewhere in my top 20 LPs of 2009 you'll be likely to find The Juan MacLean's nostalgic sophomore album The Future Will Come. I attempt to consume far too much music and it's already been quite the year, so my praise of the latest DFA full-length is certainly legit. John Maclean will be bringing those disco-drenched beats to Richards on Richards, doing his best to force the indie kids onto the dancefloor on Tuesday, June 9. This is your chance to win tickets to the show along with a copy of the new CD.

If everything I've said so far sounds like hipster gibberish, I recommend you check out the single Happy House. The track was one of the best things released in 2008 and ranks among the label's greatest moments. It finds an ideal home on the new album, and apparently spills to over 20 minutes when they break it out live these days; you better bring some good shoes and make sure you check the murse on Tuesday.

More on Juan, contest details, and the video for the latest single after the jump...

Vancouver Musicians Launch Week-Long Day Camp to Build Music Skills and Confidence

Have you ever wondered why the standard model for rock n' roll bands seems to be 4 men playing guitars and drums? Why female drummers are so hard to find? Why young women tend to drop out of bands when they're the only girl? A small group of (music lovers) in Vancouver has wondered this for most of their lives, and has decided to change things from the ground up.