Sled Island and CJSW present: The Messthetics and Fly Pan Am

The Messthetics

Let’s get this out of the way: Yes, The Messthetics is comprised of the rhythm section that made Fugazi such a groovy, bludgeoning force to be reckoned with, but no, they don’t sound like Fugazi. Instead, drummer Brendan Canty and bassist Joe Lally serve as an anchor for experimental legend Anthony Pirog’s virtuosic, avant-jazz guitar explorations.

Fly Pan Am

Constellation Records veterans Fly Pan Am will perform at Sled Island shortly before the 20th anniversary of their self-titled debut album. The experimental group — comprised of Félix Morel, Jonathan Parant, Roger Tellier-Craig and Jean-Sébastien Truchy — recently played its first show in 14 years, breaking an extended hiatus that was made public in 2006.

It’s unsurprisingly their first performance at Sled Island, but that’s not to say the individual members will be unfamiliar to the festival’s audience. Tellier-Craig has appeared as half of Le Révélateur while Truchy and Gingras are members of Avec le Soleil Sortant de sa Bouche. As well, fans of 2015 guest curators Godspeed You! Black Emperor will likely know that Tellier-Craig acted as guitarist for that band until 2003.

But 14 years is a long time. What are we to expect from these regrouped sonic nomads?

The scorched kraut held over a tightwire of their debut? Perhaps the sophomore album Ceux Qui Inventent N'ont Jamais Vecu (?)’s electronically damaged grooves? The tape collages interspersed with rave-ups from final album N'ecoutez Pas?
In truth, there is no safe expectation — speaking to Cult MTL ahead of their reunion show, members of the group said not one note of old material had been played during the seedling stage of its latest chapter. So discard expectation, embrace trust, and permit yourself an unbiased curiosity. It’s what their fans have been doing for over 20 years.

Heavydive
With their 2018 EP Warn the Dark, Calgary’s preeminent shoegaze trio took their gauzy atmosphere and keen sense of melody to new heights. Live, Heavydive have quickly become one of the city’s most exciting acts, blending feedback squalls and propulsive rhythms to create pure bliss.

Slow Down Molasses
Chill out with these shoegazing Toontown shifters as they push post-punk sunshine up Calgary’s urban avenues. Bask in an infusion of golden indie-rock radiance that warms you up from the inside out.

Yep
The “Red Hot Chili Yeppers” ain’t your dweeby cousin’s favourite prog-jazz band. The psychonautic trio is more like your friend praising Devo before trailing off and accidentally playing you a live video of one of Jeff Goldblum’s jazz performances. It’s a beautiful conundrum of nerdery that’s as cheeky as it is unpredictable.

Rip Room
These self-described “wound-up art punks” got their start playing Bay Area house shows and are certainly not painting by numbers with their bass-heavy riffs and eerie-sounding vocal harmonies. But even as they flirt with disruption, the tight, focused drumming is there to keep things on track.

Life in Vacuum
Spitting blood into a grease-soaked pit comes Life in Vacuum, one of Canada’s most visceral bands. In a merging of D.C.’s most destitute punk and the nearly forgotten fury of Midwest alt-rock, this power-trio stirs to mind the caustic blare of the punk era at its most nihilistic.

Jo Passed
Not many bands can mangle their formative influences quite like Jo Passed can. Led by frontman Jo Hirabayashi, the mainstay Vancouver band’s music is a diverse palette of ‘60s psychedelia and krautrock, ‘80s post-punk, and ‘90s grunge, all filtered through the brain of one of Canada’s most consistently wonky and wildly modern songwriters. After signing with Sub Pop in 2018, Jo Passed have since become road veterans, slinging their off-kilter brand of guitar music to growing crowds worldwide.

 

18+ EVENT