Sled Island is thrilled to announce Godspeed You! Black Emperor as the festival's guest curators for 2015.

Each year, Sled Island's guest curator helps to set the direction and tone of the festival through specialized programming choices and with their presence at the festival. Godspeed You! Black Emperor is a band we've dreamed about seeing in Calgary for years, and we can't wait to see (and hear) what's in store for this year's festival with their thoughtful input.

Since forming in 1994, the celebrated orchestral post-rock band have released four critically acclaimed albums and wowed audiences with stunning shows that blend wall-of-sound performances with captivating film projections. In addition to unleashing their top musical picks on the city, the band will be playing two very special shows at the Central United Church in what will be their first-ever appearances in Calgary.

Excited? Festival passes are now on sale at a limited-time rate of 10% off!

Get to Know: Godspeed You! Black Emperor

Godspeed You! Black Emperor began with Efrim, Mauro and Moya in the early 90s, playing a handful of shows and recording a self-released cassette as a trio before deciding to transform the group into a large band. Recruiting numerous Montreal musicians through 1995-1996, GYBE mounted sense-rattling wall-of-sound performances, featuring as many as 14 musicians and several 16mm film projectors, before recording their debut vinyl-only Constellation album in 1997. They transformed a warehouse space into the Hotel2Tango, a DIY hive of activity with band rehearsal rooms, silkscreen and wood shops, and weekend shows that took place under the radar. The group settled into a permanent nine-member line-up by late 1998, with Aidan and Bruce on drums, Thierry and Mauro on basses, Efrim, Dave and Roger on guitars, and Norsola and Sophie on cello and violin respectively. The band toured and recorded incessantly from 1998-2002 and gained a reputation for mesmerising live shows marked by orchestral dynamics, epic rock power and clunky, beautiful film loops. After four records, GYBE announced an indefinite hiatus in 2003; which lasted until December 2010, when the band returned to curate and performs at All Tomorrow's Parties in the UK, followed by extensive international touring. October 2012 saw the release of 'ALLELUJAH! DON'T BEND! ASCEND!, their first recorded work in a decade, to widespread critical acclaim.