Sled Island is thrilled to announce provocative musician-producer-filmmaker-performance artist Peaches as 2016 guest curator.

Each year, Sled Island’s guest curator puts their stamp on the festival through special programming choices and with their presence at the event.

Peaches’ curatorial selections will join over 250 additional bands, comedians, filmmakers and artists chosen by the festival in more than 35 venues across Calgary from June 22 - 26, 2016.

In addition, Peaches will perform at Flames Central on June 25, 2016. Tickets go on sale February 12, 2016 at 10am MST at SledIsland.com. Sled Island passes grant access (subject to capacity) and are currently on sale at SledIsland.com, Sloth Records (736B 17th Ave. SW) and Lukes Drug Mart (112 4th St. NE).

To celebrate the news, we’re offering all Sled Island passes at a special semi-early bird rate (up to 18% off!) until February 8, 2016!

ABOUT PEACHES

“The boys wanna be her. The girls wanna be her. I wanna be her. So do you!”

So go the lyrics to just one of Peaches’ empowering and endlessly listenable songs. This has grown to be an apt description for the larger-than-life artist herself. In the 16 years she’s been releasing albums under this name, the icon born Merrill Nisker has bared it all—both literally and figuratively. Primarily using rhymes and electronic beats, she is never beholden to anything but her own irresistible swagger and unabashed body politics.

Throughout her life she’s worn many hats. Leaving behind a career as a librarian, Peaches has used music, film, theatre and many other disciplines to challenge and delight the public on identity issues including sex, gender and power. What makes this all so important is that she has proven that liberating yourself (and getting pissed off at the systems that aim to inhibit us) can be a hell of a lot of fun.

From the pervasive power of Teaches of Peaches single “Fuck the Pain Away” to the recent sexually-celebrant title track of Rub, Peaches has never ceased to push as hard as she can to destroy the barriers that keep expression of self in line. She’s a provocateur and a punk, an assault and an icon. She’s the loudest voice with the most to say. For these reasons and so many more, Sled Island is proud to collaborate with her in the role of guest curator.