2014 Polaris Music Prize Long List Announcement Helping Launch Sled Island
Sled Island: Nobody Rains On Our Parade. Screen capture taken from Sled Island official trailer.
One year ago the music stopped in Calgary, Alberta when historic flooding hobbled the city and forced the cancellation of the Sled Island Music Festival, which was to feature Jesus And Mary Chain, Swans, Superchunk as well as Polaris people like Joel Plaskett, Colin Stetson and The Besnard Lakes.
When the festival returns this year it’ll feature the likes of Neko Case, St. Vincent and Spiritualized. It will also serve as the launching pad for the 2014 Polaris Music Prize Long List announcement.
The 40 albums on this year’s Long List will be revealed Thursday, June 19 at the National Music Centre in Calgary, Alberta as part of Sled Island’s 2014 launch. The announcement will take place at 11am MT (1pm ET/10am PT) and TFO will live stream the announcement here. The event will also feature special notable guests to help announce the list.
“The work and programming of both the National Music Centre and Sled Island inspires us. We were saddened to hear how last year’s floods affected them adversely, so we wanted to launch the Long List in conjunction with both teams to bring attention to the fact that they’re back, and musically vital as ever,” said Steve Jordan, Founder and Executive Director of Polaris.
The 10 albums making the Polaris Short List will be revealed in Toronto on July 15. The 2014 winner will be announced on Monday, September 22 when the Polaris Prize Music Gala returns to The Carlu for its second year at the historical Toronto venue.
The Polaris Music Prize awards $30,000 to the artist who creates the Canadian Album of the Year. Judged solely on artistic merit, without consideration of genre or record sales, the prize’s past winners have included Godspeed You! Black Emperor (2013), Feist (2012), Arcade Fire (2011), Karkwa (2010), Fucked Up (2009), Caribou (2008), Patrick Watson (2007), and Final Fantasy (Owen Pallett) (2006).
