Holy smokes, you guys, the Sled Island schedule for next week. It's so huge, it scares me. Looking at Friday especially... Wow. Intimidating.

But of course, before we even get to that part of the week, the festival kicks off with a few huge days that are less busy but still promise to be jam-packed with good times.

Tuesday

Kickoff night is always a great chance to get yourself primed for the festival and this year is no exception. I have a frisbee game at 6:30 (yesssssss....) but I will be hurrying towards Artlife afterwards for the 3rd Annual Poster Show. In their inaugural run in 2007, Sled Island made a point of commissioning posters for several headliners; last year, they upped the ante, with dozens of gorgeous posters for a wide variety of bigger shows. I have posters from both years (Boredoms from 2007, Jonathan Richman from 2008) framed and hanging at my house and I'm eager to find out what will grace my walls after this year's fest.

If I'm still standing after that, I think I'll to Tubby Dog to take in a set from DJ Jonathan Toubin. I don't know too much about the guy, but I have amigos who speak very highly of his high-energy sets that feature a mix of dance-friendly rock, pop, and soul. And if I'm not ready for bed after sating my hunger with a Sherm's Ultimate Gripper, I might take in Morgan Greenwood of Calgary's Azeda Booth at Cantos.

One of the things I'm choked about missing (dang physical fitness) is the Alberta premiere of I Need That Record at the Uptown. Film curator Jeanette Burton has put together a great slate of topical flicks to complement the musical component and this documentary, which attempts to document the decline of independent American record stores over the past decade, is an excellent way to kick things off. I was really disappointed that Sled Island's comedy component didn't pan out this year, but maybe I can fill that laugh-shaped hole with some filmy goodness.

Wednesday

I'll be toiling all day on Wednesday at my lab at U of C (dang...) but heading down from the NW for evening shows will give me a great opportunity to stop by the Illingworth Kerr Gallery at ACAD to get a much-needed does of 'A'. I'm pretty curious to see an exhibition of paintings by Robb Reiner, the drummer from Anvil--one of the most exciting heavy metal headliners at the festival this year! And I've never heard Brain Sauce before, but it's great to see the art and music streams colliding.

Of course, I'll have to keep an eye on my watch: can't be late for the show at Central United Church! Calgarians have had plenty of chances to see Final Fantasy over the past few years, so it might be easy to forget  how awesome it is to have a chance to see such a remarkable performance in such a special venue. The first time I saw Owen Pallett was the night before he won the inaugural Polaris Music Prize. Before the show, I was on the fence, but when I left, there was no doubt in my mind that he would bag the award. I'm also excited to see Slim Twig, who I've heard a great number of good things about.

After that, Factory Party #6 will be kicking into high gear at the Uptown. For #5, I showed up to find a gargantuan, Nashville North-like line right around the time the doors opened and when I came back around 1 AM, I still had to sweet-talk the ticket rippers at the door to let me in! These multi-media parties aren't exactly my bag, but I think the indie music video screening might be a good way to bridge between early- and late-night and really... Andrew WK? I am not prepared to miss that. No sir.

Elsewhere in the city that night, three headliners catch my eye, so take your pick: Shearing Pinx at Broken City promises to be a good time, but does that mean passing up the chance to see local upstarts Thighs at Vern's or to tie one on at the Ship & Anchor while watching punk legends SNFU tear through their umpteenth "last ever" show? You tell me... I still have no idea where I'll end up, although I have hell of fond memories of Sled Island shows at the Ship. Does anyone else remember C'MON??