Earlier this afternoon, I handed in my PhD dissertation and my examination period has officially begun. Fortunately, my defense isn't until July 13th, which means I am free as a bird for Sled Island this weekend!

So, the 2011 iteration of the fest is upon us. Peter, Mark, and I are going to be tweeting and blogging throughout. Find me at @pmjboyle; they should be kicking around there as well! In the mean time, let's take a very quick look at some of the bands on my must-see list:

Cheeseburger

Fri 12 AM : Legion upstairs
Sat 12 AM : Verns
Sun 6 PM : Republik

I've been kicking myself since I missed these guys last year. Their album is a blast and I am thinking their live show is going to be epic. Plus, it's at the Legion late on Friday night--how can that be a bad thing!? Plus, shows at the legendary Verns on Saturday and at the sweet, sweet pig roast on Sunday. I might see them 3 times to make up for my truancy last year!

The Donkeys

Thu 11 PM : Marquee Room
Fri 5 PM : Ship & Anchor

Checked these guys out yesterday while I was proof-reading the beast. Sounds really, really good. I also want to check out the Soft Pack, so why not get a stamp for the Marquee early! Quick fact: all the computers in this lab are named after bars, mostly from New Orleans. But this computer is called marquee. Believe it.

Sleep

Fri 8:45 PM : Olympic Plaza

These guys are going to blow the doors off, Calgary. Somehow, I hadn't heard of them until friend-of-the-blog Gunner told me about their album "DOPESMOKER" while we were riding up a chairlift this winter. Then they were announced for the lineup. Oh, serendipity!

GOBBLE GOBBLE

Thu 11 PM : The Distillery
Fri 10 PM : Tubby Dog

My Edmontonian homies have been all over me to see this character for months. I pulled the ripcord at Wyrd Fest and went home before he started; I won't be doing that this time. Plus, Tubby Dog! Remember MONOTONIX rocking that place out two years ago? I DO.

Twin Shadow

Sat 3:30 PM : Olympic Plaza
Sat 1 AM : Hifi

These guys made the rounds with their fantastic performance (and hair) on Jimmy Kimmel a while back. That video is inexplicably no longer available, but yeah... great live show. Should be huge. Might have to line up to get a spot at HiFi that night...