Godspeed You! Black Emperor is a Canadian post-rock band which originated in Montreal, Quebec in 1994. The group releases recordings through Constellation, an independent record label also located in Montreal. After the release of their debut album in 1997, the group toured regularly from 1998 to 2003. Their second album, 2000's Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven, received critical acclaim and has been named as one of the best albums of the decade. In 2003, the band announced an indefinite hiatus in order for members to pursue other musical interests. In the intervening period, the group was occasionally rumored to have broken up, but finally reconvened for a tour which began in late 2010. Since reforming, they have released four more albums, the most recent being G_d's Pee at State's End! in April 2021.
Pavement is an American indie rock band that formed in Stockton, California, in 1989. For most of their career, the group consisted of Stephen Malkmus, Scott Kannberg, Mark Ibold (bass), Steve West (drums) and Bob Nastanovich. Initially conceived as a recording project, the band at first avoided press or live performances, while attracting considerable underground attention with their early releases. Gradually evolving into a more polished band, Pavement recorded five full-length albums and ten EPs over the course of their decade-long career, though they disbanded with some acrimony in 1999 as the members moved on to other projects. In 2010, they undertook a well-received reunion tour, with another international tour currently ongoing in 2022 and 2023.
Deerhoof are an American musical group formed in San Francisco in 1994. They consist of founding drummer Greg Saunier, bassist and singer Satomi Matsuzaki, and guitarists John Dieterich and Ed Rodriguez. Beginning as an improvised noise punk band, Deerhoof became widely renowned and influential in the 2000s through their self-produced albums.
Autolux is an American alternative rock band consisting of Eugene Goreshter, Greg Edwards and Carla Azar. The trio formed in 2001 and have released three full-length albums, Future Perfect (2004), Transit Transit (2010) and Pussy's Dead (2016). Their sound draws from post-punk, electronic music, krautrock and shoegaze.
XBXRX is an American rock band formed in 1998 in Mobile, Alabama, United States. Their early sound was no wave-influenced, but became more improvised and deconstructed, moving away from using the synthesizers that typify new wave. They are a collective with a revolving cast of musicians, including Steve Touchstone, Weasel Walter, and Vice Cooler. In 2002, Wesley Willis wrote a song dedicated to the band. For many years the collective resided in Oakland, California, where they finished working on their last full-length record, Wars, which was released in April 2007. In 2008 they were working on a record of improv based pieces titled "Sound" and splits with Mika Miko and Japanther. As of 2010, they have regrouped, and relocated to Los Angeles releasing new music and playing shows around California with their new line up.
All Tomorrow's Parties was an organisation based in London that promoted music festivals, concerts and records throughout the world for over ten years. It was founded by Barry Hogan in 2001 in preparation for the first All Tomorrow's Parties Festival, the line-up of which was picked by Mogwai and took place at Pontins, Camber Sands, England. Named after the song "All Tomorrow's Parties" by the Velvet Underground, the festival exhibited a tendency towards post-rock, indie rock, avant-garde music, and underground hip hop, along with more traditional rock fare presented in smaller venues than typical stadium performances. It was at first a sponsorship-free festival where the organisers and artists stay in the same accommodation as the fans. It claimed to set itself apart from festivals like Reading or Glastonbury by staying intimate, non-corporate and fan-friendly. Another difference was the line-ups being chosen by significant bands or artists, resulting in unorthodox events which often combined acts of all sizes, eras, and genres.
Quintron is an American musician and leader of the eponymous one-man-band, "Quintron". He is a nightclub organist and inventor, who has patented a number of his own inventions and often performs at his own private club, the Spellcaster Lodge in New Orleans. He frequently performs with his wife, musician and puppeteer Panacea Pussycat, co-founder of the 9th Ward's defunct Pussycat Caverns.
Hawnay Troof is an American electronic indie band formed in late 2001.
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra was a Canadian post-rock band that formed in 1999, originating from Montreal, Quebec. Variations of the name used on the band's releases include A Silver Mt. Zion, The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band, The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and Tra-La-La Band with Choir and Thee Silver Mountain Reveries; the group uses the shorthand SMZ and its name is most often simplified to Silver Mt. Zion. The group was founded by Godspeed You! Black Emperor leader Efrim Menuck, who was joined by fellow Godspeed members Sophie Trudeau and Thierry Amar. Aside from these core members, Silver Mt. Zion has undergone almost yearly personnel changes, evolving by stages from a mostly instrumental trio at the time of its first recordings into an eight-piece group, and then in 2008 into a strongly vocal quintet.
Stephen Pavlovic is an Australian music entrepreneur. Pavlovic began promoting music tours, events and concerts in 1990. Since then he has toured influential artist including Nirvana, Beastie Boys, Sonic Youth, Beck, Foo Fighters, Daft Punk, The Cure, Grace Jones, LCD Soundsystem, and more. In 1998 he founded and ran the successful international record label Modular Recordings home to The Avalanches, Tame Impala, Cut Copy, Presets, Wolfmother, Ladyhawke and others. Pavlovic is widely regarded as a tastemaker with reputation for consistently picking trends; spotting and developing talent; his strong marketing instincts and understanding of international markets.
Primavera Sound is an annual music festival held in Parc del Fòrum in Barcelona, Spain that takes place between the end of May and beginning of June. The first edition took place in 2001 in Poble Espanyol and moved to the Parc del Fòrum, a much larger site on the seafront, in 2005. The nature of the festival and the wide range of bands represented have made Primavera Sound a meeting point for artists and spectators from all generations. Primavera Sound is one of the largest and most-attended music festivals in Europe and the biggest in the Mediterranean.
The Voodoo Music + Arts Experience, commonly referred to as Voodoo or Voodoo Fest, is a multi-day music and arts festival held in City Park in New Orleans, Louisiana.
SappyFest is an annual independent arts and music festival held in Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada. Started by Paul Henderson, Jon Claytor, and musician Julie Doiron as an extension of Sappy Records, the festival launched 2006.
Fun Fun Fun Fest was an annual music and comedy festival held in Austin, Texas, United States. The festival was the only genre based festival in the United States, featuring stages that focused specifically on hip-hop / electronica, indie rock, punk / metal, and comedy.
Woodpigeon are a Canadian indie pop collective founded in Calgary and presently based in Montréal. It is led by and performs the songs of Mark Andrew Hamilton. Woodpigeon have released six studio albums, and a number of EPs to critical acclaim, and Hamilton has worked with over 75 collaborators both on record and in live performance. Live, Woodpigeon is often a solo project incorporating loops and layered vocals.
The Pygmalion Festival, known also as PYGMALION, is a multi-day festival named for the Slowdive album of the same name, which takes place in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, United States every September. Shows run concurrently at multiple venues, in the style of SXSW. Local bands are showcased along with national touring acts such as Of Montreal, Man Man, Yo La Tengo, Andrew Bird, Wavves, Black Mountain, Iron & Wine, Dan Deacon, and Okkervil River. It has expanded in scope each year since its inception, and received coverage on sites such as Pitchfork Media, Daytrotter, and Tiny Mix Tapes.
End of the Road Festival is an annual music festival in England which focuses on independent rock and folk music. It is hosted at the Larmer Tree Gardens, on the border of north Dorset and Wiltshire, and usually takes place over the last weekend of August or the first full weekend in September. The first festival took place in 2006, and after selling out for the first time in 2008, it has sold out in advance every year since.
The 2009 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 21, 2009 in Toronto at the Masonic Temple and broadcast live online for the first time in its short history. The award's eligibility period for 2009 covered albums released between June 1, 2008 and May 31, 2009.
ArcTanGent Festival is a three-day British rock festival held annually at Fernhill Farm in Somerset, England since 2013. It is the most popular British summer festival for math rock, post rock, progressive metal and experimental music. Previous performers include Explosions in the Sky, Glassjaw, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Meshuggah, Coheed & Cambria, Shellac, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Converge, Russian Circles, Deafheaven, Cult of Luna, American Football, Battles, Public Service Broadcasting, And So I Watch You from Afar, 65daysofstatic, Fuck Buttons, La Dispute, TesseracT, Daughters and Mono.
The Up Here Festival is an annual art and music festival, staged each summer in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Based on the theme of beautifying and transforming the city through public art, the festival blends the creation of new public murals and installation art projects with a lineup of musical performances.
