Pitchfork: Sloan Embark on North American Tour with Jet

Sloan Embark on North American Tour with Jet
Sloth embarks on four-day trek across branch

Jesus already runs the racket on wine and water, but that don't mean liquids can't cause controversy. Canada's favorite power-pop quartet, Sloan, will attempt to disprove the theory that oil and water do not mix on their upcoming U.S. tour, where they'll be opening for everyone's favorite faux-cover band, Jet. According to Sloan guitarist, Jay Ferguson (and perhaps of no great surprise to anyone), the Aussie lads of Jet are big fans of Sloan. "We met them on the street last year in L.A. when they were mixing their LP," Ferguson told Pitchfork via e-mail. "They came up to us like fans and started telling stories about how they used to cover songs from Navy Blues in their basement back in Australia. Now they're huge and asked us to go out with them." Sadly, huge people are always asking that.

The melding of Sloan's Beatles-esque sensibilities with Jet's AC/DC-esque mediocrity should, if nothing else, prove to be the summer tour with the most interesting juxtaposition. Maybe if Jet started ripping off fellow Australians Midnight Oil, they'd be onto something? Baldness, perhaps? Oh shit!:

07-06 Chicago, IL - House of Blues
07-07 Cleveland, OH - Agora Theater
07-08 Indianapolis, IN - Egyptian Room
07-10 New York, NY - Roseland
07-11 Hampton Beach, NH - Hampton Beach Ballroom
07-12 Providence, RI - Lupo�s
07-14 Norfolk, VA - The Norva
07-15 Myrtle Beach, SC - House of Blues
07-16 Orlando, FL - House of Blues
07-18 New Orleans, LA - House of Blues
07-19 Dallas, TX - Gypsy Ballroom
07-20 Austin, TX - Stubb�s
07-22 San Antonio, TX - Sunset Station
07-23 Tempe, AZ - Big Fish Pub (w/o Jet)
07-24 Los Angeles, CA - House of Blues
07-25 Anaheim, CA - House of Blues
07-27 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
09-18 Austin, TX - Austin City Limits Festival (w/just about everyone)

In other, less ironic live Sloan news, the group has put together a one-day festival scheduled to take place on Olympic Island, Ontario this August 7th. Described by Ferguson as "an outdoor summer show where we could play with bands that we dig," the lineup currently includes Sam Roberts, The Stills, The Constantines, Buck 65, Death from Above, and The Arcade Fire. Ferguson explained the impetus of the festival thusly: "[It was] an idea that was hatched whilst Chris (Murphy) and I were sipping ginger ale on an afternoon flight as the winter chill approached. By the time Chris ate all my free cashews, we had compiled a list of bands that we would love to invite." Tickets for the upcoming Sloan-fest are $35.50 plus a $5 ferry transportation fee. It's an island, for Christ's sake!