In The Future...The First-Ever Golden Boy Music Festival! John K. Samson As Poet-In-Residence! Joanna Newsom As Shreeky!

Toronto has NXNE. Calgary = Sled Dog. And for Vancouverites, Sasquatch is a quick US-border-crossing trip south.

And Winnipeg? Well, of course there’s the fantastic, immensely popular five-day folk festival, but when it comes to indie-rock (slash indie-film) festivals, the Gateway to the West is sorely lacking. Until now.

The Golden Boy Music Festival takes place over The Civic Long Weekend – July 31st to August 2nd – in Oakbank, Manitoba at the town’s Bill Blaikie Amphitheater. Organizers for the inaugural three-day event have thrown around some serious green, attracting such indie luminaries as Broken Social Scene (headlining the Saturday!), Vampire Weekend (headlining the Sunday!!), and The Weakerthans (headlining Monday!!!). Day passes are a lofty $71.50 with a full festival pass running for $175 plus service fees and taxes. Presale starts April 31st, so be ready! At a capped attendance of 10,000, these’ll be snapped up fast.

The full lineup, which includes a robust mix of local, national, and international acts on side and main stages, is as follows (full schedule to-be-released):

• A.C. Newman
• Air
• The Awkward Stage
• Basia Bulat
• Benni Hemm Hemm
• Broken Social Scene
• Cadence Weapon
• The Choir Practice
• El Guincho
• Elliott Brood
• fanshaw
• Grappling Hook
• Haunter
• Islands
• Japandroids
• Jenn Grant
• Jim Guthrie
• Jimmy Ray
• jj
• La Roux
• Leif Vollebekk
• Library Voices
• The Lytics
• mum
• Myxolodian
• Nathan
• The National
• Nickelback
• Passion Pit
• Patrick Watson
• The Raveonettes
• Said The Whale
• She & Him
• Shout Out Out Out Out
• Sunset Rubdown
• Superchunk
• Tegan & Sara
• Todd Hunter
• Tokyo Police Club
• Vampire Weekend
• The Weakerthans

And speaking of the Weakerthans, John K. Samson has been named the University of Winnipeg’s first-ever Poet-In-Residence. According to English Department Chair, Fitzwilliam Darcy, the decision was easy, “Samson’s work speaks for itself; his keen insight into the inner workings of this unique, complex, and unquestionably great city are tremendously beautiful and occasionally heartbreaking. The department is thrilled to have a wordsmith like John on board.” The residency runs over the summer, so don’t worry Weakerthans fans, Samson & the boys will be back in the studio come fall!

And speaking of the fall, I just gotta mention this since her new record has been flooding my ears of late: Joanna Newsom has jumped on board the Kevin-Smith-penned, Michael-Bay-helmed live-action Care Bears movie, with filming expected to get underway sometime in late-September. No stranger to acting – Newsom landed the starring role in MGMT’s really-weird-even-for-them “Kids” video – the elfin singer is assuming the role of Shreeky, main henchwoman of the Care Bear’s unfeeling nemesis, No Heart. Versatile SNL funnyman Fred Armisen will play Beasley.

Always loved that Good Luck Bear.