Sled Island Festival Series: Sunglaciers Interview Evan Resnik

Sun Glaciers’ Evan Resnik on Sled Island, Calgary’s Music Scene & New Album “Spiritual Content” | The Sonic Collective

The Sonic Collective hosts Darren Scott in a Sled Island interview with Evan Resnik of Calgary band Sun Glaciers, discussing the group’s origins from early basement jams to evolving into a steady lineup, their early acceptance into Sled Island in 2016, and Resnik’s influences from grunge and classic rock to post-punk and eclectic artists. Resnik reflects on discovering Calgary’s scene through Chad VanGaalen while living in France, describes Calgary as a diverse “melting pot” of genres, and explains what makes Sled Island unique, including its curation, guest curators, and energized crowds. They cover Sun Glaciers’ fourth album, “Spiritual Content” (released late March), its more stripped-down live-ready approach, the “Only Love” video shot at a house on Mission Road, upcoming festival dates like Dandy Fest, and local venue shout-outs including Palomino, The Legion, Dickens, and Ship & Anchor.

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00:00 Show Intro
01:06 Sled Island Series
01:31 Meet Evan Resnick
02:47 Band Origin Story
04:51 Calgary Roots
05:18 Early Influences
06:20 Finding The Scene
07:28 Calgary Sound Today
08:41 Discovering Sled Island
09:27 Festival Connections
10:51 Playing Sled Crowds
11:45 What Makes Sled Unique
12:41 New Album Spiritual Content
13:48 Only Love Video
14:53 Upcoming Shows
15:17 Venues That Support Music
16:30 Diversity And Inclusion
17:01 Must See Sled Acts
18:18 Final Plug And Thanks
19:20 Host Wrap Up
20:58 Subscribe And Credits
21:27 Signing Off

Photo Credit: Sebastian Buzzalino

The theme music for The Sonic Collective is Dust by Les Gigantiques from Calgary. Our thanks to the band for letting us use and feature their music. Be sure to check them out. https://www.instagram.com/lesgigantiques/

Transcript

0:02

Welcome to The Sonic Collective, where music's past meets its future. Join hosts Alan, Scott Scott, and Darren Scott, as we explore the albums, artists, and movements that shape the music we love today. From legendary records and the influential musicians to rising artists creating tomorrow's soundtrack, we're passionate about helping music fans discover what matters. While streaming algorithms push what they're paid to promote, we dig deeper, connecting you with the classics you need to revisit and the new artists you need to hear. Rediscover the music that shaped the past. Discover the artists shaping the future. This is The Sonic Collective

Intro 1:06

Welcome back to our special Sled Island interview series, where we're shining a spotlight on the artists, bands, and creative voices that make this festival one of Canada's most exciting celebrations of independent music. Throughout this series, we're talking with musicians performing at Sled Island. We want to learn about their creative journeys, their connection to Calgary's music community, and the role festivals like Sled Island play in helping artists grow, connect, and find new audiences. Today's guest is Evan Resnick of Sun Glaciers, one of Calgary's most adventurous and critically acclaimed bands. Since forming in 2017, Sun Glaciers have built a reputation for creating music that sits somewhere between post-punk, psychedelia, new wave, garage rock, and experimental pop, often all within the same song. Their sound is challenging and accessible at the same time, blending infectious melodies with bold sonic exploration and a willingness to push beyond conventional genre boundaries. Over the years, Sun Glaciers have earned praise from critics across Canada and abroad, toured extensively through Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom, and shared stages with artists including Preoccupations, Chad VanGa- Gaalen, No Age, and Explosions in the Sky. Their latest album, Spiritual Content, continues their evolution while reinforcing why they've become one of the most compelling alternative bands to emerge from Calgary's vibrant music scene. In this conversation, we talk about the band's origins, their creative process, their experiences with Sled Island, and what it means to create ambitious music in a city that continues to punch above its weight on the international stage. I'm Darin Scott, and this is the Sonic Collective. Here's my conversation with Evan Resnick of the Sun Glaciers

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 2:47

I would say you're a beloved staple of the Calgary scene, have been around for more than a decade, but can you just summarize what's the origin story of Sun Glaciers?

Evan Resnik 2:58

Yeah. Well, first off, that's, that's really nice of you to say and really nice to hear. and yeah, I guess it has been just about a decade. Yeah, I think so. I think there was an article that came out that said over a decade, and I took a bit of issue with that 'cause it made me feel old for a sec. but it's, it's, it's pretty much bang on. So yeah, origin stories. I started this band with a, with a roommate at the time. This is back in like 2014, '15, just kind of jamming in the basement, working on weird time signatures. we had a, we had a little three-piece together and we were doing some shows, around town. These, these were my first shows fronting a band, so it was a big moment for me. and actually our first year, 2016, we got, accepted into Sled Island, 'cause Sled is really, notoriously great for giving, giving brand new bands a, a chance, you know, on, on a stage in front of a bunch of people. So that was really cool. however, that, that, that trio was kind of, not the, not the highest functioning and, and it sort of fell away kind of as I was going into the studio with Chris Dadge to finally put something, you know, into permanent record. I'm, Personally, I have a long history of, of talking a lot and not getting a, a, a ton done. So it was really important to me to actually get a few songs recorded to tape, get it out there, and then sort of move on with my life. Maybe, you know, just dissolve the, the Sunglaziers name and the band and, and, you know, move onward. But around that time, Matt was actually, he had just left a couple of bands and he was sort of a free agent and, I was recording with, with Mr. Dadge and he, he and a couple other friends at the same time all recommended Matt to you. So we, we ended up meeting up and, and having one really bad jam, and then meeting up the next day and having a, having a really good little session, and it's kind of been, just, forward momentum from there. So he got... You know, we got his drumming onto that first EP, which was huge. and we've just kinda been pressing forward ever since.

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 4:51

Yeah, and, t- talking about history, you know, you're from Calgary here, and that's a big angle of what we're talking about. what high school did you go to?

Evan Resnik 4:59

I went to Central Memorial. Now this is like before it was an art school, before it was a sports school. It was just a, I think it was just a school back then.

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 5:09

Yeah, they have the PVA. Am I- funny enough, my son graduated from Central Memorial last night, so there you go. Yeah, full circle.

Evan Resnik 5:16

Yeah, incredible

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 5:18

So what were your, some of your influences? And I was reading some other articles, and I even like how you, were a big fan of J Dilla, but, like, what influenced your musical style and taste growing up?

Evan Resnik 5:27

Growing up, I think it was my older cousin Sean, shout out to him, in White Rock. He, he got me onto Offspring, Metallica, Green Jelly, Ozzy Osbourne, all these, all these sort of harder acts. and really started opening kind of my, my young mind to, I think mostly to grunge, like Nirvana and even, even Bush was a big one for me back in the day. so it started there, and I was always a, a rock and roll kid. I had my, my Zeppelin phase. I had my Pink Floyd phase. and it wasn't really until probably the 2010s where I really started getting into post-punk properly, and then, having been influenced more, you know, by Matt and some of my cooler friends, you know, in the time since then, and again, getting into the likes of Wire and, Velvet Underground and Bowie and all these sorts of, more eclectic artists

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 6:18

Yeah, gr- great influences there. So you, you start this band, you get out there, you mentioned you played Sled in 2016 early on, but what, you know, what was your first kind of connections to the Calgary music scene, I guess, besides Sled? Where were you playing and what clubs and b- musics were you listening to that was local?

Evan Resnik 6:36

It was actually before I was playing at all, I dealt with and still deal with some pretty decent stage fright. But it was, you know, back in, back in my younger days, it, it kept me off of stages and, and kept me away from performing in front of people. And it was actually... I was living on a farm in, in the south of France, like up in the mountains in the Pyrenees, and, someone who I was, hanging out with over there introduced me to, to Chad VanGaalen, who I'd never heard of. and it was only after about a month of listening to him and, that Soft Airplane record, that I learned he was from the same town as me, and so that was kind of the first, the first real, like, tangible connection where I thought, "Oh, this, this is a, a really cool sound, you know, coming from where I come from." And, I think ever since then, it's, it's just been more and more apparent to me how much cool music comes out of this part of the world.

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 7:26

Yeah, Chad's a great local artist. And I mean, Calgary and Alberta seems to get sometimes, especially from those outside, yes, we have the Calgary Stampede. Yes, there's a big, country folk Western-type influence here, but people are really missing out that there's a very vibrant, alternative indie, even hip hop-like music scene, and there's, there's a lot here. how would you describe the, the local music scene here in Calgary?

Evan Resnik 7:49

Yeah, it's kind of a- it's a big mishmash. There, there is really, some really interesting music across all genres. there's a, you know, quite a lot of that kinda outlaw country, that sort of, alcohol-soaked, laid back kind of, dirtier vibe for country. like you said, some really, really impressive hip-hop acts are coming around and, I don't know, just every, every time you go out to a show around here, you're gonna... There's a lot of sort of, mixed bills where you get, three or four different bands that all kinda sound different. There's a lot of great sort of like, newer hardcore bands, you know, among some of the younger scenes here as well. it's just really cool. It's kind of like a- just a, it's a big, melting pot of different sounds. And of course you have the, like the, the post Women sort of Calgary sound as well, which, we actually try to kind of distance ourselves from a little bit, but, you know, it still obviously comes through

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 8:40

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So, focusing a little more on Sled Island right now, you mentioned you played there early on in 2016. How did you, how did you get connected with Sled?

Evan Resnik 8:50

it was actually a couple years before that. It was my first year working at a bar in Calgary, and, I was like, I think I was running food and, or, or bussing tables. And, there was an afternoon Sled Show, and the, the first act I saw was an artist named, Gianna Lauren from East Coast of Canada. And I just found her, her stuff really, really cool, and then that kind of opened my eyes to what was going on, you know, in Calgary that week. And I either bought a pass or maybe I, maybe I snuck into some venues or something. But, and I just realized how, how, how broad and how interesting, you know, the, the curation of this festival really was

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 9:27

what other acts, have you discovered or become friends with or connected with during the Sled Festivals?

Evan Resnik 9:33

Yeah, I mean, there's a whole bunch. one that really, influenced, us creatively at the time was, was seeing Mount Kimbie, who played at, I think it was Commonwealth in like 20- I think it was 2017. So that was like, that was Matt's, you know, first year, you know, as part of this project, and we were really, you know, just, just making music a lot and hanging out every day and biking around and going to all these Sled shows, and just seeing, seeing Mount Kimbie on the stage and how they had these different stations set up around the stage, and they'd kind of- they would rotate, you know, in this sort of circular pattern, kind of in between songs or sometimes in the middle of a song. We just thought that was really cool and, and, and brought a whole new dynamic of like a, like a more of a visual component to the audio that we were hearing. So I think since then, we really had a-- we've really prioritized, you know, what our, what our stages look like and what we look like on stage and, and just, just, you know, our efforts to captivate audiences a bit more. So that was really cool. and yeah, you know, the, the Canadian music scene is so small, the Nor- the North American scene, honestly, that like we've seen a lot of bands come through here and, and play at Sled, and then we've gone on tour and ended up playing, you know, with these bands, supporting us in their home cities, and just really making fast friends with, with really cool artists all around, North America.

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 10:51

Sled Island, what is the difference for you for playing a Sled Island crowd versus one of your normal shows?

Evan Resnik 10:58

just the variety of people and their backgrounds and what they're, what they're in that room to see. You know, if, if it's a regular local gig, you know, maybe we're, opening for someone out of town or supporting, supporting an out-of-town band or a couple of the locals, you know, it's a bit more of a focused crowd and it's a bit more of a friends-centric sort of thing. whereas a Sled show, you've got all these people, this, this heightened excitement in general, more of the music fans that live in and around, our city. They, they're all, they're all in there. So there, there really is a heightened vibe, and it does feel special. and we've had the, the privilege of opening for some bigger acts, at Sled, and I mean, you can just tell. There's just a buzz in the room and everyone's super stoked and, it's your job to keep them, keep them excited.

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 11:44

Yeah. What would you say is different about Sled Island compared to maybe other music festivals you've played of a similar size

Evan Resnik 11:50

just selfishly just knowing the area and,

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 11:54

Yeah.

Evan Resnik 11:54

and, and having my bicycle and being able to, just hop from show to show for, five days straight is, is just super fun. It's like, it's like, it's a holiday in itself, whi- which is awesome. but besides that, I just think the, it's, it's so interestingly curated and really well thought out and, the, the inclusion of like a, the guest curator artist has been really cool and just as a way of just opening, opening, our eyes as audiences to other, to other acts we'd have never heard of, otherwise.

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 12:25

yeah, it's a fantastic concept. This year it's Clipping,

Evan Resnik 12:28

Mm-hmm.

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 12:28

kinda hip hop, d- group. And yeah, they... Actually, I had already interviews, Cartel Madras and who are local, but they picked them, so it was a very, very cool, very unique vibe.

Evan Resnik 12:39

Yeah, that's super awesome

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 12:40

yeah, yeah, very cool. So let's, you know, let's focus on, Sun Glaciers again. So you just released a new album in March, correct?

Evan Resnik 12:47

Yeah, end of March. I think it was the 27th, if I'm not mistaken. We have spiritual content, our fourth one. Super excited. It's been, really well received and, some people saying really nice things about it, so

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 12:59

Yeah, obviously

Evan Resnik 12:59

super happy

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 13:00

a lot of that in the upcoming shows?

Evan Resnik 13:02

Yeah, we've actually started playing the en- the entire record kinda cover to cover, the last few shows. We do it- we don't do it in the same order that it is on the record, but, that's a new thing for us as well, to have, to have, a release of, of nine songs that, we're excited to play all of them live. not saying that past albums have had throwaways necessarily, but, I think sometimes our compositions are a little ambitious, especially on the older records, and there's just sort of no way to recreate that live. so this one, we really kinda stripped down our approach, and we tried to keep it, really consistent from song to song. And I think the result is we're just, we're super pumped on all of these songs and, and have really enjoyed playing them

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 13:43

It is a great new al- I mean, and you can definitely see an evolution in your sound and it, yeah, a great album. I love the, I love the Only Love video. I was like, that definitely just looks like a house in Calgary. Like, where was that shot?

Evan Resnik 13:56

Yeah, that's a house on, Mission Road. yeah, just a, a f- a friend of mine, Ethan Clark, is a, a, a film director, a filmmaker, with, with his partner Mason McConnell. and he had come to me a few months back about, about directing a video. and I thought that was super fun and a great way to do it. So yeah, we just, we put out a call to some volunteers. We said, "Hey, we're gonna, we're gonna have a bunch of beer here, and we're gonna have a fire. Come on down and, and pretend the cameras aren't rolling." And so we just did that all in kinda one night and slapped it together pretty quick

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 14:27

I think it turned out great. And again, I think if you're from Calgary and you see that, you're like, "Oh, that is such a Calgary scene," like an older, a house in one of

Evan Resnik 14:35

Mm-hmm.

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 14:35

But yeah, a real, a real nod to it. I, I really thought it was quite creative.

Evan Resnik 14:40

Totally. That, that house gave me, Northwest vibes actually. I grew up in the Northwest and it kind of really felt like that

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 14:45

Yeah, I'm in Glen Morgan here in Calgary. I literally live in a 1954 bungalow, very similar, you know. But,

Evan Resnik 14:51

Yeah, exactly

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 14:52

very cool. So, you've got SLED coming up, but what other, upcoming shows do you have, in the near future?

Evan Resnik 14:57

we're doing a couple of festivals, through the summer. Nothing crazy 'cause we're getting into, some new recording pretty soon here. So we're gonna do, We're playing Dandy Fest, out in Inglewood in, in August, Some more festivals later and then, hopefully a little tour out east as well in, in fall

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 15:13

Yeah, and, you mentioned Dandy, and I'm great friends with Ben and the Dandy crew. but what other local... I always like to give shout-outs to that, like what other local establishments like Dandy or would you like to give a shout-out to as great support for local music?

Evan Resnik 15:27

Well, I mean, there's the, there's the tried and true Palomino. we, any, any, small to mid-size touring act that comes through plays there. our Sled show is, is there, which it, it often is, you know, most of the time I would say. So that's definitely a Calgary staple and, and, you know, we and so many other bands, you know, would, would be nothing without places like that. there's a lot of really great breweries around Calgary as well, and, and some of them are, are, venues also. you know, 88 I think. I'm not sure if they have a tent at Sled this year, but they do really wonderful things, in and around and, and supporting shows and stuff like that. And, love the, love The Legion for those, those big Sled bangers, and Dickens is awesome as well.

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 16:07

Yeah

Evan Resnik 16:07

Ship Anchor where I work, is, obviously a, a huge important part of Calgary culture and a really important venue, not just for Sled, but year-round.

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 16:17

Oh, absolutely. And I, it's a good representation of SLED. I always thought the ship, you can walk in in a business suit or with a Mohawk and covered in piercing tattoos, and you'll have a beer beside each other, and it's, it's all happy and good.

Evan Resnik 16:29

Exactly

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 16:30

I think SLED, they've done a lot for diversity and inclusion. I guess, what are your thoughts on how SLED's really helped that locally?

Evan Resnik 16:38

Yeah, super important, just seeing, seeing all the, all the diversity, not just in genre, but, but, types of people, coming through and, and, and giving a voice to people who, who don't always have a voice, I think is... I mean, that's what art's all about. it's really, a language of the oppressed. So, no, super, super, happy that, that SLED continues to make that a priority and, feel, privileged to be a part of it

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 17:01

Yeah, absolutely. So any artists or acts you're excited to see at this year's SLED?

Evan Resnik 17:05

the big one for me is Billy Woods. another, yeah, another, artist pick from Clipping. he was actually my number one most listened to artist last year, which is crazy. I didn't realize. just really, really cool, experimental, atmospheric, jazzy hip hop. really fun, really weird. a lot of, lot of songs with, with no, no beat at all in it, which, which I find really interesting and fun. So that's a big one. Snooper I know, couldn't make it last year, so excited to see that show too. besides that, I kinda just, I just like to build it, the day of when I wake up. I check the schedule, see what I'm gonna go try to make it out to

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 17:40

Well, that's the thing, and you touched on it earlier, and there's a big culture 'cause it's, in basically the downtown core of Calgary in general. and you can just bike or e-scooter place to place, you're like, "Okay, where do you wanna go?" And you quickly look at the schedule, and you go to The Legion, or then you go to, The Ship Anchor, or y- you go, to Dickens. There's so much great, shows going on during it. So,

Evan Resnik 18:00

Yeah, man. It's, it's just the most fun ever, And, and it, it, it might rain a couple of the days. Who cares? We're, we're having a time

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 18:09

Oh, yeah. Yeah, exactly. You just, you, you bring your sunscreen and, you know, something in case it gets wet. You just

Evan Resnik 18:14

Yeah, exactly.

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 18:15

Yeah. It's, it's a lot of fun that way. yeah, thanks. Is there anything you'd like to add or promote before we, sign off,

Evan Resnik 18:21

No, not really. Just hoping folks can come down, see us on the, on the Wednesday. That, the first proper night of SLED. we're actually supporting JRCG, who's a really, really interesting artist from the Pacific Northwest area, and actually I think my number two most listened to artist last year. So it's another, another great moment for me. no just, thanks for having me on and, and, really thankful for you guys and everything that you're doing to, to prop up the music community.

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 18:45

Yeah, yeah, we're trying. I mean, again, there's so much great talent in Alberta, and we're not just country music in the Calgary Stampede. There's so much more. But, I really appreciate your time, and thanks for, talking to me today.

Evan Resnik 18:55

Thank you very much, Darren. Anytime

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 18:57

yeah, I'll, definitely, be at your show, and I'll come introduce myself,

Evan Resnik 19:00

Hell yeah, dude

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 19:01

yeah, yeah, that'd be great, but I, I really appreciate your time there's so much good to promote with Sledd and all the other artists that we have here, including yourselves. And again, I'm excited to see you guys, and the new album's great, so, keep up the good work.

Evan Resnik 19:13

Thanks so much, man. Means a lot. Really appreciate it.

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 19:15

thanks. It- That's it for today. All right, my

Evan Resnik 19:17

Cool.

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 19:18

Yeah.

Evan Resnik 19:18

for taking the time

Darren Scott - The Sonic Collective 19:19

Yeah. Thanks, man.

19:20

That was Evan Resnick of Sun Glaciers, one of Calgary's most innovative and boundary-pushing musical exports. A huge thank you to Evan for joining us today and sharing his thoughts on creativity, experimentation, touring, and the importance of festivals like Sled Island in supporting artists who aren't afraid to challenge expectations and carve out their own unique path. If you haven't yet explored their music, be sure to check out their latest album, Spiritual Content, along with their previous releases, Foreign Bodies, Subterranea, and Regular Nature. Whether you're a fan of post-punk, psychedelic rock, new wave, or simply music that refuses to stand still, Sun Glaciers are a band worth spending time with. This interview is part of our ongoing Sled Island series. Be sure to listen to our feature episode, The Sonic Collective presents Sled Island: The Festival That Changed Calgary Music, as well as our other artist interviews from this year's festival. And don't forget, we'll be releasing a special post-festival recap episode where we'll reflect on Sled Island, share stories from artists and attendees, and explore why this festival continues to be one of the most important cultural events in Calgary and one of Canada's true independent music treasures. Until next time, keep discovering, keep listening, and keep supporting independent music. I'm Darren Scott, and this has been The Sonic Collective. Thanks for listening. Thanks for listening to The Sonic Collective. If you enjoyed this episode, help us keep great music alive by subscribing, leaving a review, and sharing the show with a fellow music fan. Be sure to explore our growing catalog of album reviews, artist interviews, festival coverage, and music discoveries from across Canada and beyond. The theme music for The Sonic Collective is Dust by Léger Gongtic from Calgary. Our thanks to the band for letting us use and feature their music. Be sure to check them out. Until next time, keep listening, keep discovering, and keep the conversation going. This is The Sonic Collective signing off