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THE JULIE RUIN FRONTLADY UNDERGOING TREATMENT FOR LYME DISEASE
The eighth annual Sled Island Music & Arts Festival will be going on without its guest curator this year, due to The Julie Ruin frontlady Kathleen Hanna’s health concerns with Lyme disease.
The Julie Ruin’s official Tumblr page broke the news this morning with regrets that all band tour dates will be cancelled until September.
“Kathleen has been outspoken about her struggle with Lyme Disease and she is currently having a health crisis and has been advised by her doctor to start a difficult 3-month course of treatment immediately. The treatment plan will make it impossible for her to travel,” said the band’s statement. “We are disappointed to postpone these appearances, however we are confident that taking this time off will allow Kathleen to heal so that we can continue touring in the future.”
In response, the Sled Island festival expressed its regrets and passed on their well wishes for Hanna’s recovery.
Sled Island’s statement promised that Hanna’s presence as guest curator will still be felt through her programming selections for the festival, such as the selection of acts such as Hunx and His Punx, Screaming Females and Mindtroll.
The statement also announced that tickets for The Julie Ruin appearance will be refunded. The refunds should begin being processed in the coming days for those who purchased online, and for those who purchased tickets, at retail, they can return them for a refund starting Monday, May 19th.
The festival also announced that a replacement show for Hanna’s musical showcase, set for Saturday, June 21st at the #1 Royal Canadian Legion, will be in the works.
“We would like to assure festival-goers that, thanks heavily to Kathleen Hanna’s incredible work, Sled Island 2014 will remain a magical event and we wish her the swiftest of recoveries and a return to Calgary when her healing process allows,” the statement concluded.
By Team BeatRoute
Photo: Chloe Aftel, retrieved from SledIsland.com
