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De La Soul to play free WSSF concert 

Performers named for Skier's Plaza
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The Sheepdogs GO Fest will welcome the Juno Award-winning rockers on May 16. Photo SUBMITTED

The World Ski and Snowboard Festival (WSSF) is bringing hip-hop superstars De La Soul to Whistler for a free show on the main stage in Skier's Plaza at the base of Whistler Mountain on Saturday, April 12.

The rapper trio — Posdnuos, Dave and Maseo — have performed together since 1987 and are considered pioneers of hip hop music.

De La Soul's performance on the kick-off Saturday for the World Ski and Snowboard Festival will be followed by the Monster Energy Shred Show Big Air, at the base of Whistler Mountain, next to the Main Stage. The Big Air is a World Snowboard Tour 5-star event and will feature athletes hitting a huge 70-foot table jump in an attempt to take home a portion of the $25,000 prize purse.

Additional acts also confirmed to play free shows at the WSSF Outdoor Concert Series this year include: The Original Wailers, Shapeshifter, Cut Chemist, The Planet Smashers, Fort Knox Five, Bombino, Pigeon Park, The Post War, The Hairfarmers, Jenny Lea, Freeflow and The Sociables.

The free daily concerts in Skier's Plaza run between 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

For more information visit www.wssf.com.

Intersection 2014 film teams named by WSSF

Six teams have been named as the competitors at the fourth annual Intersection action sports film competition at the World Ski and Snowboard Festival.

Participating crews shoot, edit, and produce a five-to-seven minute ski and/or snowboard film in only seven days.

Until this year, those seven days have always been the seven days leading up to the event, but this year, in an unprecedented first, the crews are filming in late March.

The competitors' films will then be shown at Intersection 2014 on April 16 at the Whistler Conference Centre.

The teams include: Brian Hockenstein, Calloused Media Group, The KSM Collective, Ben Webb and Ryan Kenny, The Manboys and Simplestix Productions.

In addition to the seven-day rule, each film must also include 30 seconds of Whistler Blackcomb terrain park footage, 30 seconds of Whistler Blackcomb in-bounds terrain, at least 75 per cent of the film must be on snow, and the entire film must be shot within 100 kilometres of Whistler.

On the line is a $10,000 grand prize for Best In Show, with all runner-up teams receiving $1,000 for their participation.

For more information about Intersection and to purchase tickets to the event, visit www.wssf.com.

The Sheepdogs to play GO Fest in May

Old school rock 'n rollers The Sheepdogs are headlining GO Fest, Whistler's Great Outdoors Festival, during the Victoria Day long weekend in May.

The multi-Juno award-winning group plays at the festival mainstage in Village Square on Friday, May 16, at 8 p.m.

"We are incredibly excited to announce The Sheepdogs as the headline act of GO Fest," said Darren Kinnard, general manager of Crankworx Events, GO Fest's producer, in a release.

Festival organizers announced that Whistler icons She Stole My Beer would headline the GO Fest on Sunday, May 18 at 8 p.m.

For more information on Whistler's newest festival, visit www.greatoutdoorsfest.com.

Surf-inspired art exhibit at Scotia Creek Gallery

Surf culture is making waves with a new art show to raise funds for Surf Pemberton's plan to build a standing wave surf park at Rutherford Creek, north of Whistler.

The exhibit runs from April 1 to May 11 at the Scotia Creek Gallery.

Curator Arne Gutmann said:

"I was so enamoured with the whole idea (of the surf park)... the pieces will be sold and there are going to be draws for people wanting to buy some great art."

Surf Pemberton is hoping to raise $200,000 to build the standing wave. The group hopes to begin physical groundwork this summer, and aims to be surfing in October.

 Artists donating their work to the show are Andrea Mueller, Dave Petko, Doid, Arne Gutmann, Incredible Amoeba, Neil James Forster, Jon Parris, Katie Creekside, Ian Legris, Andy Fenwick, Sophie Collins, Joel Loverin, Robin Dutcher, Silas Phillip Kirchmayer, Chantelle Pellerin, Paul Morrison, Taka Sudo, Ace Mackay Smith, Adam Levitt, Dagan Beach, Jorge Alvarez, Mike Riccardi and Mike Berard.

New Artists Series starts at FireRock

Whistler is getting a new showcase for new musical talent.

Jon Shrier has launched the New Artist Series at the FireRock Lounge at the Westin Resort in Whistler; it takes place on Mondays starting from March 31 for at least the next eight weeks.

The first profiled artists are James Gray on March 31, The McQuaids on April 7, and the Manila Boys on April 14.

"It's nice when I'm not performing to pay $20 and go out and see our great established artists, but it's even sweeter to be at the Crystal (Lounge) on a Wednesday and see the place jammed because the McQuaids are playing, sounding like Simon and Garfunkel," he says.

Shrier believes this is a solid addition to live music on Monday nights in Whistler.

"The first few gigs for a new performer are always the most challenging. This event provides them the chance the hone their material," he says.

Whistler Film Festival summer camp launched

A new summer program for youngsters interested in movies has been launched by the Whistler Film Festival.

Running for two weeks in July for children aged seven to 14, Summer Film Camps for Kids offer campers the chance to learn how to write, shoot, act, direct and edit a short film from beginning to end.

The course will be offered twice, with Camp 1 running from July 7 to 11 for kids aged seven to 11, and Camp two running from July 14 to 18 for kids aged 11 to 14. The camps will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Millennium Place and costs $595 per person.

Campers can register at whistlerfilmfestival.com, by phone at 604-938-3203 or by email at program@whistlerfilmfestival.com.

Yukon de leeuw EP release

Whistler musician Yukon de Leeuw is releasing his second EP online on April 1.

Called The Irony, the seven-track EP is a project released with a group of de Leeuw's buddies called The Goon Squad.

For the EP he has renamed himself "Yukon the Actor."

"It's about the way I see the music industry, especially hip hop. The musicians in hip hop are like actors," he says.

The EP is available on www.goonsqd.ca.