Bring on the breakdance
Bust out your best moves for Breakdance Tuesdays at Maxx Fish. MC Chop Drop along with DJ Yann Solo invite B Boys and girls to get in on the action or give it up for those who try.
The new night is now heading into its third week and Chop Drop is hoping interest will grow as the word gets out.
"There’s a real underground culture of breakdancing in Whistler," he said. "It’s prominent in hip hop videos, skate and snowboard videos too, so naturally Whistler’s a mecca for it as so many people are interested in those three things," he said.
Breakdance Tuesdays is for everyone from the amateur to the experienced and even just the interested.
"It’s very casual. We have four rounds of people hanging out throughout the night and then we choose a winner at the end."
Chop Drop said the emphasis at the moment is to keep it local, while all the talent comes out of the woodwork.
"So far the winners have been a guy who works for the mountain in staff housing, called Gunner, and Cole Gregerson, who owns Whistler Martial Arts Centre."
For those who’d like to brush up on their B skills, the night is a good opportunity to pick up some tips, plus the Martial Arts Centre holds breakdance workshops Thursday and Sunday nights.
"We encourage everyone to come down and brush up. There’s mats, you can do sparring, it’s a good way to improve fast," said Chop Drop. Phone the centre on 604-932-3478 or drop into Maxx Fish Tuesday nights.
Episode 7
It’s all happening in our hometown TV series, airing Thursdays on the Life network at 7:30 p.m. Don’t yer dare miss it as Linda Stang’s dream is kept alive. Rest assured she has found another site for her extreme snowmobile event. Phew!
Love is also in the air for cute-as-a-button artists Chili and Kelsey as they announce their surprise engagement. Well it’s not really a surprise for anyone who knows them in this town but for TV purposes, let’s humour the suspense.
And on a more depressing note, freeskier Cat Smiley is forced to accept the possible end of her competitive career.
Like sands through the hourglass, these are the days of our lives.
Get noticed at New Music West
Calling all Whistler musicians: Due to the overwhelming interest in New Music West 2003, the organizers are extending their band registration deadline to March 21.
The 12 th annual festival and conference is to be held in Vancouver in May and is a great way to get noticed. NMW is considered the place to catch the "buzz bands," rub shoulders with those that have made it and make contacts with the necessary people in the industry. At this stage there’s been barely any interest from Whistler so get cracking and show the west what we’re made of.
Bands can register for NMW 2003 online at www.newmusicwest.com . You don’t even have to make the trek downtown as you can send in your application online. You’ll need to upload songs, pictures and a bio, but even if you’re technically illiterate it’s only just a mouse click away. Each submission will be listened to by at least two music industry professionals and once the process is completed, each band will have easy access to any comments made by the jurors.
The top 200 artists will be chosen to perform during NMW 2003, to be held from May 21 to 25. All showcase artists will be eligible for cash prizes from the NMW Artists Assistance Fund, 25 hours recording time in Mushroom Studios, they could win the Galaxie Rising Star Award and could be chosen to appear on the NewMusicWest 2003 compilation CD. The catch? It costs $30 to register online, $35 if you mail it in and there’s a $10 late fee that’s kicked in. But hey, split it between your band members and it’s not much at all.
Chunky, funky house in March
House has gone high class in Whistler with a special guest DJ filling the GLC with aural pleasures of an elite kind throughout the month of March. DJ Alistair, a rising house DJ from the U.K., is known for playing dubbed up, deep, funky house music. He’s in Whistler for a few month’s holiday and decided to bring his vinyl collection with him. He’s part of the Deep Cartel collective, a group of DJs who play free festivals and parties all over the U.K and beyond. The GLC snapped him up and he’s done a few gigs at Maxx Fish as well. His next set is at the GLC on Wednesday, check it out.
