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Let the battle begin

The countdown is on; musicians from all corners of the Sea to Sky area are set to take the stage on May 1 for the fourth annual Battle of the Bands.

The countdown is on; musicians from all corners of the Sea to Sky area are set to take the stage on May 1 for the fourth annual Battle of the Bands.

Organized by Late and Unique Nighttime Alternatives (LUNA), the competition sees solo artists and groups of all genres perform for the public and a panel of industry experts in hopes of scoring some impressive prizes that come along with the title.

Competitors will take the stage at Maxx Fish on Friday, May 1 from 3 p.m. until midnight, and local music lovers are encouraged to come check out the talent for themselves.

In the category of solo artist, semifinalists are Dana-Marie Battaglia of Squamish, Whistler's Dani Quayle and Alice Newton, and Pemberton's Darren Chambo. In the band category, Squamish's Zombie's Locker, faces off against Whistler's Rapido, Rising Tide, The Release, Brother Twang and The Tell Tales.

"We have everything from reggae to hard rock this year. I've had a chance to see many of the bands perform and I'm excited to see who's going to come out on top," Kate Mason, event co-producer, said in a recent press release.

The competition started out in the Youth Centre four years ago, using the mini-ramp as a stage, and has grown into one of the biggest nightclubs in town.

The goal of the annual talent competition is to provide emerging Sea to Sky musicians with an opportunity to gain performance experience and meet industry professionals to help take their talent to the next level.

Judges will base their choices on quality of song writing, originality, musicianship, performance, professionalism and overall entertainment value, while audience members will cast ballots to decide who receives the Audience Choice Award.

This year's grand prize is a recording gig at Saga Recording Studio for the best band; the solo winner receives time at Waking Alone Productions. The top band and the top solo artists also receive opening spots at CIA Concerts, air play and an interview on Mountain FM, a limited edition screen-printed competition poster, a professional photo shoot with Darren Roberts Studio, plus a vocal training session with returning judge, Hilary Wright. Runners up will receive airplay and an interview on Mountain FM and a paid gig at Merlin's.

Tickets to the all-day event are $8 and can be purchased at The Cabin and Municipal Hall's Finance Department. Semifinals start at 3 p.m. and run until 8 p.m. Judges have 50 minutes to deliberate, and at 8:50 p.m., they will announce the three finalist bands and three finalists among solo artists, who will perform from 9 p.m. onward.

Honing their craft

After the resounding success of their first beginner's writing course, "Feeding the Seed: Growing the Brand New Writer," the Vicious Circle (otherwise known as the Whistler Writer's Group) is hosting a new, intermediate class.

"The course went really well and the participants progressed remarkably, both in terms of their understanding of the craft, and the ideas and stories they explored and directed," instructor Rebecca Wood-Barrett said in a recent press release.

The new six-week "Blue Square" seminars, start on May 7 and run each Thursday evening from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Whistler Public Library. Rather than simply focusing on the craft of story writing, the intermediate course opens up new, more challenging terrain, helping writers to further develop their ideas through a better understanding of fundamental craft elements of fiction and creative non-fiction writing. A series of in-class exercises and feedback will culminate in the completion of one story, which will be ready for release to the world.

The course costs $120. For more information or to register, visit www.theviciouscircle.ca .

Next up for Whistler Reads

The Vicious Circle isn't the only literary group in town with big plans for spring. Whistler Reads, the local book club, is hosting its 22 nd book discussion at the end of May.

This time around, members will be talking about Ernest Shackleton's, Endurance , a non-fiction title that tells the tale of the explorer's voyage to the Antarctic in 1914.

On Sunday, May 31 at 3 p.m., the group will host their discussion of the book at the Whistler Public Library, so if you're interested in participating pick up a copy soon and get reading! Tickets are $10 at www.bookbuffet.com .

Something for Whistler's kids

There are some worldly plans in the works for the 26 th annual Whistler Children's Art Festival, as the community celebrates its designation as a 2009 Cultural Capital of Canada this summer.

The long-running annual festival takes place in Creekside on July 11 and 12, featuring an impressive roster of entertainment and art workshops for kids of all ages.

This year, to celebrate Whistler's Cultural Capital appointment, artists and performers from across the country will expose festival goers to a spectrum of cultures that feed the Canadian identity: First Nations, French-speaking Canada, the Maritimes, the north, and the prairies, as well as a range of international backgrounds represented in our country.

For more information on festival plans, visit www.whistlerartscouncil.ca .