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WSSF adds Xavier Rudd, Tea Party and Saturday night street party to outdoor music series, announces Freeride club series lineup

The Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival has rounded out the lineup for the returning DKNY//Jeans free outdoor concert series with headlining acts Xavier Rudd and the Tea Party and a wild urban music street party.

The series presents shows daily throughout the festival on a public main stage in Skiers Plaza, kicking off Friday, April 8 with an afternoon performance by Colorado ski-bum jam band The String Cheese Incident.

Can-rockers Finger Eleven will perform in the evening on Saturday, April 9, coinciding with a massive outdoor beer garden involving several Whistler bars. Proceeds will be donated to charity.

Sunday, April 10 is promising the most buzz-worthy lineup of the series – a triple threat of cool featuring Vancouver-based rockers Hot Hot Heat, a mere five days after the release of their much anticipated major label debut album Elevator . The Heat will be joined by tour mates Louis XIV – a San Diego glam rock-influenced foursome recently deemed one of "ten-artists to watch" by Rolling Stone scribes. Also in on the Sunday rock special is the Futureheads – a manic pop-foursome from the U.K. with a fan base rumoured to include U2’s Bono, who is said to have requested the group’s autograph on his personal copy of their album during a recent encounter.

Monday, April 11 the series has a hip-hop flavour courtesy of MC DL Incognito and soul collective The Front.

Tuesday, April 12 features the return to Whistler of enigmatic Canadian rock trio The Tea Party. The Zeppelin-esque band has a core of dedicated fans in Whistler, a few of whom caught their show at Garfinkel’s last August (due to confusion from the promoter that suggested a zero-hour cancellation, many did not). This time around it won’t cost a thing to hear front man Jeff Martin’s haunting baritone and guitar wizardry and Tea Party faithfuls can rest assured: the show will go on.

Wednesday, April 13 the series goes hip-hop again with West Coast collective Sweatshop Union and Montreal urban music group Groundwerk – a project headed up by DJ Grandtheft. Both acts are returning from last year’s festival.

Thursday, April 14 the series presents an afternoon with Jamaican reggae legends Toots and the Maytals – widely considered pioneers of the iconic dancehall sound. With a career spanning four decades, Toots and Co. are still innovating, claiming the 2004 Grammy Award for reggae album of the year. Warming up the stage for Toots will be Vancouver-based reggae-rockers Freeflow.

Friday, April 15 belongs to fiery hip-hop activists Michael Franti and Spearhead. The San Francisco-based group’s socially-conscious groove-raps have legions of fans in Whistler who will no doubt head out in droves to be enlightened and inspired all over again. Warming up the stage for the Spearhead crew is K’naan, a Somali-born, Toronto-residing hip-hop/spoken word artist renowned for a unique African roots-influenced poetic delivery.

Saturday evening the outdoor series presents a beat-driven, free-for-all street party. Manning the decks will be local favourite DJs Mat the Alien and Vinyl Ritchie, with performances from a diverse crew of MCs including K’naan, Grandtheft and Emotionz. Adding to the aural experience will be a visual orgasm of breakdancers, Brazilian Capoiera dancers, go-go girls, firespinners and other performance artists. Following the street party on Saturday night is the Smirnoff Experience – a ticketed multi-DJ event at the Telus Conference Centre featuring headlining trance music producer Josh Wink, set to rage until 5 a.m. Sunday morning.

Closing the outdoor concert series on Sunday afternoon is beloved Aussie didgeridoo player/singer Xavier Rudd, a regular visitor to Whistler where his signature laid back beach groove has been embraced wholeheartedly. It’s the perfect sound for lazing in the Sunday afternoon sun, recuperating for the festival’s last hurrah – Ace MacKay-Smith and Michael Ziff’s Glow Me neon-themed closing party at the GLC.

The addition of Rudd, the Tea Party and the Saturday night street party complete the DKNY series roster, though surprises are always in store. Last year’s epic Black Eyed Peas show was a late acquisition. This year’s roster is a doozy as it stands, but stay tuned – you never know who else might show up on the main stage.

For a complete schedule of music events visit the Telus World Ski & Snowboard Festival website at www.whistler2005.com.

Free music for Freeride Series

In addition to the DKNY//Jeans outdoor free concert series, the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival presents the Kokanee Freeride club concert series, presenting different musical acts each night in intimate nightclub venues. All Freeride shows are also free and while there are many acts unique to the series, many of the outdoor main stage performers, such as Michael Franti, are doing double duty, allowing for a more intimate experience.

Freeride Series performers confirmed for this year include:

Friday April 8:

Après-ski

The Hairfarmers — Merlin’s

After dark

Themasses — GLC

Saturday April 9:

Après-ski

The Hairfarmers — Citta

After dark

Bob Schneider — Dusty's

Sunday April 10:

Après-ski

The Hairfarmers — Dusty's

After dark

Wil Mimnaugh — Merlin’s

Monday April 11:

After dark

The Mixologists — Savage Beagle

Whole Lotta Led — The Boot Pub

Tuesday April 12:

After dark

Groundwerk — Tommy Africa's

Royal Bliss — Buffalo Bill’s

Wednesday April 13:

After dark

Sweatshop Union — Garfinkel’s

Thursday April 14:

After dark

Michael Franti & Friends — Moe Joe’s

Friday April 15:

Après-ski

The Hairfarmers — Dusty's

After dark

Vinyl Ritchie — Longhorn Saloon

K'naan — Crab Shack

Saturday April 16:

Après-ski

The Hairfarmers — Citta

Sunday April 17:

Après-ski

The Hairfarmers — Merlin’s