WHISTLER’S GREAT OUTDOORS FEST MERGES APRIL WINE AND TOP LOCAL ACTS

Current Swell, Will Ross Band, Dakota Pearl and Willa take the stage for GO Fest

WHISTLER, BC April 29, 2015 – Whistler’s Great Outdoors Fest (GO Fest) brings classic Canadian rockers April Wine to the stage to headline four days of arts, sports and family activities in a celebration of Coast mountain culture.

Originally out of Nova Scotia, with hits like You Could Have Been a Lady, Tonight is Wonderful Time to Fall in Love, I Would Want to Lose Your Love, The Whole World’s Goin’ Crazy, You Won’t Dance With Me, Roller, and Just Between You and Me, April Wine is sure to have everyone on their feet as this free concert kicks off a jam-packed weekend.

“We’re thrilled to be bringing in a lineup of great Canadian music to the heart of Whistler Village,” said Kristen Robinson, GO Fest organizer. “All of the bands we’re featuring are guaranteed to put on a show to remember and we’re really excited to showcase two local up-and-coming acts.”

Saturday evening sees Victoria’s Current Swell keep the energy flowing in Whistler Village Square with a raucous roots act that’s made them a crowd favourite and the opening act for artists like K’Naan, Xavier Rudd, Dispatch and The Tragically Hip. With a committed following in Whistler, these wild, young Canadian musicians are known for their sing-along ready roots and are so committed to the road audiences from Coast to Coast jamming having spent a summer night with them jamming.

Sunday evening North Vancouver’s Dustin Bentall and his partner, fiddler Kendel Carson, bring their successful alt-country act to the stage with the kind of rock fiddling vibe that’s always a hit on the Whistler music scene. Bentall and his band,The Smokes, tour Canada extensively, opening for some of the country’s top musicians—Matt Mays, Sam Roberts, Blue Rodeo, Kathleen Edwards, Mother Mother, JJ Cale and John Prine, and Carson is currently touring with Great Big Sea’s Alan Doyle. They will be followed by Bentall’s father in Bentall, Byrnes and Mann. West Coast music fans know Barney Bentall, Jim Brynes and John Mann’s folk, roots, blues-rock and pop repertoire as the background music to many memories, and these storied musicians will bring it all back with the kind of finely-tuned, professional act only experience can offer.

The Will Ross Band kicks off the final day of GO Fest with a 2 p.m. start on Monday, followed by Dakota Pearl and Willa. A southern Ontario transplant, the Will Ross Band is your classic rock jam band, while Pemberton’s Dakota Pearl will bring Pemberton grown rock & roll to the stage, and Willa, former Whistler resident Ali Milner, brings an experimental edgy electro sound she created with co-writer and producer Ryan Guldemond (Mother Mother).

Whistler Village Square Schedule

Friday, May 15:
7:30pm April Wine

Saturday, May 16:
7:00pm Awards
7:30pm Current Swell

Sunday, May 17:
7:00pm Awards
7:30pm Dustin Bentall & Kendel Carson
8:15pm Bentall, Byrnes and Mann

Monday, May 17:
2:00pm Will Ross Band
3:00pm Dakota Pearl
4:00pm Willa

Sports:

Go Enduro: The opening round of the North American Enduro Tour
Jump Jam: The only event on the Freeride Mountain Bike World Tour with a women’s category
The Great Snow-Earth-Water Race: A multi-sport team relay from mountain top to valley bottom
GO Fest Tennis Tournament: Compete in one of the few multi-level tournaments in BC
DiscGO Golf Tournament: Three rounds of 18 holes and going fast, Disc Golf is filling quickly
GO Sail Regatta: Compete on a lake known for its great wind and mountains vistas
The Great Slush Cup: Board or ski to the great slush pit and surf the icy waters
The Great Cheakamus River Extreme Kayak Race: Class 4+ rapids and a great spectator location
GO Volleyfest: A four-on-four tournament and King or Queen of the beach competition

Also remember to check out the many clinics and arts events, and the new GO Green environmental component, featuring David Suzuki’s grandson, Tamo Campos , and his activist collective of snowboarders trying to create positive social and environmental change.

About GO Fest, Whistler’s Great Outdoors Festival

GO Fest, Whistler’s Great Outdoors Festival, will take place May 15-18, 2015 in Whistler, British Columbia 125 kilometers (78 miles) from Vancouver, Canada. GO Fest celebrates the convergence of winter and summer in North America’s premier four season mountain resort.

For more information, visit greatoutdoorsfest.com.

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