Whistler Olympic Plaza Will Host Free Concerts August 10-11 Including Arkells And Said The Whale

Crankworx Whistler will be back August 10-19, 2012 and besides offering the most intense mountain bike action in the world, Whistler Olympic Plaza will play host to some of Canada’s hottest musical acts. The Bud Light Crankworx Concert Series will drop free concerts on Friday, August 10 and Saturday, August 11. These concerts in Whistler Olympic Plaza are partially funded by the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) through the Province of British Columbia’s Resort Municipality Initiative grant.

Young Empires

Friday, August 10 features the high-energy rock of Young Empires and Arkells starting at 8pm at Whistler Olympic Plaza. Young Empires are a four piece world beat, “haute rock” band that released a debut album called “Wake All My Youth” in February 2012. Watch their interactive video at www.whitedoves.me.

Arkells

Young Empires will be followed by Arkells, the band awarded “Best Group Of The Year” at the 2012 Junos – Canada’s music awards. They are one of the country’s most acclaimed rock groups and have also taken home the Canadian Music Week Indie Award for Favourite Live Artist/Group; and a Canadian Radio Music Award for FACTOR Breakthrough Artist. Their latest album “Michigan Left” combines the bombast of Bruce Springsteen, the infectious 80′s R&B sounds of Hall & Oates and the delicate studio touches of Spoon; resulting in a sound that is undeniably that of the Arkells. http://arkells.ca/

Jets Overhead

The Saturday, August 10 concert line-up features ambient rock and power-pop starting with Jets Overhead at 8pm and Said The Whale at 9pm. Jets Overhead are no strangers to the festival scene, having played at Coachella, Sasquatch, Bonnaroo, and the World Expo in Shanghai. http://jetsoverhead.com/

Said The Whale

Said the Whale will close the Bud Light Crankworx Concert Series at 9pm with their hook-heavy, pop-rock sound that defies rock conventions without sacrificing pop smarts. This band won the Juno for “New Group of the Year” in 2011, and their music has been described as everything from indie rock, to synth-pop; and roots-folk to atmospheric jams. www.saidthewhale.com/

Whistler Olympic Plaza will also be home to two other highlighted events in the Crankworx Whistler entertainment line-up. On Tuesday, August 14 the first ever Go Pro Dirt Diaries film event will showcase the work of six mountain bike filmmakers with head judge and legendary mountain bike filmmaker Derek Westerlund of Freeride Entertainment helping to determine the top three winners of a total prize purse of $6,000.

On Wednesday, August 15 the Deep Summer Photo Challenge will take over the plaza to showcase slideshows from six of the best mountain bike photographers in the world. Both events will have ticketed areas with seating and superior sightlines to HD screens available for $20 while the grassed area beyond will be open for spectators to enjoy the event free of charge.

2012 Crankworx Whistler Entertainment Schedule:

Friday, August 10 Young Empires 8pm, Arkells 9pm

Saturday, August 11 Jets Overhead 8pm, Said The Whale 9pm

Tuesday, August 14 Go Pro Dirt Diaries film contest 7pm

Wednesday, August 15 Deep Summer Photo Challenge 7pm

Stay tuned to www.crankworx.com and connect with Crankworx through Facebook.com/crankworx or Twitter.com/crankworx. Watch the latest video for Crankworx 2012 right now: http://crankworx.com/home.php

Home to hundreds of game-changing moments in freeride mountain biking’s history, Crankworx Whistler is a ten-day festival devoted to celebrating epic endurance, supreme flow, monster air and vertical-dropping riding. Crankworx Whistler attracts the downhill, slopestyle and enduro legends of the world, to defy physics and blow minds, with their hard-charging, tail-whipping, back-flipping ways. Pay homage August 10-19, 2012 at Crankworx Whistler, the most progressive freeride event of the year.

Resort Municipality of Whistler Festivals, Events & Animation Program

The RMOW has invested $100,000 in helping to build incremental programming for Crankworx, including the concert series, as part of its 2012 year round Festivals, Events and Animation Program (FE&A), developed in collaboration with resort partners. As part of the FE&A strategy to drive room nights in need periods and enhance the visitor experience, the RMOW is investing in original programming, augmentation of existing events, animation and event test and development. The year round FE&A program is funded by the Province of British Columbia’s Resort Management Initiative (RMI) designed to invest in programs and projects to build tourism in the province. Additional details about the FE&A program can be found here: http://www.whistler.ca/media/news/rmow-invest-2685-million-festivals-events-and-animation

The ninth annual Crankworx Whistler is presented by Whistler Blackcomb and the Whistler Mountain Bike Park. Crankworx Whistler is the biggest annual event held in Whistler and is also the largest freeride mountain bike festival in the world. Crankworx Les 2 Alpes will take place for the first time July 9-15, 2012 and is the first Crankworx event to take place outside of North America. This new event will build on Crankworx’s legendary legacy in the arena of freeride mountain biking.

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