Alison Sudol with A Fine Frenzy at Neumos, Seattle, Nov 9 2009. Elle Harris photo

Win tickets – Joshua Radin and A Fine Frenzy at the Vogue, Vancouver, Oct 17 2012

We have a pair of tickets to give away to the Joshua Radin/A Fine Frenzy show at the Vogue, Oct 17 2012.

To enter to win, simply follow us on Twitter at @TheSnipeNews and tweet “I’ve entered to win tickets to Joshua Radin & A Fine Frenzy Oct 17 @VogueTheatre Details http://ow.ly/eh1hU @TheSnipeNews & @LiveNationWest”.

We’ll make the draw Oct 16 at 9 a.m. PST.

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Persistence of Vision, a documentary about Who Framed Roger Rabbit? animator Richard Williams, has its world premiere Oct 4 at the 2012 Vancouver International Film Festival.

Movie preview – Persistence of Vision with the 2012 Vancouver International Film Festival

We have five pairs of tickets to give away to the world premiere of Persistence of Vision Thursday, Oct 4. The documentary follows the 30-year quest of animator Richard Williams to make his masterpiece, The Thief and the Cobbler—perhaps the greatest animated film never made.

Best known for the animated sequences of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the Canadian-born British animator saw the film wrested from his control and savagely recut. How savagely? You’ll have to see Persistence of Vision to believe it.

Kevin Schreck‘s documentary pairs unreleased scenes from Williams’ virtuoso fairytale with horror stories of creativity falling prey to commerce.

Scene from Richard Williams’ The Thief and the Cobbler (by way of Kevin Schreck’s documentary The Persistence of Vision).

To enter to win a pair of tickets to the Oct 4 premiere at 6 p.m. at Granville Cinemas, let us know your favourite animated feature or cartoon of all time in the comments below. We’ll make the draw at 9 a.m. PST Wed Oct 3.

Persistence of Vision is part of the 2012 Vancouver International Film Festival.

Movie trailer – Persistence of Vision:

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Grizzly Bear at VirginFest 2009, Toronto. Jon Healy photo

Contest – win a pair of tickets to see Grizzly Bear at the Commodore Ballroom Oct 7!

Grizzly Bear is booked for two shows at the Commodore Ballroom. The Oct 6 show is sold out but we have a pair of tickets to the Brooklyn band’s second show, Oct 7, to give away.

To enter, follow us on Twitter at @TheSnipeNews and tweet: “I’ve entered to win a pair of tix to Grizzly Bear at the Commodore Oct 7. Details: http://ow.ly/e4kJn @TheSnipeNews @LiveNationWest”. You can also make an anagram out of the word Veckatimest in the comments below for another chance to win.

A tweet and a comment count as an entry each; contestants are  allowed a maximum of two entries. We’ll make the draw using a random number generator 9 a.m. PST Friday Oct 5.

The band is on tour for its fourth album, Shields.

Grizzly Bear’s Shields album cover.

Of the band’s 2009 appearance at the Vogue Theatre, Kate Reid wrote:

“Misty blue lights beamed into the crowd at the end of ‘I Live With You’, but the set instead concluded with an inspiring rendition of ‘On A Neck, On A Spit’. When the band came out for their encore, someone in the audience yelled out, ‘We want you inside us!’ and the Bear answered with the Crystals’ ‘He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)’.

“A song about domestic abuse may seem an odd choice to end the night with, but ‘He Hit Me’ harkens back to the lyrics of ‘Knife’ and Grizzly Bear’s own plea for pain: ‘I want you to know, when I look in your eyes, with every blow comes another lie.’ Heavy stuff, yes, but sin is how most religions get their start and Grizzly Bear is well on its way to amassing a zealous flock of believers.”

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Contest – enter to win the new No Doubt album!

No Doubt‘s new album Push and Shove is released today (Tuesday) Sept 25. We have one copy along with a commemorative poster and sticker to give away. Just follow us on Twitter at @TheSnipeNews and tweet the following: “I’ve just entered to win a copy of the new No Doubt album & poster courtesy @TheSnipeNews . Details: http://ow.ly/dYfU8″

You can also leave a comment below telling us your favourite No Doubt song. One comment and one tweet is one entry each, for a maximum of two entries. We’ll make the draw next Tuesday, Oct 2, at noon PST. The contest is open to North America residents only.

Push and Shove is now available for pre-order on iTunes in standard and deluxe editions. In addition to the 11 original songs that make up the album, the deluxe features four bonus tracks.

No Doubt at GM Place Vancouver July 18 2009, Melissa Skoda photo

Photos – No Doubt at Gm Place, Vancouver 2

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Two Door Cinema Club play the Commodore Oct 18 2012.

Win – tickets to Two Door Cinema Club at the Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver Oct 18 2012

We have two tickets to give away to the Two Door Cinema Club show at the Commodore Ballroom Oct 18 2012.

To enter to win, follow us on Twitter at @TheSnipeNews and tweet, “I’ve entered to win a pair of tix to Two Door Cinema Club at the Commodore Oct 18. Details: http://ow.ly/dxNaS @TheSnipeNews @LiveNationWest”.

You can also tell us the name of your favourite movie house growing up in the comments section below. A tweet and a comment count as an entry each; contestants are  allowed a maximum of two entries. We’ll make the draw using a random number generator 9 a.m. PST Oct 17.

Two Door Cinema Club is touring in support of their second album, Beacon, the follow-up to their debut album Tourist History. That album achieved platinum status in the UK and in the group’s native Ireland. After selling over 1 million copies worldwide, Two Door Cinema Club have become one of the biggest breakthrough bands of the last two years.

They are known to put on incendiary live shows, resulting in sold-out headlining tours all over the world. Recently, Two Door Cinema Club played to an overflowing tent at the 2012 Bonnaroo Music and Arts festival in Tennessee, debuting tracks from BEACON to a frenzied crowd.

Band members include Alex Trimble, Kevin Baird and Sam Halliday.

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Animal Collective circa 2012.

Ticket contest – Animal Collective at Malkin Bowl, Vancouver, Sept 19 2012

Animal Collective will play Malkin Bowl in Vancouver Sept 19, and we have a pair of tickets to give away in conjunction with Live Nation.

To enter to win, follow us on Twitter at @TheSnipeNews and tweet, “I’ve entered to win a pair of tix to Animal Collective at Malkin Bowl Sept 19. Details: http://ow.ly/dxNaS @TheSnipeNews @LiveNationWest”.

You can also tell us your favourite animal in the comments section below. A tweet and a comment count as an entry each; contestants are  allowed a maximum of two entries. We’ll make the draw using a random number generator 9 a.m. PST Sept 18.

About Animal Collective

The band, originally from Baltimore, is touring in support of their recently released album, Centipede Hz. The record is their fifth, and follow’s 2009′s breakout record Merriweather Post Pavilion. The lead single is “Today’s Supernatural”.

Music video – Animal Collective, “Today’s Supernatural”:

Review – Animal Collective at the Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, 2009

Micachu and the Shapes

Micachu and the Shapes will open the show. Led by English singer/songwriter Mica Levi, the experimental pop band has released two albums, 2009′s Jewellery and this year’s Never.

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The Old 97′s play Venue in Vancouver Sept 5 2012.

Contest – tickets to Old 97′s in Vancouver and a copy of The Grand Theatre Vol 2 on vinyl!

You can win a copy of the Old 97′s latest album, The Grand Theatre Vol 2, on vinyl, as well as two tickets to the band’s Sept 5 show at Venue in Vancouver.

To enter to win, simply follow us on Twitter @TheSnipeNews and tweet, “I’ve entered to win tix to Old 97′s @VENUELive Sept 5 & a copy of their new album on vinyl, details: http://ow.ly/did1C @TheSnipeNews”.

You can also enter by leaving a comment below telling us which Old 97′s song should be on everyone’s alt-country playlist. We’ll make the draw 9 a.m. Sept 5.

The Old 97′s 2012 album, The Grand Theatre Vol. 2.

Those Darlins and Rhett Miller are opening the show.

Those Darlins concert photos:

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Silversun Pickups play Malkin Bowl Sept 24.

Vancouver concert ticket giveaway – Silversun Pickups at Malkin Bowl, Sept 24

We have two tickets to the Silversun Pickups show at Malkin Bowl to give away. School of Seven Bells and Atlas Genius open.

Alejandra Deheza with School of Seven Bells opening for Interpol at the Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver, Jan 27 2010. Skot Nelson photo

To enter, follow us on Twitter at @TheSnipeNews and tweet “I’ve entered to win a pair of tickets to Silversun Pickups at Malkin Bowl Sept 4 courtesy of @TheSnipeNews and @LiveNationWest.”

You can also enter by leaving a comment below telling us the best show you’ve seen at Malkin Bowl. If you do both, we’ll enter you twice in our random number draw.

Who are the Silversun Pickups?

The Los Angeles-based band is touring in support of its third album, Neck of the Woods. 

Band members are singer/guitarist/songwriter Brian Aubert, bassist Nikki Monninger, keyboardist Joe Lester, and drummer Christopher Guanlao. They debuted with 2005’s Pikul EP and the following year’s Carnavas, which featured the breakthrough single, “Lazy Eye”.

In 2009 Silversun Pickups released Swoon. Tracks included “Panic Switch” (since co-opted by Mitt Romney‘s presidential campaign; the band responded with a cease-and-desist order) and “The Royal We”. The band followed up with a lengthy tour and were rewarded with a 2009 Grammy Award nod for “Best New Artist.”

And now, Neck of the Woods

According to the press release, “The new album’s genesis began as Aubert visited cities and hamlets from Italy to Iceland while on a brief hiatus from the non-stop touring that followed Swoon. Aubert’s European impressions fueled a ream of new songs and late night home demos, quietly recorded as his wife slept in the room next door.

“’I got this feedback loop going on in my head,’ he says, ‘thinking that these are just towns people are from.  It might look kind of magical to me, but I’m definitely an outsider looking in. This is just normal for them, and in a lot of ways, it’s very much the same as where I grew up.’”

In October 2011, Silversun Pickups embarked on ten weeks of sessions at Jacknife Lee’s studio in Topanga – which happens to be Aubert’s childhood hometown

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Black Mountain at the Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver Nov 30 2010. Emmanuelle Prompt

Contest – win tickets to Black Mountain at the Waldorf Hotel, Vancouver Aug 26 2012

Black Mountain headlines a rocking summer bill at an outdoor show at the Waldorf Hotel Saturday Aug 25  in Vancouver, and we have three sets of tickets to giveaway courtesy of the East Side venue.

This is an extra-special ultra-Vancouver bill that includes Ladyhawk, performing songs from their new album No Can Do, and Basketball, performing songs in Croatian. It’s all-ages, but with a beer garden for the big kids too.

All you have to do to enter to win is to get on the ol’ Twitter and tweet this: “Hey I’ve just entered to win tix to see Black Mountain Aug 26 courtesy @WaldorfHotel & @TheSnipeNews! Sweet!”

Actually, you don’t have to include “Sweet”. “Boo-yah” will also do.

You can also enter by leaving a comment below. Simply tell us the name of your favourite summer song released in 1971 by The Stampeders.

Also on the Aug 25 bill are Quest for Fire and Von Bingen. 

After the Vancouver show, Black Mountain heads south on a West Coast tour that takes them to Seattle, Portland and various other cities.

Of course, many people will be heading out to Live at Squamish that weekend, but that just means more fun for the rest of us staying behind.

We’ll announce the winners of the contest at noon Friday Aug 24.

About Black Mountain:

Black Mountain formed in Vancouver in 2004. Albums include Black Mountain (2005), In the Future (2008) and Wilderness Heart (2010). The group’s latest is Year Zero: Original Soundtrack, a soundtrack to a surf movie.

You can hear the song “Mary Lou” from the album on the Jagjaguwar website’s Black Mountain page. As with much of the band’s previous oeuvre, the song is a mega-psychedelic trip through the cosmic labyrinth.

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Johnny Depp does his best Robert Pattinson in Dark Shadows.

Ticket giveaway – Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows

Aspiring set decorator Tim Burton returns to the director’s chair, this time with his cinematic  interpretation of the cult classic TV series Dark Shadows. The gothic comedy features an all-star cast, led by Johnny Depp as terminally out-of-step vampire Barnabas Collins, who after being entombed for two hundred years re-emerges in a new kind of fresh hell… 1972.

The Snipe News has ten – yes, ten – pairs of tickets to give away for an exclusive sneak peek of Dark Shadows on Wednesday, May 9 at the Scotiabank Theatre at 7 p.m.

Movie trailer – Dark Shadows (2012):

Synopsis:

In the year 1752, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America.  But even an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued their family. Two decades pass and Barnabas (Johnny Depp) has the world at his feet—or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy… until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). A witch, in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a vampire, and then burying him alive.

Two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972.  He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin. The dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better, each harboring their own dark secrets. Matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer) has called upon live-in psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter), to help with her family troubles.

To win a pair of passes to see DARK SHADOWS for yourself, be one of the first ten people to leave a comment below. The film will be screening on Wednesday, May 9 at the Scotiabank Theatre at 7:00 pm. Contest closes on Monday, May 7 at 5 p.m.

Strange is Relative – May 11

Stay connected with DARK SHADOWS:

www.darkshadowsthemovie.com

Facebook.com/WarnerBros.PicturesCanada

Twitter.com/WBPicturesCan

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Ticket giveaway – Willis Earl Beal at the Biltmore Cabaret, Vancouver, May 5

Win two tickets to Willis Earl Beal this Saturday, May 5 at the Biltmore Cabaret.

To enter, simply follow us on Twitter and tweet: “I’ve entered to win a pair of tix to Willis Earl Beal courtesy @TheSnipeNews and @LiveNationWest. Details: http://ow.ly/aCwA9″

From the press release: “Willis Earl Beal isn’t an easy person to find. He’s not on Facebook and never had a MySpace page. All he had was some flyers tacked to the wall of a used bookstore on Chicago’s west side. It started ‘I want friends & stuff’ and ended ‘I am not a Weasel’, signed WILLIS EARL BEAL and a phone number.

“From these humble beginnings comes Acousmatic Sorcery, the debut full length release from Beal through XL Recordings… The album’s 11 songs are taken from a series of recordings Willis made while living in Albuquerque. He arrived in New Mexico without a plan, a place, or enough money to live on and so began singing warm, visceral and moving tunes to help him cope while sleeping rough.

“Eventually Beal found work as the night porter at a motel. It was during the late-night shifts that the 27-year-old musician taught himself to make music.”

Video – Willis Earl Beal, “Evening’s Kiss”:

Visit www.willisearlbeal.com to hear new track Take Me Away from the forthcoming album.

“(His songs) should immediately appeal to fans of Tom Waits. They sound raw and authentic, which, when it comes to recorded music, is what really matters.” – John Sakamoto #1 Anti-Hit List Toronto Star – Take Me Away

Willis Earl Beal plays the Biltmore Cabaret May 5.

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DJ Shadow at the Commodore Ballroom Oct 25 2010. John Pigeon photo

Ticket giveaway – DJ Shadow

DJ Shadow returns to Vancouver for a show at the Commodore Ballroom April 24. In conjunction with Live Nation we have a pair of tickets to give away.

To enter to win, simply follow us on Twitter and tweet: “I’ve entered to win a pair of tix to DJ Shadow courtesy @TheSnipeNews and @LiveNationWest . More details:

Shadow’s most recent album is 2011′s The Less You Know, the Better. The last time played the Commodore he was in a giant spinning orb.

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The Wedding Present at the Biltmore Cabaret, April 10 2010. Robyn Hanson photo

Contest – win tickets to The Wedding Present in Vancouver April 5 2012

Thanks to the Biltmore Cabaret, the Snipe has three pairs of tickets to give away to The Wedding Present this Thursday April 5. All you need to do to enter to win to see this legendary UK band (playing its classic 1991 album Seamonsters along with tracks from new album Valentina) is follow us on Twitter at @TheSnipeNews and tweet: “I’ve entered to win tix to see @WeddingPresent this Thurs courtesy @BiltmoreCabaret and @TheSnipeNews Details: http://ow.ly/a0HAV”.

You can also enter to win by leaving the name of a Seamonsters song (from memory or your record collection, dammit!) in the comments section below.

We’ll make the draw Wed April 4 at noon PST.

Read our recent interview with Wedding Present frontman David Gedge.

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I Am Bruce Lee opens March 8.

Review – I Am Bruce Lee

- by Rachel Fox

“Bruce’s by-word was ‘quality.’ It was what he only wanted for us, and himself.”

So said Linda Lee Cadwell, the widow of legendary martial artist Bruce Lee. The iconic actor, athlete and philosopher, who died tragically at the  young age of 33, is the subject of a new documentary, I Am Bruce Lee.

At the film’s premier in Vancouver on Feb 8, Cadwell spoke with the audience about why she and her daughter, Shannon, were so enthusiastic about giving their blessing and time to Vancouver-based filmmaker Pete McCormack. No stranger to the sports biography, McCormack directed the award-winning Facing Ali (2009), which told the story of another legendary figure and was even shortlisted for Oscar consideration.

Linda Lee Cadwell, Bruce Lee's widow, addresses the audience at the premier of 'I Am Bruce Lee' in Vancouver. Rachel Fox photo.

I Am Bruce Lee traces the origins of the soul-searching athlete of the title back to his beginnings in Hong Kong, where he was a child movie star. The son of a famous Chinese opera singer, Lee’s youth was complicated by race – his mother was half-white. Being seen as a “minority” was one of several factors that informed a difficult adolescence, leading him towards street-fighting at an early age. At 18 he moved back to the U.S. (he was born in San Francisco) to explore other avenues of success.

Shannon Lee, Bruce Lees daughter, answers questions at the Vancouver premier.

It was there he met his future wife, Linda, and began the journey that would lead him to expand upon and ultimately re-define popular martial arts. A charismatic bravado marked by a graceful “swagger style”  pushed all kinds of racial, cultural, and social boundaries in the late 1960s, when Lee starred as Kato on the popular TV series The Green Hornet. His groundbreaking influence can’t be overstated; as one commentator says of him in the film, “he put balls on Chinese men.”

The film itself is a compelling, fun watch that doesn’t demand past exposure to Lee or his persona in order to enjoy it. At times I Am Bruce Lee plays as something that is made for a television audience; it is heavy on punchy music and fast edits. Words being spoken by various commentators frequently appear on screen as they are being said, which I found gimmicky, redundant, and distracting over the course of the movie.

Three generations of the Lee family signing movie posters at the Hotel Vancouver.

A veritable love-fest, I Am Bruce Lee features interviews with those people who knew him closely and worked with him professionally as well as those who count themselves among his legions of fans, including celebrities like actor Mickey Rourke, athletes Kobe Bryant, Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, Gina Carano, musician Taboo (The Black-Eyed Peas). At times, the famous interviewees detract from the focus of the film. Though it may be relevant to hear actor Ed O’Neill talk about how Lee influenced his own pursuit of martial arts, footage of the actor receiving a black belt seemed out of place.

The only other times I found my interest wane were when the various streams and classical styles of martial arts were explored in long sequences.

Posters from the movie. Rachel Fox photo.

More impressive was the overall portrait of a man who fought to break through Hollywood’s racial restraints. “He hated the oppression of ‘the little people’,” said Cadwell after the screening. Archived interview footage of Lee articulating various philosophies in his own words were mesmerizing, his candor, humour, intelligence and charm as fresh in 2012 as in the 1960s.

I Am Bruce Lee never delves too deeply into Lee’s personal life, avoiding the nasty “death rumours” that have plagued his family and sullied his legacy since his untimely death in 1973. The inevitable end of his life looms large over the film and is tackled by McCormack with a great deal of thought and respect. Of course, the most emotional moments were those in which his wife, daughter, and close friends spoke of both the enormous void he left and the many gifts he gave. Though definitely not a sad film, one can’t help but leave the theater without lamenting the tragedy of his loss and wondering about what could have been.

[Check out Bruce Lee's martial arts legacy in classic films like Enter the Dragon with a Best Buy promo code.]

I Am Bruce Lee is currently screening in select cities across the U.S., is opening in select Canadian cities on March 8 and 17, and in Australia and New Zealand throughout March and April. For detailed release information, check the official website.

The Snipe News has one (unsigned) poster to give away to one lucky reader. What’s your favourite Bruce Lee movie? Leave a comment below to enter. Winner will be selected at random. Contest closes on Wednesday, March 14.

Good luck!

The post Bruce Lee’s legacy appeared first on The Snipe News.

Die Antwoord at the Commodore Ballroom, Oct 12 2010. Ashley Tanasiychuk photo

Contest – win a pair of tickets to Die Antwoord at the Commodore Ballroom Feb 19

We have two pairs of tickets to give away to the sold-out Die Antwoord show at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver Feb 19. All the details can be found on our Vancouver concert preview page.

Good luck!

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