NZsnowboard.com

19th July 2007

LAKE WANAKA, New Zealand ? The Burton New Zealand have now announced the line up for the Gravis Open Sessions live music gigs that will take place during the evenings of the international competition. Masters of hip hop, Opensouls kick off proceedings on Thursday 9 August with New Zealand?s premiere live drum ?n bass band, Shapeshifter headlining on Saturday 11 August.

Opensouls cut together funk, jazz, reggae, blues and soul to create hip hop with a deep old school flavour. They possess an abundance of musical flair and experience that has been used to great effect on their critically acclaimed debut album, Kaleidescope. Their live set is just as impressive. When the Opensouls hit the stage the funk is pushed to the forefront, bringing the party to the people, as seen at top festival such as Big Day Out, Rhythm & Vines and Rippon.



Shapeshifter are recognized as world leaders in their field and their third album, Soulstice has just gone platinum. The group seamlessly blends the essential elements of live band performance with the excitement and energy of dance music culture. Drums, synthesizers, keyboards, guitar, horns, percussion, samples and vocals are fused together live, on stage, to create a totally unique and electrifying experience. Shapeshifter constantly push the boundaries of live performance and consistently sell out tours of New Zealand and Australia, achieving cult status as representatives of the South Pacific.

Both Open Session concerts will take place at the Lake Wanaka Centre with tickets available from Play It Again and Quest in both Wanaka and Queenstown.

For more information on the Burton New Zealand Open head to www.opensnowboarding.com

Media contacts:
Victoria Murray-Orr ? EveNZ
T: +64 3 443 2700
E: vmo@evenz.co.nz

About the Burton Global Open Series
The Burton Global Open Series events are the pinnacle snowboarding events of the season. Founded by Jake Burton, the Opens have grown from grassroots events to global spectacles attracting tens of thousands of spectators and riders from around the world. Since the beginning, the Opens have been driven by riders, for riders evolving with snowboarding and riders? needs over the years. With events held in Canada, Europe, Japan, the United States, New Zealand and Australia, the Opens set the standard for snowboarding events around the globe. For more information, visit opensnowboarding.com

The Burton Global Open Series is part of the Ticket To Ride (TTR) World?Snowboard Tour, the largest group of independent freestyle snowboard events in the world. TTR ranks riders based on their results at participating competitions and crowns a TTR World Champion at the US Open. For more information, visit www.ttrworldtour.