Local Arts

What do Angelina Jolie, the Rolling Stones and Ouagadougou have in common? Theyve all come into contact with young Tuareg musician Omara Bombino Moctar over the past couple of years.

LOCAL rockers Liftoff have no illusions about what it takes to break into the U.S. market. It's a tough challenge no matter how you approach it.

- Rachel Thom, Libra Room (1608 Commercial Dr., 604-255-3787), Saturday, April 14, 9 p.m. All ages. EVER since she began memorizing songs from Disney movies singer/songwriter Rachel Thom knew what she wanted to be.

- Earthflight by John Downer, Firefly Books, 240 pages, $49.95. In this companion book to the BBC series, John Downer takes us into the air to witness the Earth from a bird's perspective.

- The Hunter. Directed by Daniel Nettheim. Starring Willem Dafoe and Sam Neill. Rating: 7 (out of 10) WILLEM Dafoe's hunter is a paradox: a loner with a paternally protective streak; a man as well-versed in opera as he is with leg-hold traps.

FIONA Apple will launch a summer headline tour in Ithaca, New York, on June 19, the same day she releases her first album in seven years.

EVER since Tyler Gibson, a.k.a. Teewhy, was a teenager he has been passionate about hip-hop and rap. "I had always been into hip-hop ever since early high school.

- Invisible: Out Loud by Desiree Wallace. Play performed at Lower Mainland high schools as part of the Global Stewardship Program at Capilano University http: //www.globalstewproject.org/.

The Raid: Redemption. Written and directed by Gareth Evans. Starring Iko Uwais. Rating: 7 (out of 10) THE Raid: Redemption may be the most violent film I've ever seen. And the most beautifully choreographed.

No two performances alike, says jazz singer