The Peak Performance Project Finale with Vince Vaccaro, Said The Whale & Kyprios @ Commodore -- 11/18/10

Earlier this year, I asked "Where the hell do they go from here?", about the Peak Performance Project. I though there was no way they could live up to the first year. Well, overall... I think they more than surpassed it. There were more than a few bands that I either discovered, or gained a new appreciation for, after following the second instalment for the last five months. And I certainly do not envy the judges who had to make the final decision. Even though I disagreed with the top five on a few points, they were all fine talents that deserve the money. I hope the bands involved go on to keep doing what they're doing, and I hope The Peak continues to support them, even (or especially) the ones that didn't make the top five.
But on to the show itself. The top three artists -- Vince Vaccaro, Said The Whale and Kyprios -- all had a set to play before the awarding of the monies: $100,500 for first place, $75,000 for second and $50,000 for third.

Opening the show was Vince Vaccaro, as his band slowly filtered on stage, and he came out last, blowing the conch (not a euphemism). I was struck by his energy at his showcase show, and he somehow managed to be even more energetic last night. Though, not to sound like "that guy", but I fully admit I like his older stuff better. It has a bit of an East-Coast-Rocker vibe more than the Surfer-Rock his more recent stuff seems to have, so I was glad when he pulled out "Heart In Hands", his first song I heard, and still my favourite of his. That said, he and his backing band did the songs well, and had most of the crowd hooked, even getting a song-along to the oft-covered "Stand by Me" by Ben E. King (originally). While he may not have been one of my picks for the top three -- or even top five -- with a set like this, I can see why he made it.

The odds-on favourite Said The Whale was up second. Drummer Spencer was the only one suited up, but I might be able to forgive Tyler, since he was wearing Aidan Knight on his shirt (from a Christine McAvoy photograph, if I'm not mistaken). They started off with one of my favourites, "Love Is Art/Sleep Through Fire" before launching into "The City's A Mess", getting everyone clapping along. Like Vince, and Kyprios after them, they seemed to really step up their game and put on possibly one of the better sets I have seen from them. Most of their set was from their previous two records, but they slipped in a sort-of-new song, which they've been playing live for a while. I don't think they've ever named it, so I am going to arbitrarily call it "Information Age" It's called "We Are 1980" and it had a bit more of a synth-y edge to it. That, combined with their "Last Night" song (which they didn't play) makes me interested to hear more new material.
Near the end they called up damn near everyone from their fellow bands for their Peak viral video, "We Are The Music: Musicians for (spare) Change" which had many of the members come to help out on vocals and was a pretty amazing sight. They asked everyone to stay up for their standard closing song, "Goodnight Moon", turning the stage into a full on dance party.

Last, but certainly not least, was Kyprios, looking very dapper. He came out with a single spotlight on him and started beatboxing, for his ten piece band to slowly come in and join him. He took control of the stage immediately, with his Jazz-Hop or Swing-Hop sound with an energy that would be hard to match. His songs were not only insanely catchy, but his backing band, The Chaperones, are a damn hard working band. There were also a few songs that seemed to have an almost narrative, or stream of conscious flow to them, which I really liked. And hopefully I'm not just imagining it. Fellow PeakPP member Greg Sczebel came out and joined him briefly, and he also pulled out his Canadian cover from his Red Room showcase. Starting with a medley of various classic Canadian songs, it culminated with his version of "Sweet City Woman" originally by The Stampeeders. Near the end he passed out lighters, to be lit for a song for lost friends, and he ended the set with the insanely energetic "This Is My Hit".
All day I had been thinking Said The Whale was going to take it, but as soon as he hit the stage, I had a weird feeling that it would, in fact, be Kyprios taking home the oversized novelty cheque. And as his set went on, I became more and more convinced.

And then was the moment that the room (some more than others) had been waiting for, the winners. They announced third place first, which went to Vince Vaccaro, and went right to first place, not as a slight to second, but to give first place a bit more fanfare. And, as I am sure you are already aware of, Said The Whale took second place, and first place went to Kyprios. While I, honestly, would probably not have picked him as my number one, I can not argue that he doesn't deserve it. Especially after seeing his set. The room exploded with applause and confetti, though there were a few boo's, which, come on people. I know you wanted "your" band to win, but it not only makes you look like a jerk, but even makes the band look a little worse, too. Real classy. But that was only a small pocket, and the rest of the crowd was good about it.

It was a great end to an amazing competition, though it will be interesting to see the talent line up for next year. While the first year had a mostly unknown bands, this year had a good amount of bands that were already established. I know there was some criticism for some of those established bands being in the competition, so I'm curious to see if that will happen. Whatever the case, I can not wait to see how it goes, and I hope I can get as involved (if not more so) than I was able to this year. Thank you The Peak and Music BC!

And just for full disclosure, here are my personal picks. I thought Aidan Knight should have won the whole shebang, and my top five favourites were, in no particular order: Knight, Jess Hill, Said The Whale, Christina Maria and Adaline. That said, it was very hard to choose, as at least half of the bands I ended up really liking, and I don't think there wasn't a single one I flat out disliked.

The Peak Performance Project Showcase #5 @ The Red Room -- 10/07/10

The Peak Performance Project is a multi-year contest in which The Peak, along with Music BC, picks 20 BC musicians/bands a year and makes them stars.
Last year it was won by We Are The City, and they have barely slowed down since winning. This year it seems like the competition is a lot tougher; at least half the bands I have either liked before the contest, or have grown to like because of it. I definitely do not envy the judges on who should take it come November.
Part one of the project was a rock & roll boot camp where they went on a week long retreat where industry pros helped them refine their craft. Phase two is a series of shows at The Red Room, four artists a night for five weeks, each playing a 45 minute set, which includes a cover of a classic Canadian song. I always love it when bands play covers live, so that is one aspect I am definitely looking forward to. That, and seeing who everyone pick. Though, I am actually kind of wondering if they dropped the "classic" part of it this year, or if the artists have had a very loose interpretation. There have been more than a few songs that are a little more modern and would certainly not be considered classic. But I digress.

It was the final night of the competition, and one that was different for me than all others. Every other night, there had been at least one act I had heard of and/or been a fan of before the competition, but for this one there was none. While I had heard bits and pieces from each artist, I was not all that familiar with any of them, so going in more or less a blank slate.

First up was Greg Sczebel, who had a pretty nifty stage setup, including a light board in the back. At first had song name, but ended up just being a bit more abstract designs. He had a kind of pop-jazz flavour to his sound, at times bringing out a small strings section of violins and a cello to help him out, and even Kyprios for a quick rap interlude in a tune. His classic Canadian cover was "Gimme Sympathy" by Metric, which was a pretty cool interpretation of it, in his own style. There were some strong covers that night, but that may have been my favourite. Part way through the set, the rest of the band took a break while Schzabel played alone for, appropriately, an anti-love song; a self described song for the single people. The band came back out and as they drew to an end, he played his Peak single, "Causin' A Commotion" and in the middle of the dance floor, his street team broke out into a synchronized, choreographed dance, and he jumped into the middle of them to end off the song. To cap off the set, he grabbed the keytar and a vintage metal microphone, but it ended in disappointment when he used the keytar for less than a minute, and the mic was auto-tuned. Especially disappointing as they were both on stage the entire time, waiting to be used, teasing us. He had a really strong stage presence, especially when he wasn't at the piano, but there was one small thing that bugged me. A nitpick, maybe, but something that bothered me nonetheless: he seemed to mug for the cameras a bit too much. A couple of times he sang directly into the peak camera man filming, and was posing or looking at the photogs up front. Doing that once or twice isn't that bad, be he seemed to do it more frequently. When you have a room full of people (including judges) you would think it be better to sing to them. But that minor thing aside, I really enjoyed his set and wouldn't mind seeing him live again.

Next up was YUCA, who were a late entry into the competition. While I by no means disliked them, they were probably the set I liked the least. Nothing offensive, but pretty generic "RAWK" with a lot of their songs sounded quite similar. They were good, but someone described them as a "radio rock band" and I would probably agree. I do have to commend them, though, for their cover. It was not a "classic"
, but while a lot of the bands in the project had been choosing things that were, if not the same sound, at least within their wheelhouse, Yuca stretched their legs the most. The cover they chose was "Powerless" by Nelly Furtado. Mind you, it did have that same sound as the rest of their songs, but kudos to them for not just choosing another rock song. (I had them pegged for OLP). Near the end of the set, they also had a couple members jump into the crowd with guitars, which seems to be the thing to do for the project, as it's happened a few times. Some of the times it happened werereally neat and natural, but others have seemed forced.
Again, they were not BAD, per se, just nothing memorable. They seemed talented enough, though, and I hope that the project will help them open up their sound a bit.

Third for the night was another repeat performer, Kuba Oms. He, like Adaline, earned entry through last years competition, placing in the top five (but not top three). He had a pretty good sound going, with a bit of soulful, roots-ness to him, but he also had the problem where a lot of the songs sounded a little too similar. His cover was "Twist My Arm" by The Tragically Hip, which was a perfectly fine cover. Near the end of his set he had a contingent of other PeakPP artists up at the side side stage to help out with vocals and/or have a dance party. Which turned out better for them than it did the random guy (I think?) who somehow made his way on stage and tried to sing backup vocals before being given the hook by security

Finally, even though the whole night was running a little later than usual, Kyprios hit the stage to close out the night, and the showcase series. Hitting the stage with a ten (!) piece backing band, called The Chaperones, and all dressed to the nines, he took control of the stage from the first note. Imagine taking a hip hop artist and dropping him into the middle of a 50s jazz club, because that is the vibe he gave off. He kept up the energy throughout the whole set, which was very captivating. Part way through, he started off his Canadian cover just with his DJ mixing together some classic (real classic) Canadian songs -- which I thought was going to be all, and felt cheated -- before he went in to "Sweet City Woman" by The Stampeders. Which was a pretty great cover. Plus, I don't think I ever have, or ever will see a banjo played during a hip hop act. Near the end of the set, he pulled out a bag of lighters and candles, handing them through the crowd and asking for the stage lights to be turned off, for a candlelit song for lost friends. Surprisingly, the roof did not end up on fire (only figuratively). He ended the set by blasting his stage lights back on and a song called "This Is My Hit", which had the crowd going nuts. I had heard various praise for Kyprios before his set, especially from some of the other artists in the Project, and I have to say, he certainly lived up to the hype.

Again, it was a tough call for the winner of the night, but I liked Greg Sczebel's cover better than Kyprios', but I will have to go with him. And that, my friend, is it. I am not quite sure what I am going to be doing with my Thursday nights now.

I may do a kind of wrap up post, but in case I don't: voting for the artists has begun, you can vote right here, but be warned! You can only vote once, so choose wisely. The voting is open until October 18 and a portion of each artist's total mark comes from online voting. The top five will be revealed at 3:15 on November 1st on The Peak at 3:15pm, and the grand finale show will take place at the Commodore Ballroom November 18, where we will find out the winner. One last good luck to all involved!