Peak Performance Project Showcase #3 @ Red Room -- 10/04/12

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. Past winners are We Are The City, Kyprios, and Current Swell with a ton of great bands and artists included as well.

Part one of the project was a rock & roll boot camp where they went on a week long retreat to get lectures and advice from industry pros to help 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. The bands are rated by a panel of judges, which will go toward their final score in the project, and they've also been tasked to learn a "Classic Canadian Cover" to play during their set. I always love hearing bands play cover songs, and I am definitely looking forward to see who each act chooses (and, as in the past, I am going to keep a running tally on how many Arcade Fire, Neil Young or Leonard Cohen songs we get).

For both the first and second showcases, the sound at the Red Room hadn't been the greatest, but for this night it was very OFF. It was through no fault of the bands; as I understand it, the mixing board fried before the show, so there was a scramble to get things up and running. But it still took a little away from the whole night. For one thing, a lot of the banter or talking between songs was either too loud or muffled (or somehow both), and there were feedback problems the whole night. 

Alexandria Maillot: One of this year's returning artists, Alexandria was in the first year of the Project, but wasn't eligible to return until now due to age restrictions (which were not in place the first year). She has an amazingly strong and soulful voice with a sound that bounced from poppy to soulful with a hint of folk at times. Her cover was "The Weight" from The Band, which was not a bold choice, but she covered it well.
She ended with what was my favourite of the set, the song featured on The Peak "Take Me Home", a jaunty and upbeat piano driven tune.
She has a great talent, but is still young, and I think she just needs to "finds her sound" so to speak.

Dear Rouge: With canned music and red lights bathing the stage, the duo of Danielle and Drew McTaggart came out with their band and launched into an electronic-tinged pop-rock set. It was very dancey and high energy, with Danielle hardly staying still, dancing up a storm while singing.
Their cover was another familiar choice with The Guess Who's "No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature", a perfectly good cover, even though the harmonies didn't really come across. Part way through the set, most of the band left except for Danielle who was then joined by Indiana Avent on violin for a slower, acoustic song, which was good but felt wildly out of place in the set.
The band is still pretty new, and I think they have the most untapped potential out of everyone I've seen so far. With a bit more experience I have no doubt that they could win the competition... if they reapply next year.
(And, on a purely superficial note, I think they could have picked a better name. "Dear Rouge" looks nice on paper, but just sounds awkward when said aloud. It doesn't roll off the tongue, coming out more like "Deer Ooge")

Facts: Next up was the groovy synthy pop of Facts. They took the stage wearing matching white and the lights went down for a crazy light show, lasers beaming out into the crowd. They were also joined by PPP veteran Garth Covernton (41st & Home) on drums. Right off the bat, I found the vocals were a bit overprocessed and muddy. Not sure if that was their sound, or due to the aforementioned audio problems, but that, combined with the similarity of the set, made it seem to drag a little towards the end; they were definitely not bad, but it got a bit repetitive.
For their cover they chose "Ice Cream" from Sarah McLachlan, though to be honest, I didn't even realise until after the set. I am not overly familiar with the song, and with the low VOCALS between songs I didn't hear its introduction. They also threw in a cover of Joanna Newsom's "Peach, Plum, Pear", and were joined at one point by Evan Konrad (aka Bed of Stars).
It wasn't a bad set by any means, but I got the impression that they could have done a lot better.

Maurice: Yet another returning act to the project, JP Maurice and company wrapped up the night. While the other three this night I didn't know too well, I was already a fan of Maurice's alt-pop sound, so I was looking forward to his set.
Starting with "Get Mad", JP wasted no time playing to the crowd, going right up to the edge of the stage. For the undeniably infectious "Mistake" he was joined by Stephanie Chatman on violin and his cover was "Woodstock" from yet another renowned Canadian, Joni Mitchell.
After his version of TLGLTP's "Robin" -- the catchiest song about a threesome you'll hear -- he brought out a few members of Tough Lovers and Evan Konrad was back out for their Bootcamp Co-Write song, "Night Eyes".
I don't know if it was the best set I've seen Maurice play -- the sound issues were probably a factor -- but JP is a fantastic songwriter, his songs, and live performances, always exuding raw emotion. And are damn catchy. I really hope he makes the top five, and won't be surprised if he does.

Peak Performance Project Showcase #2 @ Red Room -- 09/20/12

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. Past winners are We Are The City, Kyprios, and Current Swell with a ton of great bands and artists included as well.

Part one of the project was a rock & roll boot camp where they went on a week long retreat to get lectures and advice from industry pros to help 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. The bands are rated by a panel of judges, which will go toward their final score in the project, and they've also been tasked to learn a "Classic Canadian Cover" to play during their set. I always love hearing bands play cover songs, and I am definitely looking forward to see who each act chooses (and, as in the past, I am going to keep a running tally on how many Arcade Fire, Neil Young or Leonard Cohen songs we get).

While last week's showcase was all acts I was already a fan of, this showcase was full of bands I hadn't heard too much from, but each one I was interested to hear more of. I've always had a soft spot for folk-y, blues-y and roots-y rock, and all four bands this showcase were along those lines.


The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer: The duo of Shawn Hall and Matthew Rogers started it off with their dirty blues sound, Hall on vocals and harmonica and Rogers on guitar and kick drum. They had a very high energy and everything that did came across with an effortless charm, both playing and the banter between the two. They had the same swampy blues sound through the whole set, but it never got stale, with songs like "Love Me Before You Leave Me", which built to a frantic and explosive ending, and it helped that they were joined by a trio of ladies, including Hilary Grist and Hannah Epperson, for backup vocals part way through. For their Canadian cover they went with one my my favourite Canadian bands, Big Sugar and thier song "Turn The Lights On" -- a great version, if a bit of a predictable choice for the blues duo -- and they ended with another explosive song, "Got My Mojo Working".
They were really fun to watch live, and so far they're my favourite new discovery from this year's Project. 

The Fugitives: One of the more interesting/unique bands in this year's showcase, The Fugitives combines slam poet Brendan McLeod and musician Adrian Glynn (no stranger to the Peak Performance Project himself) for what they call "modern folk". The four piece was joined by hired guns Niko Friesen on drums and John Walsh on upright bass, and Glynn played the most amusingly-named instrument of the night, the balalaika. Their unique style shone through on songs like "Start A War", which which features some very quick singing -- almost rapping -- that would be impressive on its own, but even more so when the whole band harmonizes.
For their Canadian cover, they couldn't pick just one song, so they chose a medley ranging from Arcade Fire's "Keep The Car Running" to "Ain't No Cure for Love" by Cohen, Maestro Fresh Wes' "Let Your Backbone Slide" to "You're Too Cool" by The Zolas, and finished it off with Stan Rogers' "Northwest Passage", which they wove together remarkably well.
Following that was "We Don't Care", about homosexuality in sports (which didn't come across quite as awkward as it could have) and a song with a bit more spoken word in it -- which came across fine, but I'm kind of glad they didn't rely more on it. They wrapped up their set getting the crowd to sing along to "All This Trouble".

The River & The Road: With more straight ahead rock & roll sound, the four piece was good, and they definitely packed the room with their fans, but I couldn't help feel the whole thing was just a little... generic. A lot of their songs had the same vibe to them, and at some points it even felt like they were going down a checklist; Ballad? Check. Everyone on stage for a sing along? Check. Singer playing a floor tom? Check. Percussion breakdown? Check. Even their cover was kind of a "safe" choice, going with "Northwest Passage" from Stan Rogers; a good cover, but it just blended in with the rest of their set.
Don't get me wrong, I didn't by any means dislike them -- they were very good at what they do, had a lively energy on stage, and clearly have some mass appeal. I wouldn't be surprised at all if they end up in the top five.

Headwater: Wrapping up the night was the energetic Headwater. They've had a bit of a lineup shakeup recently, with a few of their members quitting, but the duo of Jonas Shandel and Matt Bryant plugged on, with a band that included Pat Stewart of Odds fame on drums. They started their set off with a bang, a big energy song appropriately titled "Freight Train", and they drove their rootsy sounding rock through the rest of their set with some excellent guitar work and high energy.
Near the end of their set they broke out what was the best cover of the night, "Man! I Feel Like A Woman!" from Shania Twain. It was exactly the kind of cover that I love seeing in the showcase series; a fun -- or even silly -- choice that is outside the band's wheelhouse, but done seriously enough that it didn't feel like a joke. You can tell they were having fun with it, and they absolutely pulled it off.

All in all, it was a pretty swell night of music. This year's Project has a great representation of this kind of sound, and all four bands did a great job to showcase that.
Next week there is a break in the showcases, but it's back to the Red Room on October 4th for Alexandria Maillot, Dear Rouge, Facts, and Maurice.

Peak Performance Project Showcase #1 @ Red Room -- 09/13/12

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. Past winners are We Are The City, Kyprios, and Current Swell with a ton of great bands and artists included as well.
Part one of the project was a rock & roll boot camp where they went on a week long retreat to get lectures and advice from industry pros to help 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. The bands are rated by a panel of judges, which will go toward their final score in the project, and they've also been tasked to learn a "Classic Canadian Cover" to play during their set. I always love hearing bands play cover songs, and I am definitely looking forward to see who each act chooses (and, as in the past, I am going to keep a running tally on how many Arcade Fire, Neil Young or Leonard Cohen songs we get).

And going in to this, I'm not going to pretend I don't have biases; there are bands this year I am familiar with and bands that I am already a big fan of, and this showcase was, at first glance, the one I was looking forward to the most. 


Ali Milner: The jazzy-pop sounds of Ali Milner started off not only the night, but the showcase series. Her backing band included some familiar faces; Erik P.H. Nielsen on bass and Rob Tornroos on guitar. I've seen Ali play a few times in recent months, and I would have to say this is the best set I've seen her play. Behind the keys with her gorgeous voice, her bubbly personality is infectious, and it translated into a fun and upbeat set, with dynamic songs like "Fly". 
Ali is no stranger to covering Canadian singers, and her cover wasn't new, rather a song that she's had in her repertoire for a few years, "After the Gold Rush" by Neil Young. It was a good cover, but I was hoping she would do something new.
The set ended with "Waiting", which saw Ali take out a box of egg shakers part way through the song and jump into the crowd to distribute them for people to play along -- and they all had numbers on them, with one lucky person winning some merch. 

I genuinely hope that Ali makes the top three -- which would make her the first female to crack the top three -- but I have a feeling this is going to be the hardest year to predict the outcome.

beekeeper: With the lights dimmed, and a robotic voice introducing them, the trio of Devon Lougheed, Luke Cyca and Brandi Sidoryk hit the stage with a high energy and did not looking back. Their genre-bending "math rock" may be hard to keep up with due to the frantic arrangements and seemingly constantly changing time signatures, but drummer Luke anchors them magnificently, and they put on one hell of a live show, which is either absolutely brilliant or incomprehensibly weird. Or both.
Devon was more focused on stage than I've seen him, especially between songs, still showing his manic energy and goofy sense of humour but not going overboard. He even took the set down for a moment with a sincere story and almost mellow (or, as mellow as beekeeper can get) song called "Drownings". 
For their cover, they teased playing Rush, but then launched in to "You Learn" from Alanis Morissette, which was definitely the most interesting cover of the night, giving it a "beekeeper twist", and even had Devon going into the crowd.
"Pinwheel Revolution" took a moment to show off Brandi's operatic past and her glass-shattering voice, and they brought the set to an end with a "family photo", pulling up as many fans as they could fit on the stage for a big group picture, and then letting everyone stay and dance for the last song, "Believe, Believe". 

Probably the most high energy and genuinely fun set of the night, beekeeper is another band that I really hope makes the top five, but I can see them maybe being just a little too "weird".

Redgy Blackout: The members of Redgy Blackout hit the stage looking slick, adorned in dress shirts and ties, with Scott also sporting a vest and top hat. They were immediately fun and energetic, with their unique mix of indie rock, folk and pop. Both Scott Perrie and Jeremy Breaks have a good live energy and play off each other really well, getting everyone moving to songs like "Coming Alive" and "Bottom of the Sea".
After what I thought was going to be an introduction into a Matthew Good Band song for their cover, they ended up going with Arcade Fire's "Rebellion (Lies)", giving a more up-tempo version, and getting the crowd to yell along with the "LIES!" 
Their final song they brought out Brandi from beekeeper to help out on backup vocals, enlisting the crowd as well, and scores of balloons being tossed throughout the crowd to wrap up their set. 

While I enjoy watching Redgy Blackout live -- they are tight, have great harmonies and write catchy songs -- I think they are just missing something, some ineffable quality to really push them over the edge.

Jordan Klassen: One of the more well known acts -- with a little bit of Peak airplay before the competition started -- Klassen ended off the first showcase. The first thing you notice about Jordan is his incredible energy on stage. He oozes enthusiasm, jumping and leaping around the stage; rarely will you see a more enthusiastic tambourine player. That energy definitely rubs off on his five bandmates, and even into the crowd. 
Klassen's rich, folk-pop sound gives way to grand songs that start slow and build to a soaring finish. Like the alternating slow burn and explosiveness of "Piano Brother", the lush "The Horses Are Stuck" and "Go To Me", which had a couple members mingle in the crowd with tambourines, creating a surround-sound feel for the song.
His cover was the 90s pop hit "Love Song" by Sky, which was not at all ironic, but endearing and appropriately cheesy. It was probably my second favourite cover of the night, as it was both a unique and interesting take on the song. The set, and the night, was brought to an end with "Call & Answer", which is probably my favourite song of his; another one that starts soft and grows to an energetic and huge ending.

I would not at all be surprised if Klassen makes the top three of the contest; he has almost everything they're looking for, and would definitely be deserving. 


And with that, the first showcase was done. Join me next week at the Red Room where we'll have the chance to see The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer, The Fugitives, The River & The Road and The Headwater. It's bound to be a good one. 
And hopefully the sound in the Red Room is better next week.

Then & Now @ Biltmore -- 08/21/12

The brainchild of Vancouver's beekeeper, Then and Now was a simple concept; take ten artists and get them to play a brand new song and an old song -- their current favourite that they're super proud of, and one of the first songs they wrote, that they may be a little embarrassed by.

The night was also a fundraiser for Megaphone, a local magazine that is sold by the homeless or low income people, who get to keep the profits of their sales.

The night started with a couple amazing songs from aboriginal blues artist Murray Porter, followed by Brandi of Sidney York, who took the concept to its extreme playing her very first song and brand newest song -- the latter being a sexy cellphone song (no, seriously).

Dominique Fricot followed, with his "then" song being a song he wrote for his high school grad. Hannah Epperson sang a short song she wrote when she was eight, to sing as a pre-dinner prayer of sorts, before amazing everyone with her incredible violin looping, and the first half of the night was wrapped with with Katie Rox , first singing a song from her old (industrial) band Jakalope before being joined by Brandi and Luke Cyca for her "now" song.

After a brief intermission Colby Sparks kicked off the second half, being a bit of an odd man out, genre-wise but certainly not talent-wise. His old song was him playing saxophone overtop of some beatboxing, while his new was a complex series of samples that had everyone's heads bobbing and shoulders shimmying in their seats. Ma Petite came up next, first rapping(!!) a silly joke rap group she had in high school, and playing one of her first songs, a sappy love song before her newest one. 
David Vertesi was up next with his new song being from his latest album, but his old song from his high school band, Touched By An Uncle, called "Sean Connery" which was a love song to the titular actor. And it was as goofy yet amazing it is sounds. Jody Glenham followed him, with her old song being "Coffee Soaked" played on guitar instead of a piano and her new song being written on a bar stool in the back of the very venue she was playing in, the Biltmore. 
Finally, wrapping up the night was beekeeper, playing a full electric set. Their "then" was not an embarassing song from Devon's past, but a song from their first album, BE KEPT, and their new one was a brand new tune called "Don't Need Hope, Need Whiskey"

It was a really fun night with a great concept, and while the show never felt like it dragged -- the hosts Devon and Lana Gay did a fantastic job during the quick turnarounds, and many of the musicians had amusing stories to go with their songs -- the show ended up running three hours, with the break. Next time they put on an event like this (and I sincerely hope there is a next time) I hope they pare down the lineup a little, but not by much

.

Canada Day with Sam Roberts Band, Hannah Georgas and the Peak Performance Project Top 20 -- 07/01/12

For the second year in a row, the Peak Performance Project kicked off in Surrey on Canada Day, with each one of the top twenty playing back to back (to back to back...) shows. At the Cloverdale Millennium Amphitheatre, The Peak set up side by side stages for each band to play 20 minute alternating sets.
And if that wasn't good enough, the main stage was running music all day, including a Bon Jovi tribute band, and culminating with Hannah Georgas and Sam Roberts Band. And all of this for free.

Since there was so much to see, I'll try to keep all the PeakPP bands brief.

beekeeper. The trio started off the whole day, a little nervous to start, but eased into it. As usual, they had a great energy, and did an excellent job of showing off all their talents -- including Brandi's opera voice. I would love to see them in the top five, but I worry their complex sound may be too "weird" or inaccessible for people. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how boot camp shapes them.

Redgy Blackout. One of the returning artists, they're back for their second year in a row. I was impressed by their upbeat, folk-pop sound last year, and they still have a great energy with catchy songs. I'm looking forward to see how they shape up after a second year of boot camp.

T. Nile. I had heard a lot about Tamara Nile before her inclusion in the project, but not a lot of songs from her. She was also a little nervous (as were many throughout the day) with a false start to one of her songs, but has a nice voice and is a solid musician; though I am not sure that I really find anything overly compelling about her, nothing that made her stand out from all the other folk-y singer/songwriters. I hope to be proven wrong during their showcase concert series in September, though.

The River & The Road. A folk band with a bit of a blues-rock streak (they even introduced one of their songs as a "folk gangster ballad") they put on a solid set and were all strong musicians, but again, I was not too sure what made them stand out. I liked them, but they were overshadowed even by some of the other acts later in the day. They also had a couple songs with the ever-increasing "singer playing a floor tom", which seems to be used more and more these days.

Ali Milner. One of my favourites going in, Ali is no stranger to music competitions, coming in third on CBC's Cover Me Canada last year. But her own songs are strong as well, both catchy and touching, and her amazing voice carries them so well. Ali had a bubbly, nervous energy between songs, but while playing was completely composed, and wrapped up with a Neil Young cover. I am hoping this will be the first year a female cracks the top three, and I am hoping it's Ali.

Mike Edel. A folky singer/songwriter, Edel is a good musician with strong songwriting, songs that start soft and then built to an intense ending. Surrounding himself with some good musicians, including Kiana Brasset on violin, he was another act that I liked, but maybe needs a bit more of an edge to pull away from the rest of the top twenty bands.

Dominique Fricot. Another returning artist (he was in the first year with his band The Painted Birds), the tallest man in Vancouver music is back this year as a solo act. With a backing band of Katie Schaan (Ciseaux) and Mike Young & Peter Lemon (The Matinee) his songs are earnest and heartfelt, with a bit of a 90s vibe to them. He also had a good stage presence, and Fricot is another one I wouldn't be surprised to see make the top five.

Jordan Klassen. Along with Fricot, Klassen has the slight advantage of a song already in rotation on The Peak, but that won't necessarily give either of them any edge. Klassen -- joined by a large band including keys, strings, and more -- filled the area with the rises and falls of his big, sweeping songs. He and his friends had a great stage presence and energy, with their obvious enthusiasm infectious. I would not be surprised at all to see him make the top three.

Maurice. Another returning act, and another one I ended up being very impressed by last year, JP has a knack of not only crafting heartfelt songs, but pouring out raw emotion while playing. And beyond that, the songs are ridiculously catchy. He's good a strong stage presence, too; even the technical difficulties of an "exploding" microphone mid-song didn't phase him. Maurice is another artist that I would like to see make the top five.

Headwater. I hadn't heard too much from the band before their set, but they ended up being one of my favourites of the day with their badass-roots-rock sound. The four-piece was joined Pat Steward (Odds) on drums and they had a great energy throughout the set, with their guitar player jumping all over, even off the amps a few times (he and Devon of beekeeper should have a rock-star-leap-off). I am definitely looking forward to seeing more from them in the competition.

The Fugitives. Another sort-of return, as Adrian Glynn was in the first year as a solo artist. On the surface they were a folk band, but they are harder to classify than that; with elements of Brendan McLeod's spoken word poetry included, they may be best described as "folk hop", and were an interesting sound I am interested to hear more from. They also had a bet running on their facebook page leading up to the event, resulting in Adrian covering Nelly's "Ride Wit Me" on the balalaika. Which was as hilarious as it sounds.

Alexandria Maillot. She was another returning artist, having been in the first year but ineligible to compete until now after they put an age requirement in place. She had a strong voice, and an upbeat, poppy sound, and while I always like a band with a keytar, I wasn't as engaged by her set as I was with the rest of the bands that day.

Portage & Main. It shouldn't be a surprise that they were another one of my favourites going in, and their short set just cemented that opinion. With Matt Kelly on keys, they pulled out all the stops for their set, transitioning seamlessly from one song to the next and getting the crowd to sing along. I am positive they won over a lot of people with their short set, and I would be very surprised if they don't make the top three.

Tough Lovers. They were a last minute replacement to one of the bands that had to drop out. With a bit more of a straight ahead rock sound, the band had a good energy, but were another one that I didn't really think stood out. Given the level of talent in this year's Project, it'll take more than just being "a good band" to win over some ear holes. Like the others, I am interested to see how bootcamp will shape them, and what their Showcase in September will sound like.

It was at this point where a hard decision had to be made; finish the rest of the top 20 bands, or saunter over to the main stage. As much as I wanted to see the last few bands, few can resist the allure of gorgeous Hannah Georgas. She was joined by some familiar faces, her backing band consisted of Andrew Braun, Robbie Driscoll, Rob Tornroos, and Tim Proznick.
Hannah teased her upcoming album with a handful of new songs, which sounded great, and definitely made the wait until October harder. There were a few familiar songs as well, including the older, and emotional "The National", and "Dancefloor", which got the crowd moving in the mud. She ended with "The Deep End" which -- for reasons only known to the sound guy -- was extremely heavy on bass, almost drowning out the ukulele and vocals.

And, as a random aside, the camera men on stage filming them for the big screen were very intrusive and distracting, at some points standing right behind Andrew, or next to Hannah, practically holding the camera in her face.

And finally, I can't think of many better ways to celebrate Canada Day than with Sam Roberts Band. Adorned in a Canadian Tuxedo (denim on denim), Sam took the stage with his band and launched into "I Feel You", and played for over an hour. From the high energy "Detroit '67" to the calmer "Without a Map", the set spanned Roberts' four albums, with lots of familiar songs; getting people singing along to "Hard Road" and asking "Where Have All The Good People Gone?"
Ended with the insane energy of "Them Kids", but was out for a couple more before the fireworks, including "Don't Walk Away Eileen"

Not only were Sam Roberts Band and Hannah Georgas as great as to be expected, but the day was a great start to the Peak Performance Project. I am sad I wasn't able to catch all the bands -- I hope to familiarise myself with those I missed soon -- and there were more than a few that I am interested in seeing after they go through music-bootcamp.