This is it. The final year of the Peak Performance Project. Now in its seventh year, 102.7 The Peak and Music BC have picked one last top 12. Are giving away three last giant novelty cheques. Are throwing one last party.
And today, we found out who will be receiving those giant novelty cheques. All 12 bands went through months of hard work, going to a "rock & roll bootcamp", playing in the series of showcases at Fortune Sound Club, putting on a fundraiser for a charity of their choice, and writing their "final report" marketing plan. So here they are in no particular order, the 2015 Peak Performance Project Top Three!
JP Maurice Bed of Stars Van Damsel
You can catch the big finale on November 19th at the Commodore Ballroom, where we will find out who takes the first prize of $102,700 (and second place of $75,000; and $50,000 for third).
I'm going to try a new thing here, where on or around the first of every month, I'll do a little blurb about the upcoming shows I am stoked about that month.
So for September, the top three shows I am most looking forward to are:
Explosions in the Sky.
These guys are firmly in my top three must see live bands, and I am so very excited by their impending show, on the 9th at the Vogue Theatre. Words can not express how much I want to see them, so instead, see this video. If you don't even have an inkling to see them live after that... I don't even know what to say.
Karkwawith Aidan Knight & The Belle Game.
I am so glad the Polaris Prize winning band is back, as both times I have seen them have been incredible. They're at the Biltmore (where I am pretty sure they blew a speaker the first time I saw them) on the 20th, and supporting them will be none other than Victoria's Aidan Knight, who is always great live, and whose Karkwa-love rivals mine. And if that wasn't a stupendous enough double bill, The Belle Game will also playing.
Broken Social Scene.
I've seen them in a small venue during the Olympics and a large outdoor part co-headlining with Sam Roberts, and places in between, and they always put on a mind-blowing show. Now they're hitting up Malkin Bowl -- which is one of my favourite venues here -- on the 24th. You may never know who, exactly, is going to show up to be in the band; but you always know it's going to be one hell of a show.
Other shows going down I am excited about are the back to back Holleradoand Library Voices shows -- 21st at Venue and 22nd at the Biltmore, respectively. Been too long since either has been here, and both are incredibly fun and lively bands with great live shows.
And then, of course, there are the Peak Performance Project showcases. Running every Thursday for the next five weeks, they're a chance for each of the top 20 bands to show what they have. Each show is at the Red Room, and the lineups consist of:
8 - The Never Surprise,
Hilary Grist,
Jasper Sloan Yip,
The Belle Game.
15 - Avairis,
Fields of Green,
Acres of Lions,
Current Swell.
22 -The Oh Wells,
Ashleigh Eymann,
Sex With Strangers,
The Boom Booms.
29 -The Matinee,
Redgy Blackout,
Behind Sapphire,
Treelines.
With Lindsay Bryan, Maurice, 41st and Home and Rococode taking place October 10th.
So that's it. That's what I am looking forward to. See you there?