The fourth year of the Peak Performance Project is upon us. The competition is a multi-year contest in which The Peak, along with Music BC, picks 20 BC musicians/bands and puts them through a "professional development program to help new and emerging artists create careers in the music industry". They go to a rock n roll bootcamp, play a series of shows, get some money to help them and are given radio time, all to help them further their career.

Previous winners of the project include We Are The City, Kyprios and Current Swell, and each year the competition is full of talented individuals. I have definitely discovered some favourite new bands from following along for the last three years.

So without further rambling, here is this year’s Peak Performance Project Top 20!

Alexandria Maillot
Ali Milner
beekeeper
Dear Rouge
Dominique Fricot
Facts
Fields of Green
The Fugitives
The Gay Nineties
Georgia Murray
The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer
Headwater
Jordan Klassen
Maurice
Mike Edel
Portage & Main
Redgy Blackout
The River & The Road
T. Nile
The Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra Tough Lovers

That is definitely one interesting list. There is the most returning acts so far, with Maurice, Fields of Green, and Redgy Blackout from last year, as well as Alexandria Maillot from the first year, and new projects from Dominique Fricot (Painted Birds) and The Fugitives (Adrian Glynn). A couple of the acts already get airplay on the Peak, but I don't there is really a clear breakout band like Said the Whale or Current Swell from the past couple years.

As for my early predictions (or rather, what I'd like to see) I'm hoping this will be the year a female cracks the top three, with Ali Milner, and I've definitely got a few other bands I am rooting for right out of the gate; Portage & Main and beekeeper, as well as Maurice and, let's say Dom Fricot to round out the top five. But there are a few others I like or am interested in, and who knows... last year I hadn't heard The Matinée going in and they ended up being a clear favourite.

I think this year will be the most unpredictable yet and I am definitely interested to see what it has to offer.