Peak Performance Project: Year Six

It's that time of year again, time for the Peak Performance Project. This sixth year sees some big changes in the competition, as not only will it help BC bands through 102.7 The Peak and Music BC, but for the first time ever, Alberta bands through the newly launched 95.3 The Peak and Alberta Music. There will be two separate top twelves (instead of the usual top twenty) and aside from the rock 'n' roll bootcamp, which all 24 band will attend, there will be two completely independent competitions; two introduction days, two sets of showcases, two top threes, two big winners.
This year, they kicked it off at Fortune Sound Club -- where the showcases will happen later this year -- with sets from past PPP alumni after the announcement. Last year's second place Hannah Epperson dazzled everyone with her gorgeous violin loops. Rococode teased a new album of catchy electro-pop. And JP Maurice burst everyone's hearts with his pop-rock.

But more importantly, this year's BC top twelve, in no particular order:

The Tourist Company - North Vancouver David Newberry - Vancouver Miss Quincy & The Showdown - Fort St John Derrival - Langley Altered By Mom - Vancouver The Wild Romantics - Nanaimo Damn Fools - Vancouver Jodi Pederson - Vernon Goodwood Atoms - Vancouver Shred Kelly - Fernie Jon Bryant - Surrey Good For Grapes - Surrey

Some initial thoughts?

Right off the bat, I am honestly a little disappointed to see Good For Grapes in it again. Nothing against them, but I was really hoping that with a slimmed down list, it would be all bands new to the project.
There are a few bands I know I don't care for, and a bunch I am not familiar enough with to have a solid opinion, and some I have never heard before, but to focus on the positive: I am very stoked for Altered By Mom, Miss Quincy & The Showdown, and Shred Kelly.

Altered by Mom is the new project from ex-beekeeper Devon Lougheed, and takes all the best of the 90s and crams it into some hook-filled rock; Miss Quincy & The Showdown is some damn fine gritty blues; and Shred Kelly have been a favourite since I first discovered them -- almost exactly two years ago, on the Tracks on Tracks train trip -- with their "stoke folk".

Those are the three I am pulling for out of the gate, but I look forward to listening to all of them and the discovery of new talent. And the first chance for that will be during the Khatsahlano Festival, July 12th on West 4th, where all 12 bands will play throughout the day.

Jordan Klassen w/ Chersea @ Biltmore -- 05/31/14

Wrapping up a month-long Canadian tour, Jordan Klassen returned home for a show at the Biltmore. Which was especially enticing, as it also included one of my favourite new discoveries of this year.

Behind a mountain of equipment, Chersea took the stage starting off with a dark and moody song, which she dedicated to a friend who recently passed away. From there the set was decidedly more upbeat as she single-handedly looped combinations of keys, synth, drum machine, trumpet, and even harmonized with herself. The only song of the set she didn't loop was a brand new, never-before-played song that she was debuting.
Other highlights from the all-too-short half-hour set included "Mr. Cullum" a jazzy tune both named after and inspired by British jazz-pop legend Jamie Cullum, and the ridiculously catchy "I Could Lose It All" off her recently released EP Grey Matter.

Thanks to the curfew, it wasn't long before Jordan Klassen and friends took the stage. Often the last show of a tour can be hit-or-miss; either the fatigue of the tour weighs on the band, or they are more in sync than ever. This was definitely the latter, as the four members of the band were firing on all cylinders. Kicking the set off with "The Scribe of Doorposts", all four members of the band had a great energy, especially Klassen who can barely stand still on stage. One song near the end of the set, he and Jocelyn Price even jumped off the stage and into the crowd as Jordan tore at his acoustic guitar.
Working around a few patch-cord related technical issues, the set was full of songs that built to grand endings from his Repentance album, but they also covered "Falling", the only Haim song I know (I think), and sprinkled a few new songs throughout. One called "Miles" especially caught my ear.
After about an hour, they ended off with a bit of a crowd singalong to "Balcony" before quickly coming back for the encore, one last song before curfew, an explosive "Call and Answer".

I've seen Jordan Klassen a few times over the years, and this was was probably the best show I've seen yet from him. The intensity seemed like it was ratcheted up a notch, and whatever people mean when they talk about a band hitting "the next level", I think Jordan has done.

Ma Petite CD release @ Prophouse Cafe -- 05/16/14

A couple years ago, Indiana Avent made the journey from her homeland of Australia to Canada to record her debut album in Vancouver. She had previously played violin for people like Bon Iver, Dan Mangan, Gotye, and Amanda Palmer, but decided it was time to put her own songs out into the world, and with loads of Vancouver's finest backing her she recorded The Road That Led Me To Fall.
The album was finally released it last month, and Indiana returned to her second home to celebrate its release.


Starting off the night was Savannah Leigh Wellman, frontwoman of Redbird playing solo. In contrast with Redbird's new hip-swaying rock, Savannah played some softer jams, her strong voice soaring over acoustic guitar, as she started with a newer song called "Wandering One".
Early on, she noted that most of her songs were a little more dour than Ma Petite's, so made sure to play a few happier songs, including a lovely song called "Morning Day and Night". There were also a few Redbird songs in the mix; "Some Birds" and "Oh Please My Heart".
She ended her set with what ended up being my favourite song of the night, an absolutely heartbreaking ghost-story-slash-breakup-song, called "The White Eagle", as Savannah poured everything into the song.

Next up was Twin Bandit, the pairing of Hannah Walker and Jamie Elliott. Also armed with only acoustic guitars, they had a country-ish sound with the two girls' voices intertwined into nice, soft harmonies, complimenting each other very well.
Standouts from the set were a cover of Ana Egge's "Hole in your Halo" and one of their own songs, which I didn't catch the name of, that was more fiery than the rest and introduced as a song about "the kind of love that makes you want to die"
They had gorgeous voices and a great presence, but I feel like they would make amazing scene-stealing backup singers -- the Ana Egge & Rose Cousins to someone's Joel Plaskett, or the Watson Twins to someone's Jenny Lewis -- as their own songs were just not quite strong enough.
They did mention near the end of their set that they would be playing the Media Club next weekend with a full band, so I would be interested to see how they are with a fleshed out sound.

And finally, it was time for Ma Petite to celebrate the release of her album. Completing the theme, Indiana took the stage alone with an acoustic guitar -- switching to ukulele halfway through -- with soft songs that were held aloft by her gentile, almost fragile voice.
She started with the sweet "Morning Song", and was incredibly charming on stage, introducing most every song with a little story; joking that a lot of the songs were about either birds or boys, before going into a song about both birds and boys.
Her storytelling extends through her music, with songs like "I Like That You Like Books" weaving through the narrative of working in a bookstore/coffeshop and flirting with customers (rather, a certain customer) or the longing of an ocean separating people in "Make Like A Bird".
As the set drew to a close, she led the crowd in a sing-along to a favourite "Man About Moon" before wrapping up the night with the upbeat "Two Big Thick Duffle Coats"

Often times it seems descriptors like "cute" can seem dismissive or condescending when it comes to music, but Indiana's soft and intimate songs -- even when they are about sad things -- are incredibly endearing and you can't help but smile while listening.

setlist
Morning Song, Lonesome, Winter Wind, I Like That You Like Books, Make Like A Bird, Sparrow, Words To Keep, Oh the Vampyre [AA Bondy cover], Man About Moon, Two Big Thick Duffle Coats. 

Miss Quincy @ Media Club -- 05/03/14

Miss Quincy's third album -- and first with backing band The Showdown -- came out a month ago, and they've been touring non-stop through western Canada ever since. But they wrapped up the the tour in Vancouver at the Media Club to celebrate Roadside Recovery, an album produced by The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer's Matt Rogers.

Ben Rogers & The Bloodred Yonder started the night, his band including some familiar locals, brother Matt "The Axe Murderer" Rogers and John "Johnny 99" Sponarski. He began the set with a country twang that set the mood for most of the set, weaving stories in (and out) of his songs.
Part way through the set, he dismissed his band for a song, introducing a murder ballad as he strummed the guitar alone, and aside from his own material he broke out a cover of a Muddy Waters song.
To be honest, a lot of his set was just a little too countrified for me, but there were a couple songs that picked things up I liked; a call & response audience-participation song called "Panhandler", and last song of the night, which I didn't catch the name of but ended with the entire band going all out -- especially both Ben and Sponarski, tearing up their guitars.

Soon after that, Miss Quincy was joined by her trusty sidewomen in The Showdown as the four-piece started with an almost hymnal song called "Take It To The Well". A slow-dancing song came early on, as they gradually built up the intensity through the set with their rockin' bluesy sound.
Miss Quincy's raw, powerful vocals were definitely the star, but the backup vocals of keyboardist Christie Rose blended perfectly. Part way through the set Rose even took over vocals for a cover of Dylan's "Love Sick".
Other highlights included "What Is Life If It Ain't Strange" and "Rush Hour Traffic With a Hangover" as the set climaxed with my favourite of the night, the badass and sultry "Bad Love", the first single from the album.
After the gritty "Wild Fucking West" and one other, the band was done for the night, but Miss Quincy and Christie Rose came back for one last song, a sweet acoustic Patsy Cline cover.

The set had a great energy; it's always nice as an audience member when you can tell the band is having fun, and all four members of the band were obviously having a blast on stage. I've had a soft spot for bluesy rock for many years now, and Miss Quincy & The Showdown are definitely a band I'll be seeing in the future.

We Are Scientists @ Electric Owl -- 05/02/14

"...hopefully we convinced them to not wait another four years for a show." was the last thing I said in the blog post the last time We Are Scientists came through town. In 2010.
So I guess not, but the New York three-piece -- one of my favourite bands to come out of the indie rock boom of the mid-00's -- hit the Electric Owl in support of their newest album, TV En Français.

First up was Scottish trio Paws, for their first time in Vancouver (but they had heard good things from their European tour mates, a local band you may have heard of named Japandroids)
They started hard and fast, and barely slowed down for their half-hour set, with a noisy sound was definitely giving off vibes of 90s alt-rock and grunge, as they thrashed around stage with reckless abandon.
Songs came in short bursts of energy, ending abruptly more often than not, with almost a sense of urgency. The only one that seemed out of place was a bit of a mellower song, which was very obviously written as "the single" even without them introducing it as such.
They put on a really fun set, and I would definitely catch them again if they come through to tour their brand new album Youth Culture Fever. 

Thanks to the curfew on the show, it was not too long after when REO Speedwagon's "Keep On Loving You" blasted over the speakers as the three members of We Are Scientists took the stage.
They kicked things off with a signature tune "Return the Favor", for a set spanning all four of their albums. Their ridiculously catchy indie-rock had people singing along to old favourites "After Hours" and the explosive "Nobody Moves, Nobody Gets Hurt", as well as songs from the new album like the fast-paced, riff-tastic "Dumb Luck".
The humour of Keith Murray (guitar and "golden pipes") and Chris Cain (backup vocals and "bass guitar instrument") also shone through in their banter, with great back and forths, and off-the-cuff humour. It was pretty clear that after over a dozen years of being a band, they still have fun on stage and with each other. They also paused part way through the set to wish drummer Keith Carneage a happy birthday, complete with a cake being delivered and the crowd singing.
As "Impatience" brought the main set came to a close, they were back out with "Dinosaurs" which erupted into an intense ending of shredding guitars, and they wrapped up with the familiar frantic cymbals opening "The Great Escape", from their breakthrough album With Love and Squalor, for another big singalong to end things perfectly.

Sometimes the Electric Owl can be a little hit or miss with their sound, and while it was not bad last night, I found that a few songs in the set were just a little too loud; sometimes drowning out individual members of the band or just being too harsh. But that aside, We Are Scientists definitely still puts on an incredibly fun show; they are a tight band with genuinely funny banter, and songs that will be stuck in your head for the next week.
I can't wait for them to be back in 2018.

setlist
Return the Favor; After Hours; Dumb Luck; Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt; Nice Guys; Sprinkles; Lousy Reputation; Lethal Enforcer; Textbook; Take An Arrow; Chick Lit; Rules Don't Stop; I Don't Bite; Make It Easy; Impatience.
(encore) Dinosaurs; Slow Down; The Great Escape.