words: GRACELLE BONIFACIOphotos: ALEX YELIZAROV

Being one of those city girls that always had Top 40 tunes blaring in my car stereo, I would have never thought of ditching the stiletto infested, glitter copious, fist pumping or what some might call manic scene that is the Downtown Granville Strip, in exchange for a night chilling out with hypno-swaying eclectics at the Commodore Ballroom. But, much like Moses parting the Red Sea, or the toothfairy leaving a shiny loonie underneath your pillow, miracles do happen and I had the greatest pleasure channeling and satisfying my inner scenester/hipster/eclectic at the Peak Performance Finale.Geared to helping local bands and artists make it big time, The Peak Performance Project is a 7 year, $5.75 million dollar creation made by the big guys at 100.5 The PEAK and Music BC. In a nutshell, if you’re good at music and are picked as a top 20 finalist, you work your ass off at a boot camp, and if you get chosen to be one of the top 3 finalists, you work your ass off even more to win a ridiculous amount of money that can possibly help you make it big time.This year The Peak Performance stage was graced by 3 extremely talented groups who gave it their all and showcased their musical dexterity to the rest of the Lower Mainland….or at least, those who came out to see the show:We are the CityDespite being the youngest of the bunch, these boys from Kelowna prove that age isn’t anything but a number (at least, when it comes to music). Showcasing both new and old tracks from their recent album “In a Quiet World,” their maturity and artistic development is proven in their pitch perfect harmonization, vocalization and unpredictable dynamics. Don’t get me wrong though, they were still edgy-as-hell providing acid rock modulation, unpredictable music breaks and a border line catatonic stage presence, to the extent that guitar strings and drum sticks -literally- flew. Despite already establishing an already legit status as musicians, these guys ditched the pretentious vibe and instead reached out to the audience, connecting with random nonsensical, and yet entertaining garble -my personal fave: Their rant and rave for their love of N64 and discount video games-.The LeftWith We are the City setting the tone for the night, I was in heavy anticipation as to who was to follow. Because WATC exuded this sort of progressive indie, new age thing, I expected that the remaining acts would follow a similar trend. Much like I am with school, math and life in general, I was wrong.Langley based indie-rock band The Left took on the stage with a completely different, and of course, very refreshing vibe. With strong instrumentals backing up the equally strong crooning, The Left got the crowd hyped with their catchy-ass tunes ie. circa: Drinking About You -on a side note: I cannot stress to you how catchy these tunes are…as I am typing this, I am humming their song…it is stuck in my head, much like a tumor…but in a really good way. Anyways I digress-. Bend SinisterAfter a brief encore from The Left, the crowd was ready to finish the night off with a big bang -like big, bang, fatality finish, Mortal Kombat Style-. Giving their stage persona little more mystery and suspicion than the previous bands, Bend Sinister started their set off with nothing but a dim lampshade illuminating the venue. Automatically, with such a vibe, I figured they’d be one of these uber mellow Coldplay esque bands that’d play super power ballads stronger than Michael Bolton himself. But considering the surprises that bewildered me the entire night, again, much like in life…I was proven wrong. Bend Sinister provided razor sharp, psuedo ska edge to their music. With syncopated beats laid by the drums and a mean piano delivering the same energy, the band left the heads banging and bodies shaking to their fast catchy tunes. With Bend Sinister providing upbeat high energy music, it is no doubt that they topped the night off perfectly.And the Winner is…With each band providing an extremely different and distinct sound from each other, crowning JUST one of them was an enormous task. Ultimately the young boys from We are the City was knighted as the Big Cheese for this years Peak Performance Project, winning a ridiculously fat sum of $150 000 towards their career development. Despite this lump sum, both The Left and Bend Sinister get an equally ridiculous amount of cheese.I know it might sound cliché of me to say that despite there being one winner, everyone was that night. But for three bands to convert this top 40 music Nazi into a lover, and addict of local indie rock is a feat that only the music Gods can do.So for that, I say thank you, congratulations, and see you ALL at the Grammy’s.Want to know more about the bands? Check out their websites: We are the City The Left Bend Sinister Want to know more about the Peak Performance Project? Check it out Here