Local bands seek musical peak in B.C. contest

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Two bands from the Thompson-Okanagan are in the running for the musical opportunity of a lifetime.

This year’s chosen dozen for the Peak Performance Project include Vernon-based artist Windmills, and Kamloops-based Van Damsel, the only musicians from the B.C. Interior. The rest of the Top 12 are dominated by artists in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.

Each artist will get to expand his or her skills at a bootcamp in Princeton this summer, and compete for cash prizes. Top prizes this year include a $102,700 thousand dollar top prize, $75,000 second prize, $50,000 third prize, as well as a $5,000 base camp award given to each Top 12 band to help them with their career development.

The 2015 Peak Performance Project marks the last round of a seven-year, $5.29 million program designed to kick-start the music careers of three artists annually.

It’s not Van Damsel’s first crack at the competition; the band made the top 20 in 2013 and is now back for round two. Vernon’s Cory Myraas of Windmills, on the other hand, is a newcomer to the Peak pack.

You can follow the project here.

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To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.