I’ve been a Treelines fan for awhile now.

Even before we met properly, before we played shows and hung out in Vancouver and Victoria, before were in the Peak Performance Project together. I’ve seen them play many times, and they even played at our most recent album release show at Sugar Nightclub in Victoria last month on September 10th, and I gotta say, thursday night at The Red Room in Vancouver, Peak Performance Project showcase #4, featuring all great bands, “The Matinee,” “Redgy Blackout,” “Behind Sapphire,” all bands I love to death and would play a show with any day, “Treelines” shone so bright, I couldn’t even believe it. From the very first song of the set, which I am tentatively calling “The Cougar,” simply from not knowing the title and it reminding me a little of Mellencamp, to the heartfelt “When I get grown,” a CBC Radio favorite, which features Matt Kelly on Lapsteel and the wonderful Michelle Faehrmann on Cello, to the very end with the rock and roll style of “Ghost Towns” which iterates just how much they love the life they chose and how Matt and Steve Lockhart’s family bond remains strong, it was incredibly captivating for me, and certainly everyone in the room. They did what they wanted to do, played the songs they wanted to play and I am happy about that. I am a die hard fan of Treelines and so glad to be able to call them friends. Also, love those G-chords boys!

It was a great night. I came over on the early ferry with my friend Thea, with a dynamite pick-up on the other side provided  by my sister Jaclyn, saving us from the gruelling bus-ride into Van-city, and we got to listen to the early afternoon interviews and updates on The Peak as we did so. Brilliant! We hung out in East Van for the day, catching up with my sis, watching Wilco videos, and drinking G&T’s. We caught a bus and finally made it down to the Red Room, running into Janine Verreult and Lynn Ross first off, who are, in our experience so far with running into those two together, the feistiest match made in heaven. As soon as we entered the club, we noticed how enthusiastic, and packed, the room was. It was a great crowd for these bands, and word-of-mouth was definitely working, the Peak Performance Project showcases were the place to be. Even at our own showcase a couple of weeks back we noticed how great the crowd was and how great of a job The Peak and all of the bands were doing at getting the word out.

“The Matinee” started the night with an amazing set, wrapping up with their massive drum circle they always do, with members of “The Boom Booms,” it was unforgettable. “Redgy Blackout” was on next and put on a killer show, including a wicked cover of The Arcade Fire’s 2005 single “Wake Up.” I met with “Behind Sapphire” backstage before their performance as they were gearing up with glow-sticks and disposable cameras, to throw to the audience, and to cover themselves in, not a bad idea to capture the set with. They had just returned from their tour in China and were absolutely excellent. “Treelines” closed the show and it was great to see everyone sticking around way past their bedtimes to watch, the sing-along moment during their song “Young Man” being a major highlight.

There were so many friendly faces there that night, old friends, new ones, people we’ve grown to love and respect through a series of different endeavors and paths, musicians, radio and tv personalities, photographers, bartenders, producers, hockey buddies. It was a tremendous evening, as it has been with every showcase this month, and the final one coming up I’m sure. We can’t wait until the end stages of this project. Like it has been discussed before, you really get out of this what you put into it, and for us it is really the joy and excitement we get from seeing all these wonderful people who have changed our lives for the better and who have supported us with our crazy “Band Thing.”

Thanks for a rad night, pals!

– Love, Jeff + Acres