Meligrove Band Moon tepresented my home town of Winnipeg with pride laying out a strong set of songs which inspired much hip swaying and ear-to-ear smiling from band and crowd mem- bers alike. Last on the bill, and one of the most solid next-big- thing bets at the festival, was the Meligrove Band. With solid play of their newest video for “Everyone’s a Winner,” a considerable backlog of material, and a killer live show drawing forward images of groups as diverse as Interpol and Ben Folds, the Meligroves should be making their move soon. And with good reason, only so many bands can keep a rabid audience engaged through a myriad of technical difficulties, especially when their wrist bands would let them walk across the street to another venue. Rocking out, sexy dancing, and laughing were more than encouraged; they were demanded. . Friday: Not a lot of interesting stuff was going on Friday, and I wasn’t in the mood to run around all night, just to catch fragments of miscellaneous acts, so I decided to check out the Boompa Records showcase at The Penthouse. Unfortunately, there were no strippers between acts, but the waitresses all showed a suspicious amount of cleavage. Run Chico Run was the most impressive band at the festival. It wasn’t the best band, however, they were cer- tainly the most versatile musicians. The band was com- posed of two members, whom I fondly refer to as “Emo Haricut,” and “The Porn Stash,” for obvious reasons. Emo and The Stash took turns playing drums, keyboards, and guitar. They also sang with intertwining vocal melodies throughout most of the show. Amazingly, they were also both able to play drums, keyboards and sing at the same time. For me, Run Chico, Run was the highlight of the show. Check them out if you like the Blood Brothers, but wish they were less noisy and abrasive. Pop-rock quartet Catlow took the stage at 11:20, and they were pretty darn catchy. They were fronted by Natasha Thrisk, who had a voice that could melt ice, and ignite dry timber. The girl vocals were a nice change, and the band was pretty good too. They sounded like the “indie” version of Jenny Galt. The final act, The Salteens, were a great finale. The ten piece rock orchestra delivered pitch-perfect pop songs, highlighted by a five-piece brass section. One audience member commented: “They are so sugary-sweet I’m going to get diabetes.” These guys were like Broken Social Scene’s cartoon-watching cousin from the west. If you’re a fan of The New Pornographers, or The Polyphonic Spree, give these guys’ a-listen. Saturday: Saturday began with the Socan Speaker’s Series. Industry veteran Spencer Proffer regaled with stories of his impressive works with artists such as Paul Simon, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Wonder. He also gave some inspiring affirmation that some in major label music industry still care about “the music.” Of particular note was his advice on getting music into film, a solid strategy for the emerging indie artist. He was followed up by Daniel Cutler, soon-to-be-for- mer medium wig from ultra-hot indie label Arts & Crafts. A stirring speech about the assets of indie labels of over majors certainly had this reporter convinced. However, I was less than pleased with him when I asked how to curb the geographical and business disadvantage West coast bands face, and he responded, “move to Toronto.” Fuck you, move to Toronto! Phil Towle was next. He is best known as the man who helped Metallica get in touch with their inner feelings in their film “Some Kind of Monster.” I was consistently overcome by a feeling that the session was going to end with him offering to sell us something for three easy pay- ments. Rock n’ roll self help guru? No thanks. The Socan Songs and Stories presentation, with artists Kinnie Star, Jeremy Fisher, and Leeroy Stagger, was a fantastic change to not only hear artists let us in on where their songs come from, but also to see artists interact with each other while playing their songs. Very cool to see more than one performer sharing the same stage. Run Chico Run Keynote speaker Raine Maida of Our Lady Peace was a pleasant surprise. It was refreshing to hear calls for an acceptance of P2P file sharing, the Internet revolution of music, and the emergence of more indie labels to keep the majors in line, from a big rock-star such as him. Interesting insights abound! The final night of music was not a slow one. After catching Storyboard’s second show we spent some time at the White Whale Records party at the Penthouse, taking in Octoberman and Mohawk Lodge. Both laid down some wicked pieces of Canadiana. Octoberman’s laid-back travel logs from his album These Trails are Old and New wete a pet- fect introduction, while Mohawk’s more power and scream driven rockers were perfect for the evening’s later portions. We were also fortunate to be in the legendary Lamplighter as Ninjaspy was taking the stage. Ska-funk-metal while adorned in ninja masks and swords. What more does one need? Perhaps enough volume to hear them several blocks away? While only catching a few songs of Motion Soundtrack at the Media Club, the wall of delay driven guitar over some sweet vocal melodies, evoking images of Brit rock giants such as Travis and Stereophonics, made me want to seek out more of this band. It’s no wonder they were chosen as one of the best of the festival; the Media Club was packed to dangerous proportions.