Yellowknife (Jun 16/06) - Music in the Park became Music in the Multiplex last Friday, starting off two straight weeks of music.

"That's the first time we've had to do that," said CJCD sales manager Tim Jaworski, who doesn't expect a repeat tonight.

Singer/songwriter Mary Cox was one of the finalists chosen at Music in the Park, held in the Yellowknife Multiplex, due to poor weather. Three more finalists will be chosen during the second round of the battle of the bands tonight. - Adam Johnson/NNSL photo

After a morning of poor weather, the concert was moved from Somba K'e Park to the indoor venue. Despite the relocation, the night was smooth and relatively problem-free, with strong sound, stronger performances and a large crowd.

Three finalists were moved on to the finals, to be held during Yellowknife's Canada Day celebration.

Rock bands Hindsite and Grandmother's Garden, as well as singer/songwriter Mary Cox were the first chosen to compete for 10 hours of recording time at Spiritwalker productions.

Other acts included Drowning Julie, Pandora's Bliss, Brett Talbot, Molten Lava and Lyndsay Boyd.

While the show is an all-ages event, the winners of the competition were all legal adults, with Mary Cox, 23, the youngest winner.

"There was just so much talent here," she said of moving on to the next round. One surprise of the evening was Molten Lava, a hastily-renamed band that fulfilled a number of requests for "Play some Nickelback!."

Stumbling through "This is How You Remind Me," the five-piece earned an enthusiastic response. The crowd seemed to be in on a joke that some of us missed. With a death metal grunt, the band launched into a twisted take on classic heavy metal that bands such as Atlanta, Georgia's Mastodon have taken around the world in recent years.

"Did you laugh?" asked drummer Skyler Erasmus afterwards. "That was our goal. It's doesn't matter if it's with us or at us."

Drowning Julie was another strong performer, bringing the energy of modern hardcore to the Yellowknife stage. Duelling screams came from vocalist Mikol Kowalcyzk and guitarist Kevin St. Germaine, while bassist Tyler Properzi and drummer T.J. Whalen held down the bottom end.

Despite a strong showing, the band was disqualified for swearing onstage, something all the night's acts were warned about ahead of time.

"It just came out," said Kowalcyzk. "It kind of sucked." He said this was the second year in a row he had been disqualified.

The second night of Music in the Park kicks off tonight, featuring Johnny Evol, Bear Bones, as well as two as-yet unnamed acts featuring Brendan Callas, Carmen Braden and others. At deadline, Jaworksi said he was confident tonight's show would be held outside at Somba K'e Park.

"All indicators say it's going to be bright and sunny and 21C," he said. "Just remember your bug spray."