I really like Inspector Owl!
Okay so I guess I oughta do this right. Here are awesome local bands.
Rah Rah - Local indie darlings who sound phenomenal. They used to be a trio but are now a loose collective. Released a great EP this past summer. The lead guy listens to a lot of alt-country.
Sylvie - Great local band, who've been called "Fugazi as filtered through a prairie lens," a description which fits up to a point - their music is a lot more expansive and a lot less agressive, but still convey a similar feel. Released two albums, the last on Smallman Records in 2005.
Geronimo - Big in both the indie community and the punk community here. Released an alright EP this past summer. They might be touring with Dinosaur Jr. which would be phenomenal.
Go Jeff! - Dance-punkers from Moose Jaw who sound more fun live than they do on record. They signed themselves to a kind of bad label which is unfortunate.
Polymaths - Indie pop folk and all-around good people who are playing more and more shows, which is good.
Hot Blood Bombers - Shit-kicking garage-punk. Superb live act when they're sober enough to pull it off. Great energy balanced with songwriting smarts. Their bassist's sound is derived simply by turning every setting on the amp up to 10.
Fattony And The Shitheads - How authentic are these old-school punks? Their lead singer quit drinking when he was
nine. He's straight-edge now.
Generals And Majors - Intricate, mathy synth-rock. It doesn't come through as much in the songs on their Myspace but when they lock into a busy groove live it's insane.
Goldenmile - Quirky, fun indie pop. I guess they've been recording for a while which is a shame because they should not only be playing more shows but they should also release a damn record already.
Phew! I think that about covers it, as far as bands I like go. I probably missed a couple.
EDIT: Fuck how'd I miss highly-political folk-punk outfit
Fight The Monster.