On The Beat

Patrizia's operatic rock

PATRIZIA: It has been a couple of years since On The Beat first encountered this local songstress with a burning ambition to fuse the worlds of opera and rock. She has been patiently working on this fusion and has just delivered an intriguing debut CD, Defiance (on United One Records). It features the Abruzzo-born Patrizia taking some classic arias from the likes of BIZET, VERDI, BELLINI, and MOZART and accompanying them with rock instrumentation. She has the looks and voice of a true diva (she is classically trained) and is aided by such top-calibre players as guitarist KEVIN BREIT and bassist FERGUS MARSH. Opera purists will, of course, hate this, but those with open ears should check it out. Log onto www.patriziamusic.com for more information.

BAMBU ON THE LAKE: After a private preview a few months back, this huge new club on the waterfront officially opened its doors last week. A gala VIP opening was held on St. Patrick's Day and it featured some of the excellent world-themed music associated with its predecessor, THE BAMBOO. Those playing included pop-reggae favourites THE SATTALITES, nine-piece Cuban ensemble QUIMICA PERFECTA, the African sounds of THE MIGHTY POPO, and the classy r 'n b stylings of SOUL STEW, whose line-up included such ROBERTO OCCHIPINTI and MARK KELSO. DJ BILLY BRYANS played tasty Latin tunes between sets. The club itself is both cavernous and charming, and if this high level of music is maintained, the Bambu will be a popular destination this summer.

JUNKHOUSE: Very little has been heard from these roughneck rockers from Hamilton of late, so perhaps the release of Rounders - The Best Of Junkhouse (on Sony) is their swansong. That'd be a pity, as they were definitely one of our best rock bands of the '90s. For gritty, bluesy rock 'n roll laced with passion and poetry, this scribe actually preferred Junkhouse to THE TRAGICALLY HIP. They scored fans in Australia and Europe as well as Canada, and this "best of" collection shows their strengths. They were always a band that shone in performance, so replacing some studio versions with live takes was a smart move. For instance, there's a great take on NEIL YOUNG's "F*%@in' Up" recorded in a Sydney bar, while "Prayin' For The Rain" was captured at The Horseshoe, with DANIEL LANOIS guesting. Favourites like "Joyride," "Out Of My Head," "Shine" and "Be Someone" will sound great blaring from the car or at a beer-fuelled BBQ this summer, that's fer sure.

UPCOMING: It has been a decade since her last album of original material, but ANNIE LENNOX must have retained a well-to-do fan base. How else to explain that tickets for her April 4 show at Toronto Centre For The Arts (formerly the Ford Centre) were priced at $125 and $150, yet sold out quickly. She will preview tracks from Bare, the new Lennox album due in June. Versatile instrumental virtuosos BELA FLECK AND THE FLECKTONES have a Massey Hall gig set for April 12. Popular local saxman RICHARD UNDERHILL (ex SHUFFLE DEMONS) was recently nominated for a Juno for his recent CD, tales from the blue lounge. He'll play cuts from it on March 28 at The Rex, backed by some of the city's best players.

NEW RELEASES: New York singer/songwriter JESSE MALIN has been reaping raves for his new Artemis CD, The Fine Art Of Self-Destruction. Some of the praise has been overly extravagant, but it's an impressive work occasionally evocative of PAUL WESTERBERG and RYAN ADAMS (who produced it). P.E.I. singer/songwriter NATHAN WILEY was also the recipient of some great press when his debut CD, Bottom Dollar (on Sonic), came out last year. On The Beat finally snared a copy and is now joining in the praise. This is simply a superb album, full of great songs, inventive arrangements and a strong and gritty vocal performance (occasionally comparable to PAUL KELLY) from the young Wiley. Let's hope for more from this super-promising talent soon. In a career that now spans 24 years (and over two million records sold) veteran vocal group THE NYLONS have survived many personnel changes and retained a faithful following via their trademark sound. They are sure to enjoy the new Nylons CD, Play On, the group's thirteenth. New originals nestle alongside tunes from the likes of STING and JAMES TAYLOR.

Publication Date: 2003-03-30
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=2542