By David F. Rooney
Their teens and twenties are generally the time of life when men and women conjure big, bold dreams and they don’t often come bigger and bolder than conceiving, writing, producing and performing a rock opera, Of Harlots and Harlequin.
But that’s what guitarist Strathon Bajowsky, drummer James Kincaid and bass guitarist Katrina Thompson of local alternative band Havock Way are about to unveil this Saturday at the Performing Arts Centre.
The trio has spent the last five years working on a rock opera they hope will launch their musical careers in a big way. They scrimped and saved $10,000 each from their day jobs to finance this project, which includes orchestral movements, set design, and a digital video recording of the production’s opening at The Centre on Saturday night.
“We are filming the entire event from rehearsals to performance,” Bajowsky said in an interview at Conversations on Friday afternoon, November 1. “It’s our modern take on a press package.”
One of the most difficult things you can do in the music industry is attract attention — serious attention — from serious people in the industry. Of Harlots and Harlequin may give a significant career boost to these local young people. Bajowsky and Kincaid were born elsewhere but have otherwise have spent almost their entire lives here in Revelstoke; Thompson is from Kingston, Ontario, and has been here since 2008 when she replaced Adam Brackenbury who is now in Sidney, Australia.
“The important thing for us is to let people know what we have… we really need ti let the industry… and the outside world… see what we’ve got,” Bajowsky said.
Of Harlots and Harlequin is the story of a naive young man who quest to win the love of a lovely young woman is encounters opposition from a mischievous supernatural figure. Along the way, the young man loses is spiritual innocence…
The music is really pretty good, at least that’s my assessment based on listening to the single MP3 released in advance. Please click here to listen to the MP3:
The show runs just over an hour and consists of 13 songs and 3 short instrumentals.
All things being equal this should be a great show that deserves to be well supported by local people. It may not be to everyone’s musical taste — I wouldn’t recommend bringing young children to this show — but how often do you ever get to see the launch of a rock opera? Maybe it will prove to be not unlike Tommy by The Who or The Wall by Pink Floyd. These guys have talent, passion and commitment — three of the key elements when it comes to artistic and creative success. Coming out to support Bajowsky, Kincaid and Thompson is the right thing to do.
Speaking of supporting local musicians and bands, Kade Hansen’s new band, Bad Karma, will be opening for Of Harlots and Harlequin. This is pretty good exposure for these young local musicians, too.
Of Harlots and Harlequin is being performed at the Revelstoke Performing Arts Centre on Saturday, November 9, starting at 7 pm. Tickets are $11 at the door or online. Please click here to purchase your tickets online.
Please click here to visit Havok Way’s Facebook page.
