Jonas and the MASSIVE ATTRACTION – BACK in the HOUSE!

Outside on Saturday night in downtown Montreal it was cold. Inside at Club Soda on blvd. St.Laurent – it was hot! Don’t blame it on Rio – blame it on the band who were playing high energy rock n roll …

It was a homecoming for the Montreal-based band after a successful tour in Europe. Lead singer Jonas was pumped from the beginning as he and his mates tore into the first two high octane tunes; ‘All the Pretty Things‘ and Addiction.

Jonas, with the help of his mates ( Corey Diabo on guitar, J.S. Baciu (Bass) and Martin Lavallee banging away on the drums ), danced, gyrated and introduced the crowd into his world. What a powerful world it is. The band is not called Massive Attraction for nothing …

‘What Type of Ride‘ and ‘Here She Comes’ continued the energy, pausing intermittently while Jonas explained a successful jaunt into places like Germany and shoving his happiness of being ‘home’ down the throats of the audience. A crowd which was hungry for such a rock n roll meal. A crowd filled with females who were hungry for Jonas.

Tomalty may be a good looking dude and that attracts a certain denomination yet if it were not for the talent the Massive Attraction totes along in their guitar, bass and drum bags – Tomalty would be a talented singer and a handsome fellow looking for a band.

‘Seize the Day’, one of a couple of hits from the group’s newest album; Big Slice – continued the musical rampage which took place after an awe-inspiring introduction from k103.7fm’s Java Jacobs. The radio station’s morning man and keeper of one of the most knowledgeable music minds – set the table with a band introduction filled with so much enthusiasm, there was no way the band could not have been pumped.

Corey Diabo, Jonas’ sidekick, is Canada’s best kept secret on guitar. Tomalty’s alter – ego trading riffs and solos which at times brought back the sounds of Frank Marino into the iconic Club Soda. His solos gyrating along with Jonas’ manic singing style to the likes of ‘Exit Wound’ and another of the band’s latest hits -‘ Burn Bright’.

‘Sweet Disaster’ set the tone for the best song of the night. ‘School Girl’ is one of the purest bluesy songs to travel the core of downtown Montreal in a while. Borderline pubescent sexual lyrics exchanged with sound just as menacing with a backdrop of innocence and flirtation. Jonas’ voice and Corey’s timing quite possibly the only duo to pull off such a combination of r and b, blues and rock. A teasing menagerie of animals caged and waiting to pounce at an audience which at that point were ripe for more.

What came next was a five song ending which appeared to never end. Normally at such a junction following a two hour set, the crowd and even the band have lost a bit of energy. Not on this scorching evening. Not on a final trip that commenced with ‘Burn the House Down’!

‘Big Slice’, ‘Daddy’ and ‘Edge of Seventeen‘ brought the packed bar off the ‘Deep End’. Tomalty never easing up on his powerful performance. Diabo gaining strength and Lavalee along with his battery partner Baicu – maintaining an anchor profound in a rock seabed.

Jonas and the Massive Attraction were hot. The crowd was boiling over.

Outside never seemed so cold when all was said and done …