Big gig for Chesterfield Rock

Chesterfield Rock

Today, 8 p.m. The Lazy Owl Grill (University of Regina) All Ages

by ANDREW MATT Leader Post

Josh Giambattista, the singer and guitarist with the teen rock band Chesterfield Rock, doesn't much care that his audiences have most often been made up of parents of band members.

But that doesn't keep Giambattista and his pals from taking a professional approach to their hobbyslash-career as students and musicians.

Given three of the four members are in Grade 12 at Greenall high school in Balgonie, and the other is in his first year at the University of Regina, the goals are modest, even though the band's resume is morethan-respectable, teens or not.

They were winners int the Wolf's Xtreme Band Slam in January and they have opened for Wide Mouth Mason and Brad Johner, as well as were asked to perform on the mainstage during the Canada Summer Games.

But tonight's all-ages gig might be one of their most important, given it's the group's first CD-release bash, the culmination of a surprisingly successful bid to release a demo.

It started out to be a simple effort to produce a recording to share with radio and record company types. New money arrived during the recording which made them able to produce Without Wax with the help of producer David Taylor, an eight-song collection that Giambattista says serves as a fine display of Chesterfield Rock's abilities as performers and songwriters. Giambattista believes he and bandmates Carter Kolbeck (piano), Aaron Coons (bass) and Shawn Ritco (drums) have done their best work on Without Wax.

"It turned out pretty good. It was at first going to be just a demo that we could send to industry people and that kind of thing. And then we got some more funds, so we did two more songs, two more accoustic songs," said Giambattista, 18, who says he's influenced by the likes of Pink Floyd, Coldplay and Radiohead.

Chesterfield Rock began most casually two years ago when Giambattista and musician friends started to thrash about for fun. But last summer things turned up a notch, writing their own music and taking to stages at any pub or high school that would have them.

It began not long after they wrote their first song and tried, but failed, to unveil their talents for a local telethon.

A year later, they have a couple dozen gigs behind them, as well as a number of songs ready to be record to a follow-up to Without Wax.

Much of their success might be attributed to their manager, who does double duty as mother to bass player Aaron Coons.

"Originally, we started out for fun and wanted to see what we could do," said Giambattista.

"We went to audition for the Tele-Miracle Telethon. We played one song, but we didn't get it. But it was the beginning."

"We never really expected to go on stage because we were kind of shy. But we did it because we kind of had to I guess.

"We usually play for our parents and a lot of their friends. So that's how it is for now."