ON A MISSION continued from page 43
the hottest artists on the Ottawa scene today. This is a result of a focused social media presence and impressive on-stage visibility. While most bands and singers are happy with one gig a month in the clubs, Leslie seems to be everywhere with her three main musical projects: The Leslie Rohonczy Band, Three Times Lucky and The Cougar Chick Tribute Band. The latter two groups are the “fun” projects, while the LRB is where Leslie is heading as a performer. Live, the LRB is a force.
Rohonczy controls the stage like only a professional singer can, moving confidently between full out rockers, ballads and songs that demand to be listened to. Behind her is a super-tight group of players who have obviously bought into her vision. It’s the kind of chemistry that, as Leslie rightly says, “Can’t be bought, can’t be hired. It just has to be there”. While the overall look and
sound of the Leslie Rohonczy band harkens back to the late 80’s and what is now called “Classic Rock”, the original material is fresh and not tweaked to sound more radio- friendly. “When a song comes it needs to be what it needs to be,” she says. “If I try to turn the songs into commercial hits it’s not going to be authentic, it’s not going to be interesting. It’s going to sound like every other piece of sh*t on the radio. I want these songs to be musically diverse and interesting.” Mission accomplished. When I
caught the band at the Kemptville Live Festival in July I was impressed with the variety and quality of the original tunes. The songs weren’t cookie-cutter pop tunes. They had a depth and quality that is world-class. But quality alone doesn’t
guarantee success in the music world. So how does Leslie measure
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her success? She says, “For me it’s not about the money I make or the cd’s I sell, or the Facebook likes, or whatever. It’s about whether I’m touching people with my music”. And being on a
roll at this point in her career is only making her creative juices flow faster. She remains a woman on a mission. “I have no intention of letting my age, any age, dictate what I can
and can’t do. I feel growth each and every day. I feel I’m getting better and deeper the older I get. So I have no intention of slowing down. She and guitarist/“musical
partner” Scott Walsh have released three albums to date. Her debut, “Sister Seven”, came out in 2012,
and “Down From the Ether” in 2014. A third album, “Qualia”, is just out. All three albums can be purchased through her website,
http://www.leslierohonczy.com . A CD release party for
“Qualia” is planned for Dec. 9 at Greenfield’s.
BIGGER & BETTER in 2017
Friday 21, 2017 - Sunday 23, 2017
kemptvillelivemusicfestival.com BOUNDER MAGAZINE 55
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