BARRYMORE'S AND TYLEY ROSS and the EAST VILLAGE OPERA COMPANY


God Himself must have been rocking out at Barrymore's on Tuesday night after Thanksgiving, thinking, ( when He could think), Look What I have Wrought. Yea, Me.

That's why the earth was shaking and the air was filled with the dusty light of Reverberation and the sound was careening off the ceiling.
That's why the white and blue cones of light were swirling through the darkness, and Tyley's face gleamed porcelain and holy as he surfed the stratosphere with an energy that fused the very room.
That's why people felt their hearts exult, expand, and talked about "the music of their soul." Rocking, clapping, stomping, hooting, crying.

Oh, you missed something Tuesday night, if you weren't there.

We were excited to meet, Marjorie Malpass and I, at Barrymore’s, to see Tyley. And each other! It had been months since she was home for The Number 14.
The East Village Opera was going to be on stage at 8, or so the Ticket Master said - ah Ticket Master! Were your fingers crossed?
But how wonderful to be walking to the club at 7:30, and to see Andrew Dillon heading to the same show! No sooner had we got to the door than I felt warm arms - Dennis Van Staalduinen was there! It looked like another Canterbury homecoming! Soon the line stretched down the street. Now we couldn’t even buy tickets until 8 pm!

Marjory arrived, sophisticated and lovely, strong and well, making my heart smile. Inside, she found us seats for 7 near the sound booth, cannily knowing this was THE place to be. She was right! Serendipitous! Before the show, Tyley appeared there to talk to the sound man. There was just time for " hi"s and hugs, time to say I love you.
Tyley said that right after the show the band had to pack and head back to New York to catch their flight to Mexico, earlier than planned. Someone had made a mistake between 'a.m.' and ‘p.m’. Groan.

And then, there they were, on stage – ten of them. Gorgeous, superb. Giving.
Canada’s pride… (although the instrumentalists were from Australia, New Zealand, Japan and New York, as well as Canada.)

Generous is the word. The band was filled with energy, bounding joy and togetherness, their sensuality shook, the beautiful melodies twined with the primal agonies of rock. They played as if they could play like this forever. Violins swirled, the cello groaned, the guitars shrieked with magic and sensuality, Peter ached, danced calisthenics on the keyboard, as he led the mix. Victoria's sensuality, generosity and power met Tyley's. The sound was smashing, awesome ( in its true sense).
My heart crumbled, my ears were stunned. The instruments and Tyley’s voice burst the cavernous interior of Barrymore’s, the very stones echoing, the ceiling fans frantic and off-kilter, and always the music climbed to almost unendurable heights.

Tyley’s voice is one of the Great Gifts of the World. Like Niagara Falls, he is Terribly Beautiful.

The audience was insatiable.
We were given two orgasmic hours of mind-swelling, hearts-can’t-breathe walls of sound… omigod! With climax after climax the band took us with them on Peter Kiesewalter's dream- journeys, through Tyley's passion.

We loved them well.

God speed, EVOC, as you set Mexico on fire.

I heard that Maureen Welch was there too, and the newly-married Bob Donatucci. Chris Neale was there. Yea, CHS! ( Stephie, I missed you.)