By Danny Coleman
originally published: 11/11/2015
"Considering all things; we are very happy with the way this tour is going and just how far we've come over these last eight years," says Victor Micallef, one of the four outstanding vocalists who comprise the Canadian super foursome The Tenors.
The "Today Show," "Good Morning America," "The Dr. Phil Show," "Her Majesty The Queen's Diamond Jubilee," The 2014 National Christmas Tree Lighting" at the White House and "The Prime-Time Emmy Awards," are just a few of their more than 150 television appearances and showcases. With two certified "Double Platinum" albums and one certified "Triple Platinum," The Tenors have paved a road to success; a road which is stretching out farther and wider with every passing day. "Working with a producer such as David Foster created such opportunities for us to find bigger stages, performing with greats like Celine Dion and an appearance on "Oprah" has led to bigger things.," says Micallef. "When we first started out, we were working with a much smaller budget; we did everything through marketing and social media and we were able to grow our fan base that way and they're so good to us, it's very satisfying."
This quartet was formed in the Northwest portion of two countries because, according to Victor, "A woman from the west coast introduced us." That woman, Jill Ann Siemens, created a singing trio circa 2004 and for reasons left unsaid, began to look for new members shortly after the original incarnation of the group. Micallef, Remigio Pereira, Fraser Walters, along with Jamie McKnight were tabbed and they released a debut album in 2008 under the name, "The Canadian Tenors." Come January of 2009 Clifton Murray replaced McKnight and the band's line up hasn't changed since; despite different geographical locales and musical influences. "We come from all over Canada and we all had our own projects," explained Micallef. "I'm from Toronto; the others are from Ottawa, Vancouver Island and Vancouver. We came together when we were working in the studio and Jill put us in the same room; we knew it was something good. Our voices worked well together; then add Clifton a short time later and things progressed from there. Our musical influences are pretty diverse too; we listen to a lot of different things and have very different tastes but also many similar as well. We all admire singer/songwriters and have great respect for Bob Dylan and artists like Neil Young, Sting and Paul McCartney but there are also two of us who have been heavily swayed by classical music; it makes for some interesting writing sessions for sure (laughs)."
"Progressed" may be the understatement of the century. This unit has shared a stage with Andrea Bocelli, Sting, Elton John, Earth, Wind & Fire, Jennifer Hudson, Justin Bieber, Paul McCartney and many more; which Micallef calls a "Jaw dropping experience." These two time "JUNO Award" winners continue to currently sell out concert halls and large venues on their own and are doing so on the strength of their latest disc "Under One Sky." This latest album, their fourth, has given the unit a personal sense of accomplishment to go along with the ballooning tour dates. Micallef says that the band was much more hands on in the development and writing of the new CD than on previous recordings; the use of seven different producers contributed to the album's success but also made them much more in tune with the overall process. "Seven producers," stated Micallef with a hearty laugh, "I'd never really counted but that sounds about right. We loved working with all of them and each one introduced us to different elements and we loved meeting the new people that came along with those elements; each brought something unique and different to the record. We wrote more of the tunes on this record instead of collaborating with others or covering other artists. We now have people reaching out to us instead of us to them like on our previous recordings; it's a great feeling. We as a unit, like to mix it up; we combine rock, pop, classical and even Latin styles in our music as we all come from different backgrounds."
"Under One Sky" was recorded over an 18 month period in several locations; Ontario, Los Angeles and Nashville and produced in part by David Foster (Michael Buble, Celine Dion), Bob Ezrin (Peter Gabriel, Pink Floyd) and Keith Thomas (Blake Shelton, Luther Vandross). Coinciding with the record's release, the group has also gotten into the video making business; with their latest being "Who Wants to Live Forever." "We never made music videos; now we have six," said a laughing Micallef. "We recorded this one in an old castle in Prague and it lent to the whole eternal life, or damnation as it may be, of the unhappiness of living forever. We were lucky enough to have Lindsey Stirling on violin and in the video she just added to the overall effect we were going for; she was incredible."
As the accolades, videos and the fans continue to pile up; so too do the tour dates. "This tour is bigger than we expected," says an obviously pleased Micallef. "We just keep adding dates and it is growing. People are realizing we are different from other "Tenors" and they're getting over the name so to speak. I mean, this thing is growing and we are not even on the radio; we'll be in the U.S. and Canada over the next 10 months, then it's over to Europe and Asia,"
Micallef stresses that he and his fellow mates are more than just vocalists; they are also musicians. "Fraser plays bass and keyboards, Remigio and Clifton play guitar and I play piano; we're more than just vocals. When you come to see The Tenors you get it all!"
With that, they were off; heading back to the tour which has them making stops this week in Hartford, CT., Westbury, NY, Rutland, VT and Boston, MA. After that it's off to Pennsylvania and Maryland before returning to their native Canada and beyond.
To discover more about The Tenors, please go to www.tenorsmusic.com
That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!
THIS WEEKS CALENDAR LISTINGS
Alchemist & Barrister28 Witherspoon Street Princeton
(609) 924-5555
Thurs. 9 p.m. "Thursday Jazz" feat. Rick Fiori Trio
Sun. 9 p.m. Pat Foran Trio
Wed. 9 p.m. Paul Plumeri Band
All shows 21+
Amalfi's Restaurant146 Lawrenceville-Pennington Rd. Lawrenceville
(609) 912-1599
Sat. 8:30 p.m. No Way Out
Amarones Windsor Inn29 Church St. Windsor
(609) 448-7144
Fri. 8 p.m. Living The Dream
Sat. 8 p.m. Tony Malandro
Blend Bar & Bistro911 Highway 33, Hamilton
(609) 245-8887
Tues. 8 p.m. Triviajam
The Backstage at Championship Bar 931 Chambers St. Trenton
Fri. 7 p.m. Ledger, (TBA). All ages, $10
Sat. 5 p.m. Menace Of The Canvas "CD Release Show," Damage Control, Thought Patterns, Dreams Of Demise, Dirty Purple, My Silent Winter, Scarlet Fire. All ages, $10
Sun. 5 p.m. Begat The Nephilim, My Missing Half, Grim Legion, (TBA). All ages, $10
Mon. 5 p.m. Act Of Defiance, Allegaeon, We...Our War, Lethal Affection, Threatpoint, Iron front, (TBA). All ages, $12/$15
Candlelight Lounge 24 Passaic St. Trenton
(609) 695-9612
Sat. 3 p.m. Webb T Drum Quartet (No cover-$10 minimum)
Chickie's & Pete's183 US Highway 130 North Bordentown
(609) 298-9182
Tues. 8 p.m. Acoustic Music Night feat. The Dawgs
Wed. 9 p.m. Trivia Night
Dog & Bull Brew House810 Bristol Pike (Rte. 13) Croydon, PA.
(215) 788-2855
Thurs. 8 p.m. Gypsy Mother
Fri. (4 p.m.) "Happy Hour Jam" feat. Visoon (9 p.m.) Soul Custody Trio
Sat. (11 a.m.) "Saturday Brunch Jam" feat. Michael Leggerie (9 p.m.) Visoon
Fran's Pub116 S. Main St. New Hope, PA.
(215)862-5539
Sat. 8 p.m. Honey Spot Blvd.
Mon. 8 p.m. Open Blues Jam
All shows 21+
Glory Days Tavern 1200 Hornberger Avenue Roebling
Sat. 8 p.m. Brandon Franks
(609) 499-0896
Sat. 8 p.m. Brandon Franks
Havana New Hope105 S. Main Street. New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-9897
Thurs. 10 p.m."Beat The Clock" College Night DJ Dance Party
Fri. 8 p.m. "Damn The Torpedoes" Tom Petty Tribute. Doors at 6 p.m., $15
Sat. 8 p.m. An Evening With Carl Palmer and His ELP Legacy. Doors at 6 p.m., $55
Sun. 8 p.m. The Babys Hosted by WMMR's Jackie Bam Bam. Doors at 6 p.m.. $35 (advance) $40 (day of show)
Mon. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Ron
Wed. 8 p.m. Pat Foran & Friends
Hopewell Valley Vineyards46 Yard Avenue Pennington
(609) 737-4465
Thurs. 6 p.m. "Thurs. Jazz" feat. Generation of Jazz
Fri. 6 p.m. Just Us
Sat. 6 p.m. Acoustic Road
Sun. (2 p.m.) "Sunday Jazz" feat. Sergio & Lars (5:30 p.m.) "Solo Artist" Bryan Hill
Ivy Tavern 3108 S. Broad Street, Hamilton
(609) 888-1435
Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Fri. 10 p.m. Polish Nannies
Sat. 10 p.m. F2 & The Anchovy Brothers
All shows 21+
John & Peter's 96 S. Main Street New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-5981
Thurs. 9 p.m. Manifested
Fri. 9 p.m. Spitune
Sat. (3 p.m.) Mr. Chris and The Alley Band (9 p.m.) Eric Sommer
Sun. (3 p.m.) Crosscut Saw (9 p.m.) The Paul Gargiulo Band
Mon. 9 p.m. Open Mic. Night
Wed. 9:30 p.m. The Invitational
All shows 21+
JoJo's Tavern2677 Nottingham Way Hamilton
(609) 586-2678
Wed. 10 p.m. Karaoke
McStews Irish Sports Pub5316 New Falls Rd Levittown, PA
(215) 949-9570
Fri. 10 p.m. Tangled
Millhill Basement300 S. Broad Street Trenton
(609) 989-1600
Fri. 9 p.m. Stag Party, Entropy, Put Under, Gone Beserk, Tough Shit
Palermo's Of Hamilton310 Klockner Rd. Hamilton
(609) 838-7979
Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke
All shows 21+
Patriot's Crossing1339 River Rd. Titusville
(609) 737-2780
Fri. 7 p.m. Steve Bross
Sat. 8 p.m. Kevin Toft & The All Stars
Randy Now's Man Cave134 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown
(609) 424-3766
Please check web site for upcoming events
RHO Waterfront50 Riverview Plaza Trenton
(609) 393-7300
Thurs. 9 p.m. "College Night" DJ Paul Desisto. $15 ($5 w/ college ID)
Fri. (4 p.m.) Happy Hour Buffet. $10 (9 p.m.) The Soul Cruisers
Tavern On The Lake101 Main St. Hightstown
(609) 426-9345
Fri. (7:30 p.m.) Jazz Night (9 p.m.) Kickback
Sat. 9 p.m. Anything Goes
Wed. 8 p.m. Karaoke Night
The HOB Tavern146 Second Street
(609) 291-7020
Sat. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Tues. 9 p.m. Open Mic. Night
The Ivy Inn248 Nassau St. Princeton
(609) 921-8555
Thurs. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Ron
Fri. 10 p.m. DJ Darius
Sat. 10 p.m. River Dogs
Tues. 8 p.m. Quizzo w/ Bob E Luv
Wed. (8:30 p.m.) Tune Trivia (10:30 p.m.) DJ Rockn Ron
The Record Collector358 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown
(609) 324-0880
Fri. 8 p.m. Billy Hector. All ages, doors at 7:30 p.m., $15 (advance).
The Roost 181 Rte. 539 Cream Ridge
(609) 208-0050
Fri. 9 p.m. Out Of The Red
Sat. 9 p.m. Radio Fiction
The Sticky Wicket 2465 South Broad St. Hamilton
(609) 439-0007
Fri. 9 p.m. Deep Release
Sat. 9 p.m. Rhythm Wranglers
The Sun National Bank Center 81 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 656-3200
Check website for upcoming events
Tir Na Nog 1324 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 392-2554
Fri. (7 p.m.) Mass Folk Commons (9 p.m.) Shantys
Sat. 9 p.m. Seamus Kelleher
Wed. 9 p.m. Paul Wiese
All shows 21+
Trenton Buzz702 Pine St. Trenton
(609) 392-6000
Thurs. 8 p.m. Open Mic. w/ Hek Cat
Trenton Social449 South Broad Street Trenton
(609) 989-7777
Fri. 7 p.m. First Friday
Mon. 9 p.m. Monday Night Karaoke w/ Benny P
Tues. 7 p.m. Open Mic. Night
Triumph Brewing Company (New Hope, Pa. Location)
400 Union Square New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-8300
Fri. 10 p.m. Up the Chain. ($5 cover charge)
Sat. 10 p.m. Davina & The Vagabonds. ($5 cover charge)
Sun. 7 p.m. Open Jam Night (Sign-ups at 6:30 p.m.)
Wed. 9 p.m. Matthew Szlachetka
All shows 21+
Wildflowers Inn2572 Pennington Rd. Pennington
Sat. 9 p.m. Acoustic Rock
All shows 21+
Danny Coleman is a veteran musician and writer from central New Jersey. He hosts a weekly radio program entitled 'Rock On Radio' airing Sunday evenings at 7:00pm EST on ThePenguinRocks.com where he features indie/original bands and solo artists.
