Jonas ready to storm the country

His name is Jonas, and unless you live in Quebec chances are very good that you haven’t heard that much about him yet. What with his two Juno Award nominations (one for Rock Album of the Year, the other for Best New Artist) and the fact that he might be one of the best performers I’ve seen in Canada, I think you can safely expect to see a lot more of Jonas in the near future though – especially if his recent show at the Mod Club in Toronto was any indication.

Hitting the music scene in September 2004, Jonas has become a bonafide rock star since his debut, and already has a gold record under his belt, and his first DVD Jonas Live… As We Roll! is already platinum. His newest album, Suite Life, is a huge hit in Quebec and seeing him on stage explains exactly why fans love him. Just think of some sort of rock ‘n roll demi-god with a fresh face, cool attitude, and plenty of lively, crunchy, rock songs and that pretty much sums up Jonas – although it doesn’t quite do him justice.

As a friend of mine put it after seeing him perform last week, when he put on a quick set for some fans, media, and industry pros, “Women want to do him, and guys want to be him.”

Now, I’m not so sure I want to be him, but I was impressed with the way he owned the stage, and made songs that I have never heard before sound so infectious. He definitely has a spirit and an edge that you don’t see often enough on stage, and what with the general vacuum for real rock acts these days, I’m actually surprised he hasn’t been an even bigger hit so far.

Hearing him perform “Edge of Seventeen”, the Stevie Nicks’ classic single that he remade for Suite Life just brings it all home. He revitalizes the track, making it all his own while also leaving me wondering what will come next for our friend from Quebec. I just hope the next time he’s in town he gets a much bigger venue for the screaming fans that are destined to be there.

Check out Jonas’ website at www.jonas-music.com for more on what he’s up to, and you can pick up his CD, Suite Life, at record stores or online.