If you like tapping your toes to familiar tunes with a jazz twist, you will likely enjoy the concert by The Lost Fingers at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 6 at École du Sommet gym, an event sponsored by the local French Association (ACFA Régionale de St-Paul).
Byron Mikaloff, who handles back-up vocals and guitar for the band, says people can expect “a damn good time” during the concert, which will feature music from The Lost Fingers’ three CDs, all of which feature 80s classics given a gypsy jazz twist. The band’s 2010 album, called Gypsy Chameleon, features 80s classics from a range of artists such as Kim Mitchell, Dolly Parton, Rush, Corey Hart and Glass Tiger. “It’s worth a listen.”
Stephanie Bouchard, coordinator with ACFA, is a fan of the band’s music; although she hasn’t seen The Lost Fingers perform live, she enjoys listening to their songs because they are familiar and fun. “In their (Lost in the ‘80s) album, they have music from Michael Jackson and many others. They also have another album that is entirely in French.” Bouchard added she saw the group at the 2009 Juno awards when they were nominated in two categories, Album of the Year and the Fan Choice Award.
The trio of Alex Morissette, Christian Roberge and Mikaloff come from Quebec and take their band name’s inspiration from the missing digits of Gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt. The band’s debut album, Lost in the ‘80s, was the top-selling album in Quebec last year with sales of over 100,000 copies. However, because they can sing in both English and French, they appeal to a larger audience. Mikaloff notes the band’s audiences are international. But on this particular cross-Canada tour, the trio is hitting 16 different cities and of course, smaller communities like St. Paul. He encouraged people to come out for a night of fun and laughter.
“If they like good guitar-playing and good musicianship . . . it’s good time party music.”
Tickets are available at ACFA office, and cost $25 for adults and $15 for students, ages 12 to 17.
