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By KRYS GRANDMOND
Staff Writer

Great Canadian music is on the rise, and even the Niagara Region is pumping out some pretty incredible talent to add to the mix.

Welland-based, four-piece rock band, Oliver Black, fronted by lead vocalist, Serena Pruyn, is making waves across Ontario. Their high-energy shows, and stimulating combination of time-honoured rock and blues, give them a shove above the ever-growing list of independent musical talent in Canada. And with the recent escalation of Canadian bands and artists, Oliver Black is hoping it will help to add them to the roster.

"I hope so, it seems to be like there's a good rock theme coming up. Like, good rock and roll," says Pruyn.

"And it seems like a lot of them right now are doing it for the right reasons too," adds Lesyk, "They're just out there to play really good music. And it's gonna help us out, just like hopefully, with our success, we'll be able to help other people out."

While she's on the frontline, Pruyn isn't the only one taking credit for the band's original sounds. Nick Lesyk, the band's guitarist, pairs with her when it comes to songwriting.

"We write them together," says Lesyk. "It's not me by myself or anything like that. We all listen to very to very different kinds of music, but there's a common interest between the four of us. It's that common interest where we pull our sound from."

"My life. That's it," says Pruyn of what inspires them to write their songs. "We're still really new to this. We know the sound we want. We kind of knew from the very beginning."

Even though they're new to the studio, they're by no means strangers to live performances. The band has been playing a loaded calender together for the last 2 years. The entire band, including bassist Greg Zack and drummer Allan Colavecchia, have been performing and perfecting their talent for years before Oliver Black. Some of their favourite performances to date, though, still can't overthrow their excitement when it comes to Canadian Music Week.

"Oh, I'm very excited," says Pruyn about the series. "We're excited about every Toronto show basically, because we're from here."

The band's showcase is scheduled for March 5th, 2004 at Club 279 at the Hard Rock in Toronto, Ontario. They take the stage at 11pm.

"I just thought it was a three-day festival with a bunch of bands," says Lesyk. "But then I go to the site, I read about it and I see who's played there, and who's playing there, and then I'm like, 'Wow, this is a bigger deal than I thought it was.' I get more and more excited about it every day."

Still, in the excitement of performances in larger cities, Oliver Black hasn't forgotten its roots. The band still plays for loyal audiences at Welland's premier night club, The Kave. But on this stage, they are still currently known by fans as their previous moniker Lenz Riot.

"We're still in that transition period," says Pruyn of the band's names. "But outside of here, it's now Oliver Black."

But the fans support them and will continue their support in the battle to gain exposure that lays ahead.

"For every region, we have the hardcores," says Lesyk, "Like, in Welland, because we play here all the time, and we're from here, we have all of the local fans. Then we play in Toronto, there's people that are local to Toronto that never miss a show."

"In Toronto, we're starting to get some familiar faces," says Pruyn. "I know there's a bit of a buzz about us in Toronto, that's what we've heard anyway."

Move over Britney!! The music scene is changing. Top 40 has switched from pop to rock. And this band is going to bring back a sound that legends were made of.