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ORION`S RISING
STAR
Modern Elegance - Summer 1998
I arranged to meet Orion, a new young Maltese band, outside a
local pub on a Monday evening, which day the pub in question and
several others happened to be closed. So, the band, with me in tow,
walked down to a typical Maltese bar close to the Msida Marina.
There, amid a clutter of loud talking, punctuated by Bongu Sinjura
Borg on the TV and other noisy interludes, I turned my cassette
recorder on and attempted to have a formal chat with the trio about
their significant success in the last edition of the Malta Song
Festival. The band placed first in the newcomers section, and seventh
in the final overall placings.
Orion is made up of Josie Scerri on vocals, Clifford Borg on Piano
and Joseph Chetcuti, of Xarabank fame, on violin. As we waited for
out drinks to arrive, we got talking about their song Longing Dawn,
which captivated the Maltese, public, and turned everyone’s
attention onto the newcomers. It is a haunting piece of music, possessing
a simplicity that inspires the listener to focus on the lyrical
content. Lyrics are an important factor in Orion’s compositions,
and Josie, who penned the words in question after initial attempts
by all three members, was most enthusiastic to explain what they
were all about. Partly autobiographical, the song is mainly about
believing in yourself, and not letting problems drag you down- discovering
that ill feelings can be demeaned by absorbing the beauty of the
nature around us, in particular the ethereal mysticism of the sea,
the sky and …the stars. Yes, the stars, which, by the way,
are a big thing in Josie`s books. In fact, the band was christened
after a spontaneous enlightenment inspired by the three brightest
stars of the Orion constellation, those forming the belt. Oddly
enough, this took place in the middle of Paceville`s hustle and
bustle.
The music to Longing Dawn was written by Clifford Borg, a budding
pianist and longtime friend of Josie`s. It was Clifford and Joseph
who came with the idea of forming the band, during the transmission
of the 1996 Malta Song Festival. Josie`s recruitment came later,
in a strange tale with a twist. Clifford had, in fact told Joseph
he knew of a singer, Josephine who might be interested in joining
them, while Joseph said he knew a Josie who might be what they are
looking for. And sure enough, one man`s Josephine turned out to
be the other`s man`s Josie. She accepted the offer to join the band,
coaxed in no small way by the allure of the music that was later
to become Longing Sawn- which incidentally was first played to her
over the phone- and by a common fondness for playing card games,
at which Josie never loses.
All three members are currently still studying, with Josie after
a physiotherapy degree, Clifford Doing his B.Sc in biology and chemistry,
and Joseph, who is a lawyer by trade, is furthering his post graduate
studies in Financial Services, Obviously, their studying has hindered
their musical sidetrack, but come July, all exams will be over and
done with, and Orion should be getting back on to its feet. Meanwhile,
Clifford is busy writing some tentative tunes that may (or may not)
be used during the scheduled summer rehearsals. Interestingly, all
three members come from families with a musical background. Twenty-two
years old Josie, along with her mum and sister, used to sing in
a choir back in the UK where she was born. She is a now an active
member of the Corinthia animation team, taking on dancing, singing
and naturally acting parts, and has taken part in the local production
of Beauty and the Beast. Clifford, also twenty-one, started off
playing in a family beat group, performing in various localities
and hotels all over Malta. He still plays in various hotels, only
now he gone solo. Joseph, who is twenty-four years old, has a twin
sister, Annabelle, who plays both piano and viola, and without whose
persevering encouragement and support. He might have given up on
music years ago, He is a busy man, also playing in a classical quartet
and practising spirit combat, besides, of course being part of the
Xarabank crew.
But, outside of Orion, what other music gives you a kick? I asked
them. Clifford, the most spontaneous of the three immediately rolled
off a (long) list of names that varied from Madonna, Bjork, Sinead
O`Connor and George Michael to Sting, Prodigy, Debussy, Mendehellson.
Chopin and Gershwin, besides he added Jazz in General. Josie on
the other hand hates jazz and loathes heavy metal. She loves musicals
such as Chess and Miss Saigon amongst others, and doesn’t mind
pop music. Joseph’s tastes are more inclined towards film scores,
especially those by Ennio Morricone, and concept albums like the
Ademius series. He also likes contemporary classical music contemporary
classical music, namely Rubra, Bartok and Berg, as well as the modern
interpretations by British renegade violinist, Nigel Kennedy. And
perhaps, Kennedy’s rebellious nature may also have inspired
Joseph, since it is his ambition to one day see a Maltese society
that is willing to accept individuals for their true worth and not
for their appearance, unusual as this may be. Unfortunately, he
admits, this dream appears to still be a long time coming. Josie`s
expectations and ambitions are quite diverse. She would like to
take part in musicals, not just locally, but possible also abroad,
not just for the experience, but because she genuinely loves to
perform. In her more immediate future, however she revealed that
she wants to fulfil a lifelong wish- that of going to India, but
has yet to find a companion to join her. Incidentally, anyone interested
in joining her can contact us and we’ll pass your name on to
Josie. Clifford, meanwhile would like to go to Iceland, which I
suspect has something to do with his Bjork obsession. Musically,
he would like to succeed (naturally) and hopes to even experience
the music scene abroad.
As a band, the three of them would like the Maltese music scene
to be more appreciated locally. But, secretly, what Joseph and Clifford
really wish is to beat Josie at Slam. But……first things
first. By rise again, working on new songs and who knows perhaps
even planning the odd live appearance or two. In between maybe Josie
will met them win a game….maybe not.
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