After a long absence from the Toronto music scene, Wendy Irvine and Geoff Hlibka, singer and guitarist respectively for "A Band Called Wendy", performed as an acoustic act at The Free Times Café on Thursday, April 17th. The crowd was entertained by their great rapport with each other and surprising energy for a two-piece. Wendy seemed almost ready to leap out of her seat at some points, and Geoff even worked in a few solos, a risky move without accompaniment, but he pulled it off. In the small confines of the Free Times, there is no hiding from the audience, and they welcomed that by interacting with the crowd on numerous occasions.

Wendy even obliged requests for "Schoolhouse Rock" with a few lines from "Conjunction Junction". Shouts of "Free Bird" and "Skynyrd" were mercifully absent.

Moving effortlessly between jazz, funk, and even a little country, Wendy and Geoff commanded full attention. No immediate comparisons spring to mind to describe Wendy's voice, so I won't force anything, but suffice it to say that her voice was powerful without being brash, and she easily adapted her sound to fit the music, softer and more breathy for jazz tunes, strong and clear for the funkier numbers. According to her website, she has been

singing since age three, and teaching vocal lessons from the age of fifteen. That would go a long way to explain the versatility and talent she showcased at the Free Times.

Highlights of the night were "Don't Play Me" a funky tune with a cool staccato bit, a country-ish ballad called "Not Alone" that was reminiscent style-wise with the slower tunes on Steve Earle's "El Corazon" album, and the opening number, "Groove" that set the tone for the entire night with it's high energy, well, groove. Aptly named, I guess. Other notables were their fun cover of George Michael's "Faith" and Geoff's instrumental piece. I didn't quite catch the name of that one, unfortunately.

You can catch Wendy, Geoff and the whole band playing Saturday May 24, at the Richmond Rebel, 284 Richmond St. E, at Sherbourne. For more details, check out their website at http://www.abandcalledwendy.com/.