Basia Lyjak @ NXNE 2008

BACKGROUND/COMPOSITION: Basia Lyjak is a Slavic rocker chick who is adored by both teachers and classmates for her fine style, winning personality and can-do attitude — or at least that's what her bio would lead you to believe. Regardless of the reality, this Toronto sparkplug promised to rock the house with her modernize take on classic rock, whatever that means.

Grade: 72

Comment: Basia Lyjak’s shtick is basically the cute-rocker-grrl-flanked-by-a-bunch-of-meatheads thing. You might be familiar with this model if you’ve ever spent any time in east Hamilton, or worse, the old Nag’s Head North in Markham. Little-hearted potshots aside, Lyjak’s performance was totally fine, although it’d be tough to imagine her breaking out of the bar band ghetto without enacting some more originally into her set.

Achievement of Rock 'n' Roll Expectations
80-100: Exceeds skill and knowledge expectations, i.e. rocked us so hard we peed our pants.
70-79: Achieves required skills and knowledge. Meets rock 'n' roll standard.
60-69: Demonstrates some skills. Approaches rock 'n' roll standard.
50-59: Demonstrates some required skills and knowledge in a limited way.
00-50: Has not demonstrated required skills or knowledge.

Learning Skills: E=Excellent, G=Good, S=Satisfactory, N=Sad Really

Oral And Visual Communication
Eye Contact: G
Pronunciation: E
Stage Presence: G
Stage Banter: G
Image: G
Appearance: G
Use Of Stage: G

Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step:
Lyjak’s pronunciation sucked, which is awesome because she wailed like a banshee in lieu of rolling her R’s on a number of occasions. The girl’s got some serious pipes, and paired with the requisite hair flipping and just a pinch of head banging, Lyjak clearly draws great pleasure in excising her rock and roll demons (and having an audience follow the play-by-play). Her cardio was amazing too because she managed to keep energy levels high throughout the set.

Musical Analysis
Level Of Participation: G
Problem Solving: G
Teamwork: S
Work Habits: G
Organization: G
Audience Participation: E
Sound: G Composition: S
Songs: S

Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step:
At the risk of sounding like a cold, heartless bastard, Lyjak’s songwriting did not impress me. It was just really forgettable. As noted, she specializes in typical bar band rock, and there’s definitely a time and place for that. But when it’s presented within the context of a festival like NXNE, where the audience is looking on with a more critical eye, it seems like an odd fit. The inevitable cover of Pat Benatar’s “Heartbreaker” only confirmed the last two sentences. 

Other Skills And Areas Of Interest
Charisma: E
Problem Solving: G
Teamwork: G
Sexiness: E
Haircut: G
Indie Rock Footwear: G
Nods To Disposable Fashion: G
Cool Equipment: S
Level Of Inebriation: G
Actual Ability: G

Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step:
Lyjak singled out her mother towards the end of the set and sang a real mushy ballad in her general direction, batting goo goo eyes and half smiles throughout. Cynicism aside, it was a somewhat touching moment and Lyjak seemed entirely grateful for the chance to perform. Some ardent supporters bopped along up front and, if nothing else, she seems to have a good support system in place.