Australian guitarist Cilia joined noted surf band the Atlantics in 1998, but his roots go much deeper. He spent his first 10 years in England, where he saw clips of the Shadows on TV. After moving to the Land Down Under, his first gig, in ’72, included the Shad’s “Apache” and “Peace Pipe.
Although it’s obviously a tribute to Hank Marvin and company, his latest CD includes eight Shadows-influenced originals and three Beatles tunes. Though the Fab Four’s “Cry For A Shadow” was as much parody as tribute, in CIlia’s hands it has all the majesty of a Shadows hit, as does his own “Night Star”.
Tributes can sometimes be too reverent, but Cilia takes liberties with tempos and things like distortion, which makes for a more interesting listen.
Dan Forte
