If you haven’t heard the name Aldo Nova, there is a good reason for that; although he has been making class music since the early 80s, the Bon Jovi lookalike is the best kept secret in Canadian rock.
That’s the 1980s to you Justin Bieber fans. There are a lot of talented people out there, men and women, who seldom and sometimes never get the recognition they deserve, probably none more so than in the field of music. Others, on the other hand, are fêted for the slightest thing, even an altercation with a photographer or an off-the-cuff remark becomes front page news.
Aldo Nova falls into the first category, though thankfully he is a seldom rather than a never recognised kind of guy. Way back in the 1980s I bought his Twitch album on tape; later, I bought Blood On The Bricks, also on tape. Anyone remember cassettes?
Until well after I hooked up to the Internet, I thought he was Italian, a not unnatural thing to think as Aldo is or sounds Italian, and I had at one point in pre-Internet days corresponded with an Italian songwriter who spoke or at least wrote fluent English, and probably like me never made it. [I think his name may also have been Aldo].
So who is Aldo Nova? Quite simply he is Canada’s best kept secret in contemporary rock. Not only does he look a lot like a certain Mr Bon Jovi, but he also worked with him for a while. To date, the man from Songfacts has only three of Aldo’s recordings in his database, and the man himself does not seem to have a website, but you can find him on YouTube, and sundry music sites, including the odd interview with him. For the past few years he has been writing for other people, and also producing. In July of last year, a fan posted a video of him performing the classic Fantasy in Ontario, in what he said was Aldo’s first live performance in 20 years. Earlier this month he turned up in person to perform again, this time at a Canadian festival. Hopefully we won’t have to wait another twenty years, or even another year, to see him again, but whatever he does or doesn’t, check him out on YouTube. He also has his own page on MySpace.
Top Aldo Nova tracks (purely subjective):
Bright Lights
Touch Of Madness
Rumours Of You
Heartless (cover)
[The above op-ed was first published August 18, 2012. Originally, this article was linked to the performance of Fantasy alluded to above, but by the time I created this page, on December 12, 2023, the video and associated account had both been deleted. His MySpace page is still there. Yes, MySpace still exists, for those of you old enough to get the joke.]
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