Chalice at the show 'Symphony, Together Under The Stars Concert', held at King's House Grounds, on Saturday, February 17. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

WITH A standing ovation at last December's 'Symphony' concert, held on the lawns of King's House, and a small but very enthusiastic audience standing in the rain for a libation of music at the recent Ocean Spray Wellfest, Chalice has been welcomed back with open arms.

"We're having a buzz. We are glad that people remember us," said Wayne Armond, guitarist and singer with the band.

Two outings in five months is not a lot,but Armond points out "we have to select what we do. We can't just throw ourselves into the market and get overexposed".

"We are trying to work on some overseas bookings. Unfortunately, we are late for the festival season. They booked the headliners from last year and in January and they are doing secondary acts now. Chalice is not a secondary act and you can't kick off a headliner, so we are between a rock and a hard place," Armond said.

While that may be a place of pressure, Chalice is also in a place where they are very much at home, as they are adding the voices of some guests to Chalice songs for a duets album. "We are waiting on some of the guests to come back (from overseas engagements). Some tracks have been laid," Armond said, adding that all of those approached for the project have been receptive.

Keeping originality

The songs which will get the duet treatment are "most of the classic Chalice songs. We are keeping true to the original and some we are just updating, giving a new treatment".

There is one song written by Armond, which was given brand new treatment by Richie Spice, to very good effect. When Spice croons "there is a whole barrage of righteous youth man out there", it is a delivery of a song written by Armond in the early 1990s. "I was asked if I had any material that I thought Richie could use and right away that song came to mind," Armond said.

"The track was done in my studio, but I just produced it for Fifth Element," he said.