Little Paradise Gives Heartstopping Tribute In Spite of Setbacks

Rain didn't stop Little Paradise from rocking down the house at the Saturday night. As lead singer Cathy DaPrato sang her heart out in a 90-minute tribute to Pat Benatar, people were literally being turned away from the door. The house was that full.

The music turned out to be the sole treat of the evening as the film, The King's Speech, which was also scheduled to run as part of Movies and Music Under the Stars, was canceled because of a broken projector. The Fort Lee Film Commission, which sponsors the Saturday evening events at the community throughout the summer, is known for its dynamic presentations and didn't fail to surprise and delight the audience despite the setback. 

Benatar is, unarguably, one of the great voices of 80s rock n' roll, and the band pulled out all the stops, with heartfelt, powerful renditions of hits such as "We Belong," "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" and "Heartbreaker."

Guitarist Joe Young blew the audience away with some of his riffs, and all the musicians seemed like they'd been a unit for years. Amazingly, Saturday marked the first year the band, comprised of DaPrato, Kiri Curbelo on keyboards, Young on guitar, Jake Asbury on bass and Vic Ruiz on drums, has been together. Most of the members hail from Morristown.

The band's upcoming gigs include Aug. 20 at Showcase Live in Foxborough, Mass., and then it's back to Jersey for an Aug. 27 show at Root Stock in Bayville. For more information about Little Paradise, visit the band's website.

Text by Arya F. Jenkins; Photos by Donna Brennan.