Orest was born and raised in Toronto, Canada and has lived in Mississauga and St. Catharines. He has been fascinated with music since childhood beginning with the bandura which is a cross between guitar and harp. His dream was to take the music he could hear only in his head and create something unique that he could present to the world. That dream has since become a reality with the production of his debut CD, “Cleverly Crafted” and his follow up CD, “Face of Shadows”. And cleverly crafted they are.
The CD showcases some of Orest’s various talents. He is the writer, producer, composer, arranger, programmer, singer and part engineer. Each song is unique in its own style and demonstrates Orest’s ability to cleverly intertwine his concepts with pretty melodies, deep lyrics and a sense of the theatrical.
There comes a time with every song I write that it takes on a life and character of its own. In a sense, I don’t write the song so much as I allow it to express itself through me; through my words, my voice, my fingers and through my imagination.
Orest’s greatest musical influences include Marillion, Pink Floyd, Genesis, Rush, Kansas and Gowan.
There may come a time when I am faced with the question, “What did I do with my life while I had the chance?” and if the best answer I can come up with is, “I worked pretty hard at playing it safe; I worked pretty hard making sure I never made a fool of myself” that would be pretty damn sad! I produced this compilation because I can. I have the talent, the skill, the dream and the passion; so it behooves me to make it and give back to the universe some of what it has given me.
Maybe the music will entertain you. Maybe it will depress you or perhaps inspire you. Maybe it will reach right into your heart, your gut, or your soul and touch you. Maybe you’ll see some part of yourself in it.