That talent such as Patty Costis might endure largely unknown in her hometown is just a few notes shy of unbelievable and truly it is Hampton Roads audiences that have missed out. Traveling an East Coast circuit that encompasses clubs from Maryland to the Florida Keys and just about all points between, Costis had evaded gigs on Tidewater’s southside until last month when she brought her act home to Cogan’s Pub, her first appearance in Norfolk in four years.
    Amid the ancient ceiling fans, smoke, dim lights and a gathering of family, friends and fans, The Patty Costis Band delivered an electrified performance showcasing the powerful and diverse vocals that earned the lithe frontwoman the nickname “Virginia’s Golden Voice.” With a three and a half octave range (trained by famed opera singer Terrell Coefield) Costis’ voice is the high performance engine empowering the vehicle that is TPCB. Her hard-driving rock and roll vocals easily challenge and elevate her to a level on par with other female rock and roll notables, inevitably drawing camparisons to Linda Rondstadt, Melissa Etheridge and Pat Benatar.
    Being a woman in a male oriented business hasn’t deterred Costis in her quest to break out from the club scene and into mainstream prominence. As her promotional material puts it - “...a woman in music has to work twice as hard as a man, because in small bars if the women feel threatened by a female vocalist, they are up and out of there followed closely on their heels by their boyfriends. If the men in those bars think your music is too tame then they are gone too.
    Having mastered the art of winning over all audiences, Costis is ready to headline to arena crowds but admits she “likes the personal feel of smaller venues...I want to be reachable.”
    Part of what makes TPCB reachable is their sound. Cover songs take on new life as the band reaches out and takes rock and roll, country and soul classics (from the likes of the Beatles, CS&N, Fleetwood Mac, Clapton, Reba McEntire, Patsy Cline, Ray Charles, and others), reworking and revitalizing them until the sound is pure TPCB.
    Yet what audiences and fans crave are TPCB originals, songs that conjure images of a ten thousand year old female vampire or the plight of the American Indians.
    What you won’t hear in Patty’s songs are politics. “I don’t believe in pushing political beliefs in music” she explains, “but my music draws much of its imagery from life with songs about the hardships of the American Indian or a woman alone at home with the TV while her husband is out on the town with the boys.”
    Since she last played the Southside, Costis’ band has undergone radical personnel changes. The entire band was replaced, paving the way for the current lineup which has been in place since February. “These guys are great,” praises Patty. “Glenn (Foster, on bass) is the anchor of the group, Chris (McNight, on drums) is the rocker from hell and Wes (Green, lead guitar) has the fastest fingers on a guitar I’ve ever seen.” But Patty’s highest praise is for the group’s dedication. “These guys are very conscientious. Their main goal is the music and being dedicated to it. They’re not hung up on being the macho bad-ass musicians like a lot of guys I’ve played with.”
    That attitude is one element that helps sete TPCB apart from every other Friday night rock and roll act at the local hole-in-the-wall club. Yetaside from the high degree of professionalism and Costis’ golden-going-for-platinum voice, this quartet of rockers brings to life a sound that thrives on being commercial. That aspect alone could very well skyrocket TPCB to the top of the charts in the near future. “I’ve already written my first Grammy speech,” Costis proclaims seriously, her conviction leaving no doubt that one day the coveted statuette will be hers.
    But the road to the Grammy’s isn’t paved in gold and bridges must be crossed. One of those bridges is securing a quality producer for an anticipated EP (tentatively titled ‘I Played Fish City’) planned for the fall. “We’ve looked at a lot of people but right now we’re talking with a producer in Los Angeles and it’s looking pretty good” volunteers Liam O’Shea, the group’s sound man and manager. “There are a lot of fly by night producers out there but we’re in this for the long haul so we’ll take the time and find the right one.”
    For Patty Costis fans the drought of local gigs has been long and severe. “It’s not that I don’t want to play Tidewater,” comments Patty, “hopefully we’ll be able to work in a date or two again before too long.” Until that time arrives, TPCB fans will have to make long distance treks to get their fix of “Virginia’s Gold Voice.”