"I think I saw the waitress tickle one of the regulars..."
Lounge Ninja There's a scene in the 1985 classic American Ninja in which Jackson comments to the ninja hero: 'You got some sharp moves ... who'd you study with?'
Rhonda Silver I studied with a voice teacher when I was very young, but my voice was just there as a child naturally.
LN I can relate. I quickly surpassed my master, too. You know, Rhonda, you're like a music encyclopedia or something. You probably know thousands of songs, but there's probably a few that get requested all the time.
RS I get more requests to do original songs as people are interested in hearing more of mine and less of songs they're familiar with.
LN Right. And you have an album called That's the Bottom Line. A title like that suggests you're the no-nonsense type.
RS That was an album I took to Nashville only to be told I needed to go more pop. So I started to sing pop and blues and jazz and changed my style from country.
LN I like that. You do whatever's necessary to get the job done. Hey, I think I saw the waitress tickle one of the regulars. This Casa Mendoza crowd seems pretty friendly.
RS I'm very comfortable performing at the Casa Mendoza (also known as Oasis on the Lake). I love the following that comes in when I'm here. It's a lot of fun. I'm about to become a regular singer on a new TV series called Leaving Utopia. Hopefully, I'll be doing all my own songs and it will be a fulfilling and successful future.
LN Will you do any ninja-related songs?
RS No ninja songs! Sorry.
LN Oh, that's okay.
Rhonda launches into an old favourite. It's a Gordon Lightfoot song, but I detect a hint of Patsy Cline in the delivery. Perhaps it's a hold over from her Nashville days, or it could be just my imagination. Regardless, I'm content to immerse myself in the melancholy lyrics that drift through the lounge and settle comfortably on the earthy decor.
As I listen, though, something catches my eyeća plaque-mounted poster hanging on the wall behind the piano. The surface is covered with pastel Ab-Ex brushstrokes. The pattern is bisected by a curve of pink neon tubing grafted onto the particle board. This picture would not have been out of place on the Miami Vice set, and my eyes are arrested by it. I am reminded of a scene in Ninja III: The Domination. The main character is being haunted by a ninja spirit. While she's in her apartment, she is confronted by the ghost in the form of a magical glowing sword. This sight triggers a flashback, not unlike the one I'm experiencing as I stare at this fierce pink neon luminescence. I discover that if I squint my eyes a bit and imagine hard enough, I can almost convince myself that it is 1984 again.