Ft. Wayne, Ind. has a storied reputation of producing nearly as many B-list personalities and nominal influencers as our very own little corner here in the 570. In fact, Ft. Wayne is the real life home to The Office's Jenna Fischer, who plays Pam, and fashion designer Bill Blass, but a quartet of local residents might actually put the Midwest city on the map for more than their annual fat man's Mecca, BBQ RibFest .

Ft. Wayne's The Orange Opera swept into Wilkes-Barre last Friday night as the East Coast leg of their fall tour hit its stride. The week previous, Opera played in Chicago with Scranton's And The Moneynotes and following Friday's show the band was booked at major market clubs in Philly, Baltimore, Arlington, New York then back to the Midwest to wrap up the month.

Doing all of this while packed in a van with no money, rarely a motel room, (or a shower), then putting on a smile and summoning the positive energy to deliver the same songs you've been playing for the last year to a sparsely populated club — well that's just determination and a belief in what you're doing.

The Orange Opera delivered all of this and more last weekend at Cafe Metropolis. Led by Kevin Hambrick's breezy tenor, Opera rolled 11 songs like bowling balls at a crowd grateful to be the pins.

From the jump, Opera was tack-sharp. Their opening number featured a sprinting, throwback vocal with a cool, yodeled kick. The song began as a mid-tempoed strutter, but built through a number of step-downs and send-ups. The final blast of sound as the number wrapped made this opener a winner.

Hambrick's key work adds a great layer to the Opera sound, but everyone knows what the deal is. Michael Ostermeyer plays a crushing lead guitar and serves as backup vocal number one. Kevin Hockaday delivers the goods with inspired timekeeping and as backup vocal number two. Bass player Brian Brubaker, the first bass to stand front and center since David St. Hubbins, keeps the hum and pulse tight as a pickle jar.

The gang's next number — described as a "song about Paxil" — began as a military stomp with a start/stop tempo. Then a quiet and spaced-out chill ascended into a keyboard-pawing noisemaker quicker than you can say "Go." "Paxil" was followed by "I'm Just Beginning," a number that evokes a My Morning Jacket feel on stage, but not so much on the Opera EP, on which it was originally dropped. A flurry-chorded opening yields the floor to a tap-dancing piano, followed by a rush of sound that proved "Beginning" to be the hardest rocker early in the evening.

Opera never really let up, wheeling from number to number confidently. Hambrick later ditched the keys for a guitar and made big sound with Ostermeyer on "Squirrel Feet," "We Can't Fight It" and few more.

A song described as "slow-motion football" and another as "a happy little tune" were the only real throwaways of the evening. Some might dismiss "Let Your Sun Shine On Me" as a Brady kids B-side, but anyone who rags on the Bradys probably celebrates Nickelback's catalog and doesn't read this column, so listen to and love "Shine."

The Orange Opera were part of four bands on the Friday night Metropolis bill. The Sw!ms played after Opera and The Marquees were also to be dropped in the mix, but they scratched last minute.