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What has the world come to? Robbie Rox doing a Classical music style acoustic performance of his originals in the concert-style unlicensed room at The Musideum?  “The Brunch Bunch” may well choke on their croissants and lattes!

Rox, of course, as I’ve written many times in the past, is a legend of art-Rock proto-Punk satire and musical provocation (he’s been called “Canada’s Frank Zappa”), poking his fingers in the eyes of pretentious types and concocting absurd tales of cartoon-like characters whom he portrays with the deft agility of an ageless actor augmented by a multi-octave voice that has operatic range. It’s not exactly fare for sedate, contemplative listening by a fireside or, one would have thought, in a staid music room with no tvs, raucous crowds or bustling waiters,

But Rox tells us in a promo post that “I have been invited to do something a little different this Thursday, July 9th, as I will performing some of my Rox epics with William Stephen Bridges on classical guitar and Lew Mele on stand up acoustic bass, me on vocals and congas drums.”

It’s not that Rox is a stranger to acoustic music, per se. For many years, unbeknownst to many of the fans of his Monster Horn Band and other groups such as The Effect and, lately, his new Power Quintet, he’s also been a very talented congas/vocals sideman for acoustic Pop artist Michael Theodore in duo and trio configurations and still appears Saturday afternoons alongside singer Johnny Wright for a matinee show in the Beaches area.

But doing acoustic music covers as an accompanist is a big stretch from acoustically rendering tunes like “Beer Drinkin’ Son Of A Whore” or “Dead Man Under The Car” (to name just a couple of his more outrageous compositions).

It appears this old dog is definitely capable of learning some new tricks. The show, which will be comprised of one 70-minute set, starts at 8 p.m. in the room at 401 Richmond St. West (Suite 133) and cover is $20 but includes free homemade popcorn.

-Gary 17, TorontoMoon