#4: Waiting For Love by Alias

City: Hamilton, ON
Radio Station: CKOC
Peak Month: March 1991
Peak Position in Hamilton ~ #1
Peak position in Vancouver ~ #7
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #13
YouTube: “Waiting For Love”
Lyrics: “Waiting For Love”

Federico “Freddy” Curci was born in Toronto in 1962. Growing up in his Italian-Canadian family, he was first exposed to opera. But in his late childhood he discovered Black Sabbath and the Doobie Brothers. In the mid-70s, Curci was part of a number of Italian wedding bands that played in Greater Toronto. Curci co-founded Sheriff with Steven “Steve” DeMarchi, also born in Toronto (1961 ?) and his parents also immigrated to Canada from Italy. They had a Canadian hit in 1983 titled “When I’m With You”. The power rock ballad became a giant hit in the USA in 1988. In 1988, Curci and DeMarchi founded Alias. The band recorded several albums, including the number-one hit in Canada, “More Than Words Can Say”, which climbed to #2 in the USA in 1990.

Their followup single was “Waiting For Love”.

“Waiting For Love” was cowritten by Brett Walker and Jeff Paris. Walker was born in Norman, Oklahoma, in 1961. He has collaborated with Jonathan Cain from the pop-rock band Journey, Jim Jamison of Survivor, Nick Gilder, and others. Over the decades, Walker has released eight solo albums, and collaborated on others. Jeff Paris (born Geoffrey Brillhart Leib) began working as a session musician in the 1970s. This included on Jay Gruska’s 1974 debut album, Gruska on Gruska, and on Bill Withers 1976 album, Naked & Warm. He later formed a disco band, Pieces, which released an album in 1979. Between 1986 and 2011, Jeff Paris released six solo albums.

“Waiting For Love” is a ballad that explores a mixture of love, longing, and pain felt when waiting for someone who may never return a love that is offered. The protagonist has to face into their own uncertainty, not knowing if there is any future, if their feelings of desire will ever be reciprocated. They hope love will triumph, but it’s not a sure bet.

“Waiting For Love” peaked at #1 in Hamilton and #7 in Vancouver in the spring of 1991.

Alias informally disbanded in 1991. However, in an interview with Strutter magazine, Curci said that Alias never formally disbanded: “Alias never split. Music changed. We couldn’t get our music out there. No one wanted to hear it anymore. Grunge was in and, you know what, that’s OK, ’cause music needs to do that. It needs to change all the time. That’s how it stays fresh. Alias is still Steve and I. Alias will always be Steve and I. Steve and I will do a record tomorrow if the fans need one!” Alias had recorded a second album, Never Say Never, in 1992. However, EMI Records shelved the album due to changing musical styles. The album was finally released in 2009.

Curci recorded a solo album, Dreamer’s Road, which was released in 1994. DeMarchi became a support and touring player for The Cranberries, then recorded and toured in support of Are You Listening?, the 2007 solo album by The Cranberries lead singer Dolores O’Riordan. While on tour, he found that people were asking him to autograph copies of the second Alias album, which had not been released. Some of the songs from that album had appeared on Dreamer’s Road and been illegally recorded and printed. As a result, in January 2009, EMI announced the release of Alias’ second album, Never Say Never.

Steve DeMarchi’s younger brother, Denny had joined Alias briefly in 1991. He was back with the reformed band – with Curci and DeMarchi – in 2009 until 2020 on keyboard and backing vocals until he died at age 57 of cancer. In 2011, and since 2014, Wolf Hassel has also been a bass guitarist with Alias. Roscoe Stewart joined in 2014 on lead and bass guitar. While Chris Sutherland also joined that year on drums.

On May 15, 2020, Denny DeMarchi died of cancer, at age 57.

August 14, 2024
Ray McGinnis

References:
Keith Sharp, “Steve DeMarchi and Freddy Curci,” The Music Express, September 27, 2012.
“Alias,” Citizenfreak.com.
Joseph L. Hollen, “The Meaning Behind The Song: Waiting for Love by Alias,” oldtimemusic.com, September 5, 2023.

CKOOC 1150-AM Hamilton (ON) Top Ten | March 27, 1991