Jonas was the vehicle of cock rock renaissance man Jonas Tomalty, a Montreal-born music biz lifer who began performing at age three with a children's choir and later toured alongside his father, Rick. At 20 Tomalty formed the alt-rock combo
Rubberman, which in 1999 won Montreal station CHOM's annual L'Esprit talent contest. A stint fronting Blues Blooded followed before he formed
Jonas in 2004 with guitarist Corey Diabo, bassist Domenic Romanelli, and drummer Ange E. Curcio. The band's self-titled debut followed later that year, attracting attention for its cover of the
Stevie Nicks classic "Edge of Seventeen." An opening gig for
Van Halen also launched
Jonas to prominence, and as the fan following swelled, filmmaker Jean-Francois Pilon spent a year documenting their life on the road. The resulting film, Jonas: The Quest, followed in 2007, shortly after the release of their smash sophomore LP,
Suite Life. ~ Jason Ankeny