"It sounds like a terrible idea," said Tyley Ross, co-founder of East Village Opera Company. "I thought it was a terrible idea."

But he and keyboardist Peter Kiesewalter kept with it, found success and are bringing their unique mash-up to Logan's Cache Valley Center tonight and Sept. 23.

East Village Opera Company features two singers, a four-person rock band and a three-piece string section, and use classical melodies from Bach, Handel, Verdi and others as a launching point to reimagine these arias as rock epics. The end result sounds a lot like Trans-Siberian Orchestra on

meth and Metallica's 1999 collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony.

Ross and Kiesewalter got the idea when they were paired in 2001 to create a soundtrack for a Canadian film where the director instructed them to "let me hear Italian opera in a way that hasn't been done before," Ross recalled.

After scoring the film, the pair reunited in 2004 and created a group. A small run of their debut album, "La Donna," was circulated to friends, and someone from Decca Records heard it and signed the group to a contract.

"We had a record deal and I still didn't believe [it was a good idea]," Ross said.

"La Donna" followed the keys and approaches of famous opera scores, with Ross and AnnMarie Milazzo trading vocals, singing mostly in Italian. But with the group's latest album, "Olde School," the group focused on reinventing many of the arias, taking more liberties. Many of the songs are in English, and the overall wall of sound recalls the more inventive songs of Queen, and even hints at the "Pet Sounds" era of the Beach Boys and R & B influences of Marvin Gaye and Phil Spector.

Add all of that with an engaging live show, and EVOC has become a must-see ticket, even for people who don't like opera.

"This was never an attempt to replace [opera], or better it," said Ross, who said he was not an opera fan until he became heavily involved in the band. "We do it because we're passionate about it."

David Burger writes about popular music. Contact him at dburger@sltrib.com or 801-257-8620.

East Village Opera Company

When: Monday and Sept. 23 at 7:30 p.m.

Where: Cache Valley Center, 43 S. Main St., Logan

Tickets: $17 to $27 at www.centerforthearts.us or call 435-752-0026 ext. 14, Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.