A Historical moment

If you are a fan of Progressive Rock, keep reading. If you love finding special spots in Toronto to see a show, keep reading.

David Barrett and his buddies played an intimate show at the John MacKenzie House. If you have never heard of this venue before, it is because they opened up this space recently and are ready to use this historical home to be a place to enjoy music. It is a very novel idea to travel to an old home and to sit in two open rooms to listen to quality music.

The Pre-Game

When you walk into this space you can feel all its historic past by the way the floorboards creak and the fine detail work in the walls and pictures describing the importance of this space.

David’s friends made sure this was going to be a community event, because they were serving cookies and coffee to anyone who shows up.

BTW, the cookies are truly addictive. I ended up calling our baker, Walter White because these treats are highly addictive. They had a dessert that resembled bark from a tree. I renamed this treat Barking Bad.

The room itself will hold roughly 30 people. By the end of the evening, you should have a couple of more friends in your address book. Maybe you will come back to this spot for tea and treats and great company.

Dave Barrett Trio

When the band finally had enough cookies to feel high, they made their way into the parlour and began an Epic night of hard progressive Rock music. By the second song, their sound was so fat, that it squeezed this entire room together.

The mood changed when this foggy sound was entering into our consciousness. We were all enveloped into a roomful of sorrow.

That is what I love about Prog Rock, the music can take you into the deep recesses of your imagination and your emotions. The next piece was a bluesy instrumental that felt as if Batman was going to come swinging in to fight some serious crime.  A little WHAM and Ka-Pow to make you feel like a kid again.

Once you felt like you were standing on a mountain, the next piece let you go skiing downhill at breakneck speeds. Man, this show is just a great release for your imagination.

By the end of the first set, I felt the band transported us to Pompei and left us in coliseum to trip the light fantastic.

By the second half we took off like a rocket and went into uncharted territory. I love an ever-unfolding show that never gives us a road map. The musical terrain is much more fun and alive this way.

At one point David admitted his tune called Cinco was not his favourite to play because it is difficult to play. Well, the band got through this number and looked like they were having a great time playing this song.  They even went as far back to the days when he was in the band Trouble in Mind. Just as, a side note, I actually saw and photographed Trouble in Mind for a magazine that I was working for back in those dreaded good old days.

Well, we did finally end up back on the beach after some serious Progressive surfing.

Final notes

Well after the show, I stole a bunch of cookies because that is what these shady bakers want from you. Test out the taste and then get you hooked for life! I am a very weak man.

The people stuck around to talk about other musical adventures and the band was happy to take pictures, sign stuff and hang out while the special treat ran through their veins after such a grueling performance.

If you want to find out what else is happening at the John MacKenzie house just hit this link and discover a brand-new place to see music and maybe, you can get your fix on some Breaking Bark Cookies!

WCRA

Dave Barrett Trio’s Instagram account is- www.instgram.com/davidbarretttrio

Dave and his Trio: