June 24 2013 – On Saturday June 22 Druckfarben played Toronto’s Birchmount Tavern aka Cactus Pete’s for what turned out to be a DVD release party. The band and the lucky patrons in attendance were celebrating the release of Artifact – a DVD which we review here and give a 5 star review.
Tonight was a celebration of progressive rock of the highest calibre and Druckfarben played up to their reputation – 5 of Toronto’s best musicians. Troy Feener was a monster on his drum throne and the incredibly complex beats he was required to lay down were impeccable.
The foundation can not be laid on its own though and Peter Murray was up to the task of hitting those deep bass rhythm notes but more impressively taking the bass to the lead in segments. Virtuosos are what we kept thinking of these guys as Will Hare dazzled with his work on the keyboards – words can’t describe how accurate all the complex songs he delivered were.
One of the legends of classic rock was on vocals and Phil Naro who is no stranger to our regular readers was (as always) delivering an arena quality performance. We have lost track of how many times we have covered Naro’s performances on T-Mak World but it is very safe to say he is the most prolific musician on our site. The man is phenomenal and if you are into rock of any shape or form follow him on his site and do yourselves a favor – go see one of the world’s best rock vocalists (right in your neighbourhood at that). There are so many times we can praise his vocals, but yet again he blew our collective minds. With us at the show was our favorite up and coming Toronto Indie band TimeGiant who saw Naro and Druckfarben for the first time and they were as impressed as we were with the performances.
Last but not least guitarist Ed Bernard. Druckfarben is clearly a five man effort but this is Bernard’s baby (or at least he appears to be the band’s spiritual father). All the songs on the band’s CD were written by Bernard and were all based on his demos. He is a prog head of the highest order and a guitarist of insane skill. He even sang lead on a couple of songs and did a great job on that task as well. Bernard was on fire tonight and the passion he has for this music was evident. Not only is Druckfarben a baby he should be proud of, but the DVD he just meticulously produced is a major win for his cap. Music is Bernard’s passion and he dedicates all his energy to his incredible talent. He should be proud of how good the songs sounded tonight and it amazes me how 5 guys that love this music so much found each other. I hope the world gives them a chance to shine and play for thousands of fans nightly all around the world – never has such classic “old” music sounded so good in today’s stagnant musical landscape.
Tonight’s setlist:
Set 1:
South Side of the Sky (YES cover)
Squonk (Genesis cover)
Just the Same (Gentle Giant cover)
Tempus (YES cover)
Sons of Anakim
Nat Nayah
Seems So Real
Our Song (YES cover)
Firth of Fifth (Genesis cover)
Trilogy (ELP cover)
Set 2:
Influenza
Smaller Wooden Frog
Free Hand (Gentle Giant cover)
ELPO
Dead Play Awake
Watcher of the Skies (Genesis cover)
Tom Sawyer (Rush cover)
Carry on Wayward Son (Kansas cover)
Roundabout (YES cover)
Enough blabbing, here is a video from the show that captures what the band can deliver:
Opening tonight’s show was Jessica Mondello whose acoustic set was deep in emotion and soulful vocals.
- Jessica Mondello
Verdict 5 out of 5: What more can we say – this was an incredible night of music and regardless of whether prog is your thing or not the guys on stage prove that 5 insanely good musicians can produce magic on stage and clearly the whole is much greater than the sum of the parts. This gig wins a “Best of T-Mak World” award. Do not miss this band next time they play!
- Phil Naro showing off Druckfarben’s new DVD
