Lunar enthusiasts (Lunartics?) know the past weekend was a time for evaluating progress, calibrating and setting sites on the culmination of the year, be it the harvest or other target.
By Dr. Gonzo,
On a steamy Saturday in July, under a Buck Moon the Milkbarn Sessions welcomed New Morning to Collingwood.
New Morning is a 4-man semi-acoustic band formed in Toronto relatively recently which is gaining buzz in the more discerning market. They are all seasoned players. Chris Cawthray on drums, with Steve Himel on bass form a tight and swingy rhythm section; Anton Helman, on keys, plays the role of Garth Hudson. Say no more. They share vocals and drive the band for Bruce Thomas on lead vocals and guitar. Thomas is a very credible front; enjoyable to hear and watch perform. The band looked to be enjoying itself as much as we were! Follow them on FB and You Tube.
Taking on Dylan’s songbook is a dangerous task. Making it fun, engaging and danceable is a trick that New Morning delivered with flair. (Thankfully nobody tried to actually sound like the man himself as he is the only one allowed that.)
Home grown Dan Dwoskin of the Honeyrunners opened with an acoustic set of his ‘Bob’ favs. He was accompanied by local ‘guitar hero’ Merrick Barlow with some tasty tonal colouring. We are told that certain of the artists stayed rather late and continued the jam around the fire as is often known to happen. Luckily camping is free!
The Milkbarn is a concept that is always evolving. Performance, art, sculpture, recording, rehearsing, dancing. (Please enquire). It was started by Kyle several years ago to gather friends together to foster community and art. The ‘barn now has an additional outdoor stage and a potential Creekside stage is envisioned. All the improvements and labour are by Kyle and Mel, as is the risk. The fact he can smile so broadly at the end at the end of all that dogged work, shows his passion.
That said; the progress has been evaluated and the focus is on the culmination of the summer Sessions!
The summer finale at the Milkbarn is August 8th, 9th, and 10th. If you miss that, it’s on you! For details, location, band lineups, etc., search Milkbarn Sessions on Facebook.
