Smaller Wooden Frog - Music

The Druckfarben Story Began In The Toronto Suburb Of Scarborough In The Mid 1980s Where Guitarist Ed Bernard And Drummer Troy Feener Began Exchanging Musical Interests In Grade 9 Art Class. Ed Introduced Troy To The Progressive Rock Of Yes And Gentle Giant—---And Soon The Two Started Playing Music Together. One Day In The Hall Of Their Abandoned Factory Rehearsal Space The Young Musicians Discovered Some Black Barrels With A Strange Word Stenciled On Them...… Druckfarben. As They Tried To Imagine The Contents Of The Mysterious Barrels Ed Joked That One Day They Would Be In A Band Together And They Would Call It Druckfarben. Meanwhile At A Nearby High School Young Keyboardist Will Hare Was Working Out On Bach And Rachmaninoff At Jarvis Collegiate In Downtown Toronto Young Bassist Peter Murray Was Gaining A Reputation As The Guy Who Could Play “"YYZ"” By Rush And Further South In Rochester New York Singer Phil Naro Was Already A Full-Fledged Professional Front-Man In The Metal Band Talas Alongside Legendary Bass Virtuoso Billy Sheehan. The Five Musicians Still For The Most Part Unknown To Each Other Shared Two Notable Traits All Were Very Talented On Their Chosen Instruments And All Were Big Fans Of Progressive Rock. Years Went By—---And Not Surprisingly All Five Became Professional Musicians. This Entailed Separate Stints With Unsigned And Signed Original Bands And Artists Cover Bands And Tribute Acts Teaching And Writing Jingles And Studio Work. All Became Highly Respected In Their Local Scenes. But The Prog Rock That Had Initially Inspired Them All Seemed To Be Left Behind---The Stuff Of Nostalgia Of Fantasy. It Wasn't Commercially Or Professionally Viable To Form A Prog Band Was Simply Unthinkable. At Least For A While...… Many Years Later Troy Became The Main Drummer For Classic Albums Live A Collective Of Musicians Who Perform Classic Records Note-For-Note. He Longed To Put On A Prog Show And Eventually The Powers-That-Be Agreed To Stage A Recreation Of The Yes Albums Close To The Edge And The Yes Album. Predictably All The Future Members Of Druckfarben Were Called For The Gig. Peter Had To Pass Because He Was Producing An Album In Germany At The Time But He Attended The Now-Historic Show At The Phoenix Concert Theater In Toronto On September 20 2007. Performing This Challenging Brilliant Music Inspired The Forming Of A Band... And Druckfarben Was Born. Druckfarben Started Off Performing Covers Of Prog Classics By Yes Genesis King Crimson Gentle Giant Kansas Rush And Others And The Band's First Set March 1 2008 At Roc ’'n Doc’'s In Port Credit Ontario Kicked Off With The Tour-De-Force “"Close To The Edge."” The Band Solidified Their Chemistry With A Monthly Gig At Toronto'’s Orbit Room Co-Owned By Alex Lifeson Of Rush And A Monthly Prog Jam Perhaps The World's One And Only! At Roc ’'n Doc’'s. Area Prog Fans Had Much To Celebrate As A New Community Of Musicians And Fans Was Born With Druckfarben At The Center. As The Band’'s Reputation Grew Audiences Included Kim Mitchell Nick D’Virgilio Spock’s Beard Terry Brown Rush Producer And Other Prog Luminaries. Although Druckfarben Built Up Their Collective Performance Chops On Prog Classics The Band Always Intended To Apply The Fruits Of Those Labors To Their Own Music. Work On Original Material Soon Started With Ed Leading The Songwriting And Production Charge And In October 2011 The Band's Debut Self-Titled CD Emerged In All Its Glory. It’'s A Tribute To The Enduring Love That All Members Of This Quintet Have Had For Progressive Rock Since Their High School Days. Maybe They Should Have Been Doing This All Along... But Two Things Are For Sure Firstly There Could Have Been No Shortcuts To Where Druckfarben Is Now—---The Band Is The Sum Of Its Varied And Extensive Collective Experience. And Secondly The Road Ahead Is Long And Scenic! read less