Mrs. Henry, Chest Fever and Fine Dining ‘Brought Down the House’ at The Dream Café
Long recognized as an outstanding music venue since it was founded in 2001, The Dream Café has a reputation “among artists and audiences alike, as a premium live entertainment venue across Canada and further afield.”
The room is known as a listening room – a rare gem where the performers are given the gift of attention. In return, the audience have an experience without parallel to soak up the artists’ creativity and connect with them in what has been called a communal living room.
With such ambiance and in celebration of 55 years of The Band releasing its self-named album, Chest Fever truly channeled the legendary Canadian classic rock group. “The Official Revival of The Band” tour by Chest Fever went beyond recreating the familiar tunes to presenting a new spin on the music.
Chef Matt Martin joined The Dream Café in 2023 so now there is also a new spin on the food. Offering an ethnic influence on his delectable, fresh, and nutritious menu, Chef Matt ensures your warm welcome and outstanding music experience now includes great food.
About Chef Matt and the Cuisine
Chef Matt began his career “at the tender age of 15, moving through the ranks” of some top Okanagan restaurants. He pursued a dream of working in Michelin starred restaurants by moving to Copenhagen and San Francisco to work at 1 Michelin starred Relae and 3 Michelin starred Atelier Crenn. For a couple years, he was the Executive Chef of Liquidity Bistro. After Liquidity he moved to Montreal thrilled to explore its food scene. There, he worked at some of the best restaurants in the country. Now he is pairing his food with music and the eclectic ambiance of The Dream Café on Front Street in Penticton.
While we hadn’t dined at the music venue since his arrival, we were confident given meals we had enjoyed at Liquidity Bistro in his tenure there. I ordered the Chef Curated 3 Course Menu and others in our group selected to try out various options from the a la carte menu. We were pleased the Drink Menu offers local beer, cider, and wine selections. We selected the Three Sisters Winery Gamay Noir knowing it would be versatile in the food pairings.
Mrs. Henry Warms the Way for Chest Fever
San Diego Music Award winning rock group Mrs. Henry is led by Dan Cervantes (Howlin Rain guitarist + Blind Owl label owner), and comprised by Jody Bagley (Vocals and Keyboards), Blake Dean (Vocals and Bass), Chad Lee (Vocals and Drums), Allan Ritter (Vocals and Drums), and Doug Organ (organ).
Mrs. Henry performed their own tunes including a beautiful rock ballad “Everybody Wants Peace and Love” from their concept record and rock opera “Keep On Rising”. They posed as the warmup band for Chest Fever, playfully promising the audience, the “real band” would be on after a short break.
After a wardrobe change and a few refreshments, Mrs. Henry returned as alter ego Chest Fever. The band members’ musicality, diversity of instruments, and personalities had already won over the crowd. So, the admiration grew deeper as old favourites from The Band echoed through the room. It’s no surprise their performance is Robbie Robertson-approved. Many in the audience would have spent the night even if Chest Fever just kept replaying The Band music and their own compositions.
“The Official Revival of The Band” tour continues through June in Western Canada and California, USA. “Keep On Rising: A 21st Century Rock Opera” by Mrs. Henry will be available July 5, 2024, and can be pre-ordered now.
