Peter Dreams and MOONRIIVR is an instant classic, especially is seen live

“By no means do I consider myself a religious person, but sharing these songs and feelings feels like a religious experience to me”

Perhaps best known, so far, for his work in three-time JUNO Award-winning alternative rock band July Talk Peter Dreams (real name Peter Dreimanis) reappeared last year on the FME lineup. Chattered rolled through the small town of Rouyn-Noranda of Peter’s highly anticipated new record being previewed at the festival. The room filled with old fans and those curious about all the chatter most of whom inevitably left as new fans. At that time, only one or two songs were publicly available so this dramatic and shadowy performance felt quite special, to say the least. Over the next few months, Six Shooter Records released singles one by one leading up to the February 14th, Peter Dreams and MOONRIIVR, album release date.

Meanwhile, this record has been in regular rotation in this household, all this is to say that small rural festivals are not to be overlooked.

The February 26th, let’s call it album release party, took over Toronto’s Axis Club which erupted in unison to the first beats of “Do Like I Do”. The stage background is an old school window with a chiffon curtain swing in the artificial wind. Throughout the evening this window showed us a view of the ocean, midnight city, and stormy skies, setting the mood for each individual track. The fog machine, naturally added to the mood, occasionally storming the stage with ‘clouds’.

Peter Dreams and MOONRIIVR, as the record title obviously states, this project is done in collaboration with MOONRIIVR who kickstarted this evening’s celebrations. Collaborative project of producer and bandleader Gavin Gardiner and guitarist “Champagne” James Robertson accompanied by drummer Lyle Molzan and bassist Ben Whitely MOONRIIVR create nostalgic music often using vintage gear, “Bachelor Nation” is perhaps an ideal example of the vibe this band brings. To no surprise a ukulele made an appearance matching a whistle solo and then there was an outstanding performance by a guest flute.

Peter Dreams walked out on stage to roaring applause and took his place on stage, standing still like a statue. Tucked in a plaid shirt with sleeked-back hair coupled with the many toques in the room made this whole thing feel like a very Canadian experience. The event was heavily documented with many videographers and photographers pacing the stage and the room all around. Peter’s stage presence for the first few songs felt rather restrained, but only in comparison to his wild performance at FME. As the show went on he began to take the stage in strides interacting with the bend, dancing, and spinning, “Bad Habits” is the track that brings top-notch energy to the stage.

Throughout the evening Peter spoke to how this record came about, the deeply personal back stories of many of the songs, grief, and how difficult it can be to describe and process feelings. The record is a collection of songs he never thought he let see the light because of their emotional and personal nature, but there they are and the fans are … enthralled, enamoured, a little bit in love perhaps.

This room was filled with Peter’s friends, even if distant through resonance brought through music. “One more song and it’s a surprise, we’ve never done this before. This one is for Leah!” What came next was an energetic cover of Otis Redding’s “A Little Tenderness”.