Partridge brings a touch of home to the Cultural Centre

March 5, 2014 · 0 Comments

By Brock Weir

Preparing for his next Aurora gig this week, musician David Partridge is taking cobwebs off a lamp and beating the dust off an old rug he keeps in the basement because, after all, it is all about the ambiance.

It might seem unorthodox, but these are the tools in Mr. Partridge’s trade, bringing a homey atmosphere into the Aurora Cultural Centre this Friday, March 7 for the first schoolHOUSE Concert of the season.

Bringing together “three voices and three repertoires” for one great night of music, Mr. Partridge will be joined on stage by Howard Rabkin of Evolution and Lawrie Ingels of the Elton Rohn Band for the sounds of the sixties through the present day, covers and originals, almost entirely unplugged.

“I had been doing a number of these house concerts which people have in their homes, invite friends, charge and admission and sometimes have snacks,” says Mr. Partridge. “It is very informal and I thought it was a great way to ‘see’ music because it is so intimate.”

Mr. Partridge and his cohorts will be taking over one half of Brevik Hall, with clusters of chairs separated by small tables to keep the conversation and intimacy alive.

“To give it flavour, I actually bring a rug from home that I have in my basement and an old lap I took out of my mother’s house and I put those up on stage more in a sense of good humour than anything, but to give a sense of intimacy.”

The house concert also takes the form of a song circle, where a musician can start a song in their own repertoire, but it is anyone’s guess on where the song will end up. It is a format he picked up on Canada’s East Coast two years ago and one which he has embraced in concerts.

“It happens very often where performers know the same song that you can’t be remotely surprised when somebody sitting beside you jumps in on the chorus or plays the guitar part,” he says. “There is an organic element to it, but also the element of surprise where you never know exactly what is going to happen!”

To see for yourself, tickets for Friday’s concert are now on sale and available through the Aurora Cultural Centre by calling 905-713-1818. Doors open at 7.30 p.m.