Taking the reins of the Dream Café last July, general manager Hazel Bennett’s focus was to inject a new, youthful vibrancy into the iconic colourful Front Street music stage and eatery.
Founded by Pierre Couture in 2001 across the street from it’s present location, over the years Dream has become an intimate, cozy setting, more like live a live music concert in your living room.
Bennett feels there is room to grow. Her vision for the 110-seat cafe is the incorporation of its well-steeped musical heritage with the excitement of the future.
| General manager of the Dream Café Co-op Hazel Bennett has a new vision for the future.Mark Brett/Western News |
“This year has been a bit of a change, I won’t say it’s improved because we had great shows before, but I think it’s been a year of growth,” said Bennett who also works as the Dream’s marketing manager, a role she moved into last September. “I’m trying to diversify our genres as well, we needed to grow a different age group, a different demographic in our regular client base.
“There’s a lot of greying going on in the café so we really needed to attract a little bit younger fan base.”
So far it seems to be working.
“I get a show of hands just about every night, who has never been here before and some nights it’s half the room, so that to me is a good sign that we’re growing,” said Bennett. “I hear from a lot of people, musicians and customers that there’s nowhere else like this. I just came back from PEI (Prince Edward Island) and everyone in the music business I talked to there said ‘Oh, I’ve heard of you, you’re doing good things.”
| Christina Martin on stage at the Dream Café. The Nova Scotia singer/songwriter loved the venue.Mark Brett/Western News |
Canadian singer/songwriter Christina Martin performed to a full house Saturday, her first time at the Dream Café.
Related: Award-winning singer/songwriter Christina Martin coming to the Penticton
“I knew it was a great venue but it surpassed my expectations,” said Martin afterwards. “The room sounds wonderful, the way they set it up it just lends itself to a great experience, like having a conversation with the audience in such a way that it supports that listening room experience, feeling the connection, really warm, cozy atmosphere.”
According to Bennett, her Saturday show featured the type of artist she hopes to provide more of.
“I’ve been introducing more Canadiana singer/songwriter. We were getting a lot of blues and I think that’s because that’s what Pierre and Debra (Rice) really loved — blues and folk — which I love as well, but I’m trying to mix it up a little bit, CBC top 20 picks and Juno winners,” she said. “I’m open to all genres really as long as it draws a crowd and it’s not too loud for the room, that is one of the issues.”
Related: Penticton teen performing in support of YES Project at the Dream Café
Adding some jazz, country and comedy into the mix are other ways she hopes to recruit a younger audience base.
“One of the other things I have organized, starting in January, I have what I’m calling the emerging artists series,” said Bennett.
“I’m bringing in some lesser known, newer artists and just opening it up for people who may not have heard of these emerging artists. Kind of, ‘I saw them before they were big,’”
For that series, local artists are particularly high on the list.
| Christina Martin with Dale Murray at the Dream Café, their first time at the iconic Penticton music venue.Mark Brett/Western News |
“All summer we had Jessica Singleton performing during our lunches and she’s someone who is going someplace, she could be the next rising star,” said Bennett. “And Mason Burns, he’s on a trajectory right now too, he’s off to Asia and I have him coming back in January or February, that’s another one who needs to be known as from Penticton.
“I think it’s really important to support young people in music, and attract young people who may not come to a venue like this and get that love of live music that I think is disappearing with young people.”
Related: Dream Café back on track
Over the years, the Dream has been ranked among the best venues of its type and in 2015 the Dream Café Co-op was formed to buy the business from Price and Couture in order to keep it going.
Operations were suspended Oct. 1, 2016 due to cash flow problems but it re-opened just over a month later after a series of fundraisers and some structural changes.
“The Dream Café’s got a vibe and I think we created a bit of a buzz again, once you come to the Dream, you’ll keep coming back, I know I did,” said Bennett.
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