Neighbours of High Park – March Issue
For the March issue of Neighbours of High Park we had the awesome opportunity to photograph Meaghan and Dave from Parkside Drive. We met up at their apartment and stayed for an hour to shoot and talk about music. You may notice that I did use a prop from the Beatles, which was just lying around. The written segment below is by my friend Cassandra Irving.
Meet Meghan Parnell and Dave Barnes
With their edgy style and wall of guitars, it is easy to tell as you walk into Meghan Parnell and Dave Barnes’ High Park apartment that they are musicians. “Dave wanted to move closer to downtown, so when he found this apartment between the top of Roncesvalles and the bottom of the Junction and across from one of Toronto’s great music venues, Hugh’s Room, it seemed perfect. The place has a lot of character and enough space for us both to work from home, and it’s minutes away from all forms of public transportation,” says Meghan.
The two first met years ago when Dave was auditioning singers for his cover band, Parkside Drive. “I was gigging with one of his friends at the time. He asked if he could pass my information on to Dave. I auditioned for the band and was hired that night,” remembers Meghan. The two became very good friends over the next couple of years. They began dating and doing life together and now are common law partners as well as band mates and business partners. Dave, who graduated from Humber College with a diploma in Jazz Studies and a Bachelor of Arts, is the full-time band leader for Parkside Drive, a Toronto-based event band.
“We play corporate functions and weddings, covering a variety of music to appeal to all ages and music preferences. We also play a number of bars in the city where our repertoire tends to focus on blues and soul music,” says Dave. “Nine years ago we hadn’t named the band yet, but had a gig coming up. Dave lived close to Parkside and suggested it as a name. It stuck immediately. We find it funny that in almost every city we play, there’s a Parkside Drive nearby. So we always get asked if we are named after that particular street,” says Meghan. Meghan, who has been working in the film industry for the last 15 years, recently decided to leave her day-job and pursue her music career full-time. She says she’s most excited about a new original music project she and Dave are collaborating on. “We’re forming a new five-piece band called Bywater and will be focusing on sounds of the south–blues, gospel and southern rock inspired music.”
Meghan says they have started performing the new material in a few Toronto venues and are planning to record an EP later this year. “Dave and I will be taking the music of Bywater out West to the Vancouver area in April, performing as a duo on a short West Coast tour along with a couple of friends who have an original project of their own.” When not performing or practicing, Dave spends a lot of time working on his amplifiers and guitars, and Meghan is taking mandolin lessons. They also like to check out the live music scene in the city. “And we’re big food fans. We’ll often check out new brunch spots with friends who live in the area, including Roncesvalles, Bloor and Keele, the Junction and Bloor West Village.” Meghan says that she and Dave are also Toronto Sports fans. “We are big Blue Jays fans. In fact, we are toying with the idea of attending a spring training game in Florida. We also, over the last few years, have been following the Raptors, especially during playoffs. I guess we’re fair-weather fans,” Meghan admits with a chuckle. “It feels like the whole city is coming together when we are rallying behind our sports teams!” When they can, Dave and Meghan enjoy taking trips to cities that inspire them musically.
“We went to Cuba this winter for the third time. We always make sure to seek out local music. The last time we went, instead of staying at an all-inclusive hotel, we rented a car and drove from Varadero to Trinidad City to Havana. We stayed in ‘cas’ where locals rent out rooms in their homes, so we were really able to get a feel for the cities. The music was wonderful, especially in Havana, and we were able to really connect with the musicians themselves,” says Meghan. “We also LOVE New Orleans. I’ve been twice and Dave has been three times. The first time we went we absolutely fell in love with the place. Again, it was the music that really got us. They have clearly maintained their musical identity there and the musicians show a lot of support for each other. We would see someone from a show we just went to show up later at another bar to check out their friend’s gig. And the food is amazing and the city is beautiful.” Meghan says they also enjoyed Chicago and would love to go back sometime soon. “Especially because both Dave and I have a strong connection with the Blues. Buddy Guy has a great bar there. It has live music pretty much all day, every day. Buddy Guy himself frequents the bar; in fact, we got to meet him one night.”
To get to know Meghan and Dave
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