New downtown venue will “foster love, joy, and creativity” with diverse booking policy

The city’s newest downtown venue is set to open its doors this weekend, bringing the sounds of live music back to Water Street.

Bar 379 will open on Friday, March 22 in the space that was previously occupied by the Twisted Wheel, a venue that opened in 2018 but later closed after the sudden death of its co-owner, Jonathan Hall. 

The venue sat empty for years, but now Conner Clarkin, who also owns Revelstoke Café on George Street, hopes to honour Hall’s legacy by reviving the Twisted Wheel under a new name.

Working at the venue in the week before its opening, Clarkin and his long-time friend and collaborator Collin Chepeka expressed excitement for the venture.

“We open this Friday and we are already booking events up through August,” Clarkin grinned.

“Stand-up comedy, film screenings, drag shows, DJ nights, punk bands, folk bands; you name it, we’re hosting it. I can’t wait to see all the talent that comes through here.”

Chepeka said he hopes the venue becomes known “as an inclusive space that takes a chance on artists of all sorts and encompasses all the best parts of the Peterborough venues we’ve lost over the years.”

Clarkin and Chepeka shared fond memories of The Spill, which was the first venue both played at in downtown Peterborough as teenagers. The Spill’s owner, Dave Tobey, “took a chance on anyone who wanted to do something other than play in their parents’ basements,” Chepeka said.

Bar 379 will be open to patrons and artists of all ages, with acts determining their own age restrictions for shows as necessary. 

“It is fundamentally important to us that despite what is going on in the rest of the world, this is a place to foster love, joy, and creativity for everyone,” Chepeka said. “Existing as a marginalized other is a form of resistance and we want to emphasize that here.”

For Clarkin, that approach is summed up in one word: punk. “Being a punk bar for us is about love as an act of resistance and taking no bullshit from anyone.”

Asked what having a new space like that in downtown Peterborough would mean to them, local drag performer Sahira Q responded, “Honestly it would give me a reason to exist in downtown Peterborough more. It gives me a spot to hang out at where I know I will be safe no matter what.”

Sahira Q is a star of Bar 379’s upcoming Bad Friday Drag Show on March 29th. They used to run events like drag shows and queer trivia nights at Twisted Wheel and they’re bringing performers from their company of drag darlings, Haus of Q, back to 379 Water Street this spring. “You can expect to see good drag, bad drag, interesting drag, ugly drag, beautiful drag — and we’ll be back for more performances downtown as the city thaws out,” they said.

Michael Duguay is another artist slated to perform at Bar 379. He’ll bring his experimental rock project, VALLEYSPEAK, to the venue on March 24 — the final of the venue’s three opening weekend shows.

“I performed solo at Twisted Wheel once in 2018,” Duguay said. “It was the last time I saw Jonny before he passed away. It was great to be there and to see this space as a distillation of Jonny’s dreams and ambitions.”

Duguay said he hopes Bar 379 provides “another viable option for local musicians to perform and workshop their material along with other great venues like Jethro’s, The Pig’s Ear, and Sadleir House.”

“I probably would not be a professional musician if it weren’t for the venues that existed and nurtured talent when I was a teenager like The Spill and The Gordon Best,” Duguay said. “So I hope that 379 makes a point of connecting with younger groups and hosting safe all-ages events so that this tradition continues.”

A new venue moving in downstairs might make for some loud nights for the tenants who live above it. But Kelly Goodwin, who recently moved into the building, is supportive. “We were super excited to hear about the bar opening,” she said. “The vibe in this area of downtown gives a little bit of a small village feel at times. I’m looking forward to checking out some of the shows at the bar.”

Fellow tenant Geoffrey Cripps was a bit more cautious. “I have been having some mixed emotions regarding the whole thing,” he said, recalling the loud music that would sometimes keep him up until very early in the morning when the Twisted Wheel operated below his apartment.

Still, Cripps is willing to give the venue a chance. “Cocktails and drag shows at 379 make me think of the Sapphire Lounge, and punk and hip-hop remind me of the Red Dog and The Spill,” he said, referring to three local venues that have closed. “I want to see Peterborough getting back some of those kinds of spaces again but I am particularly hopeful that it states its queer affiliation loud and proud. Even if it means I don’t get to bed until 4 a.m. on a Saturday night, I’ll give it a pass for that.”

Clarkin said his goals for the venue go beyond music and entertainment. “We also want to be known for kickass cocktails and excellent hospitality,” he said. Bar 379 will serve free popcorn and sell charcuterie, sausage rolls, and soft pretzels from The Food Shop across the street, he said.

Ultimately, though, the venue is about community. “What I’m most excited about is hosting the community and helping to rebuild the music scene downtown,” Clarkin said.

Correction: This article was updated after a reader reached out to say the article incorrectly stated the Twisted Wheel closed in 2019. The Twisted Wheel closed in March 2020, the reader informed us.