Kathleen Edwards at Trinity St. Paul Church; Friday February 13, 2009

Kathleen Edwards at Trinity St. Paul Church; Friday February 13, 2009.

The openers were terrible. They would make the ultimate back up band because their musicianship was quite inventive and intriguing at times. But once any of the guys opened their mouths to sing, i just sort of wanted to shut myself out and get the rest i really needed at that moment. They get serious points for having an upright bass though, i don't think it gets much more classy than that.Kathleen Edwards is a gem. She has an incredibly beautiful charm to her that i think few artists really have, or maybe at very most I can say it's a Canadian thing. If you need clarification of this charm i'm alluding to, think of the Canadian sweethearts: Sarah Harmer, Melissa McClelland and Amy Millan—maybe not them personally but definitely their music. Edwards was dressed in a pretty blouse with a high waisted pencil skirt and knee-high stockings that just didn't look right, finished with casual bomber boots. It was classy but homegrown, and i dug it. At the beginning of her set she outright said “I wore my Sunday best for church today... but i don't do thongs...”. She anticipated the crowd gawking at her beautiful figure and her visible full-bottomed underwear (I was second row and i saw absolutely nothing!). Some guy in response yelled: “No Rolls!”. She laughed in response, positively... To be quite honest i'm a fairly new Kathleen Edwards fan. I've had her second album 'Back to Me' for quite some time now. It was one of those Canadian albums that you felt you should just own, just because... perhaps that's just my sick, sick habit, regardless it felt like an essential. It was only recently that i found myself drawn to her album 'Asking For Flowers', released mid-2008. It's not a far stretch from her other ones, but I strongly believe that she's just an artist who has found her niche much earlier than others. I liked 'Asking...' particularly for the song “Asking for Flowers”—I was procrastinating studying when i watched an interview of her on Youtube where she described that song and what inspired her to write it. She said that it was a lady who used that analogy for a bust relationship... in that you can't ask for flowers to genuinely receive them. OK so the truth is out i'm a sap but that really stuck with me and still does. She ended up playing that song fourth in the set... I sort of hate when they do that because your climax for the concert is so early!!! There's no bleed, angst or anticipation. She did a beautiful job, as did her band,Her band is comprised of two guitarists... one named Colin Cripps, the primary guitarist but more in the limelight is Jim Bryson. She immediately announced that he has a lovely wife and baby in the audience. From the start of the set it was clear that she herself wanted to start a family real soon... By the end of the set she was tearing at the end of a tune because she glanced at Bryson's wife and baby boy swaying to her tunes.... She said “My womb is longing”. She also made it clear her husband wasn't too down for that. She excused her husband's absence because he was playing a gig with Jim Cuddy... She didn't seem too impressed but she handled it in good humour. She turned to the dozen roses which her husband had left for her the night before on her pillow and in turn she brought them. She said: “My husband is playing with Jim Cuddy because he pays more... Those flowers I don't need to pay!!!”. She then went on to dedicate “Asking For Flower” to Jim Cuddy, and let out a quiet but very noticeable “...Fuck You”. Cheeky.Her sound was terrific and her band was flawless. They held there own with just three guitars and Bryson alternating between piano and guitar. I was really amazed that they could achieve the full, lush recorded sounds from three musicians. I was truly surprised by how much i knew of her material, considering i didn't study or listen to her more than i ever wished to. Even still i enjoyed everything I didn't know because her voice is clear and understandable. It felt more like story telling so I could hear everything first listen, easily.It was a tremendous show and i can't wait to see Neko Case at this venue. There isn't a bad seat in the house and it's the warmest venue in the city.

February 14, 2009