On Thursday night Kim Churchill, JD Edwards and The Tom Savage Trio took to the stage at The Mansion for what I will say was a memorable night.

It was unfortunate that more people didn’t come down to the Mansion on Thursday night. The place did have travelers coming and going as the night progressed on. It was diffidently Kim Churchill that brought most of the crowd in.

I was able to catch Kim Churchill perform during his sound check and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and hearing. As I headed up the stairs in the Mansion I would have swore that it was a full band that was playing on stage but when I got in all I saw was Kim front and center. The best quote that I can think of during his set and after his set is “Holy Shit This Guy Can Play”. Not only does he fingerpick/Tap/ Fretboard Pick, but he also plays the Bass Drum, Tambourine, Stompbox, Harmonica and a wide array of Pedals. If Kim was to play at the Canadian Guitar Festival he would be a sure favourite to win.  I could sit there and watch him just play his acoustic guitar all night and when he adds the beats and rhythm to the song with kick drum and tambourine I was just blown away. Also to top it all off Kim is only 19 years old (19 YEARS OLD), I can’t even imagine playing like that ever in my life. Many of his lyrics are well thought out and about a few of his real life experiences. A couple of the stories that Kim told and explained were quite interesting. We also got to hear a couple of new songs which included the song “Ember”. Kingston was one of the last couple of stops that he had left in Canada, before he goes back to Australia.

Up next following an act that I don’t think many would want to be was JD Edwards. This was his second set of the night. He originally started of the night with about a thirty minute set. Making a stop in Kingston on his way across eastern Canada JD Edwards brought his collection of Prairie, Country, Rock Canadian songs. What I liked the most about his performance was his vocals. You could almost feel the depth which he has put into his lyrics, they also didn’t have a country twang but a raspy almost east coast tinge. Unfortunately for JD a couple songs into his set while playing a softer slower tempo song his D string broke on his guitar. This must have happened to him before because he had the old string off and the new string on in about thirty seconds. While his string was being replaced JD started to explain the meaning behind the song that he was going to sing without his guitar, He also added in one of his many harmonicas that he brought on stage to play. One of the last songs that JD played was a song that he wrote inside of a workshop with street kids in Winnipeg. The song was a lot different compared to the other songs which he played earlier on, this song was pretty much written for fun and had a funky additive added to the lyrics and guitars.

Tom Savage Trio came onto the stage to finish off the night. This is about the third or fourth time that I have watched Tom Savage Trio play live. Tonight they had Chris playing drums again; I haven’t seen their other drummer play live yet. There is a couple of covers that’s pretty much a guarantee within their set list, there is going to be at least one Neil Young song, but they do not go the conventional route that you normally would hear. Their song arrangement is a very collective one, as they border along Country, Classic Rock, Blues and with the inclusion of a couple of covers thrown in. One thing that I have noticed more and more is that Tom likes to Jam out within almost every song that he plays, and his facial expressions usually come close to what he is playing, he gives blues players a good run for their money. Also I don’t think that I have ever seen a drummer enjoy playing as much as Chris does, I don’t think the smile on his face left the entire time that he was playing, he is not out there to play but to have a good time as well. By the nights end the Mansion had started to thin out a little bit from when they took to the stage, but still not a bad crowd considering the time that they finished playing.