2008/07/25  Pemberton Festival; Pemberton, BC ... Over on the Lillooet Stage, Canada's country-rock darling Kathleen Edwards was a welcome and grounding antidote to all that dude rock. Her sweet acoustic guitar work and melodic drawl were a perfect accompaniment to the nearing dusk and cooling temperatures. People sprawled on blankets or sat on the dusty straw-like grass, easing into the music and the laid-back festival vibe. Unfortunately, Serj Tankian - the System of a Down frontman who's indulging his solo aspirations - was still playing on the main stage and the lineup for the dance club tent was several thousand strong when Edwards began her set. But even though she didn't have the crowd she deserved, she didn't seem to mind, commenting repeatedly on the beauty of the setting and being her wonderfully self-deprecating self between tunes. She told the crowd she was suffering from a concussion - due to a Queen Street biking accident - but she managed to be a highlight of the day. ... Ontario-based country rocker Kathleen Edwards was a welcome and grounding antidote to the rest of the day's noisier, harder musical offerings. Her sweet acoustic strumming and melodic drawl were a perfect accompaniment to the nearing evening and cooler temperatures. People sprawled on blankets or sat on the dusty straw-like grass, easing into the music and the laid-back festival vibe. Unfortunately, Serj Tankian was still playing on the main stage and the line-up for the dance club tent was several thousand strong when Edwards began her set, so she didn't have the crowd she deserved. But she didn't seem to mind, commenting repeatedly on the beauty of the setting. Edwards sounded genuinely pained (in a good way) on the gorgeous title track off her new album, Asking for Flowers. But she can also rock with the best of her ilk (think Lucinda Williams or Neko Case). She was certainly a highlight of the day - and she had a concussion from falling off her bike a few days ago. Impressive. Amy O'Brian The Vancouver Sun				Album reviews Feature articles Interviews Show reviews