2009/07/10  Illuminaqua @ Merritt Park; Welland, ON Capturing the pulse of Canada through lyrics Gorgeous string work and storytelling lyrics that often captured the pulse of Canada, floated the music for Friday night's IlluminAqua performance. Two was the magic number for headlining acts David Francey with guitarist Craig Werth, followed by Kathleen Edwards with guitarist Colin Cripps, for an evening of lush melodies and harmonies, with lyrics that struck emotional chords, as well as a national pride within. Both Francey and Edwards shared a sincere rapport with their audience, drawing each listener in with honesty and integrity for their music. Multiple Juno award-winning singer/songwriter David Francey, had an obvious gift for storytelling, and the set-up to each of the songs he and Werth performed had an art to it in itself. The down-to-earth singer shared some beautiful, and very personal, stories with the crowd. In his lilting Scottish accent, he told of his firstlove, whom he'd met when he was quite young, working as a dishwasher in the Ponderosa Steakhouse chain. She had been bussing tables, and as Francey explained, 'she lit up any room she stepped into.' The song he wrote after meeting her over 20 years later was A Conversation, and the lyrics e story but in a rich, musical form. It was all the more fascinating to listen to when set up so intriguingly by Francey. Francey's accompanist on guitar and banjo, Craig Werth, from New Hampshire, added lush vocal harmonies, and a rich musicality to Francey's music -- and indeed, both musicians were essential to the sound. Whether performing the fast, guitar work that made songs such as Ashtabula or Come Rain or Come Shine alive, or simply harmonizing with Francey's a capella version of Torn Screen Door, performed especially for fans who'd shouted it out from their seats, Werth was worth his weight in gold musically. The catchy Tonight My Dreams was so infectious it got the crowd clapping, and another favourite, Ballad of Bowser MacRae, was yet another beauty of a song that showcased Francey's talents as a songwriter, and his pure interest in the people that make this country what it is. It was a set of marvellous stories told in a relaxed, sincere manner, with some great stringwork to back it up. Kathleen Edwards made a somewhat splashier entrance, on a barge driven up to the stage barge. Playing up to the Sugar Plum Fairy classical music, perhaps more fitting for a ballet than a rock concert, Edwards later thanked the crowd for allowing her to "fulfill her secret fantasy" of making such an entrance. "I'll obviously never be a ballerina," she humorously quipped. Edwards too, held an honest rapport with the crowd and praised the IlluminAqua venue as "really cool, and really special." She and her husband, guitarist Colin Cripps, completed another perfect duo for the evening's concert. It was a magic connection to watch the two come together on stage for the more intense guitar portions of their songs. The two seemed so in tune with just each other's music at those times. But Edwards was not without her own stories and setups for songs that fully drew the crowd in. She asked if "Erza" was attending, and explained that she'd received an electronic note from the four-year-old's mother, explaining that Edward's song The Cheapest Key was his favourite but that it had a "bad word" in it, and the little boy was only allowed to say that word with his mother. She performed the song, off her latest CD, Asking for Flowers, but in a family-rated manner, leaving out the "b-word." She then performed it with newly written lyrics that she'd altered for a children's CBC show Mamma Yamma, the children's version being just as enjoyable as the adult version. Although many songs were originals from her three albums, she and Cripps did an awesome cover of the Merle Haggard song Are the Good Times Really Over, picking up the pace into a really rocking, foot-tapping, lively version, with Edwards' vocals almost rising above the music at times. And also, as Francey had done, Edwards' too took a request from the crowd, and played a totally impromptu performance of the hauntingly beautiful Going to California, before closing with their cover of I've Been Cheated, followed by another spur-of-the-moment encore cover of Neil Young's Only Love Can Break Your Heart. It was a evening concert of some really fantastic guitar and vocals, some great stories, and genuinely welcoming entertainers. Friday's IlluminAqua concert felt like a definite connection between performer and listener. Lynn Peppas Welland Tribune				Album reviews Feature articles Interviews Show reviews