Diary of a rising star kathleen edwards barnstorms america, lands dates with willie for proof that kathleen edwards has come a long way from waiting tables at the black sheep inn in wakefield, que., consider the week she spent jetting across america in late june. it began on the austin city limits stage, where edwards taped a segment that will air on pbs in the fall. from there, it was off to l.a.for the tonight show with jay leno. and, finally, five days after the whirlwind began, the apron of the grand ole opry in nashville. "what a crazy (expletive) week that was," exhaled edwards. "after all those years of watching broadcasts of so many great artists on austin city limits, it was great to see what that backdrop of the skyline looks like in person. and i think the taping went ok." the appearance that really had edwards wound up -- and very nearly psyched out -- was the one at the opry. "i was terrified going into that building and i was under the impression that the musicians at the opry are a very insular group of people. i didn't know how they would receive what we do." but she found out opry attitudes have changed considerably since the byrds were met with a less than enthusiastic response in 1968. "brad paisley was hosting and he and everyone else were really nice. they made a big deal about it being our debut." so what does an artist who can rock like neil young and crazy horse pull out for her opry unveiling? acoustic guitars, for starters. there's something about vintage martin guitars that go a long way towards turning a rock chick into a queen of the silver dollar, she found. "we did two shows and performed both in state and back to me and i also dug up one of my favourrite lesser- known neil young tunes from harvest moon. they liked us." no longer just a rising star, edwards finds herself in a place lucinda williams inhabited in the late '80s. artistic expectations are high and demands on her time are unending. touring behind her sophomore effort back to me, heralded by many as one of the year's best roots-rock recordings, edwards is making her first appearance in edmonton since the 2004 junos. her saturday show is one of seven dates that finds her opening for country music icon willie nelson in western canada. "for starters, it's just nice to be home in canada. it's great to be on a tour with willie nelson but i'll also know where to get a cup of coffee in every city and town we play," snaps edwards, who fires back answers as quickly as she receives the queries during a 20-minute conversation. she's genuinely excited about touring with the man who has stood at the vanguard of american music for the past five decades, playing hits like in state to huge houses while minding her ever-improving voice. "i'm pleased that people are noticing i'm becoming a better vocalist. i'm taking better care of it. i don't drink alcohol before a show and noticed if i smoked weed, i would start getting hoarse." after the nelson tour, edwards will again be favouring acoustic guitars as she booked to open more american dates for both john prine and aimee mann. the final date is one with mann in san francisco's fabled fillmore west auditorium. "i just look at what is going on this summer and how can i not feel like i won the lottery?" says edwards, and she climbs back on her tour bus. peter north edmontonjournal.com				Album reviews Feature articles Interviews Show reviews