A few people were in attendance on Thursday night when Edwin, The Joys and Billy Klippert (Canadian Idol) came to the Joy Supper Club. 

When I first heard of Edwin coming to K-Town I wanted to go to the show because I knew I would get to hear a few I Mother Earth tunes, but then I listened to The Joys and They made my decision final. Just listening to their songs on their myspace site made me want to see the show even more. 

The Joys took to the stage first. I thought that I was going to see the Joys come on to the stage to play after Billy. The Joys are rockers that hail from London, Ontario. Notable facts about The Joys are they received the best live act from the 2006 Toronto TIMAs they beat out over 65 which were being considered for this award. Their sound which is described by the Sarah and Archie is if Led Zepplin, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Melissa Etheridge were to have a baby it would be the Joys. The Joys are sitting high on their third studio album release that is yet to be titled. After the first beat of the drum the band was showed they were ready to open up a Rock Show. Their stage presence and grace showed that they are a well seasoned band not in the sense of Rolling Stones seasoned but seasoned as they have played shows and have gone through the recording process. Sarah plays all the right parts in which a lead singer should do. One of her strong points is that she knows how to work the crowd up really well. She also has a hand in playing the guitar in a few of the bands songs. Archie started to catch my eye early on because he threw his drum sticks in the air, spun and twirled them in his hands. At most I usually a drummer do what he did once during the whole show but every song he was pulling off the stunts. The other band members of the Joys are Mike McKyes on Lead Guitar and Zach Pero on bass guitar. The Joys opened up their seven song set with a song off of their Demolitions Sessions album. “Not Original”,. I found this song was a good choice because is has a fast and a slower rhythm written into the song. The song started off with a guitar solo and the drums quietly hitting the cymbals in the background then with Sara saying “Go” the song started off with the faster pace. In the middle of the song there was a heavy bass solo with Sarah singing along. Another song which I thought was good and fit in well was the song called “I’ll Be Here” the song written about having a summer romance. The Joys played six songs from their upcoming album that is ¾ of the way done right now. The Band made an impression on me with their music and their live act. 

The Joys' Set List... 
1. Not Original 
2. I’ll Be Here 
3. Shady 
4. Keep On Tryin To Try 
5. See The Light 
6. Why 
7. Storm 

When Billy came on to the stage I didn’t really know what to expect. I also never thought that I would ever see someone off of Canadian Idol perform. Billy is backed up with a drummer, A Bassist and a Guitarist When I was watching him walk around the bar before the show he was looked like he was psyched right up for the show. With Billy I am divided between two worlds; one world being that I know he was on Canadian Idol singing and playing to “media induced” teenagers and the odd probably “alcohol induced” Adult. But after seeing him on a bar stage and away from all the exposure that he received and noticing that he was looking forward to play for the few people that were in the crowd, that in a sense gave me a new way of looking at Billy as an musician and not as the Media made and pressed persona. I wasn’t sure what type of music that Billy was going to play if it was pure Rock or if it was Pop Rock which is more common with the Canadian Idol. His songs are ripped a bit from both worlds. “Everthing To Lose” was the first song that Billy played. When the song came on I heard background music being played from the speakers and then I heard a voice and I thought hear we go an Ashley Simpson or Milli Vanilli incident happening right in front of me but it was just the guitarist looking for a monitor check and the prerecorded orchestra background music for the song. I find this song falls more into the Pop music genre than Pop Rock genre. “Wretched Thing” was the second song that Billy Played. This song right away caught my attention because it was heavier than what I ever Expected to hear. I actually really enjoyed this song because it was a rock song and not a pop song. This song is what set me aside to my way of pretence thinking about Billy. He added a Raspiness sound to his voice and the vocals were turned up for the track. It was diffidently heavier from what I thought I would be hearing from him. “Levon” was a slow paced acoustic Track. Billy plays the acoustic guitar. Again this is more of a Pop Rock genre sound that would be heard on Canadian Idol. 

Billy Klippert's Set List... 
1. Everything To Lose 
2. Wretched Thing 
3. Going Under 
4. Jenny 
5. She Comes 
6. Again 
7. Levon 
8. Hold On 
9. Overload 

Edwin came on the stage to finish off the show. When Edwin took the stage the speakers were turned up and his own sound guys took over the soundboard. I didn’t realize but Edwin has had three album releases since he departed from I Mother Earth. As most people think there is more to Edwin just himself, he is backed up by two guitarists’, one bass player and a drummer. They played songs from all three albums. I was looking forward to hear “Superhoney” and any I Mother Earth tunes. They didn’t play any other songs but their fast paced alternative songs. After the first couple of songs they had people in front of the stage and on the floor movin’ around. Edwins’ vocals were and are right on key to which people should remember him from.About the third song or so they played one of the couple I Mother Earth tunes “One more astronaut”. Edwin was in gear to support their new album release Better Days. I found their stage performance like most band was partially fed off of the crowd because they picked up the pace a bit when the crowd started to gather in front of the stage. At the end of their set they came out to play three more songs. They only played a third song because the crowd started to chant “One More Song”. I believe they left the impression that if you come to a show to see Edwin they will leave you leaving the show that it is the Edwin Band. 

Matt Hartwick
m.hartwick@partyinkingston.com