Emm Gryner

WHO: Emm Gryner
WHERE: Lydia's
WHEN: June 30/07

Emm Gryner is unfortunately not as much of an anomaly in Canadian music as she should be. An accomplished musician who runs her own Canadian record label (Dead Daisy Records), has toured with David Bowie and The Cranberries, and who plays a mean Thin Lizzy cover, Gryner should be selling clubs much larger than Lydia's.

But luckily for the audience, we were able to see her up close at this show. Gryner has a rock star exterior, a hardened skin over her heart. Her own songs were beautiful, and I wished she played more of them — Black Winged Bird stood out — but she can also do covers. At one point she accompanied herself solely on bass guitar for a Thin Lizzy cover. It was strange to see someone do this, but oddly fitting, as the low notes provided a solid accompaniment that didn't compete with her amazing voice.

She then ripped through a full set of covers of old Irish songs, covers of '80s rock, and a few of her own gems. The appreciative audience begged for more and she closed off with a cover of Pour Some Sugar on Me. I wish we could have experienced more of her intensely personal stuff, but regardless, Gryner was great to see.

For more context on Gryner's accomplishments,check out this article, which appeared in The Star Phoenix before her show.