Po' Girl jam with special guests

As the night wore on at the Black Sheep Inn, Po' Girl called to stage various friends from the audience to join them for a tune or two. Luther Wright, Lyndell Montgomery, Kristin Sweetland, Jeremy Lindsay (JT & the Clouds), Rueben deGroot and Asia Matthews.

Here they are playing "O Mary Don't You Weep", a track first recorded in 1915 and years later one of the highlights of the 2006 Bruce Springsteen with The Seeger Sessions Band Tour.

Po' Girl at the Black Sheep Inn

Last night some friends and I drove out to the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield QC to see Po' Girl. I last saw them play at Guelph's Hillside 25 in July. They were great at Hillside but they were smokin' at the Black Sheep.

Opening the show was Lyndell Montgomery formerly of the band Ember Swift. Her show was rather unique as the majority of it was solo with her on vocals and electric bass. She did switch it up for a couple of tunes when she picked up the violin and impressed the audience with the depth of her musical ability.

At the end of her set, guitar sensation, Kristin Sweetland stepped on stage to help her out. I really enjoyed Lyndell's set and would have loved to see more of Sweetland.


Kristin Sweetland joins Lyndell Montgomery

Joining me on this Thursday night were Dave, Rick, Jen, and Yvan. I'm not sure if everybody knew exactly what they were in for but by the end of the night they were definitely hooked. Alli was as angelic as ever and although I've often heard the saying "she has a smile that lights up the room" I had never honestly come across one as glowing and infectious as Alli's.

Alli at Hillside 25 in Guelph (July '08)



What I like most about this venue is its intimacy. By the end of the night you walk away feeling like you've just spent an evening in the band's living room. There's even a little pug that wanders around table to table checking everybody out.




At the end of the night Dave and I stuck around to talk with some of the band. Dave chatted with Benny Sidelinger about guitar making and with Kristin Sweetland whom he recognized from last years' Canadian Guitar Festival while I spoke very briefly with Alli and Awna who were busy saying goodbye to friends.