The Owl Acoustic Lounge was doing double duty, June 16. They had an excellent singer songwriter showcase at 7 p.m. featuring four excellent Alberta talents including Edmonton’s Kimberley MacGregor, Red Deer based hirsute country/ folk singer Levi Cuss and clean shaven Curtis Phagoo, and Edmonton folk/ country songwriter John Guliak.
They all had their own unique styles as they each took turns singing one of their songs. One of my favourites Kimberley MacGregor belted out big, bluesy vocals, introducing several new songs and ending with my favourite “Trouble,” from her most recent CD.
I was glad to hear John Guliak again, as he played Shaela Miller’s Windy City Opry at the Slice last month, but I only caught a few of his songs. He brought to mind Bob Snider and Gordon Lightfoot as he wove compelling musical tales. He played several songs from his latest CD “Fluke or Flounder,” including the highlight “Triptych.”
Curtis Phagoo had more of a folk pop sound similar to Paul Simon and Danny Michel. He was a pleasant surprise as he also sang some compelling original music.
Levi Cuss was a hoot, bringing a more outlaw country sound with a lot of humour as he played stripped down versions of songs from his EP “Just Below Country” which he recorded with Steve Dawson in Nashville. His highlights were “White lies“ and “One Night Stand.”
