A Musician Like None Other
Daniel Champagne deserves a five star review
Last night, I attended a concert that was shockingly beautiful. I was invited last week by a family member who had an extra ticket to see Daniel Champagne perform at the West End Cultural Centre (WECC). I had seen posters for the event up in my neighborhood but had never listened to his music before. I chose to accept the invitation based on her excitement. I was told that he’s a folk musician with his own unique style on the guitar. The WECC also has an outstanding reputation for selling out shows and attracting talent to their small room so I didn’t give it a second thought.
I decided to familiarize myself with some of Daniel’s music before the show, so I streamed some of his music in my headphones as I went for a morning walk earlier this week. I was pleasantly surprised, but not blown away at the smooth sound of his voice. The accompanying guitar was what stood out to me, both melodic and percussive. I would later find out however, that the recording did not do his performance justice. Below is a live recording from last night's show to give you some perspective.
Fast forward to the night of the show and we arrived at the WECC. As we sat waiting for the room to fill at the venue, I could tell based on the energy of the crowd that I was in for a treat. Dressed in timeless styles, the patrons’ voices could be heard murmuring with excitement, and as the performer came on stage, the crowd went silent with anticipation.
Daniel began to tap the fretboard and body of the guitar vigorously, creating a spectacle as he swayed to the beat and waved his guitar above his head. A few members of the crowd exclaimed nervously, and the artist persisted to play his instrument with a passion and mastery that comes only with years of intimate practice. In an interview he put it this way, saying he was inspired by “a lot of different guitar players that [he] learned from growing up and a lot of experimentation.”
As the show went on, it became apparent that this was not just an act, that this truly was Daniel’s unique play style, combining elements of classical guitar with modern folk, blues and novel techniques. He would use strumming, picking, tapping, hammer-ons, harmonics, detuning and retuning, all throughout his songs and in between as he regaled us with stories. He would even use his capo in open tuning to slide up and down the neck, allowing chords to ring out as he played a percussive rhythm on the guitar’s body.
Daniel Champagne would occasionally strum the strings at the headstock to create a chime that would cut through the tune emanating from his guitar. I was amazed at the detail, tone and clarity with which the subtlety of his playing resounded through the pickup and over the loudspeakers.
The performance was truly mesmerizing, an audiovisual masterpiece created by one man with one all-too-common instrument! His vigorous playing style has left his guitar with a weathered character and the constant retuning requires him to change his strings daily. His girlfriend Emily is a wonderful artist in her own rite, crafting jewelry from his used strings.
The guitar, with all its character was it too a work of art. Daniel Champagne plays custom-made Cole Clark guitars and he recently had the misfortune of having one stolen from him in Kamloops, BC. If you happen to see the instrument pictured below, please alert local authorities so it can be returned to its rightful owner.
Daniel explained between songs that he had played at the Winnipeg Folk Festival and toured across Canada seven times. He had in fact played this room many times before. Having grown up in rural Australia, something must have inspired him about the Canadian prairies because he also sang about them in three of the songs he performed. He also performed a brand new song for us, calling the crowd in Winnipeg “the least intimidating” in the country and reminisced about spending time here.
After the show I had the pleasure to meet the artist and he graciously answered a few of my questions. If you ever have the opportunity to see one of Daniel Champagne’s performances, don’t miss a beat.
Always warm,
André DeBattista