Reviews:: Jenn Grant Live @ the Rebecca Cohn

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You've heard the story countless times; some music fan telling people about the time they stood alone in a tiny club to see their favorite artist... long before any of her new "fans" had ever heard about her. That old cliche is heard as many times as a Dylan cover at open mic nights, but it conveys an image lots of music nerds can certainly relate to. We all have that possessive attachment to something meant to be heard by everyone and it's becomes consuming.

"I knew her before you did. She's mine!"

Well, somehow, seeing Jenn Grant play at one of the most respected venues in Halifax last night with perfect sound and a stable of friends and family on stage and in attendance, I was struck with that same feeling. Don't get me wrong, Jenn's long forgotten the lonely feeling of playing for a scattered audience and certainly many people embraced her talents before me, but as she joked with her friends and benefited from her full band, you couldn't help but think this would be the last time we - as in Halifax - would see Jenn in such a casual, appreciative setting.

As she gracefully strode out to center stage in a purple dress to play songs from her new record - Echoes (review here) - it felt like a night of appreciation; not for Jenn, from Jenn. As the band played Echoes start to finish, Jenn spike the performances with her trademark quirky banter and vocal support (and costume changes) from her friends (all-star backup singers, Tanya Davis, Ruth Minnikin, Don Brownrigg and Rose Cousins), but she took the time to thank her friends, family and everyone who helped her get to this point. She played the songs as they were meant to be played - with the complete band from the Ontario recording sessions and offering insight into how each song came to be. More importantly, she played each song with a smile on her face.

With the attention she'll be getting for Echoes - she's already played at the Canadian tent for the Grammys and is being dubbed as the next breakout star by tons of Canadian music writers - it's not going to be long before Jenn is playing bigger shows or opening for acts bigger than her already huge heart. And last night, as the beautiful notes floated around the perfect acoustics of The Cohn, the one thought I kept coming back to that old possessive feeling, but not for me for our city.

Almost every somewhat successful artist picks up and heads for bigger cities hoping for shorter tour routes and bigger crowds. It's nothing against Halifax or the artists that get their start here. It's more a case of simple logistics and while I think Jenn is one that will continue to call the East Coast home, I felt the undying urge to scream to the world as they start to embrace Jenn's music and grab hold of her songs, "We knew her before you did. She is ours!"