Daniel Champage - Hillside 2014

Daniel Champagne was a part of a workshop on Friday night and was easily the best discovery of the evening, winning me over with his first of only a couple songs. Just him and his guitar - the tune had it all, quiet and loud with plenty of different percussion. Sure you've seen someone tap their guitar body before but not in the amazing assortment of ways that he did here. I was stunned and awed. His next song showed more of a lyrical bend rather than focusing on the antics but he can hold it down on both fronts. 

When Saturday rolled around his set had gone from a who?? to a must-see. Opening with that same song he showed off the wares but then kept the audience's rapt attention for the set. In the end it wasn't a surprise that the audience who had just witnessed budding greatness got to their feet in appreciation. 

Later in the weekend he played as part of a guitar workshop including fellow Australian Kim Churchill, who he had actually met coming up along the way, Danny Michel and Stephen Fearing. And though being a couple of juniors amongst renowned guitarists both him and Churchill more than held their own, earning the visible respect of a seemingly cool cucumber in Michel.