By Chad Ingram

A former Minden minister will grace the stage at Haliburton Highlands Brewing later this month playing a solo show consisting of mostly original works some of them about his journey away from the Christian faith.

Edward Moll who goes by the stage name of Edward St. Moritz has been playing music for the past 45 years.

“I’ve been seriously writing for the past 20” Moll says. His original works intersperse folk jazz and blues genres as well as European chanson influence. “You’re going to hear music that is pretty much across the board it’s pretty eclectic. And you’re going to hear stories about the songs themselves.”

Moll draws influence from such notable songwriters as Bruce Cockburn Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen and says if you can picture those artists getting together and jamming over a few whiskeys that’s the general idea of what he does.

Lyrically Moll takes cues from the current political climate – the American government detaining children at the Mexican border for example – and also from his personal experience.

“I’ve got a couple of songs that tell about my journey away from the Christian faith” says Moll who presided over the parish including Minden Zion and Maple Lake United Churches from 1987 until 1993.

“I’m looking forward to seeing old friends of mine” Moll says. “I would love to reconnect with them again.”

Currently living in Barrie Moll gigs about once a month. A CD of his original recordings called Small Things Shining Bright will be for sale at the concert and he has a second album scheduled to be released in 2020.

Moll’s show will take place at Haliburton Highlands Brewing at Abbey Gardens in West Guilford on Saturday Sept 21 from 7 until 9 p.m. Admission is $20.