We just had a fabulous rehearsal on Monday for our Moveable Feast Christmas shows, and I'm jazzed! This will be the best year yet as Sahra Featherstone adds a wonderful new dimension with her harp and violin. Also, be prepared for a special vocal number from our very own David White!
People keep asking me if we're going to do a Christmas album at some point. I must confess that I'm pretty cynical about the vast majority of Christmas music that's been released - do we really need another version of Silent Night by some pop artist, who, frankly, has no artistic or spiritual attachment to the thing? Let's face it, much of it is a cash grab! I would only do something if it was possible to do something musically unique and had songs outside of the top twenty you usually hear. That being said I'll give you a few that I return to fairly frequently around this time of year:
Bruce Cockburn - Christmas (I think my favourite all time)
Sufjan Stevens - Songs for Christmas (unusual, quirky, ragged, very outside)
Emmylou Harris - The Christmas Album (just because she's Emmylou!)
Tuck Andress - Hymns, Carols, and Songs about Snow (no self-respecting guitarist couldn't love this instrumental piece)
The Roches - We Three Kings (their voices and harmonies are too cool - meets the quirkiness criteria)
Harry Connick Jr. - When My Heart Finds Christmas (sentimental family reasons - always decorate our tree with this blasting - actually, some really strong tunes here)
Steve Bell - The Feast (meets the 'avoids the classics' criteria, and takes Advent and Epiphany into consideration)
The Blind Boys of Alabama - Go Tell it on the Mountain (how could you not love Tom Waits guesting on Go Tell it on the Mountain, or Solomon Burke guesting, uneven but lots of fun)
Jacob Moon - This Christmas (because he's my friend and I co-wrote a song on it? It's new, but we'll see if it has lasting power)
People keep asking me if we're going to do a Christmas album at some point. I must confess that I'm pretty cynical about the vast majority of Christmas music that's been released - do we really need another version of Silent Night by some pop artist, who, frankly, has no artistic or spiritual attachment to the thing? Let's face it, much of it is a cash grab! I would only do something if it was possible to do something musically unique and had songs outside of the top twenty you usually hear. That being said I'll give you a few that I return to fairly frequently around this time of year:
Bruce Cockburn - Christmas (I think my favourite all time)
Sufjan Stevens - Songs for Christmas (unusual, quirky, ragged, very outside)
Emmylou Harris - The Christmas Album (just because she's Emmylou!)
Tuck Andress - Hymns, Carols, and Songs about Snow (no self-respecting guitarist couldn't love this instrumental piece)
The Roches - We Three Kings (their voices and harmonies are too cool - meets the quirkiness criteria)
Harry Connick Jr. - When My Heart Finds Christmas (sentimental family reasons - always decorate our tree with this blasting - actually, some really strong tunes here)
Steve Bell - The Feast (meets the 'avoids the classics' criteria, and takes Advent and Epiphany into consideration)
The Blind Boys of Alabama - Go Tell it on the Mountain (how could you not love Tom Waits guesting on Go Tell it on the Mountain, or Solomon Burke guesting, uneven but lots of fun)
Jacob Moon - This Christmas (because he's my friend and I co-wrote a song on it? It's new, but we'll see if it has lasting power)
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