For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
Archives For Music
I’m impressed—Hillsong did a really great job with this Christmas song. Excellent use of the banjo (also, my daughter got to ring bells when it was performed at our church a couple weeks back, which was fun):
A decidedly non-traditional original Christmas tune from Dustin Kensrue. This has been pretty steady in my Christmas playlist (but generally not during family get-togethers; they don’t like songs in minor keys for some reason):
I remember hearing this rendition of the 12 Days of Christmas by Canadian national treasures, Bob & Doug MacKenzie, on the radio every year when I was growing up. It still cracks me up:
Internet music sensation Mike Tompkins released an original Christmas song this year. If you’re not familiar with Mike, all his songs are performed a capella, so every sound you here in this tune is made with his mouth. Enjoy the song—it’s good fun:
Fellow Canadian Sean Quigley’s got some serious talent. Check out this very cool rendition of a classic Christmas carol:
Recently, my good friend Michael Krahn released a new 5-song EP, Lovers on the Edges of the Twilight. I’ve been listening to it pretty steadily for the last little while and it’s great stuff. My first thought: “This is very Blue Rodeo.” (Canadians know that this is a very good thing, depending on your taste.) Here are a few reasons why I hope you’ll buy this record:
1. It has nothing to do with Twilight. Tim Challies may have beat me to that smart-alecky comment, but it’s still true. It also has no connection to mid-90s Canadian rock band The Tea Party (their second album was called The Edges of Twilight)… aside from both being from Canada.
2. It’s heartfelt. You know how you can listen to a song and you really get a sense that the artist was processing some pretty heavy stuff while writing and performing? That’s what you’ll find on this album, and it works really, really well.
3. The title track is exceptional. Seriously, take the next four minutes and listen:
The record’s available now on iTunes and MichaelKrahn.com—I hope you’ll get a copy today.
I met Deni Gauthier a few days back during a visit with fellow blogger Michael Krahn. Deni’s a funny and very personable guy who isn’t afraid to share a few embarrassing stories (I, however, will leave those for him to share sometime 
).
He’s also an extremely talented musician who has spent the last several years touring the world and has just released a new EP, Man About Town.
I’ve spent the last couple days listening to the record and I really enjoy it.
(This might come as a shock to some of my friends—I don’t listen to a lot of music these days.)
Deni’s new record is a really solid set of folk pop/rock songs. Thoughtful and unpretentious lyrics along with music that reminds me of some of the best elements of Derek Webb (particularly his Mockingbird record) and Wilco.
So, I’ve got a favor to ask you all. Give the video above a watch. If you like what you hear, share it with your friends on Facebook or Twitter. You can also buy Man About Town on Deni’s website or at iTunes and follow Deni on Facebook or Twitter.
I hope you like the record!
Who are you listening to that you’d recommend?
