At the risk of appearing to engage in self-promotion, I would like to draw Vox Nova readers’ attention to two acoustic Christmas recordings that I made over the past few years which I have made available for free download. The first is a full-length CD called happy xmas, x is here that I recorded as a sort of audio Christmas card for friends and family three years ago. It is made up of mostly traditional Christmas carols, plus some contemporary songs and an original tune called “The Prince of Peace.” It’s available here. The following year, during our first Advent in Toronto, I recorded a three song EP called The Rebel Jesus after the Jackson Browne song of the same name. In addition to the Browne song, it features my version of Rory Cooney’s “The Canticle of the Turning” and a Chicago-area Xmas favorite “Hardrock, Coco and Joe.” It’s available here.
Over the past year I have done a little writing and speaking on radical music making practices, drawn from my own experience in independent music communities, and why Christians and Christian communities should think of music and music making a little differently than they usually do. I hope to share some of these reflections here at Vox Nova in the new year.
Anyway, I can think of no better time to experiment with musical “gift economies” than Advent and Christmas. I offer the songs as a gift to the readers of Vox Nova and hope that in some small way they may contribute to your own reflection (and merry-making!) during this holy season as we continue to welcome the Rebel Jesus to our world and into our lives. If you feel so inclined, let me know what you think.
“Lord Jesus, come and reign!”
Very good music, CA. Really good. Hubby and I enjoyed it. I especially like the Canticle of the Turning. Beautiful
I think you have a good voice. A really good voice, actually. I was surprised.
The song writing on the “Prince of Peace”…well, I found it a little cheesy. Tell my niece? Cows bow down? his disciples got pissed? He’s a pac-if-ist? I cringed. I think you had particular messages you wanted to push, but you forced the rhymes to include them instead of letting the music and rhythm dictate what direction you took the song. Granted, I’m no song writer but that’s what it seemed to me.
Also, why did Jesus not eat meat?
Denton – Thanks for the compliment.
I admit the cheesiness of “Prince of Peace.” Absolutely.
The Jesus not eating meat thing was a reference to a body of writing that makes that claim, connecting Jesus with the Essene community. Although I’m vegetarian I actually don’t buy it; I do think Jesus ate meat but the lyric fit in with what I was trying to do. I tend to play with biblical images in my songs a bit, and that’s what I was up to.
Michael – your Christmas music is brilliant. I took a mix cd home with me to Ireland last year and my mum loved it, especially “O Holy Night” and “Canticle…”. In fact I phoned home the other day and it was being played in the background!
My favorite songs are “O Holy Night” “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” “The Rebel Jesus” and “Canticle…”. The one thing about “Canticle…” though is that i cannot disassociate the tune with “Star of the County Down”, a song that i heard hundreds of times growing up, since that’s where I’m from. Anyway, thank you so much for the music, and Peace and blessings to you and your loved ones.
Thank you Kevin! And thanks for spreading the music to Ireland… :)
And yes, “Canticle” was based on the tune for the “Star of the County Down,” with new lyrics by Rory Cooney.