All words and no pics makes this a dull post

But the new song of the week is up. It's my favorite song from the Tanya's and will hopefully make the cut when Shiggy scores an entire film with songs from this band.

Enjoy your Christmases everybody and remember that it's not about commercialization, it's not about presents, it's not about food, it's not even about family and friends.

It's about Eggnog.

So let us all gather 'round and celebrate the time of year when Sobey's puts the "nog" on the shelves and into our belly's.

Happy Nog Day from everyone here at thesightsandsounds.com! And Remember:

Kwanzaa is coming...

The Prettiest Song

The new song of the week is up. A fun little "pick me up" kinda song that puts a smile on everyone's face, regardless of musical taste. This song will always remind me of one of the coolest moments I've ever seen at a live show. I've seen some pretty cool things live so, in the spirit of making ranking lists to compet... I mean compliment Shiggy here's a top 5:

5. Dave Grohl Upstages The Catherine Wheel With a Beer Bottle.

At Sommersault 2000, as the Catherine Wheel played their set on the small stage, Dave Grohl of Foo Fighter fame walked onstage to watch. 45,000 heads turned from the small stage to stare at the famous rock star and he acknowledged us with a raise of his bottle. The cheers were so loud that it drowned out the other band who got so upset that they stopped their set and walked off.

4. Paz Lenchantin Does Her Hair.

While watching prog rockers A Perfect Circle play their big single "Judith", their bass player Paz, who dressed for the show in a tank top, mini skirt and high heels decided that her waist length, beautiful brown hair was becoming an issue with her vision. So during a guitar solo (which almost made this list due to other reasons) Paz walked back to her massive wall of speakers and did her hair up with chop stick. The image of smooth femininity in the midst of testosterone driven rock was mind blowing. Every guy in the building was in love.

3. Stranger Walks On During "The Littlest Birds".

The entire Be Good Tanya's show, the band kept asking for anyone who could play a smooth blues piano to come sit in with them. Finally, during their encore performance of their single which you're currently listening to, a rondom guy with dreads and a rasta hat walked on stage, sat at the piano and played along with the band. They even gave him a solo. Rock.

2. Sloan Gets Booed Offstage.

During Edgefest 98 the worst band in Canadian history was playing a 5 song set ahead of Silverchair, arguably one of the best bands of our generation and whom everyone really came to see. At the end of their set, Sloan's frontman came back out and attempted to gain an encore by yelling into the mic: "If you want an encore you're gonna have to earn it! Everyone start chanting WE WANT SLOAN! and we'll come and do some more!" The crowed started chanting alright. It sounded like this: SLOAN SUCKS! SLOAN SUCKS! I was at the front of the crowed and threatened to throw my shoe if that piece of crap band didn't get out of the way for a real band.

1. Big Wreck Plays "Blown Wide Open".

From the worst band in Canadian History to one of its best. Before he launched into the song, frontman Ian Thornley spoke to the audience saying: "I just got a call before the show that's going to make getting through this song a little difficult so bear with me." By the end of the song there wasn't a single person in the room who didn't shed at least 3 tears. Band included. It was the cherry ontop of the best show I've ever seen.

Honorable mention goes to seeing a chapman stick played live during a Steve Bell show and the image of 20,000 cellphones lighting up Rexall Place during Neverending White Lights performance of "The Grace".

I wanna see Coldplay do "Fix You" live.

Waiter, There's Tension In My Art

"There is something missing in our art" is the great cry ofthe evangelical church during the last number of years as thedichotomy between hymn and chorus grows and opinions on style and genre become ever greater.

What makes good art becomes the question then. Good art creates tension. Good art does not reduce an individual to a singular emotion, it sets one upon the edge of conflicting feelings that they must thensort out for themselves. It is something that is revelatory. Good art shows us what it is to be us. But it has an even nobler and loftierability. Good art has the potential to show us pieces of who God is.

But this is so dangerous! Religion promotes unity among all people.We shouldn't have to come to church or experience God in a way that makes us feel conflicted. And besides, shouldn't a greater understanding of God lead us to a greater feeling of peace? If art is allowed back into the church, it is going to lead to divisiveness and splits within the church.

Good art allows us to embrace our humanity, an ability that has been utterly lost by today's evangelical church. When the leader of the north american evangelical association falls publicly in a tragic conflict of homosexuality and drug abuse in light of his public preaching he is ostracized and disassociated. Public perception becomes the highest importance and our music reflects this. We cry open the eyes of my heart and sing of our longing to see God as we stand shoulder to shoulder with people of his creation. Tension in a piece of music would be one that tells us that seeing a glimpse of God is as simple as looking into another’s eyes. We sing about God being Indescribable when there's a girl in the third row wondering if this God even exists. Where's our songs about addiction? Where's our songs about doubt? About human love, joy, hurt, heartache and suffering that points us to our creator?

But doubt must be set aside. Our humanity is fallen. It is corrupt and we cannot afford to be perceived like we're glorifying our humanity! Jesus tells us to deny ourselves and follow him. How can we cling to both our humanity and God at the same time? This is a dichotomy that cannot be allowed to exist. So stamp out our humanity and let us focus only on what we will someday be transformed into after a life lived with moral chastity. Let us sing about Joy, of true joy that we will one day experience when we all get to heaven. Let us all sit together in our congregation and sing...

Heaven Is Just Beyond The Blue Horizon

Just Above The Starry Sky, Starry Blue Sky

Far Above This Land Of Sorrow

Way Above Each Tear And Sigh, Every Sigh

Just A Few More Miles Before Us

Just A Little While To Wait, Patiently Wait

Soon We'll Sing Redemptions Chorus Heaven's Joy Awaits, Heaven Awaits

~The Gaither Gospel Group~

But this is not good art. This is easy art. It bypasses everything. It allows us to turn a blind eye to the homeless man begging for a drink. It lets us condemn a homosexual couple wishing to be seen as legislatively equal. Sentiments in "easy art" don't challenge us because they don't reflect us. Shall we sing of joy then? Play for me the greatest song ever composed. Written at the hands of a deaf man, gone half mad for the tragedy of his lot, pouring out music that he could not hear but only feel, that he could only know. A song about joy that came from a place so human and yet so spiritual that the two cannot be separated:

All the world's creatures

Draw joy from nature's breast;

Both the good and the evil

Follow her rose-strewn path.

She gave us kisses and wine

And a friend loyal unto death;

She gave lust for life to the lowliest,

And the Cherub stands before God.

~Beethoven's 9th Symphony (choral)~

Let the Church, the place that is supposed to be God's light on this earth, draw joy and sorrow, celebration and mourning, peace and turmoil from nature. Let it not turn a scornful eye to the world that it has been called to be the salt of. Let there be tension, paradox and ambiguity in it's art so that it may earnestly reflect the glory and the greatness of the God that has bestowed upon us the ability to choose him in the midst of such things.

Headed For The Turnstiles

Tonight is The Be Good Tanya's show at the Meyer Horowitz Theater and I couldn't be looking forward to this anymore than I am. I hope they play some good covers!

Featured Song of the Week:

For The Turnstiles by The Be Good Tanya's (Neil Young cover)

edit @ 1224pm: The concert was fantastic. The vocals were so well done and you can tell these girls are really well rehearsed. I'd give the concert a rating of 6.9/10. They lost points due to "thumb strumming" the guitars and the fact that they interacted with their monitor tech as much as the audience.

Also, the guy who sat beside me wins the "douche of the week" award for the most intense nostril breathing ever and his annoying attempts to hum every other song off key.

Cover Me

Continuing with the theme of music and sharing, it's time to share my favorite covers. Shiggy and I have been skirting about the topic for a few weeks now and I've decided to put mine down. I'll show my cards in the hopes that my Canjapican friend will do the same.

So, in order:

1. The Messenger by The Tea Party (originally by Daniel Lanois)
2. Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley (originally by Leonard Cohen)
3. Love is Blindness by Sixpense None The Richer (originally by U2)
4. Landslide by Smashing Pumpkins (originally by Fleetwood Mac)
5. Helter Skelter by U2 (originally by The Beatles)
6. Voodoo Child by Stevie Ray Vaughn (originally by Jimi Hendrix)
7. Thank You For Hearing Me by David Crowder Band (originally by Sinead O'Connor)
8. House of the Rising Sun by The Be Good Tanya's (originally by The Animals)
9. While My Guitar Gently Weeps by Jeff Healy (originally by the greatest guitar player ever*)
10. Hey Ya by Obadiah Parker (originally by Outkast)

*seriously, I know everyone's entitled to their own opinions and what not, but George Harrison pretty much taught every one of us how to play the guitar.

Band of the Month (December)

Now before everyone from Edmonton writes this off as me trying to be like local radio station sonic 102.9 let me just say... nuh uh.

I'm going to kill "Song of the Day" in favor of a more comprehensive way of sharing some really good music with those of you who read this. The number now is slightly more than three and approaching the stratospheric eleven! Actually that's a lie, I got 186 hits yesterday, not including my own. I chalk it up either to my incredible word of mouth campaign or my mom should really take a break from the computer for a while.

So here's how it's gonna go down. I'll showcase a band and give my top 4 songs from said band, one each week. So without further aplomb (actually I'm going to throw in some more aplomb here in a second) here's thesightsandsounds first band of the month!

THE BE GOOD TANYAS

In honor of the fact that Shiggy and I are going to see them next friday and due to the fact that I haven't been able to stop listening to them, they make top spot this month.

Composed of three women from Vancouver, the Tanyas are a great mix of folk & bluegrass with enough melodic hook to draw in even the most ignorant bluegrass listener (negative aplomb points going to me). They do fantastic covers, beautiful originals and I'm really excited to see them live. Kristen, you're going to love this pick if haven't already heard of them.

The featured song this week is a haunting song on the piano about one band member's brother who struggles with an addiction. It's my number four pick to lead off this month's group of songs.

4. Song for R. by The Be Good Tanyas