Some fun...

in the middle of Christmas and Yuletide

Sitting in the sauna with a journal makes me go deep. I’ve got a few essays on the back burner as a result, but thought I’d be a bit more shallow for you, as you decompress and pace yourself for this full festival of the incarnation.

One of our traditions is to throw a 12th Night Feast and Old Time Dance. We’re renting the town community centre, and I so wish you could all join us.

Ok… for a bit of fun…

I asked folks over on facebook today what famous artist comes to mind when they listen to this … so far I got Kate Bush meets Bonnie Tyler, Anna McGarrigle incarnate, Emmylou Harris, Mike Scott from the Waterboys, Norah Jones, Melanie, Eddie Vedder, Rod Stewart, etc. I’d love for you to pitch in, as it will help me in the new year, as I prepare to release the first single from my folk opera Cianalas/Tásknota on May 1st.

I would LOVE for you to join in on this.

I also want to nod to one of my favourite artists here, even though I don’t sound like her. Patti Smith has been a huge inspiration for me.

Here she is singing O Holy Night for Pope Francis:

As most of you know it was St. Stephen’s Day yesterday, so here is a song Wren in the Furze that names both the Yuletide Wren Day, and St Stephen’s.

And today is the Feast of St John the Evangelist. My feelings about the book of Revelation and the story of these visions in the cave on Patmos, have been recently rehydrated by one of our great contemporary storytellers, Martin Shaw, who visited the cave earlier this year.

Blind Willie Johnson does a wonderful version of this, but I wanted to share this one by Son House today… singing John the Revelator:

Lastly, for New Years… here is my steam punk themed video… from my song Ring Out, Wild Bells, that I co-wrote with Tennyson …