as cammie has pointed out, there is an abundance of good music rolling through town over the next few months. she has a helpful list on her blog.
i thought just for sharing, i'd list a few of the smaller (and cheaper) shows that are gonna be visiting toronto (many of which while i'm gone....dammmmmmiiiitttt.....) so those of you on a shoe-string budget like myself can catch some great gigs too.
april
7//damon & naomi, raising the fawn and a northern chorus//Drake Hotel, //$10
7//the kills//Horseshoe//$12.50
7//kathleen edwards and jason collett //Mod Club // $15
10//outhud //Horseshoe // $10
14//angels of light w/ m. gira, akron/family and picastro //Music Gallery //$13-$15
17//the shins //Kool Haus, //$21
18//m ward //Lee's Palace, //$12.50
19//m83 and ulrich schnauss //Lee's Palace, //$15
26//arcade fire //Danforth Music Hall // $20
may
9//prefuse 73 //Lee's Palace, //$15
11//the mountain goats //Lee's Palace, //$11
21//the decemberists //Lee's Palace, //$15
28//Sam prekop //Horseshoe, //$12
21//LCD Soundsystem & M.I.A //Opera House//prices unannounced
and although it's too expensive, i think it's important to list:
may 16//doves and mercury rev //Kool Haus, //$25.75
not to mention of course the Bloc Party this saturday. tickets still available if i'm not mistaken.
i'd kill to see the arcade fire and sam prekop. i'd also like to see the shins, but that's a bit pricey for me. i'm not even here for sam prekop, and LCD SOUNDSYSTEM AND MIA. that's going to be the funnest show of the year. dammmmmiiiiiitttttt.....
but ok. arcade fire -- i wanna go to that for sure. maybe out hud, and maybe m ward, and maybe the shins. why...why am i so poor....
so there you go. cheap but great music. enjoy folks!
Mar 31, 2005
marvelous things
goodness i'm hungry. i just realized upon waking up that it's been almost 16 hours since my last meal. i've gotta get used to those early dinner and no breakfast. oops.
it's another beautiful day outside. i wonder what it is about the sun that makes us so happy, so energized. if someone could bottle that feeling, they would have the worlds most popular drug on their hands.
an an unrelated note, the girls here at ACF have been doing a book for women's cell this term, and i'm not sure if i heard it talking to one of them, or perhaps from a speaker or something...but someone once mentioned that guys tend to compartmentalize their lives, while women's lives are more like spider webs -- one thing can affect every facet of their lives.
i wonder some days if that's true or not?
if we're suppose to have God in every facet of our lives then, does that almost mean the ladies have an advantage since they already are naturally inclined to paint their lives with one big brush? does that mean it's more natural for guys to put God in a box and harder for us to break out of that?
it sometimes feels that way i suppose. but i recognize that life being a "spider web" means it can also be harder to walk with God everyday because things can throw you off so much easier.
how much can we learn about ourselves before we start looking for things that aren't there?
to summarize, photoshop is fun. i saw billy use this effect on some photos he took, and i was like....i wanna learn how to do that, hahaha
it's another beautiful day outside. i wonder what it is about the sun that makes us so happy, so energized. if someone could bottle that feeling, they would have the worlds most popular drug on their hands.
an an unrelated note, the girls here at ACF have been doing a book for women's cell this term, and i'm not sure if i heard it talking to one of them, or perhaps from a speaker or something...but someone once mentioned that guys tend to compartmentalize their lives, while women's lives are more like spider webs -- one thing can affect every facet of their lives.
i wonder some days if that's true or not?
if we're suppose to have God in every facet of our lives then, does that almost mean the ladies have an advantage since they already are naturally inclined to paint their lives with one big brush? does that mean it's more natural for guys to put God in a box and harder for us to break out of that?
it sometimes feels that way i suppose. but i recognize that life being a "spider web" means it can also be harder to walk with God everyday because things can throw you off so much easier.
how much can we learn about ourselves before we start looking for things that aren't there?
to summarize, photoshop is fun. i saw billy use this effect on some photos he took, and i was like....i wanna learn how to do that, hahaha
Mar 29, 2005
caught halo
one of the downsides of being a musical fiend are that you spend a lot of energy trying to find specific artists. case in point, i've been looking for the entire jen wood discography in a high quality for at least the last 4 years.
and now.....now i finally have them all in glorious 192 quality. every last album and ep.
thank you...thank you. i couldn't have done it without bittorrent.
and now.....now i finally have them all in glorious 192 quality. every last album and ep.
thank you...thank you. i couldn't have done it without bittorrent.
Mar 28, 2005
my mathematical mind
i figured since my move to blogspot seems pretty set, i'd spruce the place up a bit.
anyways, 3 weeks until freedom. 2 days until an assignment is due. 2 weeks until exams. i hope my time here is more than a mere countdown.
i can't believe how messed up this page looks on IE. stop using IE people. if you haven't jumped on the firefox bandwagon, hurry up.
grad night this friday at acf.....what to say....what to say....
i read an article in ad-busters that said the great irony of the modern cultural rift is that christianity is at the heart of the seperation between european and american culture.
because americans are predominantly a christian culture, europeans are alienated because modern europe is done with religion. centuries of the catholic church and two wars later, europe has -- amazingly -- become the first major culture of social conciousness.
the twist being naturally, that in the course of doing so, european culture may actually be more "christian" than american.
an interesting observation, though not full of questions.
however, maybe this explains why canada is so confused. in the schism of american conservatism and european socialism, perhaps we're trying to find a happy compromise.
that's an encouraging thought.
anyways, 3 weeks until freedom. 2 days until an assignment is due. 2 weeks until exams. i hope my time here is more than a mere countdown.
i can't believe how messed up this page looks on IE. stop using IE people. if you haven't jumped on the firefox bandwagon, hurry up.
grad night this friday at acf.....what to say....what to say....
i read an article in ad-busters that said the great irony of the modern cultural rift is that christianity is at the heart of the seperation between european and american culture.
because americans are predominantly a christian culture, europeans are alienated because modern europe is done with religion. centuries of the catholic church and two wars later, europe has -- amazingly -- become the first major culture of social conciousness.
the twist being naturally, that in the course of doing so, european culture may actually be more "christian" than american.
an interesting observation, though not full of questions.
however, maybe this explains why canada is so confused. in the schism of american conservatism and european socialism, perhaps we're trying to find a happy compromise.
that's an encouraging thought.
Mar 24, 2005
the news
bloc party on april 2.
ok go on april 5.
raising the fawn on april 7.
weezer on may 6.
decisions decisions.
why am i so poor?
right now weezer is pretty much a given, i'll be lining up saturday afternoon. bloc party tickets are cheap too, so i think i can actually afford that one.
who wants to join me?
ok go on april 5.
raising the fawn on april 7.
weezer on may 6.
decisions decisions.
why am i so poor?
right now weezer is pretty much a given, i'll be lining up saturday afternoon. bloc party tickets are cheap too, so i think i can actually afford that one.
who wants to join me?
Mar 22, 2005
hit the switch
i've gotten such good rest over the last two days. something like 24 hours of sleep in the last two nights or something along those lines. so nice....
here's a fun little tidbit: ever wish while roller blading that you could just go FASTER? well now you can. all you have to do is strap an engine and wheel to your ass. yes, someone finally invented it: the rollercycle
i was browsing around and i noticed that everyone is obsessed with pictures. i felt compelled to try and keep up, so i finally got around to uploading some photos. some of which are a few years old already. ah well, better late than never i guess.
it seems that the less i update, the more comments just start to accumulate. is it like a boredom thing? nothing else to do but create your own content? i like it. less work for me.
is it just me, or as each generation graduates from university, they become less and less concerned with finding a job and more and more concerned with seeing the world?
here's a fun little tidbit: ever wish while roller blading that you could just go FASTER? well now you can. all you have to do is strap an engine and wheel to your ass. yes, someone finally invented it: the rollercycle
i was browsing around and i noticed that everyone is obsessed with pictures. i felt compelled to try and keep up, so i finally got around to uploading some photos. some of which are a few years old already. ah well, better late than never i guess.
it seems that the less i update, the more comments just start to accumulate. is it like a boredom thing? nothing else to do but create your own content? i like it. less work for me.
is it just me, or as each generation graduates from university, they become less and less concerned with finding a job and more and more concerned with seeing the world?
Mar 18, 2005
plans
waiting for tomorrow is a waste of today
so i read that quote from my bathroom reader while sitting on the john. i find that many realizations about life tend to come while in the washroom. truly, such a place of solace; a fortress of solitude.
not so much a realization i suppose, as much as a motivation.
it's starting to appear that i indeed will be going to asia right after school ends, and i officially begin the rest of my life.
between ivan, brian, and myself, i think we all have our own reasons for wanting to go on this trip. fun, reflection, excitment, experience, learning, shopping. the reasons are actually more than i can count. but i think personally, one bigh thing is i want to really see the world, and learn to experience god not just in the comfort of north america, but through his presence world wide. to drink in all his creation, and get an idea of how he is moving and working, particularly in poorer nations.
there's so much i want to learn. so much. to grow, to change, to be formed.
it's exciting, challenging, encouraging and daunting all at once.
so i read that quote from my bathroom reader while sitting on the john. i find that many realizations about life tend to come while in the washroom. truly, such a place of solace; a fortress of solitude.
not so much a realization i suppose, as much as a motivation.
it's starting to appear that i indeed will be going to asia right after school ends, and i officially begin the rest of my life.
between ivan, brian, and myself, i think we all have our own reasons for wanting to go on this trip. fun, reflection, excitment, experience, learning, shopping. the reasons are actually more than i can count. but i think personally, one bigh thing is i want to really see the world, and learn to experience god not just in the comfort of north america, but through his presence world wide. to drink in all his creation, and get an idea of how he is moving and working, particularly in poorer nations.
there's so much i want to learn. so much. to grow, to change, to be formed.
it's exciting, challenging, encouraging and daunting all at once.
Mar 16, 2005
show me everything you've got
paranoia runs rampant as i attempt to normalize my school habits. thankfully good news was in the cards today, and a big burden has been lifted off my shoulders. thank you God.
despite the fact that i do in fact have a short assignment due tomorrow morning (basketball at 8:30 anyone?), i'm feeling quite good about things right now.
life.....is better than i deserve, despite my attempts to screw it up.
here's something fun to tide you all over until i have more entertaining things to write about.
make your own superhero!
despite the fact that i do in fact have a short assignment due tomorrow morning (basketball at 8:30 anyone?), i'm feeling quite good about things right now.
life.....is better than i deserve, despite my attempts to screw it up.
here's something fun to tide you all over until i have more entertaining things to write about.
make your own superhero!
Mar 12, 2005
retreat! retreat!
i'm so sorry this slipped my mind, but a happy belated birthday to wendy! i'm really sorry i couldn't make your party, and particularly so because i basically had the date changed to accomodate me. errrr....oops.
either way, hope it was a blast and may you have many blessed years of auditing to come.
that sounded better in my head.
home for a few days! may the battle against procrastination commence.
either way, hope it was a blast and may you have many blessed years of auditing to come.
that sounded better in my head.
home for a few days! may the battle against procrastination commence.
Mar 11, 2005
i trawl the megahertz
i woke up at 4pm this afternoon, and almost assuredly only because connie called to see why she hadn't heard from me all day. whats wrong with me? haven't been able to sleep well altely. or early for that matter. not cool. anyways, quick update on whats been going on 'round these parts i guess
went to the stars/apostle of hustle show yesterday night, good times was had by all. it was alright, although apostle of hustle in my opinion stole the show big time even though they were the opener. stars just sound kind of anemic live i've found from both times i've seen them, although this show it was particularly evident that without a full stage of backing musicians they lose a lot of their punch. the viscerality of their songs are really defined by the textures and subtle layers that they create. stripping that away makes their live show seem kind of like....a cover band trying to play stars songs. it's odd. but all and all, it was still a fun show. the moment of the night however.....
me and joel are laughing about a bowel movement he had that he seemed strangely proud of. upon looking down, he asks me "simon. is that what i think it is?"
i particularly like the look on his face in this photo. it's like he just found an endangered species or something as he proudly poses with it. it was just classic. moreover, i just noticed that the random stranger is also posing and pointing along with joel, even though he's barely in the picture. way to be buddy! way to get in with that condom!
are these london teens that desperate to get it on that they can't even make it to the washrooms for their exhibitionist kicks? were they just filming a porno before they let the crowd in? was it "free condom night" the night before?
along with cricket and pop-tart filling, i guess it'll remain a mystery.
in other news, who wants to expand their musical library for free, and without the hassle of those pesky p2p programs?
the SXSW festival this year has compiled an archive of samples of EVERY artist participating in the festival this year. that's right! full songs! they're encrypted at a very decent 160kbs and available for free download at their site here
it's free, it's legally sponsored, and it's a great way to hear some great new music. the files are torrent files, so if you don't know what bittorrent is, the sxsw site has a quick primer on that too.
one note of warning, the main file is a 2.6 gig file, so it will take a while to download. there's an update file with about 25 songs that's around 85 megs as well, so enjoy all you can folks!
went to the stars/apostle of hustle show yesterday night, good times was had by all. it was alright, although apostle of hustle in my opinion stole the show big time even though they were the opener. stars just sound kind of anemic live i've found from both times i've seen them, although this show it was particularly evident that without a full stage of backing musicians they lose a lot of their punch. the viscerality of their songs are really defined by the textures and subtle layers that they create. stripping that away makes their live show seem kind of like....a cover band trying to play stars songs. it's odd. but all and all, it was still a fun show. the moment of the night however.....
me and joel are laughing about a bowel movement he had that he seemed strangely proud of. upon looking down, he asks me "simon. is that what i think it is?"
i particularly like the look on his face in this photo. it's like he just found an endangered species or something as he proudly poses with it. it was just classic. moreover, i just noticed that the random stranger is also posing and pointing along with joel, even though he's barely in the picture. way to be buddy! way to get in with that condom!
are these london teens that desperate to get it on that they can't even make it to the washrooms for their exhibitionist kicks? were they just filming a porno before they let the crowd in? was it "free condom night" the night before?
along with cricket and pop-tart filling, i guess it'll remain a mystery.
in other news, who wants to expand their musical library for free, and without the hassle of those pesky p2p programs?
the SXSW festival this year has compiled an archive of samples of EVERY artist participating in the festival this year. that's right! full songs! they're encrypted at a very decent 160kbs and available for free download at their site here
it's free, it's legally sponsored, and it's a great way to hear some great new music. the files are torrent files, so if you don't know what bittorrent is, the sxsw site has a quick primer on that too.
one note of warning, the main file is a 2.6 gig file, so it will take a while to download. there's an update file with about 25 songs that's around 85 megs as well, so enjoy all you can folks!
Mar 8, 2005
when they really get to know you they will run
so here's the new game: every post title will be a song title. guess the artist and win a cookie! the last two posts are actually song titles too. three cookies! what more could you ask for? and no, the song and artist are in no relation to what the post is about, but they ARE usually the song i'm listening to at the time of posting.
i'm...basically done this essay. but i must sleep now, for i want to make it to 9am class for a change. the corner must be turned before i crash and burn....ed. look at me go. i'm a rap master.
as i was disrobing for the shower (there's a mental image) i decided to flex my arm just to take a gander at how far i've fallen since i was sort of in better shape than i am at this exact current moment. am i an egomanic? or is that pretty normal? i'm sure other people do it. stop lying to me. anyways, long story short, i think i hurt my bicep.
have you ever tried so hard to focus on a task that your mind just shuts down? i think i've pretty much hit that wall tonight.
i think it's crazy how old we're all getting. i was just thinking about my own time here at western, hearing news of old aquaintances getting engaged, seeing my brother married, realizing that even my own life is pretty far out at the moment -- it's all pretty wild when you put it into perspective and step back. i mean, we're far from being old, but i remember a time when i used to think that i was also far from being grown up, more mature, all that crap. there was a time not long ago when i clearly felt i was still just a kid, and i didn't want to grow up, and i felt like i wasn't ready for the real world.
but here we are. on the cusp of...life. sure, there may be more school. sure, there may be more of the same routine down the line. but i mean, our whole lives are ahead of us. we don't have any more road maps to direct us where to go. it's in our own hands now, and thats something i'm starting to realize is as exciting as it gets.
the possibilities are endless. and i refuse to be pigeonholed. i refuse to let myself limit my own future, limit my own potential, by assuming i know whats best for myself. because i realize that the older i get, the more i learn about how little i know. that as brazen and sure as i was in high school, i must now make up for it with humbleness towards reality and life, acknowledging how fleeting and fragile everything we have really is.
and i'm thankful for that. for everything. and thats all i guess i really wanted to say. i meant this to be a short post, but my mind numbing fatigue has caused quite the ramble.
today, i was peeling an orange, and i threw a piece of rind all the way across the room. i find i eat a lot of stuff i wouldn't normally eat when i'm procrastinating or taking "breaks" from work. which just tells me that i'm not meant to write essays about politics for a living. or else i'd become terribly obese, and probably rather unattractive, and i'd fall down some stairs and discover that i'd become so round, i was actually capable of rolling down the stairs like a giant soccer ball.
but then the tragic would happen, and i would crush the old lady at the bottom of the fire exit who collected bottlecaps from the mid 50's in her single bedroom apartment that often smelled like gingersnaps and earl grey tea.
and it would be seared into my mind, as my revolutions down the stairs brought my head around and around, with every orbit her imminent doom drawing nearer, and i, unable to stop myself due to the inertia of my giant hamster-ball shaped body. the horror.
what couldn't it have been me dammit? why??
she had so much life to live....
i'm...basically done this essay. but i must sleep now, for i want to make it to 9am class for a change. the corner must be turned before i crash and burn....ed. look at me go. i'm a rap master.
as i was disrobing for the shower (there's a mental image) i decided to flex my arm just to take a gander at how far i've fallen since i was sort of in better shape than i am at this exact current moment. am i an egomanic? or is that pretty normal? i'm sure other people do it. stop lying to me. anyways, long story short, i think i hurt my bicep.
have you ever tried so hard to focus on a task that your mind just shuts down? i think i've pretty much hit that wall tonight.
i think it's crazy how old we're all getting. i was just thinking about my own time here at western, hearing news of old aquaintances getting engaged, seeing my brother married, realizing that even my own life is pretty far out at the moment -- it's all pretty wild when you put it into perspective and step back. i mean, we're far from being old, but i remember a time when i used to think that i was also far from being grown up, more mature, all that crap. there was a time not long ago when i clearly felt i was still just a kid, and i didn't want to grow up, and i felt like i wasn't ready for the real world.
but here we are. on the cusp of...life. sure, there may be more school. sure, there may be more of the same routine down the line. but i mean, our whole lives are ahead of us. we don't have any more road maps to direct us where to go. it's in our own hands now, and thats something i'm starting to realize is as exciting as it gets.
the possibilities are endless. and i refuse to be pigeonholed. i refuse to let myself limit my own future, limit my own potential, by assuming i know whats best for myself. because i realize that the older i get, the more i learn about how little i know. that as brazen and sure as i was in high school, i must now make up for it with humbleness towards reality and life, acknowledging how fleeting and fragile everything we have really is.
and i'm thankful for that. for everything. and thats all i guess i really wanted to say. i meant this to be a short post, but my mind numbing fatigue has caused quite the ramble.
today, i was peeling an orange, and i threw a piece of rind all the way across the room. i find i eat a lot of stuff i wouldn't normally eat when i'm procrastinating or taking "breaks" from work. which just tells me that i'm not meant to write essays about politics for a living. or else i'd become terribly obese, and probably rather unattractive, and i'd fall down some stairs and discover that i'd become so round, i was actually capable of rolling down the stairs like a giant soccer ball.
but then the tragic would happen, and i would crush the old lady at the bottom of the fire exit who collected bottlecaps from the mid 50's in her single bedroom apartment that often smelled like gingersnaps and earl grey tea.
and it would be seared into my mind, as my revolutions down the stairs brought my head around and around, with every orbit her imminent doom drawing nearer, and i, unable to stop myself due to the inertia of my giant hamster-ball shaped body. the horror.
what couldn't it have been me dammit? why??
she had so much life to live....
Mar 7, 2005
kitchen love
and so ends the (too short) run of probably my favourite website in the world.
CBC RADIO 3
they have a few of their favourite issues up, and even though i've posted this link repeatedly, if you haven't checked this site out yet, please do before it's gone.
you won't regret it.
CBC RADIO 3
they have a few of their favourite issues up, and even though i've posted this link repeatedly, if you haven't checked this site out yet, please do before it's gone.
you won't regret it.
Mar 6, 2005
fitting into fake
you ever have a dream that really, when you break it down, makes no sense whatsoever? but still, for some reason you wake up kind pf panicked, kind of scared, as if in your dream you were fighting for your life and just about to lose?
even though in actuallity, all you did in your dream was eat at a buffet, then drive to red lobster to eat some more?
one odd note, it wasn't my car i was driving, and the gear shift in the car was....like, stuck on the floor, right in front of the brake. i had to use the gearshift as a gas pedal after putting the car in gear.
rrrrrrriiiight.....
even though in actuallity, all you did in your dream was eat at a buffet, then drive to red lobster to eat some more?
one odd note, it wasn't my car i was driving, and the gear shift in the car was....like, stuck on the floor, right in front of the brake. i had to use the gearshift as a gas pedal after putting the car in gear.
rrrrrrriiiight.....
Mar 4, 2005
all that jazz
i think if i had to choose one superpower, it would be the ability to play any instrument in the world really really amazingly purely by natural instinct. how cool would that be?
sure, flying or something could be nice, but you'd probably have to wear some sort of helmet, and it'd probably hurt like a bitch whenever you flew into a rock or something.
sure, flying or something could be nice, but you'd probably have to wear some sort of helmet, and it'd probably hurt like a bitch whenever you flew into a rock or something.
Mar 3, 2005
mirror mirror on the wall....
so i find myself swamped with a massive to-do list upon returning, and i'm just trying to keep my head above water. the daunting amount of tasks i have to do just to maintain any semblence of a plan for my future continues to intimidate me.
however, my topic du jour is actually music and globalization. i watched a video in pop music class the other day about a black jewish gospel singer. yea.....it's like he was asking to be marginalized.
but anyways, my whole class afterwards was like "i was so in awe of how he was able to unify people and break down barriers with his music, singing jewish gosepl songs and stuff"
my question was: is his ability to unite musical? or religious?
i find myself thinking about the phenomena of worship music, and that christians all over the world are singing the same songs! i think it's amazing that you can walk into churches from canada, to egypt, to sweden and china, and everyone will recognize the song "here i am to worship".
at the same time however, i sometimes worry if as well intentioned as this spread of worship music may be, it isn't simply a subversive means of conformity and cultural imperialism not-so-subtely taking a religious guise.
granted, people usually translate the words into native tounges, but the music itself remains the same. even more familiar than worship songs are hyms -- amazing grace is a universally recognized tune i would think among all christians.
but why? why are overwhelmingly anglo-american musical ideals the status quo? i realize that christianity is inherently westernized (ironically, since it originated from the middle east...but hey, white people will steal anything) but how come there is such a unilateral flow of culture?
why don't we here in canada ever sing swedish worship tunes? or chinese worship songs? i know they're out there. but it just doesn't happen. sure -- north american churches send out way more people than we get back -- naturally that means we're spreading more of ourselves then we're recieving of other cultures. but does that account for the fact that....by and large, we don't care for the music of other cultures?
if our worship music is driven largely by social musical convention (which is a pretty safe assumption to make in my mind) then doesn't that mean our cultural spread through missionary work and such is actually aiding in the creating of a uniform culture of christianity that values familiarity over diversity?
i guess it's not surprising. after all, as much as people like to say christianity endorses differences in people, i often find most christians actually mean christianity endorses differences*
whereby you can onyl be different in so far as you're still pretty much the same.
the truly different are either wrong, or....well.....ignored.
i understand that much of religion involves conformity to a certain extent, but.....does this ultimately mean god wants the entire world to be....well.....english speaking conservatives, who dig guitars and sing-along choruses, along with non provacative yet uplifting cliches?
often in musicals, protagonists are associated with a musical theme in a major key, while antagonists often are associated with minor keys and dissonance. unhappy music represents "otherness". happy music represents the familiar.
so....is there no room for dissonance in christianity? as a religion, is christianity just a culture of major chords? can things be reduced to such a binary relationship? is it really that cut and dry?
i have no answers. and i'm not criticizing as much as i'm questioning.
just a thought.
however, my topic du jour is actually music and globalization. i watched a video in pop music class the other day about a black jewish gospel singer. yea.....it's like he was asking to be marginalized.
but anyways, my whole class afterwards was like "i was so in awe of how he was able to unify people and break down barriers with his music, singing jewish gosepl songs and stuff"
my question was: is his ability to unite musical? or religious?
i find myself thinking about the phenomena of worship music, and that christians all over the world are singing the same songs! i think it's amazing that you can walk into churches from canada, to egypt, to sweden and china, and everyone will recognize the song "here i am to worship".
at the same time however, i sometimes worry if as well intentioned as this spread of worship music may be, it isn't simply a subversive means of conformity and cultural imperialism not-so-subtely taking a religious guise.
granted, people usually translate the words into native tounges, but the music itself remains the same. even more familiar than worship songs are hyms -- amazing grace is a universally recognized tune i would think among all christians.
but why? why are overwhelmingly anglo-american musical ideals the status quo? i realize that christianity is inherently westernized (ironically, since it originated from the middle east...but hey, white people will steal anything) but how come there is such a unilateral flow of culture?
why don't we here in canada ever sing swedish worship tunes? or chinese worship songs? i know they're out there. but it just doesn't happen. sure -- north american churches send out way more people than we get back -- naturally that means we're spreading more of ourselves then we're recieving of other cultures. but does that account for the fact that....by and large, we don't care for the music of other cultures?
if our worship music is driven largely by social musical convention (which is a pretty safe assumption to make in my mind) then doesn't that mean our cultural spread through missionary work and such is actually aiding in the creating of a uniform culture of christianity that values familiarity over diversity?
i guess it's not surprising. after all, as much as people like to say christianity endorses differences in people, i often find most christians actually mean christianity endorses differences*
whereby you can onyl be different in so far as you're still pretty much the same.
the truly different are either wrong, or....well.....ignored.
i understand that much of religion involves conformity to a certain extent, but.....does this ultimately mean god wants the entire world to be....well.....english speaking conservatives, who dig guitars and sing-along choruses, along with non provacative yet uplifting cliches?
often in musicals, protagonists are associated with a musical theme in a major key, while antagonists often are associated with minor keys and dissonance. unhappy music represents "otherness". happy music represents the familiar.
so....is there no room for dissonance in christianity? as a religion, is christianity just a culture of major chords? can things be reduced to such a binary relationship? is it really that cut and dry?
i have no answers. and i'm not criticizing as much as i'm questioning.
just a thought.
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