a concert review/reflection by Rudy Regehr
saint ben’s regular Rudy Regehr has recently moved to BC, but is staying very much connected to us through this website and by e-mail. He recently had the opportunity to attend a unique house concert, and we asked him to write about the experience for our site.
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hen David Bazan released his first EP as part of the group Pedro the Lion on Tooth & Nail records in the mid 1990s, he caught a lot of people by surprise. His ability to tell stories with his music made it clear, from the beginning, that Bazan was a unique songwriter. Bazan tells a different side of the story than what some are used to, though. His lyrics have often been ironic, exploring important perspectives about a variety of subjects such as drug addiction and infidelity, but also about doing one’s best to live a good life. Bazan’s songs were never preachy, but instead took the route of making points by telling parables from the point of view of the character of the story. As Bazan explored his thoughts on life and morality, his outside-the-box thinking was refreshing for those who were tired of pat answers. Bazan was a Christian artist who always stayed true to himself. He didn’t feel it was necessary to blow his own horn by counting the number of times he said “Jesus” in his songs, but rather explored Biblical subjects. He was the most recent prophet the Christian faith had in North America.That’s why it was so surprising to his following of fans in the faith when Bazan’s most recent album came out. (more…)
ver heard a Hammond B3 organ? Actually, we can pretty much guarantee that you have. Hammond organs provide that classic sound on so many recordings from the 50s through the 70s and beyond. Think “Green Onions” by Booker T. and the M.G.s, or “Gimme Some Lovin’” by the Spencer Davis Group. Think Santana, Three Dog Night, The Allman Brothers, and Tom Petty. Now, think Mike Koop’s Multitude of Sins. Actually, listen to a sample of Al Fehr’s work on a Hammond B3, recorded just this past weekend at Signpost Studio.
he other night, Jeremiah our dreadlocked drummer assembled an evening of music, drawing on some musicians from around saint ben’s whose music needs to be heard. You can get samples from a couple of these artists a bit further into this post, so do keep reading. On Saturday May 1, we were treated to an intimate concert by Anthony Sweet, Aimee Lane, and Trish & Brad Vrolijk, and the 60 or so people who came out had a simply great evening. At the end, the consensus was that we should do this again (you hear that, Jeremiah?), maybe a couple of times over the year.
Anthony Sweet is a contributor to 
ver the past while, I’ve found myself thinking about succession; about how we pass the mantle from one generation to the next. It started on the last Sunday before Lent, when the lectionary had us read the story of the passing of the prophetic mantle from Elijah to his student Elisha. In that narrative, a tenacious Elisha seems determined to become heir to his mentor’s legacy, requesting the inheritance due an eldest son: “let me inherit a double share of your spirit.” When Elijah is taken up to heaven, Elisha cries out “Father, father!”, tears his own clothing, and then quite literally takes up the mantle. 
few weeks back, on one of the rare hot days of this past summer, I sat down with singer/songwriter (and saint ben’s regular) Jaylene Johnson at The Toad Pub in the Osborne Village to enjoy a cold pint of cider and to chat with her about vocation as a musician and artist.
etween last Sunday’s reading of the story of David and Goliath and this week’s Old Testament reading, the lectionary has skipped past a massive amount of material. David, the shepherd boy and unlikely hero, has been taken into King Saul’s own household, in part because the young man’s skill as a harp player means he is able to offer one of the only things that can sooth the soul of the increasingly mentally unstable king. Yet in time, because he is an increasingly popular and attractive figure, David becomes a threat to the king. Saul eventually issues what amounts to a death warrant, and David narrowly escapes into the wilderness; an escape made possible through the assistance of Saul’s own son Jonathan, with whom David has come to share a deep friendship.
