If I Had a Million Dollars

Icons of Canadian pop music, the Barenaked Ladies are coming to Cambridge, for a show at the Corn Exchange, which I walk past every time I head into town. It's part of a whole Christmas season tour of the UK.

Honest to God, there are about a hundred Canadian acts that I'd love to see here*, but the Ladies really aren't top of the list. Nice guys and all, but my love for them kind of peaked when I picked up my copy of their first, self-released cassette tape.

That was shortly before the Mayor of Toronto ordered that they could not play a New Years party at Toronto City Hall because they were pornographic. Their name "objectified women."

Yes, that was back in around 1991, or 35 years ago.

I dare say we've seen better music in the last week. Tuesday night was the Cambridge Gamalen Society at the School of Music. A truly amazing concert, including dance. And on Sunday at St John's Chapel we attended Evensong, which was preceded by a special dedication of their new organ. If you've sat through typical United Church services, you have no idea what a serious organ can do, especially in the hands of a top-notch organist. It was stunning.

And again, I was reminded that in a glorious church like this, with a full choir, and enough incense to make your eyes water, and the proper level of gravitas and ceremony, the Christian religion can be honestly moving.

*Blackie and the Rodeo Kings for a start. Charlie Angus. Daniel Lanois. Fred Eaglesmith.