Today is the day of the big Christmas concert at school, and despite some moments of despair earlier in the week, I am feeling cautiously optimistic about the whole thing.  The kids are going to do a wonderful job, I am sure; I’m more worried about getting all of the tech stuff done in time, but it will happen, one way or another.

That said, it’s going to be a short Supporting Friends Friday this week—at least for me.  You, dear reader, get to listen to six minutes and twenty-four seconds of an excellent new Christmas track from my good buddy Frederick Ingram.

The track is “Jesus of Nazareth (Walked into a Bar)“; don’t let the name fool you—it’s not a piece of yuletide sacrilege, which is what I thought it was initially.  That was a knee-jerk reaction, and a shameful one—my understanding is that Frederick underwent something of a profound religious conversion sometime in the last few years, and I should have known better than to suspect he was making light of Jesus.

It is a very humorous song, but mostly in the setup, and in Frederick’s lyrical subtleties.  The song depicts Jesus walking into, well, a bar.  He turns water into wine (causing the innkeeper’s daughter to scold Him “if you do that again/I’ll charge you for a cabernet.”

Otherwise, though, it’s all about Christ’s Gospel message:  He witnesses to the bargoers, then sings a funky version of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” to all assembled after a patron wishes Him a “Happy Birthday.”

The track is super cool, with a smooth, 1970s-style bass groove.  The bass track is so good, and sounds great in headphones.  Frederick was a bassist during college in Hawaii back in the 1980s, and his bass chops really show here.  There’s also some organ in the Hammond B-3 mold, and competent funk guitar work.

It’s a groovy little track:  a good example of creative and engaging Christian music.

Give it a listen this morning, and Merry Christmas!