culture / music

Supporting Friends Friday: Frederick Ingram’s Christmas Groove

The Portly Politico11 Comments

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!

11 thoughts on “Supporting Friends Friday: Frederick Ingram’s Christmas Groove”

  2. Cheers Tyler. 🙂

    His voice sounds familiar but I can’t quite place it. I’ll give it a listen again once this segment on the radio is over and I might get a Eureka moment.

    I’ve been listening to old stuff recently, mainly because we’ve been rewatching the brilliant and tragically short lived Street Hawk. Amongst the 80s hair, leg warmers and shoulder pads is the occasional Boss song or Bob Seger. Going back in time is no bad thing nowadays.

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      • It’s got a very relaxed vibe about it – like the song you mentioned does – but I can’t hear Lou Reed. I’m thinking hippies but I can’t recall where I last heard that voice. It’ll come to me.

        While you’re here, I’ve played this so many times over the week and it never gets old. The best opening to a TV programme ever. I felt like a seven year old again and I still want that bike! The man, the machine, Street Hawk! 🙂

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      • Audre, you’ve got to understand: guys like me and Ponty (I presume) dream of riding around in black leather and sweet cars (and/or motorcycles) fighting bad guys while listening to driving 80s synthesizer music.

        There was a commercial for the Honda Odyssey a few years ago that was MADE for me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYQ-jRHeCW0

        It features the Judas Priest guitar solo “Hellion.” At the time, I was still driving my 2006 Dodge Caravan minivan. It’s the one time marketing really worked on me on EVERY level.

        That said, I did NOT buy a Honda Odyssey, but I really wanted one for awhile.

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      • Dude, this song is amazing. Finally getting around to listening to it. I do not remember this show at all, but I LOVE that kind of 80s synth music. It’s almost like video game music.

        Gotta share that track with my younger brother. He’d appreciate it, too.

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  3. ‘Laughing out loud! I think it’s a ‘guy thing’, lol.’

    Tina enjoyed it though. We both enjoy shows and games that are unapologetic. Too much modern garb has been butchered by creators who are wary of causing offence. Back in the 80s, no one cared about that stuff and put out fun, entertaining programmes that were enjoyable.

    If Street Hawk was to be made now, it’d be awful.

    All I need now is Airwolf and the old Lou Ferigno Hulks and I’m set. 🙂

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      • I get that. I don’t on TCW today, in fact, I’m pretty annoyed. I get irked when I see people equating violent games with real life violence. Gamers are pretty passive by nature. Not only that but there are lots of death penalty advocates on there today and you know my thoughts on that.

        I think I need an afternoon with the pad to calm down.

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