The other day a friend of mine tweeted “false teachers are usually nice guys. Don’t be fooled.”
Probably a true statement, but it got me thinking about the label false teacher.
Now I don’t ever use the phrase “false teacher”, I don’t think I have ever even thought it about someone, but we all have language that basically gets across the same point. Our words might be different, but when I label someone a “fundamentalist” or a “conservative”, or any other words I use to dismiss someones point of view I am pretty much labelling them a false teacher. So basically, those I consider to be false teachers are those who’s ideas I don’t agree with and therefore keep at a distance. I label them as false teachers (or fundamentalists, or conservatives) so I don’t have to engage with them or listen to them. I don’t have to view them as a person but rather just a label. Read more
We are finally into the Top 10 songs of 2012 from my humble (but right) perspective. If you haven’t yet, check out Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3
10. Robotic- Hannah Georgas from the album Hannah Georgas
Hannah Georgas’ last album was decent, but this one I think is fantastic. She upped the electronic element to her songs which for me made all the difference. Robotic, the first single, I think is definitely the high point. Here she is performing it with members of Holy F@$k, Mother Mother and Teagan and Sara.
9. Lost In the Light- Bahamas from the album Barchords
I once saw Afie Jurvanen (aka Bahamas) perform at the Moho in Peterborough opening for Amy Millan of Stars. He stole the show. It was just him and a drummer, but they sounded like a full band. His guitar skills were amazing (he used to be Feist’s guitarist) his voice was awesome and he was stinking hilarious. This song is the stand out from his new album, and proves my theory that the key to a great song is awesome background vocals.
8. Emmylou- First Aid Kit from the album The Lion’s Roar
Have you ever thought to yourself “You know, I really would like to listen to more swedish folk music”? Well, my friends, here is your chance. A great pair of sisters from just outside of Stolkholm, this song has had me all year. It could be that this song is named after the great Emmylou Harris, and I have also really been into her song The Pearl this year, but who knows. A great folk/country song that you will be singing along too.
7. Ho Hey- The Lumineers from the album The Lumineers
Any song that has a recurring hey that you can yell along to grabs me, and this one is even named after it. A super catchy song that is starting to get more and more airplay. These guys are sort of riding on the Mumford and Sons pseudo folk bandwagon, but they do it really well so I don’t mind. Also, a really fun video.
6. Take A Walk- Passion Pit from the album Gossamer
If I were to book a band for a dance party, Passion Pit would be in the running. A great band, and this particular song tells a great story.
I know, you were up all night in anticipation for the next five songs! Well, here they are:
15. Big Bad Wolf- The Heavy from the album The Glorious Dead
These guys are a super funky group from the UK. They are also the only group that I have ever seen get an encore on Letterman. Dave actually liked their song “How You Like Me Now” so much that he told them to play the song again. You can check it out here. This song is just as great, the funky drums and horns make it great for driving.
A continuation of my count down of my favourite songs of 2012:
20. Free- Graffiti6 from the albumColours
This year, as you can see from part 1, I have been all about the old school R&B sound. Graffiti6 does this sound well. This track is catchy and involves lots of falsetto which is the best stuff to sing along too (no matter what my wife says.)
19. It Ain’t Over by Shad from the EP Melancholy and the Infinite Shadness
Ok, so in the 90′s I really badly wanted to be Lenny Kravitz. I mean that guy was unhumanly attractive, wore whatever he wanted and made some sweet funk inspired rock. I grew my hair long just so I could have dreads like him, but never actually did it because I figured I would look more like one of the guys from Korn then Lenny. It seems that Shad had that same love of Lenny. This is the highlight of an EP that reminisces about the 90′s, a decade I really, really loved.
Honestly, who doesn’t love the “Best of ” lists that come out at this time every year? I can’t enough of them, so I decided this year I am getting into the action and creating one of my own. Then I felt a little cocky for thinking I could come up with what was the best music of 2012, there were probably amazing songs released that I didn’t even hear. So I decided all I could do was make a list of my favourite songs of this year at this moment! In order to build anticipation I am going to do five posts (I know the waiting will be unbearable). Feel free to let me know your thoughts, if you love a song, hate a song, would add a song, etc. Just know that if you disagree with me you will be wrong! So here we go, starting at number 25! Read more
Last night my wife and I attended a mind blowing concert by the Wisconsin band Bon Iver. Bon Iver’s self titled second album was released earlier this year, and in my opinion is by far the best album of the year. What makes Bon Iver so incredible is the way that they take a bunch of random, and odd sounds and bring them together to make something beautiful. At any one moment the nine person band could all be singing in harmony, one of their two drummers could be soloing, there could be a clarinet solo, a trombone creating just a layer of noise, a massive saxophone (is there such thing as a bass sax) making bizarre noises, trumpet valves being used as percussion, with Justin Vernon’s falsetto rising above it all. If you were to hear any of these parts on their own you could not envision that when layered together they would create a breathe taking soundscape, but that is exactly what happens. Read more
Yeah, I said solid gold. I love the music of the 90′s, so coming up in the next week or so I am going to do a post on why the decade was so awesome for music. To warm you up, here is a classic from the much underrated Nada Surf
I know most of us don’t have a lot of time for politics. We vote once every four years, if we are available that day, and just generally accept that stuff is messed up. But something is happening right now that is huge, and I really think that we can’t be quiet. It is the new ‘Tough on Crime’ bill that is presently being talked about in the House of Commons. This bill concerns me in a bucket load of ways: Read more
Dear Mr. Del Mastro,
I am writing to you with great concern about your address to the House of Commons on October 21st regarding Bill C-304. Sir, so many people in Peterborough are living in horrible conditions or on the street because of the inaccessibility of affordable housing in our community. As a minister at St. John’s Anglican Church I have done funerals for to many friends who have died due to poverty and housing. For you to stand up in the house and say that this bill is “to expensive” pains me greatly. These peoples lives are worth our money and investment.
As a fellow Christian you know that how we love the poor and how we love God are intricately linked. We cannot say that housing them is just to costly, this is not an option. Read more
Peterborough is suffering from an epidemic. It is hidden pretty well, most of us can live our lives without even having to see it, but it is deadly. It is a housing epidemic. It is generally accepted that housing that is affordable should cost about 30% of your pre-tax income. In Peterborough, over 50% of the population spends more then this. To a single person on Ontario Works (welfare) an average bachelor apartment costs more to rent then their whole monthly check. A single parent with one child living on OW will pay 95% of their income on a 2 bedroom apartment. This has resulted in an increase in both Food Bank and Shelter usage in our city over the past couple years. It also results in many in our community living in rooming houses that are crowded, filthy, falling apart and generally unacceptable. For these horrible rooms many pay between $350-$500. Read more
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Peterborough is suffering from an epidemic. It is hidden pretty well, most of us can live our lives without even having to see it, but it is deadly. 
