A Very Dylan Christmas

Hey everyone, I don't often send out newsletters or write new blog posts. I usually reserve these for big events like album releases, but I want to let you know about a show I have coming up that I am really excited about. Friday, December 19 at 7:00 pm, I'll be presenting a show called "A Very Dylan Christmas" at Opening Bell Coffee. And I've been waiting to do this show for years.

Right now, you're probably thinking, "A Very Dylan Christmas?" That sounds like a very weird Christmas. And I can understand why you might think so. I wrote a whole doctoral dissertation on the guy and I've still never made it all the way through his Christmas album. Call me old fashioned, but I don't usually associate Christmas time with Bob Dylan's rough and rowdy ways.

Despite that, I've had a Dylan Christmas show on my brain for well over a decade.

See, when I was working on that doctoral dissertation back in 2011-2013, I was studying Dylan's songs about apocalypse, which led me down a whole rabbit trail of songs that sound like prophecy. They sound a lot, in fact, like the Bible verses and carols that come out around this time of year in the season of Advent.

Advent wasn't really part of the church tradition I was raised in, but it is now, and these days, I tend to enjoy Advent even more than actual Christmas time, because Advent is about longing and hope, about waiting for justice and peace, about turning tables of oppression and bringing light into the darkness. In other words, Advent is about the time we live in right now, in our imperfect, daily lives, as we wait and work for a better world than the one we're in even as we take joy and comfort in the good that we already have.

Bob Dylan speaks to that feeling really well in songs that acknowledge the pain, confusion, and injustice of our world ("It's Alright Ma, I'm Only Bleeding," "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall,"); songs that sing of hope for a brighter day ("The Times They Are A-Changing," "I Shall Be Released,"); and even songs that are playful and joyful in the meantime ("New Morning," "Forever Young").

And once I saw this connection between the themes Advent/Christmas and the songs of Bob Dylan, I couldn't unsee it. The idea took root in my brain to design a show that takes listeners on a journey, juxtaposing Dylan songs and Christmas songs to move from darkness to light for a wholly unique holiday concert.

That's what I'll be doing on December 19th at Opening Bell Coffee in Dallas. It's a busy time of year, but if you have that evening free, I'd love to see you and your family. You won't hear "Last Christmas" or "All I Want for Christmas Is You" (not that there's anything wrong with those songs), but you will hear classic carols, fresh folk originals, and a whole lot of Bob Dylan.

Tickets are by donation, available here. If you can't come, share this with someone who will!

In the meantime, be sure to add my Christmas single, "Merry Christmas Again" to your holiday playlists.

Happy Christmas everyone. May God bless and keep you always and may you stay forever young this Christmas!

--Christine