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It says in the Bible they traveled in that time
Ordered by Caesar to be numbered and aligned
Camped on the ground in his mother’s husband’s town
Circled by guards trained to put rebellions down
Waiting in line just to work another day
Fear at each gate, danger if you disobey
Close to good earth underfoot as you can feel
In a town forced to bow to the gods of gold and steel
But see these holy stars!
They do not shine for the Empire or its wars
But to the ancient dark and sacred earth
Life to the travelers, the river and the birds!
So Mariam gave birth in the darkness of a barn
Squeezing the hands of the ones who kept her warm
Feeding each other with cherished food from home
Songs that rekindle defiance of the soul
And see, these holy stars!
They do not shine for the Empire or its wars
But to the ancient dark and sacred earth
Life to the travelers, the river and the birds
In streets occupied by the armies of the law
Who cradles love wrapped in borrowed clothes and straw?
Who breaks the walls and defies the conquering might?
Oh magnify! Oh blessed be the night!
And see, these holy stars!
They do not shine for the Empire or its wars
But to the ancient dark and sacred earth
Life to the travelers, the river and the birds!
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released November 29, 2020
The arrival of our son in January marked a shift for this project. This album is a compilation featuring musicians from our circle of friends as well as new friends from around the world who responded to invitations on Facebook and Reddit. We hope you enjoy this group effort!
1). Little Saint Nick - Written by the Beach Boys. Recorded by Andy Pokel (Bloomington, MN)
2). As Joseph Was A-Walking - Traditional. Recorded by Greg Wilfrid (West Hartford, CT) -
www.gregwilfrid.com -
www.facebook.com/gregwilfridmusic
3). Divinum Mysterium - Traditional. Recorded by Sea of Fog (Montgomery, AL) -
open.spotify.com/artist/5IUJ64bYUaRXpXWx7RXecP?si=VI96l86oS7uPdJNfxX1DDA
4). The Christmas Song - Written by Robert Wells and Mel Tormé. Recorded by Andy Pokel, Elise Pokel (Bloomington, MN) and Jake Crowe (Oshkosh, WI)
5). Driving Home for Christmas - Written by Chris Rea. Recorded by Anton Aagaard (Denmark) -
open.spotify.com/artist/0EGzoip9UOk2Y0MRIdkstl?si=vfvFlTGEQiiRlSCaUrVjEw
6). Christmas Hairdo - Written and recorded by Mr. Husband (Baltimore, MD) -
mrhusband.bandcamp.com
7). O Come O Come Emmanuel - Traditional. Recorded by the Wife Guys of Reddit (Glasgow, Scotland)
8). Silent Night - Traditional. Found audio produced by Aros E-V (St. Paul, MN) -
aros-ev.bandcamp.com
9). Whistling in the Dark - Written and recorded by Andy Pokel (Bloomington, MN)
10). Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Written by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane. Recorded by Portrait Ghosts (Ottawa, Ontario) -
portraitghosts.com -
www.instagram.com/portraitghosts/
11). (Christmas Will Be Just) Another Lonely Day - Written by Brenda Lee. Recorded by Collin Estes (Colorado) -
collinestes.bandcamp.com/album/our-favorite-prodigal-son
12). Nuclear Family Christmas - Written and recorded by Farmer (London, UK)
13). These Holy Stars - Written and recorded by Katherine Parent and SEE MORE PERSPECTIVE (Minneapolis, MN)
14). Venite Adoremus - Written and recorded by Andy Pokel and Elise Pokel (Bloomington, MN)
Album art by Katherine Parent - @kparentart -
kmnparent@gmail.com
Artist's Notes:
Art:
This piece is inspired by my memories of snowstorms lit by blinding lights during winter protests against police brutality in Minneapolis and for indigenous rights and clean water at Standing Rock. While light is often used in Christmas music to symbolize good and hope, to me those lights represented state violence tearing through peoples’ calls for care and justice. I imagined those clouds “dispersing” to reveal a peaceful dark night where one can see a million stars, festive yew branches, and even the healing river of life.
Song:
These Holy Stars
I wrote this song on a Christmas haunted by footage of the US government separating families at the border, horrified by the similarity to the context of imperial, colonial violence that Jesus was born into. It made me want to write a Christmas resistance song, that used a dark starry night as a metaphor for love and resilience the empire can’t capture or even see amidst their brightly lit streets and military searchlights. I started imagining Jesus’ pregnant mother with a party of traveling friends, getting each other through hard times with creativity, good food and humor. SEE MORE PERSPECTIVE played percussion and mixed and produced to make it come to life!