Getting in touch with my inner Swede

I'm now officially a member of the Chicago Nordic Choir --a group of about 20 gorgeous, model-like Swedes, Norwegians, and Danes. I'm part Swedish, part Danish and can carry a tune, but not-so-model like. I guess they want me anyway since they're short on second sopranos. Not that I speak a lick of Swedish or Norwegian. Last night I pretty much mumbled my way through rehearsal. I guess I have a lot of learning to do for our first gig of the year-- Waffle Day at the Swedish-American Museum in Andersonville! It's at 5211 N Clark St. on March 25 at 3p. Come if you're in the area. Hopefully I'll know a little Swedish by then... or just come for the waffles.

The next Flannery O'Connor?

I've been hearing about Sufjan Stevens for a while now, but recently became more intrigued because my nephews are fans (they even named their new puppy Sufjan). Being the out-of-touch aunt and uncle, David and I insisted that "Sufjan" is pronounced "Suf-jan", and later found out it's really pronounced "Sufian". Oh well. We're not as hip as we thought.

I recently read an article about "Sufian" in Books and Culture. and found out he's a Michigan native, went to the renowned Interlocken music school, and attended Hope College.

Here's an excerpt from the article:

"Stevens seems convinced that to own up to evangelicalism would amount to professional or artistic suicide, and he is probably right. Though Christian culture warriors are put off by his calculated ambiguity, fans and critics are captivated. The high praise he has garnered from The New York Times and Rolling Stone—let alone thousands of fans around the world—may be the direct result of Stevens' willingness to grapple, in a suitably cryptic fashion, with issues of faith. Indeed, the secular music press now views the spiritual component of his work as an asset, best summed up by the Village Voice, which called him "the Next Flannery [O'Connor]."

He definitely sounds iPod-worthy....