Rockin' on down the road to Christmas

11/27/2009                  Rockin' on down the road to Christmas By TAMMY MALGESINI East Oregonian I can't sing. In the Bible where is says, "May a joyful noise unto the Lord," well, I take that literally. Other than the time I was delving into a story on karaoke and was cajoled into singing at The Hut Restaurant and Lounge, I try to confine my singing to private environments. For the past month, Christmas tunes have been my mainstay while in the shower and my car. I even announced earlier this month to those within earshot of my desk that rather than using the radio to drown out extra sound in the Hermiston Bureau, I'd be playing Christmas music for the next 10 weeks. Although Thanksgiving, for most people, seems to be the unofficial beginning of when it's acceptable to play Christmas music, I start at Halloween. There are just too many good holiday tunes to cram in between Thanksgiving and Christmas. So, I've been rocking down the road with the likes of "Happy Holidays" by Billy Idol, "A Twisted Christmas" by Twisted Sister, as well as playing the majestic sounds of Mannheim Steamroller and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. And I even get a little Motown with "Christmas Here with You" by The Four Tops. My husband, John, is always on the lookout for new albums - so when I noticed on Amazon.com that Bob Dylan was coming out with "Christmas in the Heart," John told me he had already pre-ordered it. After listening to it several times, I commented to John that maybe traditional Christmas music wasn't where it was at for Dylan. John was appalled. "You know what the money's going for, don't you?" he said incensed. Proceeds from the album are going to Feeding America. The program will provide more than 4 million meals to people in need during the holiday season. In addition, future royalties will continue to feed the program. Sure it's a noble cause, but "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" was designed to be a joyous song, but with Dylan's raspy baritone, it sounds more like a funeral march. Don't get me wrong, I'm as big a Dylan fan as they come, but a large part of my enjoyment of him is based on his message and not as much on his sound. "Do You Hear What I Hear." No offense, but yes, Zimmy I do, and it sounds like you're "Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door." —— Tammy Malgesini is the EO community editor. Her column, Inside my shoes, appears twice a month. You can reach her at tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4539.