Celebrate the holidays with the city’s best musicians

’Tis the season to spread holiday cheer, and it seems many of our city’s finest musicians are doing that the best way they know how — with lively concerts.

Going out to see a good live show is always a gift. It’s a treat for yourself, especially if you aren’t normally the type to experience music in any form other than digital, fed through headphones.

But it’s also a gift for the immensely talented and underappreciated independent artists who strive to share their music with new audiences.

So while you’re in the mood to give and receive, start off with a pre-Christmas party at The Rainbow tonight when Big Money Shot winners Tim’s Myth play with supporting act Lure.

Both bands are full of energy and fun, and the songwriting ain’t half bad either.

Next Friday, in that relaxing, often work-free space between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, it’s worth a trek out to Wakefield’s Black Sheep Inn to catch songstress Lindsay Ferguson, opening for Toronto band Funktagon.

After a hugely successful, spirited CD release party a few months back, Ferguson is ready to give a solo show or, as she puts it, just a girl with a guitar, voice and some soul.

The show starts at 9 p.m. on December 28th.

New Year’s Eve could just be about copious alcohol consumption at another boring house party or overcrowded pub, or it could be about dancing into 2008 at Babylon with the city’s favourite jazz/funk/world fusion party band, The Souljazz Orchestra.

The band recently returned from a whirlwind tour of France, and is ready to come home to Babylon for two 90-minute sets. Tickets are $20 in advance from Compact Music, Top of the World, Norml Clothing, End Hits and CD Exchange.

Not to start a battle of the bands, but the choice of where to ring in the New Year becomes a tough one with what promises to be another fantastic show — Jetplanes of Abraham and HiLoTrons at the Black Sheep Inn.

Rick Devereux of Jetplanes promises the band will be introducing new songs that they hope to put on an upcoming album. As well, the band is organizing a bus to take fans out to Wakefield for the show so they can enjoy a safe and happy night.