Category:

Stubbys House of Christmas

LINDLEY RUTH & HER TIPSY STRING BAND (feat. JORDAN HULL)

1/13/2011

Never too late to come across a freebie as tasty as this one. Lindley Ruth and Her Tipsy String Band specialize in Alt Country Americana and likely no song fits that bill any better than Robert Earl Keen's "Merry Christmas From The Family". The band calls on Indie Folk and Soul-ster Jordan Hull to lend a hand (or a voice). Lindley and Jordan blend together well, as do this song and "Blue Christmas". You'll understand when you listen. Weighing in at 6 minutes, you definitely get your money's worth on this one. And did I mention it's free? Pick it up at Bandcamp or on Lindley Ruth's facebook site. Trust me, you want this one.

SCI-FI ROMANCE - AULD LANG SYNE

12/29/2010

The project of LA based Vance Kotrla, Sci-Fi Romance specializes in Indie Alt Folk with just a hint of punk--enough to classify this one as "steampunk" or "steamfolk". This version of "Auld Lang Syne" starts out in the traditional tempo before, pardon me, picking up steam. The song then chugs it's way to an uptempo finish as a punkish folk number. As the artist notes, "Auld Lang Syne" is pretty much an inevitable holiday tune and there are no shortage of versions available. Given the explosion of folk and Americana this year, this one is certainly worth a listen. And the download is free through Bandcamp.

THE GIVING TREE BAND (featuring NELLIE McKAY) - THE CHRISTMAS WALTZ

12/23/2010

I'm telling you, this has been the best year for Americana Christmas music of any I can remember. Here we have the extraordinary Giving Tree Band teaming up with the lovely Nellie McKay, who has successfully tried her hand and just about every musical genre in existence, not to mention the acting (I told you not to mention the acting). The result is a pair of eclectic, relaxed, down home, beautiful Christmas tunes. It's as if they're just hangin' with y'all on the front porch. Oh, good, you brought your accordion. It's especially nice to hear someone cover "The Christmas Waltz", which you rarely see covered either by indie artists or by folk artists. Just use the widget above to claim your free music.

VARIOUS - A VERY LITTLE CHRISTMAS

12/14/2010

1. Bannerman - Lost Christmas
2. Hold Dear – Anthem For An Orphan
3. The Crawley Christmas Singers – I Don’t Wanna Think About It
4. The Gladeyes – Carols and Parties
5. Dear Time's Waste – The Drink
6. Glass Owls - December
7. Bear Cat – This Christmas, All I Really Want Is To Love Somebody
8. Alaska – Oh Holy Night
9. Cool Rainbows – Grown Ups Christmas
10. Chelsea Jade & James Duncan – French Kissmas
11. Canadia – Apparently It's Christmas
12. The Bayonets – Winter Bells
13. Timothy Blackman – Christmas Bells
14. Luckless – Christmas Morning
15. Tono and the Finance Company - Orphans DOWNLOAD AT LITTLE MONSTER
16. Great North – A Guiding Star
17. Jocee Tuck – Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree
18. Artisan Guns - This Year

While I've found myself occupied with "projects" and hurrying about, trying to finish up Christmas shopping and wrapping and shipping, there have been an awful lot of freebies that I've passed on posting because they've been posted elsewhere first. Not that that bothers me at all. I just feel like you're getting so little of my time and attention, these days, I at least owe it to you to find you something fresh. It's not as if the stuff that's already been posted elsewhere requires any less exposition. Always figured I could get to the other stuff tomorrow. And I just haven't. So we need to clear some of that stuff out of the queue. Let's start with this collection I first saw listed at Santas Working Overtime (you really can't get through the holidays without them). "A Very Little Christmas" is an album from Little Monster Studio, a New Zealand based studio that, in his own words, "mostly exists to cater to Producer/Engineer Dave Parker's various recording projects." Given that, this is quite an ambitious collection from Auckland. Sadly for them, I get a little more jaded at this time of year, having listened to so much Christmas music. I don't think I even heard the first 6 songs when I put this on. The first song that caught my attention was Bear Cat's "This Christmas, All I Really Want Is To Love Somebody", which had a nice little vibe going on--sort of a cross between Western and Tropical or something--and the lyrics and chorus were neigh on irresistible. Is there such a thing as Lo-Fi Wall of Sound? OK. Now you have my attention. Show me something. Alaska has the task of performing the album's one traditional carol, my personal favorite carol at that, "Oh Holy Night", and proves themselves up to the task. Cool Rainbows gives us a delightful, sparkling "Grown Ups Christmas" which I guess I'd call Indie Pop (these labels, does anybody really know what they all mean?). The song is as light as a morning flurry and I do worry that it's fate will be the same--not sure It'll stick with me. There's a lot going on in Chelsea Jade and James Duncan's duet--a little psychedelia, a little shoegaze, a lot of heat. Great song. That one'll stick. Best lyrics (and title), so far, from Canadia--"Apparently It's Christmas"--an energetic pop folk delight. Alt-Country from Great North. Artisan Guns close it out with a wonderful number of building intensity--it sounds like a finale. You get the idea. Some of this may be superfluous in your collection, but a lot of it is quite good. This is quite a bit more relevant that your average indie collection, and, overall, much better recorded. It's certainly one with enough diversity and promise that investigation is warranted. You can download this in either 160k or 320k and a small handful of hardcopy CDs are available through New Zealand merchants, Amplifier and Marbecks.

VARIOUS - ALTERNATE ROOT 2nd ANNUAL HOLIDAY SAMPLER

12/8/2010

1. Duke Robillard - Duke's Christmas
2. Sara Petite - Souvenirs
3. Scott Miller - Yes, Virginia
4. Jeff Talmadge - In The Quiet Of Christmas
5. Nu Blu - Christmas In Dixie
6. The Wild Rumpus - Silent Night In The Bar
7. Ian Tyson - Silver Bell
8. Jack Tempchin - Christmas Calling
9. Ox - Xmas In The Jailhouse
10. Boca Chica - Not On Christmas Eve
11. Shane Cooley - Window Shopping For A Long Lost Love
12. The Bengsons - Bells
13. Adam Mackintosh and The Last Dancers - It's Christmas
14. Brittany Allyn - Santa Claus Boogie
15. Gretchen Peters - Northern Lights
16. Jaimi Shuey - Christmastime Blues
17. The Porch Song Anthology - Christmas Is Cold DOWNLOAD IT HERE
18. Lisa Redford - New Years Day (scroll to the bottom of the Alternate Root page)
19. KAL - Jukebox Christmas
20. Dick Philpot - Jesus Lights
21. Brian Ashley Jones - Let's Get Blazed For The Holidays
22. George's Breakfast - Paper Airplane
23. Rich McCulley - Looks Like Christmas
24. Sarah Stanley - Happy New Year
25. Les Kerr (with The Jordinaires) - Christmas On The Coast
26. Robert Marr - Under The Mistletoe
27. Pat Bacon - Ho Ho Ho (No Dough)
28. Laetoli Steps - Christmas Tree
29. Little Green - Bells Are Ringing Their Last Call
30. Garrett Wall - How Christmas Was Meant To Be
31. Harlem Parlour Music Club - We Three Kings
32. The Irreconcilables - See Ya Santa
33. Patterson Barrett - Santa Claus On The Loose
34. Mike McGuire - The Streets Are Quiet On Christmas
35. Blues Guy Schwartz - Christmas On The Hiway
36. The Dave Edwards Band - It's Christmastime

Well, for whatever reason, Alternate Root ended the voting early and basically packaged up all 36 tunes for your holiday listening pleasure. And, believe me, pleasure is the appropriate word. This might be the best stuff you hear all holiday season. And its free from Alternate Root. Just go to this page, scroll down to the bottom, and click on the download link. Or listen to the tracks in the player provided, if you prefer. You'll see a few of the freebies we've already featured and a ton more that we haven't. Alternate Root is all about the best in Roots music, Alt Folk, Alt Country, Alt Rock, Folk, Blues, Americana. It's all in there. Go to it!

BOCA CHICA - SNOW ANGELS

12/8/2010

1. Not On Christmas Eve
2. Snow Angels

You may have read on our Previews page that you could download Boca Chica's "Not On Christmas Eve" free at Indiecater Records as you considered whether to buy the whole collection. Well, not on that collection, but available free with "Not On Christmas Eve" through the band on Bandcamp, is another great song, "Snow Angels". "Not On Christmas Eve" is a bit more of a honky-tonkin trot, but "Snow Angels" is real purdy like. That one originally appeared on Indiecater's 2009 collection. Download both tracks free, now, at Bandcamp.

SHANE COOLEY - WINDOW SHOPPING FOR A LONG LOST LOVER

12/7/2010

We owe this tip to "smacque", that brave soul who previews all the Rhapsody adds to find the hidden gems. Mentioned him in our Uncle Daddy preview. This Alt Country, Alt Folk, piece of Americana is free at Bandcamp. Shane Cooley hails from rural Virginia and he's worked hard for his chance. "Window Shopping For A Long Lost Lover" is worth your time. Tell 'em smacque sent you. And, as a bonus, we've even got the video above.

LANDON SMITH & THE REAL MATT JONES - CHRISTMAS ANTHEM

12/5/2010

I really don't want to spend too much time with the Amazon freebies--they've got a lot of them and pretty much everybody knows about them. But there are some that might be overlooked and they shouldn't be. This one's so good, I almost downloaded it twice. As it's free, it wouldn't have mattered I suppose, but I don't know why I haven't mentioned it here. It's originally an old hymn, but Landon Smith and The Real Matt Jones spice up their "Christmas Anthem" and give it a nice countrified spin. Ends up sounding a bit like Sister Hazel at their best. Anyway, it's free at Amazon, so check it out.

DANIEL DeWITT (WINSTON AUDIO) - DeWINTER WONDERLAND

12/3/2010

1. O Come All Ye Faithful
2. What Child Is This?
3. O Come O Come Emmanuel
4. Silent Night
5. O Holy Night
6. Go Tell It On The Mountain
7. We Three Kings
8. Little Drummer Boy
9. The Christmas Song

Daniel DeWitt writes that Winston Audio has pretty much ceased to exist. Having decided to spend more time with his family and to get a "real" job to support them, the other members of the band have moved on to other projects. But music is still in Daniel's blood. So he's decided to record music that is true to his faith and that his family and friends will like. In that spirit, he offers this Christmas album as his first project on the new path he's determined. "DeWinter Wonderland" is a nice piece of work, too. Working with the classic songs and their existing melodies, DeWitt layers an undercurrent of Indie Rock with some truly spectacular results. I was very much enjoying the album anyway, after "O Come All Ye Faithful", but the work on "O Come O Come Emmanuel" blew me away. He shines on a straight forward "O Holy Night". "Go Tell It On The Mountain" gets a bit of a Country shine, but features touches of New Orleans styled Gospel as well. Daniel's version of "We Three Kings" didn't do much for me, but "Little Drummer Boy" was hypnotically enchanting Indie Rock. And "The Christmas Song", with its layered harmony vocals, sounds to me like Paul McCartney meets The Free Design. You know these songs well, but Daniel puts himself into them revealing new textures and possibilities. If this is the path Daniel has set for himself, I applaud him and hope it brings him and his family many blessings. Daniel plans an album in the coming year and has started a Kickstarter campaign to raise the funding for it. "DeWinter Wonderland" can be downloaded free here.