Category: Punk

THE DOLLYROTS - MESSED UP XMAS

12/14/2010

Pop punkers The Dollyrots' current record is called "A Little Messed Up" and so they thought they could do a fun little holiday tie-in. So they asked their fans to send in the one thing they wanted for Christmas that was "a little messed up" and The Dollyrots would put the best of the messed into the lines of the song. They got quite a response, as it turns out. And some people, apparently, are pretty messed up. For Christmas. Anyway, "Messed Up Xmas" can be yours for the asking --no email address required. Just click the link on the band's MySpace blog. If you're actually looking for messed up gift ideas and you're having trouble keeping up, you'll find the lyrics there, too. The song rocks, but you already knew that from the video.

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VARIOUS - A CIGAR BOX CHRISTMAS 2010

12/14/2010

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1. Santa Man by Ice Bob, Samster and Rosie
2. Red Snow by Music Gov
3. Santa’s Got the Blues by the Doomtown Jug Sluggers
4. Candy Cane by Caspar Babypants
5. A Christmas Morning by Doctor Steve
6. Linus and Lucy by The Easy Rollers
7. Christmas Card by Olds Sleeper
8. A Christmas CBG by Soulcatcher and his DooFa Diddley
9. Run Run Rudolph by the Shane Speals
10. Rydin’ Thru The Snow by StumbleCol
11. A Santa Request by NoiseMaker
12. Carol of the Bells by Dan Greene
13. Foxy Carol by Skeesix
14. Not so Merry by Anthony Forder
15. Opting Out by LaurieLeeC
16. The Reason for the Season by Kalmario
17. Winter Wonderland by Marshall Stapleton
18. Blue Christmas by Ben Kepler
19. CBG by Juan Sebastian Verta CIGAR BOX NATION WEBSITE
20. Holly and the Ivy by Knotlenny DOWNLOAD CIGAR BOX CHRISTMAS
21. O Holy Night by Sweetlife
22. Parade of the Wooden Soldiers by BenBob
23. VivaVodka by Burnus
24. Canjo Christmas by Bemuzic
25. Lookin’ Out at the Weather by Uncle John Bolton
26. Santa Claus Blues by The One Man Blues Collective
27. We Three Kings by Henry H Lowman III
28. Carol of the Bells by Les Titford
29. Cigar Box Guitar Star by John Wendell
30. Merry Christmas by Teddy Berwald
31. Old Man on the Roof by Music Gov
32. Santa Has the Blues by Hobostubs
33. White Christmas by Uncle Crow
34. O Tannenbaum by Henry H. Lowman III
35. Stranger in the Manger by Albert Guilliot
36. Snow Falling!!! by Patrick Breton
37. Silent Night by Yellowbelly Flatt
38. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by Doctor Steve and Family
39. Every Song at Christmas by beStillroy
40. Santa The Ripper by John “Reddog” McNair

Whooeeee! That's a lotta music. Cigar Box Nation is the home of this little holiday treat. Cigar Box Nation is a community of Cigar Box Guitar (and banjo) enthusiasts who meet and greet to share notes and to share (musical) notes. And the community of folks who love building their own guitars (and banjos--technically, I think, called canjos) out of old cigar boxes almost as much (or maybe more) as they love making music on them is a lot bigger than you might think. And you might think such devices would, of course, be acoustic and that the musicians would all be playing some very rudimentary, rural, lo-fi music. HA! HA, I say! The cigar box guitar is only limited by the abilities of its builder and the musician who plays it (usually one and the same). The music on this collection of tracks submitted by the members of the Cigar Box Nation covers almost every genre imaginable--blues, folk, grunge, hard rock, new age, punk, bluegrass, metal, pop, indie pop, old-timey, I think I even heard some shoegaze in there, and there's a lot less lo-fi than you'd think. And the lo-fi that is here is extremely effective. There's far too much here for me to cover comprehensively. But the first two songs, alone, will disabuse you of any misconceptions you may hold about the cigar box guitar. I predict that "Santa Man" by Ice Bob, Samster & Rosie is destined to be among the most frequently used cuts on next year's selection of Xmas mixtapes across the country. "Red Snow" is just incredible. And, really, throughout, the musicianship and creativity of these folks is nothing short of spectacular. I really look forward to spending some time with this one--likely after the holidays--but my favorite so far has to be the Country Blues version of "Linus And Lucy" by The Easy Rollers. I love that. I really do. "Candy Cane" (by Casper Babypants) was a pretty good pop number, too. And I'd also recommend "Opting Out" by LaurieLeeC. There's a little more lo-fi on the back half but, again, everything is great, here. With 40 tracks, you're bound to find something you like on "A Cigar Box Christmas 2010". This, by the way, is the second year of "A Cigar Box Christmas". Last year's collection can still be downloaded free as well, though that one features a "measley" 23 tracks. Get both Cigar Box Nation Christmas collections here. Then, if you're as fascinated as I am, start reading about the music and the people and the cigar boxes they love to build and play. You might even want to join them.

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VARIOUS - FLEAS NAUGHTY DOG, VOLUME 1

12/11/2010

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1) Tim Bushong - O Holy Night
2) Bridgeshadows - Silent Night
3) Blissed - Little Drummer Boy
4) True Liberty - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
5) Einstein Savage - Anti-Santa's Coming To Town
6) Coriolis - What Child Is This
7) Marty Warren - Angels We Have Heard On High
8) Grave Robber - You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch
9) Harry Gore - Christmas For Real10) Confessions Of A Sinner - Jingle Bells
11) Leper - O Come O Come Emmanuel
12) False Idle - Hark The Herald Angels Sing
13) Fire Born - All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth
14) Frost Like Ashes - Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent
15) Cryo-Mancer - O Come All Ye Faithful
16) Desiring Dead Flesh - Holidays Suck
LABEL SITE
DOWNLOAD FROM ROTTWEILER RECORDS

OK, I know I lament the lack of good free holiday Blues and Jazz, but I'm guessing some of our visitors wish there were more free hard rock, metal and punk. You wish has been granted. Rottweiler Records is turning up your holiday heat with a collection that, on first spin through, was pretty darn solid (even if this isn't my personal genre of choice for every meal, I appreciate the good stuff now and again). I haven't had the chance to listen to all of "Fleas Naughty Dog", but sampling suggests it's about evenly split between hard rock, metal and punk. 3 tracks I do want to mention in particular--the three that caught my eye and ear. First, the name Harry Gore caught my eye immediately. I believe I'm correct that that's the same Harry Gore who, ages back, recorded the brilliant Byrds-up version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"--one of the best free tracks I've ever downloaded from the Net. And it sure sounds like him, though he rocks a little harder here (still sounds a bit too mainstream rock for this collection). Another name I recognized was Frost For Ashes and, sure enough, they are the same Christian Death Metal band that previously recorded this track for the "Brutal Christmas" collection in 2002 (don't know whether it's the same version/recording). Finally, during my quick spin, Einstein Savage caught my ear. I liked the bit of a stray cat strut they brought to their "Anti-Santa Is Coming To Town". It stood out in a good way for me. The Harry Gore track and Einstein Savage I'll definitely return to. But I'm sure there will be plenty of others thrilled with every song here. If you like this sort of thing, then this will be precisely the sort of thing you will like.

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VARIOUS - SANTASTIC V

12/6/2010

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1. If You Jinglin'......DJ McFly
2. Rudolph (You Don't Have To Put On The Red Light)...mojochronic
3. Christmas In Allston......Big D and The Kid's Table
4. For The Love Of A Disco Snowplow......ATOM
5. Seven Nation Santa......Smash-Up Derby
6. 8-Bit Hip-Hop Christmas......dj BC
7. Christmas Fire......Voicedude
8. Wow Christmas......Gaston
9. Swing The Boot......Martinn
10. Insane In The Winter Wonderland......DJ Flack
11. I Feel Santa......Divide and Kreate
12. Give It To Me, Little Drummer Boy......Cheekyboy
13. Walking In The Air......Secret Santa
14. Forget You, Santa......Voicedude DOWNLOAD HERE
15. Jingle Date......G3RSt ABOUT THE MIXES
16. Motown Christmas......mojochronic DJ BC HOME SITE

And don't forget:
SANTASTIC: HOLIDAY BOOTS 4 YOUR STOCKINGS
SANTASTIC II: CLAUSOME
SANTASTIC III: IN 3-D
SANTASTIC FOUR
MENORAH MASHUPS

STILL MORE HERE

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STICK AROUND - THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN

12/5/2010

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Some Pop Punk for y'all? There are times when you really want to hear traditional Christmas music--Bing, Perry, Andy--but there are definitely times you want to get as far from that as you can. Just crank the stereo and rock on, dude. For the latter, you'll find "That Time Of Year Again" a perfect play. Sort of in the vein of MxPx, I think. Stick Around call Ireland home, Galway to be precise. Bandcamp is where the Christmas song is housed. If you like the "That Time Of Year Again", check out "When We Ran" which I believe is also a free download. Coo-el! And, in your spare time, look up Stick Around on MySpace. Yep, they're there.

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THE BUMPERS - I NEED MY BABY BY MY SIDE (ON XMAS NIGHT)

12/1/2010

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A great little Punk Pop effort from this group that's new to me. The vocals could've been mixed a little higher but, you know, Punk. Otherwise, I dig raw stuff like this. Looks like The Bumpers are fairly new to the scene and they've got an EP due out soon. Download "I Need My Baby By My Side (On Xmas Night)" free at Bandcamp.

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VARIOUS - XO FOR THE HOLIDAYS, VOL. III

12/1/2010

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1. Pictures Of Then - "Presents In June"
2. Paper Tongues - "Carol Of The Bells"
3. Campfire OK - "Dreidel Song"
4. Triggers - "A Very Triggers Christmas"
5. Transient Songs - "A Christmas Stalking"
6. Piney Gir - "Snow Snow, Beautiful Snow"
7. Prayer For Animals - "Riptide / Yuletide"
8. The Winter Sounds - "McAdenville (Christmastown)"
9. Captain Nowhere - "Holiday Song"
10. Piney Gir - "A Cheery Christmas" DOWNLOAD AT XO PUBLICITY

This one's been all over the Internets, but, just in case you're not one to make the rounds, no reason we shouldn't mention it too. XO Publicity is a Public Relations firm and I'm not exactly sure how they got into the business of doing free Christmas compilations but, as you can see, this is their third such effort. Some really nice stuff, too. This one features a couple of tracks from Damaged Goods artist Piney Gir--neither of which were on her Damaged Goods holiday single. If you downloaded this early on, there was an 11th track featuring Billy Bob Thornton, but it's no longer included. But, if you scroll down all the way, you can still pick up Volumes 1 & 2, so....you got that going for you....which is nice. XO For The Holidays. Get it.

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VIV ALBERTINE - HOME SWEET HOME AT CHRISTMAS

11/21/2010

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Earlier, we shared the link to Viv Albertine's 2009 Free Christmas song, "When It Was Nice". We mentioned, then, that the recent death of former Slits bandmate Ari Up might cause Viv to push off doing a planned Free Christmas single this year. But, no, Viv has soldiered forward and has now released her new Christmas original for 2010. "Home Sweet Home (At Christmas)" is wonderfully reminiscent of the intelligent, humorous, and honest music that made the Slits the seminal Punk band they were. I think it's a much better demonstration that Viv has lost none of her musical creativity to the years, though of course that's just me. Viv would like your email address in exchange for this one, which I take as a sign that she plans to stick around for awhile. Head to Viv's Burning Shed page (Viv's Store) and enter your email just below the YouTube stream, which you can listen to before deciding whether or not you think its a fair trade.

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POLKAHOLICS - JINGLE BELLS, SCHMINGLE BELLS

11/17/2010

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01 The Polkaholics are Comin' to Town
02 Yakov The Polka Reindeer
03 Sausage & Sauerkraut for Santa
04 Sausage Balls
05 Drinkin' With Santa
06 Polka Christmas
07 In Excelsis Polka

FREE DOWNLOAD
ARTIST SITE

This tip comes to us from The King of Jingaling, via his Twitter feed. The King, for those who don't know, runs one of the top Christmas music sites around, the legendary FaLaLaLaLa.

The Polkaholics hail from Chicago and their music is as much Punk as Polka. But, really, it's just all about having a good time. They pressed up about 500 of these as CDs, but those CDs will only be available as gifts to attendees of a December show in Chicago. For the rest of us, they've made the music available as a FREE download.

One note of caution. These would not automatically download on my Mac. If you encounter similar difficulties, I can probably post the individual link codes in the comments section. OK? Anna One, Anna Two, Anna.........

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VARIOUS - CHECKING IT TWICE

11/14/2010

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1. The Boom Bang - The Coast of Christmas Trash
2. Kite Flying Robot and Brother Gruesome - Tell The Tale
3. Depth And Current - Xmas Feeling, feat. Skating Polly
4. Student Film - Slay Belles
5. Penny Hill - No Whiskey Snow Cone, feat. Samantha Crain
6. Gang Starr Museum - Comanche Christmas Eve,
feat. Dustin Sanchez & Bobby Missile
7. Crocodile - Birthday Boy
8. Gentle Ghost - The Creature's Eyes, feat. Brine Webb
9. Locust Avenue - At Christmastyme
10. Evangelicals - A Cruel Heart (On Christmas)

LABEL SITE
DOWNLOAD AT BANDCAMP

Nice People is an indie label out of Norman, Oklahoma, in the grand tradition of all the indie rock labels that came before them. Their artist roster ranges from cult favorites the Feel Spectres and Depth & Current to a pair of young ladies (aged 15 and 10) who call themselves Skating Polly (not featured on this EP). The music featured by the label runs the experimental gamut from psychedelic pop, to pop punk, to art rock, to......whatever. So this label freebie is likely not going to appeal to traditionalists. But if you're into all things rock, depending on what you're in to specifically, you might find a song or two here that makes you happy that there are Nice People in the world who share their wares for free. For me, that track is Locust Avenue's psych-pop delight "At Christmastyme", which would have fit right in on one of those Midnight X-Mess albums put out by Midnight Records in the early 80s. Others might prefer the much more raw (and loud) "Coast of Christmas Trash" from the aptly named The Boom Bang. Or perhaps you'll settle in for the garage rock of Gang Starr Museum; I can't even begin to describe all the basic rock styles and artists they're borrowing from to create "Comanche Christmas Eve", but its oddly satisfying. For those looking for more ethereal sounds, there are the tracks from Crocodile and The Evangelicals.

Nice People are hoping to make this an annual event, so go check out "Checking It Twice"--at least once. Christmas music doesn't have to be all sleigh bells and Santa Claus. There might just be something here to suit your holiday fancy. And it's FREE. Who knows, you might even be inspired to subscribe to the label's free podcast on iTunes.

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THE DOLLYROTS - MESSED UP XMAS

VARIOUS - A CIGAR BOX CHRISTMAS 2010

VARIOUS - FLEAS NAUGHTY DOG, VOLUME 1

VARIOUS - SANTASTIC V

STICK AROUND - THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN

THE BUMPERS - I NEED MY BABY BY MY SIDE (ON XMAS NIGHT)

VARIOUS - XO FOR THE HOLIDAYS, VOL. III

VIV ALBERTINE - HOME SWEET HOME AT CHRISTMAS

POLKAHOLICS - JINGLE BELLS, SCHMINGLE BELLS

VARIOUS - CHECKING IT TWICE

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