Category: Acoustic

ROGER McGUINN - THE CHERRY TREE CAROL

12/8/2014

Haven't seen anyone online mention the annual Christmas song from Roger McGuinn, this year. Of course, McGuinn made his name with the Byrds and his Christmas songs are ancient folk carols. And there's the issue that you can't embed them, which is (these days) frustrating for a blogger of music. But here's something to think about. Roger McGuinn has been posting an annual Christmas song, free for the download, since 1995. That's got to be the longest string out there. Heck, in 1995, I still had dial-up modem and a dot matrix printer. He has other spiritual tracks scattered throughout his Folk Den. So, in theory at least, you could spend quite the afternoon listening to Roger sing Christmas and spiritual songs.

This year's song is "The Cherry Tree Carol", wherein Joseph gets a bit testy about not being the father of Mary's child. You'll find the lyrics at the site, as always. Do your right click shuffle at Roger McGuinn's Folk Den. Thanks again, Roger. And here's to many more.

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BETA RADIO - NOISETRADE HOLIDAY SAMPLER

12/7/2014

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One of the annual treats we look forward to is the yearly Christmas EP from Beta Radio. But the North Carolina Americana duo was busy working on a fer realz album, this year, "Colony Of Bees". "[B]y the time thanksgiving got here," the band says, "we just said screw it and got drunk on eggnog." Not wanting to leave everyone out in the cold, so to speak, Beta Radio has put together a "Noisetrade Holiday Sampler" featuring highlights from their previous Christmas sets as well as a few tracks from the new record. If you've never heard Beta Radio, then you need to. And, even if you've got their previous Christmas tracks, you'll want to check out the new (non-holiday) songs from "Colony Of Bees". And you can do so free at Noisetrade.

1. East of Tennessee (From Colony of Bees)
2. The Song the Season Brings (From The Songs the Season Brings: Vol 1)
3. Winter Eclipse (From The Songs the Season Brings: Vol 2)
4. Either Way (From Seven Sisters Deluxe Edition)
5. O Holy Night (From The Songs the Season Brings: Vol 1)
6. Once This Year (From The Songs the Season Brings: Vol 3)
7. Brother, Sister (From Seven Sisters Deluxe Edition)
8. On the Frame (From Colony of Bees)

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VARIOUS - ULTIMATE HOLIDAY PLAYLIST

12/5/2014

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1. Hill and Hale and their Merry Friends – Christmastime
2. Andrew Ripp – Joy To The World
3. Ben Woodward – It’s Christmas
4. Brooke Waggoner – O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
5. Jars Of Clay – Hibernation Day
6. Butterfly Boucher – Cinnamon & Chocolate
7. Abigail York – Holiday At Home
8. Dave Barnes – So, Santa
9. Roses & Revolutions – It’s Christmas Time
10. Ellie Holcomb – Christmas For You And Me
11. Trent Dabbs – Raise The Tree
12. Jillian Edwards – All My Christmases
13. Wes Cunningham – Merry Christmas Baby
14. Over The Rhine – Blood Oranges In The Snow
15. Beta Radio – Winter Eclipse
16. Tommy Busby – One Little Xmas Tree
17. The Bergamot – Winter Anthem
18. Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors – Everything’s Changed At Christmas But You
19. Smalltown Poets – The Wassail Song
20. Maggie Chapman – Make It Rain, Dear
21. Matt Wertz – O Holy Night
22. FUE – Winter Wonderland
23. Young Oceans – All Who Hear
24. Track 45 – Jingle Bells
25. Wild Season – Christmas Every Day
26. Katrina Stone – Deck The Halls
27. Sleeping At Last – I Heard The Bells
28. Canaries In The Coal Mine – Falling Like Snow
29. Katey Laurel – Two Birds
30. Josh Garrels & Mason Jar Music – Silent Night

Can't tell you how happy I am that Lie In The Sound posted this one first. Thanks to them, I don't have to type out the, uh, extensive playlist; I can just copy and paste. Phew, that was hard work. ;^)

"Ultimate Holiday Playlist" finds Noisetrade teaming up with.... the Home and Garden TV network? Really? Well, whatever from wherever, I guess. Thirty tracks in all--some old, some new--mostly fairly mellow CCM, Folk Pop, and Folk and Pop. Pretty AC, all told. Among the newer tracks is "The Wassail Song", a cut from the new Smalltown Poets album. Definitely like that one. And they've saved me the trouble of buying or posting "It's Christmas Time" from Roses & Revolutions, a sweet Indie single released last month. They've also included "Falling Like Snow", one of the tracks from the Canaries In The Coal Mine EP we posted here a while back.

Among familiar favorites is "Cinnamon & Chocolate" from Butterfly Boucher, a track I've been raving about for years, and Beta Radio's "Winter Eclipse", another track I was over the moon about. There's enough, here, to make it well worth downloading. And its free. So there's that. Some will find this the perfect soundtrack for a wintry night. Me, I like a little more variety, but I can certainly pick out plenty for a mix or two. It's a free download at Noisetrade.

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JOHN BRAZELL - CHRISTMAS SONGS

12/4/2014

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John Brazell is a singer/songwriter from California and you definitely get that vibe, listening to him. Sort of got the same sunshine in his Folk Pop as Colbie Caillat. Three tunes on "Christmas Songs". John sings "Auld Lang Syne" as a lament and "Deck The Halls" lies somewhere between Indie Pop and a campfire gathering (although the musical bridge is very nice). No, you want this one for the original--John's first ever original Christmas song--"All I Want". That one is just perfectly crafted for radio play. It's a hit. Or would be, if radio programmers were doing their jobs properly. I can see it now. "All I Want" comes on the radio and multitudes of folks are bopping along as they drive down the highway. Nice groove. A little sunny for December, but that's just what you need, sometimes. Pick it up from Noisetrade (tips gratefully accepted).

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ALEXANDRA JAYNE - I WISH IT COULD BE CHRISTMAS EVERY DAY

12/3/2014

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I'm rather fond of the recent trend of slowing down and stripping bare some of the classic Rock era Christmas tunes. Here Indie Folk artist Alexandra Jayne takes on Roy Wood's classic kitchen sink Christmas record, "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day". Last year, Alexandra's "1969" won the Liverpool Acoustic Songwriting Challenge and she's been the voice of the BBC Radio Shropshire Song of the Month in back-to-back months, including this very track which is the Song of The Month for December. She's been compared to Joan Baez, but I'm getting a bit of a Janis Ian vibe, myself. Enjoy the Christmas song, downloadable from Soundcloud, but (seriously) check out "1969". You won't regret it.

UPDATE (not much later that same day): When I posted this at three in the morning, there was a download button. It seems like, three hours later, there wasn't. It happens sometimes. In this case, I know she intended to make it downloadable, so I can't explain why its not anymore. Sometimes they cap downloads. Or, who knows, maybe the BBC or Roy Wood had a problem with it. I could be rude and just obliterate the entire post...but I won't.

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ANIBAL BRAVO - NAVIDAD 2014

11/29/2014

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I love Christmas music from other countries. I mean, you know, some people dig Scandinavian Pop and some people like the Pop music out of Japan. But I've just always been fascinated by sounds and rhythms that come out of different cultures. Christmas music has a universal appeal. I don't speak a word of any other language, really, but I know Christmas.

Chile's Anibal Bravo has given us a new Christmas piece that's undoubtedly Indie Pop, but Indie Pop that has a South American flavor. "Navidad 2014" doesn't have any lyrics to speak of, just some "Ahhhh"-ing, so that's out of the way. And the sleigh bells are kept low in the background. Still, I find "Navidad 2014" undeniably Christmasy. I listen to it and I can feel myself in a horse drawn sleigh with snow gently falling all around me. I'm sure the visuals would be different to someone from Chile, but would no less speak to the Christmas images and custom they're familiar with. I think the song translates very well across borders. And that's not always an easy thing to pull off. Recommended if you like those contemplative quiet pieces I'm obviously so fond of.

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The FREE List

Here we hope to direct you to some of the Christmas music on the web that can be yours absolutely free. We will not direct you to mp3 or sharity sites, here, but only to artist sites, label sites, and other authorized and unquestionably legal locations.

ROGER McGUINN - THE CHERRY TREE CAROL

BETA RADIO - NOISETRADE HOLIDAY SAMPLER

VARIOUS - ULTIMATE HOLIDAY PLAYLIST

JOHN BRAZELL - CHRISTMAS SONGS

ALEXANDRA JAYNE - I WISH IT COULD BE CHRISTMAS EVERY DAY

ANIBAL BRAVO - NAVIDAD 2014

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