Here's one for fun. Christmas is celebrated on the same day the world over. But that does tend to render any number of classic holiday tunes completely ridiculous. Perhaps none more so than "Winter Wonderland". Oh, sure, in Buffalo you'll get a winter wonderland in December. Not so much in New Zealand. So Ronan Keating comes in to record and Julian Dennison is going to keep him on the right track...to record a Christmas song that's suitable down under. This was put together by the folks at Air New Zealand and its brilliant marketing without even having to mention their company in the video or song (but they do stick it at the very end of the vid). Like most novelty records, I'm sure it'll have a short shelf life. But its fun. Although the funniest bits are Dennison stopping the recording to rewrite the lyrics (all while humbling the very famous Ronan Keating), the free mp3 is just the final song (like when they're outdoors). Get it while the gettin' is good because it ain't gonna be a "Summer Wonderland" forever. You can even download the sheet music, if you like.
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Amy Jay goes for the hat-trick on giving away her new Christmas song, "In A Whisper". You can find it on Noisetrade, Soundcloud and Bandcamp (although the Soundcloud is linked to the Bandcamp, but I think it still counts). Amy is an Indie Folk Pop singer/songwriter from New York and I've always found her lyrics to be superb and her vocals to be angelic. "In A Whisper" ties together thoughts of our family here on Earth with our more celestial/spiritual family. Thinking about one makes her realize how important the other one is and that it's all gone in the blink of an eye. "All I want for Christmas is family near me." And, as if the song needed anything more to win me over, it has the cello of Eric Allen. I'm a sucker for cello and/or flute. Amy says the song is only free for a limited time. And, being as it hits iTunes next week, I wouldn't waste any time grabbing it.
Well, still Folk--Chamber Folk, to be specific--but worth your time if you're looking for something completely different. These are Christmas tales of the forgotten, the cold and lonely, the homeless, the down and out. But they aren't anti-Christmas tunes. They are about finding beauty and meaning in a season (or at least seeking it) when everything around you is ugly and meaningless. There is a beauty to these songs--these stories--of truly bleak mid-winters.
Faux Fawn hail from Madison Wisconsin. The quest was begun by Paul Otteson, he of gentle vocals and tales of kings and kingdoms in the most unlikely of individuals and circumstance. He's been a staple of the local Madison music scene since at least 2011. The band formally came together in 2014, though they knew and had played together prior. While they are still performing, it doesn't seem as though Faux Fawn has released any new music since this "Turtle Doves" EP last December. I had two favorites on this 4-song EP.. The opener, "Winter Dream", finds a homeless man whose Christmas wish is just to be close to a woman he's longed to be with. It's not entirely clear if this woman is also homeless or a resident of what is most likely a poor neighborhood. But status is relative and he clearly sees her as above his station. I’ve known no fairer chestnut left near fiery gleam and stood no closer to one I’ve dreamt to hold The Christmas season, and a bottle of spirits, have given him the boldness to approach the maiden. But he's fully aware of his circumstance and the folly of his dream. Still, there is hope in the season. Forgive my sudden Christmas wish this evening I blame the lights and favors strung along the hall But I have this bottle and nowhere left to be Would you care to join the sleighbells wondercall Eventually, he believes he's exceeded his welcome and suggests they just pretend the encounter was but a winter's dream. And the chorus is amazing...to say so much in so few words. Ahhh Woolen wants for weathered woes Ahhh Stolen stockings filled with holes My other favorite was the closing number, "I Found A Star" which, to me, seems clearly about an addict. Hard to see anything else there with a line like "when needle pierced between my toes". He forsakes all for chasing the dragon. And yet there is still hope for redemption in the season. Break this body of melancholy Cloud my memory, sow a new seed If babe so lowly, can grow so holy Soon she’ll see me, past my strange need Not a lot of people can write lyrics like that. Faux Fawn's "Turtle Doves" EP is a name-your-price download at Bandcamp.
The whole 9-song EP is at the end of this post, but this was the song that drew me in, so I want to start you where I started.
Enid is a, well I guess you'd have to call them an Americana band. But starting off, as I did, with "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", my immediate thought was Chamber Pop. And, for the most part, having heard the rest, I'm still comfortable with a Chamber Pop designation. The rest of the set is certainly more "rural" sounding, which, itself, is odd since the band hails from New York, New York. There's not anything more I can tell you since the band doesn't have a bio at their web site and they don't have a Facebook page. I can certainly tell you that this Enid is not the progressive rock band Enid from the UK (kids, what have I always told you about googling your proposed band name before you take it on?). The vocals are very pretty throughout the EP. I liked those. And there's an easy intimacy about the group, as though they were serenading you from the breakfast nook (assuming you had a breakfast nook). My fave tracks are "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", "There's A Light" and, yes, I gave them the "O Holy Night" test and they passed (not that its a top ten version of the song, but its very nice). You'll find "A Very Enid Christmas" and individual tracks up on Soundcloud--free to download (though it may be a one track at a time thing).
A singer/songwriter of Indie Folk (occasionally kicking it up to Indie Folk Rock) with a bit of a unique sound infused with Soul, Noah Guthrie is a Christmas regular. We first caught up with him when he covered "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)", but, by then, he already had a couple of Christmases on us. So it's nice we get the chance to fully catch up, this year, as Noah has bundled all of his annual Christmas songs into a dazzling little Christmas EP, "Christmas Collection", free for the download at Noisetrade. If you've already got the rest, Noah's Christmas song for 2016 is "O Little Town of Bethlehem". And, if you'd like to hear Noah sing Noah, check out his album "Among The Wildest Things" on iTunes, or his most recent single, "Pardon Me".
Here's an up and coming Indie Folk Pop singer, Ollie Lee from Edinburgh Scotland. Oddly, he sounds a bit like those Brushfire dudes (Jack Johnson, et al). "Christmas Is Coming" is a simple enough song, upbeat and positive--you can sing along, if you like. I do have to say--my hearing ain't what it used to be, so I'm hearing background stuff (like vocals and maybe even a bit of percussion) and I honestly can't tell if they're actually there on the recording or whether my brain is filling them in. Weird, but cool and kinda impressive, either way. Grab Ollie's holiday tune at Bandcamp and, if you like, keep up with him via Facebook. God, he looks young. Was I ever that young?
Medicine Show Music is a Country label and promotion house based in the UK (Scotland, to be precise) and we covered a few of their Christmas collections last year. Whether or not there's a full Christmas collection this year, there is certainly a Christmas single.
David Starr, who is based in Colorado, is a veteran of what we these days call the Americana scene. Not long ago, we'd have called it Country Rock. We might have even called it that California Sound, since it fits right in with groups like Souther Hillman & Fury or Poco. Indeed, David has shared the stage with Fury, as well as with John Oates, John McEuen (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), Kenny Edwards (Linda Ronstadt) and the Guess Who, to name a few. His 2015 record "Love & Sabotage" featured guest appearances from Oates, Furay, and Steve Cropper. "Doing Christmas Right" is a tale of finding the true meaning of the season after years of getting it all wrong. It's smooth and sweet and easy on the mind and good for the soul. The cover, by the way, shows David's Colorado store, Starr's Guitars. Get "Doing Christmas Right" as a free download from Bandcamp. We actually dropped this one last year on Boxing Day, but I've been enjoying it quite a bit over the last few weeks, so I thought it deserved a little showcase. There are plenty of paths for an artist to get heard, nowadays, what with Al Gore's Internet and all. But one road that you're hearing more and more of seems, at first blush, the precise opposite of the Internet. And that is the road of the busker, a word used to describe a street performer. But the Internet's strength is also a weakness. Sure, you can potentially reach millions of people all across the globe, but the key word there is "potentially". The Internet is so vast that you might just drown in the mighty ocean of it all and reach no one. Whereas a busker isn't going to reach millions playing on the street, but the people who do pass will definitely hear you and see you. You'll even get the spontaneous response that will let you know how much the audience either does or doesn't like you. Not to mention the occasional tip. And, obviously, people like L.A.'s Katie Ferrara, whose street performances have given her the opportunity to tour the world. Because (who knew?) there was a street performing contest last year sponsored by Toyota with the winners got to go on tour in a whole bunch of places like Spain, Belgium, Portugal, Columbia, New Zealand and more. You can see in the video of "The Joy That Seasons Bring" that Katie is a one woman band, complete with foot tambourine and sea-salt shaker (say that 5 times fast). It's a solid Folk Pop groove. I guess that's "The Joy That Seasons (and, apparently, seasonings) Bring" (ouch). You can find Katie Ferrara's Christmas song at Noisetrade. And, if you like the sound you're hearing, you should also check out her new EP (released last month), "Dream Catcher".
Sometimes I get tired of wading knee deep through reindeer poop looking for the genuine Christmas music treasures. But, when you find those sparkly diamonds, it's suddenly all worthwhile. "Carols" by Còig is just such a gem. And, true enough, as it was released last year, I should have found it then (though, in my defense, news from Canada seems to come with a built-in time delay). OTOH, right now it's free (though I can't say for how long)...so even that worked out.
Còig is made up of 4 successful Celtic solo artists from Canada who came together in a tour to promote a festival. But the magic that came when they played together was instantaneous and undeniable and they couldn't just walk away when the tour was over. Chrissy Crowley, Rachel Davis, Darren McMullen and Jason Roach toured together for three years before heading into the studio to record their 2014 debut album, "Five". Right about now, the handful of people who speak Gaelic are realizing that "Còig" is the Gaelic word for "five" and wondering why there are only four members of the group. Early pictures of Còig include another successful Canadian solo artist, Colin Grant. I don't know what the story is, there. But I'm taking the "How I Met Your Mother" approach to it. (You know...."Why would you call a bar Puzzles.....unless....that's the puzzle."). In any case "Five" was well received and won the band several awards. "Carols", their Christmas album, followed last year. "Carols" was posted to Soundcloud at the beginning of July and the tracks can, for the moment, be downloaded free (of course, you can still order the CD from Còig's website, if you'd prefer hard copy or just want to support great music). But it--being a free download--could be just a "Christmas In July" kinda thing, so I wouldn't sleep on it.
"Carols" is exceptional, from start to finish. And, sure, it's overall a Celtic set, but the band brings a multitude of influences to the music which not only keeps the whole thing sounding fresh and original, but should also draw in some folks more partial to Folk, Classical, Contemporary Pop, and there's even a little bit of Swing. The musicianship and vocals are perfect, there's a nice balance of instrumental and vocal pieces and "Carols" is a robust 57.5 minutes long (no skimpy wish sandwich here). Hard to pick favorites, since its all so good, but the opener--"Carol Of The Celts"--grabbed me when Còig shifted into high gear about 2 minutes in. They might have lost me had they screwed up my favorite carol, "O Holy Night", but, no, it's breathtaking in its beauty. And if "Swingle Jingle Bells" doesn't put a smile on your face, I think there might be something wrong with you. Just sayin'.
As always, listen for yourself and pick out your own favorites. Download one or download all. But, again, I don't know how long "Carols" by Còig will be free for the taking, so go get it now. And keep up on their music and show schedule at the Còig website and Facebook page.
If you're as badly addicted to Christmas music as I am--and, for your sake, I kinda hope you aren't--you've probably got some Christmas albums you've bought that you've never even listened to, for one reason or another. Seriously, I've got the bug that bad. So I was going through the stacks and stacks and stacks of unsorted CDs sitting around my place (about 80-85% of which I have listened to) and came across a 2013 local artist compilation from Knoxville that I had no memory of. It was a charity effort--the fourth and, apparently, last Christmas album put together by independent radio station WFIV -- "Homegrown For The Holidays".
Now y'all know that local artist compilation CDs are my favorite kind of Christmas album. For charity...all the better. But 2013 was also one of those years I was super occupied with family obligations. So I guess it slipped through the cracks. That turns out to be a pretty cool thing because, well, wouldn't you be excited to find a Christmas present you never opened in the middle of May? I mean, you're hardly going to give a thought to, "Dang, I wish I'd opened it then." No, you're going to be all like, "Cool! I get to open a Christmas present right now! In the middle of May!" Wouldn't you? Like most local artist Christmas compilations, it had highlights and some that didn't quite rise to that level. Personal favorites, FWIW, included the opening Boogie Woogie piano take on "Run Run Rudolph" by the Kit Shickers and Billy Lawson's "Santa Claus Is Back In Town". But, hands down, the "winner" for me was the original "The Mountain Wind Blows Cold" from Laura Ashton Jones (no relation to either Laura Ashton or Ashton Jones). It's a tune that should have appeal to fans of Bluegrass, Country and Americana, but also to fans of Indie, Alternative, and Singer/Songwriter sounds. It won me over instantly. And fortune smiled upon us because the track is available as a FREE download via Laura's ReverbNation page. She's still playing the Knoxville area, as far as I can tell, though ReverbNation appears to be her only music oriented web site and there aren't too many details there. In any case, it's the middle of May and "The Mountain Wind Blows Cold" is a pretty nice Christmas present to find at this time of year. Enjoy. |
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