"It's Christmas, Volume III" is the annual Philadelphia holiday collection, for which all proceeds go to support the ACLU. It's an assortment put together by Sure! (Will DeNola and friends) and contains mostly Pop, some of it lo-fi. The selections from Sam DeMartino and Molly Twigg are excellent, especially their cover of "Always Tomorrow" from the Rudolph soundtrack (there's one that doesn't get covered a lot), and Sure's "I Believe In Santa Claus" is worthwhile. But it's Sam DeMartino's solo effort, the Jangle Pop "Twinkle Lights" that's the standout of this collection. Can't really tell whether his lady love (the twinkle lights that complete his Christmas tree) is really coming home or if he's simply delusional, but let's not waste too much time over-analyzing a sweet and simple Yuletide love song that twinkles like the lights in it's title. "It's Christmas, Volume III", and it's two predecessors, are name-your-price at Bandcamp. And, just a reminder, any proceeds raised support the ACLU (and, boy, we need them now, more than ever; not for nothin', but they're putting numbers on the arms of asylum seeking children, now, before they ship them to that Texas concentration camp and we all remember the last time such a thing was done. I didn't use to be an "open borders" guy, but, in light of the inhumanity of Trump, I am now. I don't like to get political on a holiday music blog but this s#&! has gotten totally out of hand. These refugees and asylum seekers are better Americans than most of us will ever be, and Trump proves it every day.).
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Sometimes you find something that you almost wish you hadn't. Oh, not that the music on "Ring Them Bells" is bad. It's a fine collection of "lo-fi jugband junk, electro-country, 3AM melancholy, folksy baroque, 60s garage trash, [and] whistling choir". It's just that...
4-4-2 Music is a tiny label in Sydney, Australia. And, as a tiny label (they favor the word "boutique"), they do pretty much what they want. They aren't concerned with hitting the charts or having a "sound". They put out small quantities of CDs (sometimes CD-Rs) and, occasionally, vinyl. And, every year, they do a free or name-your-price Christmas compilation of their artists and friends on Bandcamp. It's the Christmas music the way they'd like to hear it. And that's the thing. Don't think I've ever come across any of these before and they go all the way back to 2008's "A Whale In A Manger". Where, exactly, am I supposed to find the time to listen to all that? Well, I did listen to "Ring Them Bells", so I suppose we start there. In addition to the groovy Electro Country take on "Do You Hear What I Hear" from Joshua Isaac, I very much enjoyed the lo-fi Indie Pop of the ABC Jugband, the banjo driven "Unto Us A Child Is Born" by the onestarband, and the straight Folk cover of Paul Kelly's "How To Make Gravy" from Blay. Kinda like the lo-fi Electronic title track, a Bob Dylan cover, from The Flying Go Go Girls. So I suppose, when I get to the older sets, I start with those groups. Right? In any case, there's enough good stuff on this one to warrant a name-your price download from Bandcamp. Below the tracklist, you'll see a video of "Nothing For Christmas", the ABC Jugband's contribution to last year's collection. And I was also happy to see a cover of "Closing of the Year" on the 2015 collection, "At Least I Bring You Hope".
Because I'm always looking, I come across a lot of free Christmas tunes. I download most of them, if they aren't completely godawful, and, honestly, they mostly clog up my hard drive; but only a few get written about here. You know, lots of them I sorta like. Sorta. But what I'm looking for for the blog are songs I can connect with--songs I could see myself including in a Stubby's House mix. I figure that, if I can connect to a song, maybe you can, too. Not every song I post here will make a Stubby's House mix. But most of them could.
So today, for example, I came across a Country freebie that was OK; really liked the voice, the lyrics were so-so and really depressing. Then I came across a tune that was labeled Jazz but was really more of a Pop tune--Smooth Jazz at best. And it was OK, but, eh, wasn't really feeling it. And then I found this one. And--don't ask me why--it connected. Skazka Project is Joe Webb, who lives near Nottingham in the UK. He's spent some time in bands there but, of late, hasn't had the time to be a full time musician. But you can't just shut off creativity. So, in his spare time, he plays around, recording "demo sketches" at home on Ableton Lite--the most basic Ableton software music sequencer and digital audio workstation (which, as it happens, was included free with Joe's microphone purchase). Skazka Project gives Joe the opportunity to do two things on his off days from work--learn home recording and tinker with song ideas. He freely admits that the songs on his Soundcloud page are just the audio equivalent of an artist's sketch pad; there's no Mona Lisa, here, but there may be the beginnings of one. Not to shoot so high for Joe but, as I say, I really connected with this song, "Christmas Eve In Cornwall". I dunno. It's seemed to me for some time like, musically, the Brits have a better handle on Christmas music than we Yanks. You have to admit, they do "Big" better even than Phil Spector. But they also do "quiet" and "simple" better than we do. "Christmas Eve In Cornwall" has that contemplative late night snow flurry mood down. I'm calling it Ambient Folk, myself. And I like it. It's new this year and it's free to download at Soundcloud.
Alternative band Penny Fusion, from Arizona, is the duo of Jonas Maya and Sebastian White. They met in middle school and, both already having dabbled in music, they eventually began playing together. From 2013 through 2017, they played under an assortment of names, eventually settling on Penny Fusion (for now). Though they describe themselves as Alt Rock, they clearly aren't limited to that and, in fact, I quite appreciate how they "fuse" different sounds and styles together. "First Snow, Last Day", for example, begins with an Alt Country beat, segues into an Alt Folk Talking Blues, then shifts (for what is essentially the chorus) into a more Alt Rock vibe, sweetly seasoned with Country Rock and just a sprinkling of Psych before finishing with a synth orchestral flourish--all that in under a minute and a half.
A lot of Penny Fusion's music is like that, it seems. They move comfortably through genres and styles the way I like to think it should be done...as if there are no different genres and styles...as if it's all just music. Jonas plays most of the instruments and always likes to experiment with new ones. Sebastian, or "Bash" as he's known, plays acoustic guitar, but is also the primary vocalist, songwriter and producer for the group. Bash's vocals have a touch of Bob Dylan twang without being too tangy (yes, I meant for the first word to be twang and the second to be tang...but you're not wrong to ask). "Heater Season", from 2017, is Penny Fusion's third annual Christmas EP. Or at least that's what they say. But they also say their 2016 Christmas EP, "Christmas Special", is their third annual Christmas EP. And, alas, I've been unable to find a third (or a fourth, or a fifth). "Christmas Special" has a bit more bite than "Heater Season", and includes an hilarious take (if you like dry humor, which I do) on "Twas The Night Before Christmas" as sort of a hidden track at the end of "In From A Blizzard". The Hard Rock "Winter Storm" (coming in at just 32 seconds) and the Ambient Pop "For Lonely Old Mrs. Claus" (43 seconds) are both brilliant, IMO, proving you don't need a song to drag on for 7 minutes to be "epic". Both EPs are "name your price" downloads at Bandcamp and we'll give you the track lists and covers right after I play my favorite track from Penny Fusion's "Christmas Special". It's "White Christmas", but it's not that "White Christmas".
These days--maybe because my hearing's shot and it takes a lot of effort to focus on the lyrics--it tends to be the music that grabs me. Does the music make me feel something? It doesn't really matter what it makes me feel, just so long as it makes me feel. God, that sounds pathetic. But, sadly, it's true. I mean, you know, if you're not feeling something, then what's the point?
Just to set this up properly, I've had a lot of doctor stuff all this past week. And I'm a little tired of it. And I'm tired of getting stuck with needles and the whole thing. I'm just...a little grumpy this week. 'K? So I'm listening to a free Christmas comp--which I will mention, and I know you're going to download the whole thing, and that's cool, but I'm not going to talk about the whole thing. So I'm listening and making mental notes--this is cute, that's interesting, I wish this one had done that. And then...this. This is the one.
I'll be honest with you. I can make out the lyrics but I have no idea what Ricky is singing about in "A Few Christmases Ago". I'm sorry, I just don't. "I know this is real" implies, to me, it's a relationship song, fwiw.
But what do I feel? I feel I'm a middle-aged man, lying in bed on Christmas Eve, thinking back to Christmases years ago when I was a child. And we'd wake up Christmas morning and go down and there was excitement and joy and family and... And I'm lying in my bed. And I'm not a child anymore. And I don't live with my family anymore. And Christmases aren't like that anymore. And I've got to go to work in the morning...Christmas morning, What exactly did I do wrong? Why has Santa abandoned me just because I got older? And, yet, it's Christmas. It's still Christmas. Gotta hang onto that. Now I'm not saying that's me or my life. But that's what the song makes me feel. And, if I'm honest with myself, I can identify with that, sometimes. Maybe we all can. But it's the whole dichotomy of Christmas I've often talked about--the best Christmas songs are the ones that are both happy and sad. And this song feels like the whole psychology of why that's so in a nutshell. Ricky, by the way, is a band, not an individual (no one in the band is named "Ricky"). "A Few Christmases Ago" comes from last year's edition of "A NotRock Holiday Compilation", NotRock being a North Jersey DIY label. Last year's was Volume 9. We covered Volume 7 in 2015. And, yes, you can go back to the beginning, if you wish. All 9 Volumes are "name-your-price" at Bandcamp. But, that said, Ricky is not an easy band to track down online. Have you ever tried googling "Ricky New Jersey"? Yeah, funny, huh. With all the search terms I tried, about the only thing I discovered was that--son of a gun--Jon Solomon featured this track on his 25 hour Holiday Marathon last year, too. That Jon Solomon, he's really on the ball. And he's not paying me to say that (although...Jon? I keed). So I love "A Few Christmases Ago". It makes me feel. Good music should do that. And I don't know what the band's intentions were--what they meant the song to mean--but maybe finding out would be like finding out there is no Santa. Like..."Nah, dude, it's just about me and my girlfriend hangin' at the Willowbrook Mall. Ya know?" Yeah, I'm better off in the dark. Well it looks like "the big boy is comin' down the chimney", so I'd best skedaddle ("skedaddle?" It's official; I'm my Dad). Sweet dreams, y'all.
The cover art drew me in. I tell people that cover art's important and, every year, we get crap. Now look at this cover art. It's not terribly involved. Just one color, really, light and dark--plus white. But it drew me in.
"Like Snowflakes" is pleasant enough. DIY Indie Pop from London. Sunny Intervals (presumed to be a single individual) has the whisper vocals and bedroom keyboard sound going on. Truthfully, 5 songs of this is a couple too many for me. After a while, you get the feeling of a guy who doesn't want to wake mom and dad. But the two I'd point you to would be the title track, "Like Snowflakes", which I liked a lot, and "New Year's Day", which I liked even more. I think he's onto something with "New Year's Day"...nicely layered, Ambient feel. Anyway, Sunny Interval's "Like Snowflakes" is on Bandcamp. It's there for you to be had.
Nicholas Youngren is a Seattle based Folk singer/songwriter and sometime comedian and I believe Bri is his wife, though that isn't stated and Nick doesn't seem to have a web site. The pair have FOUR collections of holiday songs on Soundcloud (and a cool looking cat) and it's probably dumb luck that I first landed on "Everyday Is Christmas", which is, to me, more Indie Pop (with a bit of Blues and Jazz nutmeg mixed in). Can't say I was crazy about the rest. But this one I love. Feel free to check out all 4 collections, or their non-holiday music. But this is the one I'm keeping.
DOWNLOAD FREE AT CIGAR BOX NATION 1. Waiting for the Wise Men by Jim Morris 2. Sleekit Santa by C# Merle 3. Silent Night by Mark Jeghurs 4. Steve's Christmas Log by Jamie MacBlues 5. Christmas Credit Card Blues by Clint Lavens 6. A Cold and Snowy Night by CDA Ramirez 7. Wickerbee the Wannabee by Chuck Otto 8. Bug's Xmas Song - Have a Thought for Christmas by Buggy 9. Christmas Wishes by Eric Denton 10. Christmas Comin' Round Again by Glenn Kaiser 11. Christmasses Long Ago by Derek Rose 12. Doin' Shots with Santa Claus by RTZ Guitars 13. Into the Light - a Song for Advent by Henry Lowman 14. Love Love Love for Christmas by Mississippi Crawler Andries D 15. Coventry Carol (Trad. 15th Century) by Robert Killen 16. Away in a Manger by Henry Lowman 17. I Had A Beer With Santa Claus Today in My Lonely Christmas by Big Fat Tom 18. Kickin' the Snow Off My Boots by RTL CBGs 19. Kampusnacht by James Conder 20. Merry Cigar Box Christmas by James O Lunsford 21. Oh Yes It's Christmas by Smilingdog One of my favorite annual holiday collections of the last few years is "A Cigar Box Nation Christmas". Cigar Box Nation is a place where musicians who build and play instruments out of cigar boxes gather together and compare notes, swap stories, share songs. If you've never turned a cigar box into an instrument, but would like to try it, you'll find plenty of people there more than happy to help you on the journey. Honestly, hang out for a while and you get the feeling that these cigar box musicians and instrument makers are like kids who get to celebrate Christmas every day. And the instruments can range from the simplest you can imagine to concert ready electric guitars (here's a tip for you; if you're making your first one, start with the simpler designs). Since 2009, Cigar Box Nation's denizens have been putting together these Christmas music collections featuring cigar box instruments--for their own enjoyment and the enjoyment of anyone who stops by. They've always been free and they all still are. The music runs the gamut from Bluegrass to Blues to Hard Rock, although this year's set is heavy on Blues. It's amazing what you can do with a cigar box guitar (acoustic or electric) or banjo. Some of these folks are professional musicians and some are just hobbyists, so you get a full range of sound quality (although one basic rule they employ is that you have to be able to hear it; good rule). Unlike some postings in past years, I've actually had the chance to listen to the "2016 Cigar Box Nation Christmas". This year's collection is a relatively (for them) modest 21 tracks (last year's, in comparison, was 31). You'll find that's just about one song (3 or 4 minutes) too long for a single CD. The members, this year, were pushing each other to submit original songs, so the majority of these tracks are, indeed, as homemade as their instruments. Jim Morris opens the set in style with an original Folk Gospel number (with Celtic overtones), "Waiting For The Wise Men". I actually had to go back and read the discussions to make sure it was original because it sounds so much like all those old Folk carols, I initially thought it had been with us for a couple hundred years. Just a great, great song. My favorites, though...some tracks that truly blew me away...were C# Merle's "Sleekit Santa" and "Silent Night" by Mark Jeghurs. C# Merle's number feaures a Jazz flute playing over a Blues cigar box guitar/bass bed. Of course, I'm a sucker for flute, anyway, but the Jazz-Blues pairing works so much better than you'd imagine it would if someone (like moi) tried to explain it to you. But even "Sleekit Santa" was no match for Mark Jeghurs' Delta Blues "Silent Night". Oh, sure, you think you know "Silent Night", but I guarantee you've never heard this. This "Silent Night" is merely based on the one you know. It is a completely original song--original music (well...Delta Blues), original lyrics. Awesome squared and my pick for the collection's best. "A Cold And Snowy Noght" by CDA Ramirez is a stripped down Progressive Rock tune--another highlight. Eric Denton's "Christmas Wishes" is a wonderful Americana Christmas instrumental that legitimately makes you feel like Christmas. Glenn Kaiser's "Christmas Comin' Round Again" is perfect front porch Blues. I enjoyed Big Fat Tom's contribution, which I'd call Vince Guaraldi inspired Pop. And the one song that bothered me a little was Derek Rose's "Christmasses Long Ago". And it bothered me because it's on the cusp of being a great song, but it needs some collaboration--someone to tighten up the lyrics and music a bit. Do that, record it in a professional studio, and you've got a Jimmie Rodgers Folk Pop hit (the "Honeycomb" dude, not the other one). Of course, you have to remember that most of these folks are not professional songwriters and performers. Some of the music and words are probably very much off the cuff. But these are people having a blast and that always shines through. And, every year, a few of the tunes on "A Cigar Box Nation Christmas" will be among my absolute favorites of the season. Mark Jeghurs' "Silent Night" is going straight into the Stubby's Hall of Fame (or it would if there were one). I'm pretty sure all the old volumes are still available as well, but I don't have links handy (check the Stubby's archives; you'll probably find most of them). Poke around at Cigar Box Nation and you'll find some nice Christmas videos not on this collection. But, first, grab the free download of the "2016 Cigar Box Nation Christmas".
I came across this one over the summer and had every intention of putting it up, but you know how that goes.
The Zipper Shtick was a band (circa 1999 - 2001) that included members of The Green Apple Sea, nolte, and Hillside. The German band did some live shows in support of bands like the Owls and, in 2001, recorded a number of their songs at the Lonestar Studio in Numemberg, but those tracks have never been mixed, let alone released. But The Zipper Shtick did record demos in their practice room and released some of those through the Soundcloud feed of The Green Apple Sea earlier this year, including this dreamy instrumental "Land of Christmas" which you can download for free. Though it clearly stands on its own, I swear I can hear a hint of "Do You Hear What I Hear" in there. There's an easy joke to be made there, I know. Regardless, I love me some moody Indie instrumental Christmas music, and "Land of Christmas" is a good one, all the more lovely for it's raw qualities. If The Green Apple Sea sounds familiar to you, it might be you recall their super 2013 single, "December", which is still worth getting from Amazon or iTunes if you haven't already.
Every year, there seems to be at least one track like this that hits me the right way at the right time. An Electronic soundscape that's not trying to catch anyone's attention...just happy to be. And I consider my desire to post such things as a feature, not a bug. I have no idea who Mishella is or where she's from. Here's what we know. "Spontaneous Christmas chill vibe track I made in like 2 dayz". Well, alright then. It's one of the things I love about Christmas music. It comes in all sizes and shapes, from places expected and unexpected, from the famous and the unknown, with high expectations and with no expectations. And someone somewhere (in this case, me) is going to like it. "Xmas Vibes" is available as a free download from Soundcloud..you know, if it happens to hit you the right way at the right time.
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The FREE ListHere 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. Archives2010 FREE List Categories
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