I haven't had a lot of time to check in with our Festive Friends, lately. So, this morning (well, my morning, which starts after Noon), I figured I'd sneak a peak. Christmas A Go Go had this great track from The Grapes & Friends right on top. As they pointed out, this seasonal Austin outfit is channeling Hall & Oates on "Ms. Claus", and doing so quite effectively. But then I head over to Soundcloud and find that Christmas Underground has put together an entire collection (stream only) of seasonal singles from The Grapes & Friends. So how have I missed these guys all these years? Or have I just forgotten stuff I used to know? These questions will have to wait for January. Meantime, you definitely want "Ms. Claus" from The Grapes & Friends. And it's free from Soundcloud (note: you might want to properly label it after you download).
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I've always said Christmas joy is contagious. And "Kerstmis Overal" by Feest DJ Maarten could easily be Exhibit A. Feest DJ Maarten (Party DJ Maarten) is Maarten Schelvis, a Dutch entertainer. And he really is more of an entertainer than a singer. Not that he hasn't had enormous success on the charts in the Netherlands, with such hits to his credit as “Ik ben een kikker“ ("I'm A Frog"), “Wat een lekkere kont“ ("What A Nice Ass"), and “Alle idioten zingen over boten“ ("All Idiots Sing About Boats"). No, seriously, those were actual charting hits. But Maarten is a party dude. He's never met a party he doesn't like. Weddings, Bar-B-Ques (I presume they have Bar-B-Ques in the Netherlands), live stage shows, parties of all kinds. He likes to have a good time and he wants people to have a good time at his shows. He's not afraid to be complete silly or to turn things (including himself) on their heads. He has a philosophy that there is no such thing as bad music...just music that hasn't been properly infused with joy. "Kerstmis Overal" ("Christmas Everywhere") expresses Maarten's joy of the season, using the Christmas tree to express the wider analogy. It's a classic love story, really. Man sees tree and falls in love, man makes tree his own, delights in the smell of the tree, dresses tree in the finest apparel, loves his tree, and man and tree are very happy together. And, if you think there are implications of something a bit too close in this relationship between man and plant, Maarten is not unaware as he throws in, "Oh, but that would be very wrong". The chorus goes something like this: Because it is Christmas everywhere, the trees come out of the barn. Do me just a Christmas ball, they are not that expensive here. T'is finally Christmas again, I have been waiting for this for so long. And everyone is happy, and everybody laughs. Rough translation, obviously. But, for we idiots that never learned another language, what really sells, here, is the music. Even though I don't understand a single word, "Kerstmis Overal" is so filled with childlike exuberance, it makes me feel like Christmas when I was young. You can't help but tap your toes. You can't help but smile. What can I say? Happy people make me happy. And that's kinda Maarten's whole schtick. So cheers to Feest DJ Maarten for so successfully capturing part of the magic of the Yuletide with the bouncy "Kerstmis Overal". Technically released overseas in 2017, this has just been listed at Amazon and CD Baby, but you can download it free from Soundcloud. |
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