Chet Farnsworth is Joe and his friend Chris (no last names, apparently), with a little help from their friends. Now Joe, I have to tell you, is someone whose wavelength I immediately "get". Used to work in radio, Check. Did long-ass Christmas marathons on the air. Check check. Big big fan of the Suburban Sprawl and Santastic comps and missing them desperately. Check and.....aren't we all? So Joe and I could probably sit down and talk about Christmas music for days. Or radio. Or, I'm guessing, any number of other topics.
What I really like about Joe (I mean aside from the free Christmas music) is his mindset. He knows what he's doing and he knows why he's doing it. He says--and I love this--"Christmas music is like childrens' music for adults." He prefers secular music because you can be snarky and winking, goof on commercialism through a medium that has done a great deal to drive that commercialism, and its all ultimately disposable. Plus he gets to play all kinds of instruments he probably isn't qualified to be playing. While some might disagree, he thinks of his Christmas music more as "outsider" music than "novelty" music. And I get him 100% on that (but I'm still going to include a novelty tag on this, just cuz).
What we have here--the "Free Christmas" EP--was recorded in 2014. Chet Farnsworth is working on a new one, but it won't be finished until pretty close to Christmas (or possibly after). The "star" of "Free Christmas" is "Captain's Sad Christmas", which, playing off the idea and sound of a Salvation Army Band, has a sort of Fellini-esque circus feel to it. I love it. The middle two tracks are both very short. "A Car For Christmas" is listed at 13 seconds, but it isn't even that long. Still, there might not be a more amusing 9 or 10 seconds in the Christmas canon. And "Pulled Pork" is a Reggae tune, delicious (pun intended) in its rhythms. I'm still trying to figure that one out, but I've got this part down:
I'll take the one
And you take the other and we
Pull on the pork and
Pop goes the Barbeque
That could be the official song of the Carolinas, right there.
Anyway, "Free Christmas" is a fun trip to take and you don't even have to pack your good clothes. And the title ain't no lie. "Free Christmas" is free. Here's the zip. If that link doesn't work, just punch the one at Soundcloud. You're going to want to be there anyway to follow the links to download the "Tinsel Time" EP, "Songs About Christmas and Food", and "Christmas On The Couch". All free. You're welcome, America.
What I really like about Joe (I mean aside from the free Christmas music) is his mindset. He knows what he's doing and he knows why he's doing it. He says--and I love this--"Christmas music is like childrens' music for adults." He prefers secular music because you can be snarky and winking, goof on commercialism through a medium that has done a great deal to drive that commercialism, and its all ultimately disposable. Plus he gets to play all kinds of instruments he probably isn't qualified to be playing. While some might disagree, he thinks of his Christmas music more as "outsider" music than "novelty" music. And I get him 100% on that (but I'm still going to include a novelty tag on this, just cuz).
What we have here--the "Free Christmas" EP--was recorded in 2014. Chet Farnsworth is working on a new one, but it won't be finished until pretty close to Christmas (or possibly after). The "star" of "Free Christmas" is "Captain's Sad Christmas", which, playing off the idea and sound of a Salvation Army Band, has a sort of Fellini-esque circus feel to it. I love it. The middle two tracks are both very short. "A Car For Christmas" is listed at 13 seconds, but it isn't even that long. Still, there might not be a more amusing 9 or 10 seconds in the Christmas canon. And "Pulled Pork" is a Reggae tune, delicious (pun intended) in its rhythms. I'm still trying to figure that one out, but I've got this part down:
I'll take the one
And you take the other and we
Pull on the pork and
Pop goes the Barbeque
That could be the official song of the Carolinas, right there.
Anyway, "Free Christmas" is a fun trip to take and you don't even have to pack your good clothes. And the title ain't no lie. "Free Christmas" is free. Here's the zip. If that link doesn't work, just punch the one at Soundcloud. You're going to want to be there anyway to follow the links to download the "Tinsel Time" EP, "Songs About Christmas and Food", and "Christmas On The Couch". All free. You're welcome, America.
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