I don't usually run commercials here, but.... Let's talk about it after these words (from not our sponsor).
OK, so I'm checking the upcoming digital Christmas releases at Amazon. This late in the season, there's a lot of House and Chill and EDM comps on the schedule. Not my bag. They usually have nothing to do with Christmas anyway. A few Indie singles (if a "name" artist drops a single this close to Christmas, it usually just drops without advance notice). Then I see "A Band In Seattle Christmas". As Steve Martin once said, "What the hell is that?" I gotz ta know.
"A Band In Seattle" is a local television program (in Seattle, duh). It runs all year, apparently, on the CW outlet up there, KSTW. They film area bands playing in the local clubs--a small set, whatever. The show runs for a half hour, weekly. There may or may not be competition aspects. Don't know, don't really care. The bands are diverse--Country, Jazz, Soul, Rock. And you'll get brand new bands that are trying to get their name out there, area veterans that are popular locally but virtually unknown elsewhere, and some who are truly legendary (even if that's small "L" legendary). In the latter caregory, some of the names who have been on the show are Brent Amaker & The Rodeo, Clinton Fearon, and Hounds Of The Wild Hunt.
I mean, this is the kind of show that should be on all over the country. Not necessarily "A Band In Seattle", but why not "A Band In New York", "A Band In LA (Patterson, New Jersey)", "A Band In The Carolinas". I don't know the cost of producing such programming. Could it really be more than what local channels paid for re-runs of "Roseanne" or "The Cosby Show"? And the truth is that shows like this USED TO exist all over back when cable was younger. We had local video shows and concert shows in New Jersey in the 80s. I remember them well. They had Christmas specials you'd hope to catch (because they weren't in the local listings and you knew, if you missed them, you'd probably never see them again).
Heck, for what it's worth, I remember video music programs from nearly a decade before MTV (and I'm not talking about hosted shows like "Something Else" which, come to think of it, was like a decade before the shows I'm talking about). I've been telling people about the music video show I watched in the 70s for years. And everybody's all like, "Yeah, yeah, sure, right." Well, I can now put a name to the program I'm remembering, since they're restoring the videos. It was "The Now Explosion" and New York ran 5 hours of it on Saturdays and Sundays (or when they otherwise needed to fill time). I may not have been the only one watching, but I seem to be the only one who remembers. It was MTV a decade before MTV. The video that always stuck with me, for some reason, was "Little Green Bag". And you can go back even farther. From the 40s to the 60s, artists made videos known as Scopitones (not for TV, but for video jukeboxes, which were more popular in Europe than here). MTV didn't invent anything.
I do get sidetracked, don't I? Well, anyway, while there aren't these shows all over the country as their should be, there is "A Band In Seattle". Their Christmas special is airing this Saturday and next. And you shouldn't have to be in Seattle to see it as "A Band In Seattle" is pretty good about posting videos of their shows to their website. Keep your eyes on "A Band In Seattle" website and Facebook page to see when the video drops. And then, once you've seen and heard some of their Christmas songs, check out the "A Band In Seattle Christmas" album (which officially releases tomorrow) to see which songs you might want to download (or, with any luck, you'll want the whole thing).
And, hey, check it. "A Band In Seattle" has dropped one of the Christmas vids early, so here's a taste from the Staxx Brothers. "Slow Jam For Christmas". Hell, I want a DVD of this thing. Somebody call Seattle!
"A Band In Seattle" is a local television program (in Seattle, duh). It runs all year, apparently, on the CW outlet up there, KSTW. They film area bands playing in the local clubs--a small set, whatever. The show runs for a half hour, weekly. There may or may not be competition aspects. Don't know, don't really care. The bands are diverse--Country, Jazz, Soul, Rock. And you'll get brand new bands that are trying to get their name out there, area veterans that are popular locally but virtually unknown elsewhere, and some who are truly legendary (even if that's small "L" legendary). In the latter caregory, some of the names who have been on the show are Brent Amaker & The Rodeo, Clinton Fearon, and Hounds Of The Wild Hunt.
I mean, this is the kind of show that should be on all over the country. Not necessarily "A Band In Seattle", but why not "A Band In New York", "A Band In LA (Patterson, New Jersey)", "A Band In The Carolinas". I don't know the cost of producing such programming. Could it really be more than what local channels paid for re-runs of "Roseanne" or "The Cosby Show"? And the truth is that shows like this USED TO exist all over back when cable was younger. We had local video shows and concert shows in New Jersey in the 80s. I remember them well. They had Christmas specials you'd hope to catch (because they weren't in the local listings and you knew, if you missed them, you'd probably never see them again).
Heck, for what it's worth, I remember video music programs from nearly a decade before MTV (and I'm not talking about hosted shows like "Something Else" which, come to think of it, was like a decade before the shows I'm talking about). I've been telling people about the music video show I watched in the 70s for years. And everybody's all like, "Yeah, yeah, sure, right." Well, I can now put a name to the program I'm remembering, since they're restoring the videos. It was "The Now Explosion" and New York ran 5 hours of it on Saturdays and Sundays (or when they otherwise needed to fill time). I may not have been the only one watching, but I seem to be the only one who remembers. It was MTV a decade before MTV. The video that always stuck with me, for some reason, was "Little Green Bag". And you can go back even farther. From the 40s to the 60s, artists made videos known as Scopitones (not for TV, but for video jukeboxes, which were more popular in Europe than here). MTV didn't invent anything.
I do get sidetracked, don't I? Well, anyway, while there aren't these shows all over the country as their should be, there is "A Band In Seattle". Their Christmas special is airing this Saturday and next. And you shouldn't have to be in Seattle to see it as "A Band In Seattle" is pretty good about posting videos of their shows to their website. Keep your eyes on "A Band In Seattle" website and Facebook page to see when the video drops. And then, once you've seen and heard some of their Christmas songs, check out the "A Band In Seattle Christmas" album (which officially releases tomorrow) to see which songs you might want to download (or, with any luck, you'll want the whole thing).
And, hey, check it. "A Band In Seattle" has dropped one of the Christmas vids early, so here's a taste from the Staxx Brothers. "Slow Jam For Christmas". Hell, I want a DVD of this thing. Somebody call Seattle!
1. All I Want for Christmas Is You to Stop Being a Psycho by Bread & Butter
2. I Saw Three Ships by Jupe Jupe
3. Around Christmas Time by Whitney Monge
4. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by Blake Lewis
5. Long Nights (Yule Log) by Charlie and the Rays
6. Silent Night by Star Anna
7. Don't Touch the Christmas Tree by The Crying Shame
8. Dear Santa Won't You Bring Me a Ring? by Sundae + Mr Geossl
9. Santa's Got Bad Intentions by SweetKiss Momma
10. Spice the Eggnog by Vaudeville Etiquette
11. Oh Holy Night by Whitney Lyman
12. Wassail, Wassail by The Bend
13. Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel by Jake Hemming & the Bereaved
14. Kimchi for Christmas by Champagne Honeybee
15. Good King Wenceslas by Good Company
16. Yule Tied by Furniture Girls
17. Yuletide in My Doublewide by Jessica Lynne & the Cousins
18. I Remember That December by The Malady of Sevendials
19. Slow Jam for Christmas by The Staxx Brothers
2. I Saw Three Ships by Jupe Jupe
3. Around Christmas Time by Whitney Monge
4. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by Blake Lewis
5. Long Nights (Yule Log) by Charlie and the Rays
6. Silent Night by Star Anna
7. Don't Touch the Christmas Tree by The Crying Shame
8. Dear Santa Won't You Bring Me a Ring? by Sundae + Mr Geossl
9. Santa's Got Bad Intentions by SweetKiss Momma
10. Spice the Eggnog by Vaudeville Etiquette
11. Oh Holy Night by Whitney Lyman
12. Wassail, Wassail by The Bend
13. Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel by Jake Hemming & the Bereaved
14. Kimchi for Christmas by Champagne Honeybee
15. Good King Wenceslas by Good Company
16. Yule Tied by Furniture Girls
17. Yuletide in My Doublewide by Jessica Lynne & the Cousins
18. I Remember That December by The Malady of Sevendials
19. Slow Jam for Christmas by The Staxx Brothers
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