UPDATE 12/23/18: Some readers report difficulty extracting the files. I have tried different compression software and different storage hosts than those linked herein, but with the same results on the other end. However, one reader who had difficulty with his "native" extraction software found success with something called 7-Zip. It's a Windows program and I barely know the MACs I've used all my life. But those with problems do seem to be Windows people (although some Windows people report no problem at all). The upshot is...try 7-Zip (it's free). And I apologize for the difficulties, if you've experienced them, even though it doesn't seem to be anything I'm doing or not doing. I just want you should have a Merry Christmas. Computers...can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em.
It's here! It's here! The moment I've...I mean you've...been waiting for. "A Stubby's House Christmas 2018" is finally ready for me...I mean everyone...to enjoy. Well, as ready as it's going to be. FWIW, "A Stubby's House Christmas" has never been posted earlier than December 21 (and that was 2013--the year we weren't here at all, if you recall). The 23rd seems to be the average. So we're actually early, sort of. Aside from the computer issues this year, I really enjoy making the Stubby's House mixes. They're the most fun and the most challenging mixes I do. This year, we're with MEGA, although, if you have trouble with them, we're also on dropbox.
By now, you know how this works. All of the songs, here, were available as free and legal downloads from the artists or labels and we've posted about them at some point during the year. The music, itself, doesn't have to be from this year (a few of these tracks go back to the 90s), so long as we spoke about it this year. I stay away from major artists, so you'll find no JD McPherson or Rodney Crowell or Lindsey Stirling or Old 97s or Mavericks or Sufjan on here, though we saw free music from all of those folks. That's just not how I roll. Who decides who is a "major artist"? I do. The music has been tagged and rolled up into a zip file along with all the artwork you'll need to create your own copy of "A Stubby's House Christmas 2018", should you so desire. And, you should know by now, clicking on any of the artwork in this post will take you to the download. The link goes up now and comes down at Midnight January 6th ("Little Christmas")...well, it'll be Midnight somewhere (I'm in North Carolina and it's usually up until 2 or 3 a.m. local time). Once it's down, it'll melt away like Frosty, never to be a snowman again. And the most important rule of all...they're my rules, so I get to break them.
By now, you know how this works. All of the songs, here, were available as free and legal downloads from the artists or labels and we've posted about them at some point during the year. The music, itself, doesn't have to be from this year (a few of these tracks go back to the 90s), so long as we spoke about it this year. I stay away from major artists, so you'll find no JD McPherson or Rodney Crowell or Lindsey Stirling or Old 97s or Mavericks or Sufjan on here, though we saw free music from all of those folks. That's just not how I roll. Who decides who is a "major artist"? I do. The music has been tagged and rolled up into a zip file along with all the artwork you'll need to create your own copy of "A Stubby's House Christmas 2018", should you so desire. And, you should know by now, clicking on any of the artwork in this post will take you to the download. The link goes up now and comes down at Midnight January 6th ("Little Christmas")...well, it'll be Midnight somewhere (I'm in North Carolina and it's usually up until 2 or 3 a.m. local time). Once it's down, it'll melt away like Frosty, never to be a snowman again. And the most important rule of all...they're my rules, so I get to break them.
First rule I get to break isn't really breaking a rule. Most years, we have a Stubby's House Exclusive, which is a song that was NOT available for free anywhere else. And this year's Stubby's House Exclusive happens to be a song that we haven't talked about this year. In fact, I'm told, it's a song that's never been released anywhere in any format. It's "All That Matters" from Marcel Kapteijn, our friend from the Netherlands whose album "Ding Dong Days" so impressed me earlier this year. "All That Matters" is, I think, a beautiful song. There's no sleigh bells or mentions of Santa, but it'll give you the Christmas feels and I think it should be especially poignant for fathers of daughters. And I'm honored that Marcel would allow Stubby's to be the first place in the world where you can download it.
My philosophy of Christmas music is that I like it all. I like the old, I like the new. I appreciate music that's entirely original and different, but I also want to hear "White Christmas" every now and then. I want something that sounds fresh enough that you could listen to it through the summer, but, if the end result doesn't make you feel like Christmas, then what's the point? And you already know I like Pop songs and Blues...and Jazz and Indie and different. And I get bored hearing the same sounds or genres for very long. The music on these Stubby's House Christmas mixes tends to be very organic. It goes where it wants to go. A perfect example is Andy Allo's "I'll Be Home For Christmas". Didn't matter where I tried to put it, it always ended up right before "Christmas In A Strip Club". That's where it wanted to be. I'd have to check previous volumes, but this particular mix is very secular. That's not by design, but was apparent to me early on. And they are designed to be played straight through (though Disc One meanders a bit) with no extra time between the tracks.
My philosophy of Christmas music is that I like it all. I like the old, I like the new. I appreciate music that's entirely original and different, but I also want to hear "White Christmas" every now and then. I want something that sounds fresh enough that you could listen to it through the summer, but, if the end result doesn't make you feel like Christmas, then what's the point? And you already know I like Pop songs and Blues...and Jazz and Indie and different. And I get bored hearing the same sounds or genres for very long. The music on these Stubby's House Christmas mixes tends to be very organic. It goes where it wants to go. A perfect example is Andy Allo's "I'll Be Home For Christmas". Didn't matter where I tried to put it, it always ended up right before "Christmas In A Strip Club". That's where it wanted to be. I'd have to check previous volumes, but this particular mix is very secular. That's not by design, but was apparent to me early on. And they are designed to be played straight through (though Disc One meanders a bit) with no extra time between the tracks.
I usually like to tell you who almost made the cut, but this year was a little weird. A couple of tracks I wanted on here--"A Few Christmases Ago" by Ricky and "Christmas Eve In Cornwall" by Skazka Project--were quickly dispatched when I just couldn't get the sound to blend at all with anything else that was going on. Technically, the last song cut was one I never intended to be on the mix. Folk Angel's "Hark The Herald Angels Sing" was a placeholder, but I liked the tempo and feel enough that it just hung in there until the very end. Then there were the two songs that were put on at the very end and taken off just as quickly...neither of which we've spoken of this year. One was a Jazz/Funk "Little Drummer Boy" by Victor Jones (you'll find it here) that I loved, but I didn't love it 6 minutes worth. The other was "Christmas Is Here (And You're Not)" from Sheffield's Before Breakfast (here). Before Breakfast would have won the last spot, but for the easy fit of Ben Knight's "The Lament of Kevin McAllister", which was the final track added.
As usual, I struggled to get the volume of the songs in the same ballpark. I think I was doing well until the computer died. The speakers on this computer suck (I do have externals at the other place), I've had to find and learn all new software, and, to top it off, it seems as though the CD player in my car has decided to pack it in as well. So forgive any such issues, as well as typos or outright mistakes. Like maybe I confused Emma Rowley and Stacey Randol or something (I actually did that, though I think I caught it).
As usual, I struggled to get the volume of the songs in the same ballpark. I think I was doing well until the computer died. The speakers on this computer suck (I do have externals at the other place), I've had to find and learn all new software, and, to top it off, it seems as though the CD player in my car has decided to pack it in as well. So forgive any such issues, as well as typos or outright mistakes. Like maybe I confused Emma Rowley and Stacey Randol or something (I actually did that, though I think I caught it).
Quick updates of note. Nicholas Burgess has posted an instrumental version of "Xmas Gold". "The Xmasy of Gold" is name-your-price at Bandcamp and well worth downloading just for the bonus track, "The Ecstasy of Gold", which is freakin' gorgeous. Our old friends Kissing Party, while not on this collection, have a Kickstarter campaign on to put out another album. I love those guys (yes, enough to insert them in this post). Massive debts aside, I've rifling through the couch cushions as we speak. Campaign ends December 31. And don't forget their brilliant Christmas collection, "Winter In The Pub". And I finally found the web site for The Difference. Not only that, I found a video for "Always Christmas With You" which I'll throw between the tracklists for Disc One and Disc Two. Which reminds me...song titles below are linked to our write-ups and mentions while artist names are linked to their web sites or Facebook pages (where available).
Finally, I thought I'd try to do something different this year. I invited some friends and special guests along. I know there are going to be a bunch of people who are going to say, "Man, Stubby's gotta ruin everything". But, you know what? The music on "A Stubby's House Christmas 2018" is freely available (save one track). You're very intelligent people; I'm sure you can figure out how to "fix" what I did, if you don't like it. Oh, and the set closes with a "Bonus Track"--which is actually two tracks mixed together (poorly). You'll have to download the collection to find out what the Bonus Track is. But, if you don't like it--and if you don't mind profanity--I wouldn't be at all offended if you replaced it with "Dead Birds & The Virgin Mary" by Still A Great Night. Genius, and the best new Christmas song of the year, I think (but I was trying to keep it clean; silly Stubby).
So have at it. You've got better than two weeks to get your download on. [Links removed, as promised]. Remember, after January 6th, "A Stubby's House Christmas 2018" will be gone gone gone. Merry Christmas from me and Meowy Christmas from Missy Katz.
Finally, I thought I'd try to do something different this year. I invited some friends and special guests along. I know there are going to be a bunch of people who are going to say, "Man, Stubby's gotta ruin everything". But, you know what? The music on "A Stubby's House Christmas 2018" is freely available (save one track). You're very intelligent people; I'm sure you can figure out how to "fix" what I did, if you don't like it. Oh, and the set closes with a "Bonus Track"--which is actually two tracks mixed together (poorly). You'll have to download the collection to find out what the Bonus Track is. But, if you don't like it--and if you don't mind profanity--I wouldn't be at all offended if you replaced it with "Dead Birds & The Virgin Mary" by Still A Great Night. Genius, and the best new Christmas song of the year, I think (but I was trying to keep it clean; silly Stubby).
So have at it. You've got better than two weeks to get your download on. [Links removed, as promised]. Remember, after January 6th, "A Stubby's House Christmas 2018" will be gone gone gone. Merry Christmas from me and Meowy Christmas from Missy Katz.
DISC ONE:
1. HIDDEN TRACK - PENNY FUSION
2. 2000 MILES - NIGHT FLOWERS
3. COME ON SANTA! - THE FLATMATES
4. ON THE FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS - GODDAMMIT JEREMIAH
5. WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS - PREDATOR DUB ASSASSINS
6. SLEIGH RIDE - ANALOG MONARCH
7. MELT THE HEART OF A SNOWMAN - STEVE KAROS
8. THE HOLIDAY SHIFT - HOT BREAKFAST!
9. HE CAME WITH THE SLEIGH - SPRAY
10. THE LAMENT OF KEVIN McALLISTER - BEN KNIGHT
11. FILTHY ANIMAL - CHAIR MODEL
12. CHRISTMAS BLUES - UNCLE ILLMO'S BAND
13. SNOWBANK - MEGAN NASH & BEARS IN HAZENMORE
14. I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS - ANDY ALLO
15. CHRISTMAS IN A STRIP CLUB - DAVID DEARNLEY
16. CORNDOGS FOR CHRISTMAS - JAKE DUDA BAND
17. IS IT STILL CHRISTMAS? - DEPRESSION GLASS
18. TWINKLE LIGHTS - SAM DeMARTINO
19. MS. CLAUS - THE GRAPES & FRIENDS
20. DRUNK AT THE OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY - BONUS POINTS
21. DONDE ESTA SANTA CLAUS - STACEY RANDOL
22. THAT'S WHAT I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS - LUCY LOCKWOOD
1. HIDDEN TRACK - PENNY FUSION
2. 2000 MILES - NIGHT FLOWERS
3. COME ON SANTA! - THE FLATMATES
4. ON THE FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS - GODDAMMIT JEREMIAH
5. WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS - PREDATOR DUB ASSASSINS
6. SLEIGH RIDE - ANALOG MONARCH
7. MELT THE HEART OF A SNOWMAN - STEVE KAROS
8. THE HOLIDAY SHIFT - HOT BREAKFAST!
9. HE CAME WITH THE SLEIGH - SPRAY
10. THE LAMENT OF KEVIN McALLISTER - BEN KNIGHT
11. FILTHY ANIMAL - CHAIR MODEL
12. CHRISTMAS BLUES - UNCLE ILLMO'S BAND
13. SNOWBANK - MEGAN NASH & BEARS IN HAZENMORE
14. I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS - ANDY ALLO
15. CHRISTMAS IN A STRIP CLUB - DAVID DEARNLEY
16. CORNDOGS FOR CHRISTMAS - JAKE DUDA BAND
17. IS IT STILL CHRISTMAS? - DEPRESSION GLASS
18. TWINKLE LIGHTS - SAM DeMARTINO
19. MS. CLAUS - THE GRAPES & FRIENDS
20. DRUNK AT THE OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY - BONUS POINTS
21. DONDE ESTA SANTA CLAUS - STACEY RANDOL
22. THAT'S WHAT I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS - LUCY LOCKWOOD
DISC TWO:
1. SANTA PLANET - NICHOLAS BURGESS
2. ON THE FIFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS - GODDAMMIT JEREMIAH
3. KERSTMIS OVERAL - FEEST DJ MAARTEN
4. CHRISTMAS CARD BLUES - JIM NELSON
5. FLEXIBLE FLYER - THE BRIXTON RIOT
6. (YOU COULD MAKE) AN ANGEL SIGH - THE LOLLIES
7. THE CHRISTMAS BLUES - MATT HUGHES
8. MERRY CHRISTMAS (I'M SORRY) - WHISPERHAWK
9. UNDER THE MISTLETOE - LES BICYCLETTES de BELSIZE
10. CHRISTMAS GREETINGS
11. MORE THAN A CHRISTMAS (Michael Buble vs. Boston) - VOICEDUDE
12. ALWAYS CHRISTMAS WITH YOU - THE DIFFERENCE
13. CROSS YOU OFF MY LIST - LOLA KIRKE
14. XMAS LIGHTS - DEXY
15. O HOLY NIGHT - THAT CELLO GUY (Cremaine Booker)
16. CHRISTMAS MUST BE TONIGHT - HIDDEN AGENDA DELUXE & OH SUSANNA
17. ALL THAT MATTERS - MARCEL KAPTEIJN (STUBBY'S HOUSE EXCLUSIVE!)
18. POEM AT YEAR'S END - SOFIA TALVIK
19. WHAT ARE YOU DOING NEW YEAR'S EVE? - EMMA ROWLEY
20. AWAY IN A SILENT NIGHT - JASON HOLLAR TRIO
21. BONUS TRACK
1. SANTA PLANET - NICHOLAS BURGESS
2. ON THE FIFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS - GODDAMMIT JEREMIAH
3. KERSTMIS OVERAL - FEEST DJ MAARTEN
4. CHRISTMAS CARD BLUES - JIM NELSON
5. FLEXIBLE FLYER - THE BRIXTON RIOT
6. (YOU COULD MAKE) AN ANGEL SIGH - THE LOLLIES
7. THE CHRISTMAS BLUES - MATT HUGHES
8. MERRY CHRISTMAS (I'M SORRY) - WHISPERHAWK
9. UNDER THE MISTLETOE - LES BICYCLETTES de BELSIZE
10. CHRISTMAS GREETINGS
11. MORE THAN A CHRISTMAS (Michael Buble vs. Boston) - VOICEDUDE
12. ALWAYS CHRISTMAS WITH YOU - THE DIFFERENCE
13. CROSS YOU OFF MY LIST - LOLA KIRKE
14. XMAS LIGHTS - DEXY
15. O HOLY NIGHT - THAT CELLO GUY (Cremaine Booker)
16. CHRISTMAS MUST BE TONIGHT - HIDDEN AGENDA DELUXE & OH SUSANNA
17. ALL THAT MATTERS - MARCEL KAPTEIJN (STUBBY'S HOUSE EXCLUSIVE!)
18. POEM AT YEAR'S END - SOFIA TALVIK
19. WHAT ARE YOU DOING NEW YEAR'S EVE? - EMMA ROWLEY
20. AWAY IN A SILENT NIGHT - JASON HOLLAR TRIO
21. BONUS TRACK
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