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CHRISTMAS SONGS WANTED

11/18/2011

I know we get our share of Indie artists reading Stubby's, so I thought I'd forward along this plea from Indie Vision Music and Rottweiler Records. Both have brought us great FREE Christmas collections in the past. This year, the two joined forces with the goal of creating the biggest free Christmas download album of all time. The collection is scheduled to be "Fleas Naughty Dog, Vol. 2" (Remember Volume 1--no longer available as a free download, btw--which Rottweiler issued on their own last year?).

At present, IVM reports, they are about 20 songs short of where they need to be. And, if they don't get the music by December 1, the entire project will be abandoned.

So, if you are an unsigned artist or band with an original Christmas themed song that you wouldn't mind making available for free download this Christmas season, email the song to brandon@indievisionmusic.com ASAP. I would imagine a winter themed song would also work, although that's just me speculating, and I'm not sure what the groups' position on Public Domain Christmas songs is (for that answer, email Brandon at the email addy above). They would prefer tracks that are new this year, but if you have something that's been lying around for a year or two, that would be alright as well. The style of the song is not important, Brandon says. You will not be surrendering your rights to the music; it would just be available as part of their free download compilation.

Let's get to work, people, and do this thing. It's Christmas, for goodness sake.

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THING THREE

11/18/2011

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Still more singles? You betcha. Singles 3: Pop and Rock Edition.

Britain's Occultation label has never before issued a Christmas single, but that all changes this year. Post Punk Alt Rockers Factory Star have recorded the song "Lucybel (It's Christmas Time)" and Occultation will be issuing a vinyl 7" single on November 28. People who order the single, which was recorded during Factory Star's sessions for the album "Enter Castle Perilous", will not only get the 7", but a CD that contains the single and two additional tracks from "Enter Castle Perilous", AND they'll of course get instant downloads. The flip of "Lucybel", btw, is a cover of another song from the Factory Star album--"When Sleep Won't Come" recorded by label mates The Granite Shore. If all you're interested in is the digital single, you can get that at Amazon and other online retailers. But, for the 7" (with CD and downloads), order direct from Occultation.

The Band Perry has had a Christmas kinda year. They made an appearance on Justin Bieber's Christmas record. They recorded a version of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" for "The Country Christmas Collection", being sold in this country exclusively by Colonial Candle. And they've signed on to appear on Christmas In Washington, which will air on December 16 on TNT.

Now comes word that The Band Perry has recorded a Christmas song for ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas. The song is a Band Perry original and will air on ABC Family on November 20 during the airing of Holiday In Handcuffs. Immediately thereafter, the video for the 60 second spot and the full song "The 25 Days of Christmas" will be posted on the 25 Days of Christmas web site.

I believe the last time we heard a Christmas song from Sara Bareilles was when she recorded the duet with Ingrid Michaelson for Hotel Cafe's "Winter Songs". And that wasn't really a Christmas song so much as a Winter song. Sara has an all new Christmas single due November 21 called "Love Is Christmas". Sara says the song is about what she believes really matters about Christmas: Love.

Colorado Rockers OneRepublic gained their reputation on the Internet, without the publicity of a major label. They were, at one time, considered the most significant unsigned act in America. When they signed to Mosely in 2006, their debut single "Apologize" set the record for most airplay in a single week. That record was later bested by Leona Lewis' "Bleeding Love"...which, as it happens, Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic co-wrote. So you know these guys know how to write killer tunes. Let's see what they can do with a Christmas record, shall we? On Tuesday, "Christmas Without You" will debut on iTunes. We don't have a link or a song sample to offer you (the band indicated recently that they were still putting the finishing touches on it), but just look at that cover art. You know you want it.

I'm probably jumping the gun on this one, since it's a British single that will be released December 5th and I don't know that much about it. But I dig the cover art. And its a charity gig with the secondary motivation being to take Simon Cowell down a peg. A group of unsigned musicians--mostly from the Blackpool area--have gotten together and written a Christmas song in the grand tradition of Bob Geldof's Band-Aid. They call their effort SandAid and their Christmas song is "We've Still Got Christmas". The money raised from the single will go to the BBC's Children In Need initiative. But SandAid also notes that the the U.K.'s much coveted Christmas #1 hasn't been an actual Christmas song in 21 years. One of the big reasons for that is Simon Cowell, whose shows in England include the X Factor. And for many of the recent Christmases past, an X Factor winner has immediately catapulted to #1...and not with a Christmas song either. That the SandAid artists are unsigned would just make obtaining Christmas #1 that much sweeter. Check the teaser clip below and follow SandAid's progress on Facebook.

How can you pass on a Christmas song with the title "I'm Not A Dang Polar Bear, I'm A Human Being"? How could you? It's some mighty fine Indie Pop Rock besides, but it's just such a great title for a new millennium Christmas song. Rocky & Emily's Christmas single arrives November 21. Find it at Amazon and wherever fine digital downloads are sold.

The Hip Hop Boy Band Mindless Behavior is releasing a Christmas song Tuesday. "Christmas With My Girl" is said to feature a mid-tempo beat, sleigh bells, and some soulful singing and rapping...plus a little xylophone (can't hurt, right?). Look for it on Amazon MP3 and iTunes. I'm not crazy about their other stuff, but then I'm not exactly the target demographic.

Two to avoid. Or at least two that I'll be avoiding. Natasha Bedingfield has covered Train's "Shake Up Christmas" from last year. But, no matter how you shake it, it's still a Coke commercial. And not a very good one at that. Natasha does it better than Train, imho, but that doesn't change what it is.

Then there's "Santa's Goin' South", from Sammy Hagar and Toby Keith. This one is so bad, in my opinion, I'd rather listen to the Coke commercial. It's never a good sign when you're cover art is a stock photo that also turns up on generic no name reggae discs.

That last bit left such a bad taste in my ears, I'm going to clean them out with some truly excellent Indie Pop.

Greg Sczebel is a singer/songwriter from Canada and he's gotten into the habit of doing Christmas songs on a fairly regular basis. OK, the bow tie throws me a bit. The latest Doctor Who may think "bowties are cool", but the rest of the world knows better. Even George Will gave up the bowtie thing. But, other than that, it's pretty clear that Greg knows how to make infectious pop tunes. This year's Christmas ditty is "Perfect (Merry Little Christmas)". Last year's was even better--"A Little More Time With You". And a few years before that, Greg graced us with "One Starry Night". He kind of reminds me of Elton John, eh? Well, if nothing else, I think you should take Greg Sczebel's Christmas singles for a test drive, kick the tires, look under the hood. You might just drive him off the lot. Here's the video for this year's single to wrap up today's single set.

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THING TWO

11/17/2011

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Still more singles and, yes, still more vinyl!

Austrian Death Machine scored a bit of an underground hit the last time they tackled Christmas with their "Very Brutal Christmas" single. So they have returned to the scene of the crime, as it were, and have put together an all new holiday single with songs featuring Ahnold-esque vocals inspired by the movie "Jingle All The Way". "I Am Not A Pervert" appears to be the lead track, though it shares the 7" "A" side with "It's Turbo Time". On the flip is "Who Told You You Could Eat My Cookies". The digital single is expected to be released December 6. The vinyl 7" is limited to 500 copies and can be ordered direct from Metal Blade, with the shipping date anticipated to be around December 19. ADM is basically a one joke band, but they've gotten a lot of mileage out of it. And if you happen to like the one joke, then not much else matters, right? Oh, and look, we've got a preview.

Not a single, but I wanted to let you know that Schuyler Fisk's Christmas EP has arrived and it sounds like it was worth the wait. "Sounds of the Holiday" is 6 songs of Indie Pop seasonal joy. I think you're going to like this one, especially the bonus track from Schuyler's side project band FM Radio. Digital downloads are available now on iTunes and Amazon MP3 and physical copies should be available from Amazon next week.

1. Rockin Around The Christmas Tree
2. Sleep Sleep (Christmas Lullaby)
3. Silver Bells
4. It's Christmas, So We're Singing
5. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
6. More Than I Wished For (Bonus Track by FM Radio)

Is Ska making a comeback? Well, certainly one of the great Ska bands of the 70s and 80s seems to be. The Selecter were, in the day, almost as synonymous with Ska as the iconic checkerboard print of their label 2-Tone. After a long time of doing other things, original lead vocalist Pauline Black and original guitarist Gaps Hendrickson have reunited to lead a new Selecter. The band has already released a new album, "Made In Britain", which has been very well received. They've lined up a tour for 2012. And, most importantly (to us), they've announced a double "A" sided Christmas single which will be released the first week in December. That's all we know so far. Honest.

I have to admit that the concept of Christian Metal has always been a tough one for me to wrap my head around. We're not talking about that faux almost comical Metal of, say, Stryper, but real honest-to-goodness-heavy-progressive-Death-Metal Metal. Only Christian. Well, its worked well for August Burns Red and it seems to be working well for Atlanta's Becoming The Archetype as well. And BTA is jumping into the Christmas music thing this year with a Metalized "O Holy Night", due for release on December 6. It's either going to be very good....or very scary. Maybe both. If you want to get yourself in the proper mood, pop on over to Pure Volume and listen to Becoming The Archetype's take on "How Great Thou Art". Yeah, definitely very good. And definitely very scary. Amazon MP3 has the 30 second clip up and there's not much help there (and what's with the singing kids?). Well...keep an ear out...and one eye open. No word yet on whether there will be any hard copy edition, but...probably not.

We've been waiting on a Christmas album from country stars Little Big Town. And, maybe its the pessimist in me, but I see the appearance of this digital single from the group as a bad sign about the album--like maybe we're going to have to wait another year. It's been quiet. Too quiet. I do know that the group set out to record a full album and I do know they did record more than this one song. Alas, the band hasn't been talking or posting anything on Facebook. And the only thing we know for sure is that "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" debuts on Amazon MP3 and iTunes on November 21. Oh well. A least we'll always have Paris.

Mmmmm. More Christmas Blues. You would not believe how common the name "Smokehouse" is for a Blues band. I'm pretty sure this isn't anything to do with the Florida Swamp Blues group that recorded for Kingsnake. And I'm positively certain this isn't the Montana Blues group. No, in this case, the Smokehouse is singular...as in Mr. McKinley "Smokehouse" Porter. And Mamie Porter is (presumably) the Mrs. They bill themselves as the King and Queen of Gutbucket Blues and that's exactly the kind of music they play. "Rudolph's Got The Blues" finds the red-nosed protagonist fed up with hauling Santa's fat butt around. Rudy has decided he'd rather find himself a doe and settle down. I'm not as high on this one as I was on yesterday's "Let Me Be Your Santa Claus". But it is authentic Gutbucket Blues and you can never have too much of that. As an added attraction, this one even comes in both digital and hard copy CD single formats. You'll find it at Amazon and pretty much everywhere else.

Mmmmm. More Christmas Bluegrass. Kathy Boyd & Phoenix Rising hail from the Pacific Northwest where they are big festival favorites. "Bluegrass Christmas" was actually released last year. But Kathy and the boys have added another verse and cut the song anew for 2011. This one is pretty hard core Bluegrass, musically, though the vocals lean a little towards folksy. You'll find "Bluegrass Christmas (2011)" at Amazon MP3 and CD Baby.

I'm not entirely sure how old Monica Matocha is (her official bio doesn't offer), but she was a young teen when enjoying a bit of Radio Disney success with the trio #1 Crush just a few short years ago. Out there on her own, now, Monica's debut single "Imposter" only debuted earlier this month. And "Imposter" was actually really good--in a sort of Avril Lavigne kind of way. Monica also has a free download available if you "Like" her Facebook page--and that one's pretty good, too. Monica says she has a couple of Christmas songs coming up, the first of which is her cover of "Holiday Road" (the Lindsey Buckingham song from "Christmas Vacation"). "Holiday Road" reaches Amazon MP3 and iTunes on November 22. The 30 second clip doesn't impress me much, but it is a good song and a 30 second clip doesn't tell you a lot. As a bubblegum child, myself, I'm rooting for Monica (though I'm sure she wouldn't consider herself bubblegum). And, besides, I love doing a post that includes Death Metal and Bubblegum, Blues and Bluegrass, Country and Rock N Roll. I like to think that kind of diversity is what sets Stubbys apart.

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THING ONE

11/16/2011

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OMG! Things really got backed up while I was taking a few days. It's gonna take me a few singles posts to catch up. Well let's get the vinyl junkies taken care of first. I know they're jonesing for a fix. Breathe deep, vinyl junkies.

First up is a Christmas 7" that you can get through another Kickstarter campaign. Tristen Gaspadarek is one of the hottest emerging singer/songwriters around. Her hooks and pop sensibilities are second to none. Her sound is just a touch raw (with influences like Patti Smith, you'd expect no less). And, working and playing in Nashville, Tristen's records have just enough Nashville influence to appeal to audiences of multiple genres. Tristen has recorded 3 Christmas songs to press onto the 45--"Blue Christmas", "Winter Is Blue" and "Frosty The Snowman".

The good news is that Tristen has already reached and surpassed her pledge goal. The even better news is that a pledge of a mere $5 will reserve your very own copy of the "Decks The Halls" single. It would likely cost you that much or more to buy any 7" single anywhere. And you've still got two weeks (up until November 30) to get your pledge in. Now it is too late to get one of Tristen's handmade journals or scarves (unless you're down for $250 or more), but you can still get an autographed copy and an autographed poster for $25. Mostly, though, just get a pledge in for the single so you don't have to worry about--or worse, regret--not getting it.

The little label that could, Norton Records, actually has 3 vinyl holiday singles due for release on November 22. A few folks already nabbed two of them at Norton's recent 25th anniversary bash in New York. The rest of us will have to wait a week.

Topping the list is a vinyl re-release of a very rare 1955 Christmas single from Sun Ra. Sun Ra is remembered today for his prolific recordings of cosmic jazz (and that little side trip to Saturn). But, back in 1955, he was making spacey doo wop records backing groups like The Qualities to keep his label going. Both of these sides--"It's Christmas Time" and "Happy New Year To You"--were included on the CD collection "The Singles", but having them back on vinyl is a wonderous thing. It's a freakin' Christmas miracle is what it is.

IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME/THE QUALITIES (feat. SUN RA) (The Singles)

Norton's other two Christmas singles this year are, it would appear, newly recorded. From, to use Norton's phrase, "everyone's favorite obnoxious Christian Rock band"--Knights of the New Crusade--comes "Christmas (At Montsegur)"/"Three Magi of Damascus". And, finally, there's some serious raw roots rock in "Who Likes Christmas Anyway" from East L.A.'s Luis & The Wildfires, which just might be the most exciting of the three when all is said and done. So far no purchase link, but just root around Norton sometime next week and you'll likely find them all linked up and ready to go.

O Come, All Ye Deviants...Come with us to Oslo. As in Norway, where two of the Nordic nation's top Metal Punkers are splitting a Christmas 45, "Black Hole X-mas". Or maybe that should read an anti-Christmas 45. Hey, it's all relative I guess. And I know one of my relatives would love this while the rest of them...er... wouldn't.

From Haust, we get "No Christmas" (which I'd play for you, but I think I spotted some seriously bad words in there and we try to tread lightly with that around here). You can check it out yourself on the label's SoundCloud page. Meanwhile, from Okkultokrati we get "All I Want For Christmas Is Glue". Sounds like something that will fit nicely in between Nat's "The Christmas Song" and Bing's "White Christmas", doesn't it? I'm guessing it's a bit of a takeoff on Mariah Carey's ubiquitous song, but there are no samples of that one lying around. Release date for the split 45 is November 25 and, if you happen to speak Norwegian, pre-orders are being taken at Tigernet.

Meanwhile, in the digital world... We're getting a Christmas single from Grace Potter & The Nocturnals this year. The thing you gotta love about Grace Potter is that her sound borrows heavily from a lot of different genres which allows lots of different genres to claim her as their own. Based on the thirty second clips, Charles Brown's "Please Come Home For Christmas" is done up as a fairly straight forward Country Blues number--nothing too Earth shaking there. But, hey now, that flip "Naughty Naughty Children". That's got it goin' on. It's a breakneck "Run Rudolph Run" tempo and it rocks pretty hard in an old school roots rock kinda way. Daddy like! I want to hear more of that one. Grace Potter's digital Christmas single arrives at Amazon November 21.

Looking for some holiday Blues? Well, "Let Me Be Your Santa Claus". Actually, it's the Joe Hurt Trio playing Santa Claus with an all new original featuring Redd Holt on vocals and drums. Redd was the drummer with the Ramsey Lewis Trio way back when. The rest of the trio features Ken Haebich on the stand-up bass and Joe Hurt on the eighty-eights. Hurt released a Christmas album of traditional jazz back in 2004, "Joe Hurt And Friends Wish You A Merry Christmas", and Redd was on drums for that one as well. But hearing Redd on vocals makes all the difference in the world for me. Look for this one on Amazon MP3 or CD Baby.

We get to welcome a new voice to the music world today in Kelly Franks. Well, not really. Kelly's been singing in the northeast for ten years or so, but mostly with cover bands. Now Kelly is singing her own music and taking it national. Here at Stubbys, we always appreciate when an artist decides to make a Christmas song their debut recording. "Yes, Virginia" is neither the Miguel Ferrer recitation of that iconic letter to the editor, nor the rocking track from Scott Miller's 2010 EP, but an original number Kelly was inspired to write by her four year old daughter. People might be tempted to drop this song into an AC format and I guess that works OK. But the song is really a much better fit with the Alt Pop sounds of She & Him and the Raveonettes; in that kind of setting, "Yes, Virginia" sparkles. It appears the song was originally set for release on November 22, but you can download it now at Amazon, CD Baby and iTunes. A CD single should be available on November 25 from Joe Nardone's Gallery Of Sound. And look for a full album from Kelly Franks in 2012.

Speaking of the Raveonettes, they're releasing "The Christmas Song". Again. I think it would've been cool of them to release their "The Christmas Song" paired up with their version of the more famous "The Christmas Song". But that's not what they're doing. Instead, the Raveonettes single will feature the original version of their "The Christmas Song"--again--with a much quieter and softer alternate version. At the moment, I can't find any evidence that there'll be a hard copy version of this single, but it wouldn't surprise me either way. The digital version will be unleashed on December 5.

As these things go, it's been a slow year for Rock Christmas releases. So far anyway. But that never bothers me because slow years for Rock generally mean good years for the other genres--like Blues, Jazz, and Bluegrass. And, true to form, it's been a pretty good year for the other genres.

Bluegrass veteran Donna Ulisse has been....let's say "encouraged"...to write and record a Christmas album by her label and publisher. Until earlier this fall, she hadn't come up with anything she was happy with. Then, one day, Donna got an idea to tell the Biblical story of Jesus' birth through the surrounding characters. "You Cannot Stay Here", for example, is the innkeeper turning Mary and Joseph away. "You Will Be Delivered" is the angel's conversation with Mary. The songs were written over a few days and recorded almost as fast.

Now that Donna knows where to take the project, she expects to have a full Christmas album ready for next year. In the meantime, you can listen to and download the first two songs written for the coming album at Donna's web site or using the widget below. The songs will also be available from the usual outlets around Thanksgiving.

Whoee! We've barely scratched the surface. We'll have more singles for you in the very very near future.

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BEANTOWN CHRISTMAS

11/15/2011

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Our latest review is of "A Beantown Christmas" from The Beantown Swing Orchestra, a dazzling bit of bubbly from Boston. Head on over to the Reviews section to read all about it.

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MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM EDDIE FLOYD

11/14/2011

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The Christmas music season being as compressed as it is, it frequently happens that items are planned for one Christmas but don't make their appearance until the following year. For example, it looks as though young Rachel Holder's signing with Curb has delayed release of her Christmas set--the major label preferring to concentrate on her debut album.

Earlier on, we announced that Eddie Floyd ("Knock On Wood") was working on a Christmas album that he hoped to release this year. Eddie has now announced that his full Christmas album with appear in 2012, instead. But dry those tears, little darlin'. Santa Eddie wouldn't want you sad for this year's big day. So, in advance of his full Christmas set, Eddie Floyd is giving everyone the chance to download 2 new Christmas songs that will be on the album FREE. It's Eddie's Christmas single and his gift to us all.

"I'll Be Your Santa Claus" and "I Wish To All (A Merry Christmas)" are the first two songs released on Eddie's new label--New Generation Doo Wop Soul Records--a label Eddie has founded to ensure that the sounds of Soul and Doo Wop never die. Both tracks are slices of satiny soul, Eddie Floyd style, and are sure to be popular in the Beach Music formats in my neck of the woods (though I would've preferred "I Wish" without the screaming kids. Just sayin'. Those are actually Eddie's grandkids, so I suppose I should feel bad about saying that. Just being honest, though.).

There will be a hard copy CD single, Eddie says, with the official release date coming November 16. But the downloads are Eddie's gift to everyone. Head to Eddie's web site and pick em up today!

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CARBON LEAF - CHRISTMAS CHILD

11/14/2011

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Looking back at some of our favorite albums from last year. You can read our full review of "Christmas Child" from Carbon Leaf here. There was a brief period of time, last year, when they had sold through their supply of the album. But the band is fully stocked for this holiday season and you can purchase "Christmas Child" in any number of configurations. Get it alone, get it autographed, get three, get it with the new Carbon Leaf Christmas stocking. Or pick up a copy of the band's latest, "Live In Cinemascope" (a 2-CD + DVD combo set).

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HYADAIN - XMAS? I DON'T KNOW SUCH A THING

11/12/2011

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Well, dang, I had this bookmarked and was saving it for the coming week. But Santas Working Overtime beat me to it. Cat's out of the bag now. Wonder if Dinsdale knows what the song's about.

This is the latest from J-Pop star Hyadain (Kenichi Maeyamada). He's generally known as a composer of anime songs, but he also likes to cut loose with some original jams, like this one, which he composes on his PC. "Xmas? I Don't Know Such A Thing" (also translates as "Christmas? What's That? Is It Tasty") is about being single at Christmastime. And it's not a happy song. Hyadain isn't singing "Jingle Bells"; he's singing "Single Hell". And, as I understand it, when you see the girls dancing around with the laptop computers, Hyadain is singing about free internet porn (and giving a whole new meaning to the phrase "White Christmas"). It's all in good fun, though, kinda like Andy Samberg's Lonely Island tunes. And it doesn't hurt that Hyadain recruited cute young actress Takayama Yuko for the video. The song will be available, with numerous mixes, on an extended CD/DVD single due out November 23. I'll be cross-posting this on the International page for ready recall.

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ALEXA GODDARD & BRETT DOMINO - FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK

11/12/2011

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I like Brett Domino and his brand of Nerd Rock a whole lot. And what's not to like about Alexa Goddard? Last year, the two teamed up for a charity single, all profits going to the fight against breast cancer. This might be my favorite version of "Fairytale of New York" since the original. Of course the video helps that. You can still pick up "Fairytale Of New York" by Alexa Goddard & Brett Domino at Amazon mp3 and wherever fine downloads are sold.

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UNDER THE HOLIDAY STAR

11/11/2011

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Happy Veterans Day, all. I'm still kind of busy with other things and probably will be through the weekend. But we have added a thing or two since the other day and will continue to do so as the occasion arises.

We told you we'd let you know when the full album from Stella Artois was available and we didn't want you to miss it, so we're dropping it here on the front page.

Really good 60s era Jazz and FREE. The zip file contains the awesome cover art (front and back). Personnel info is on Facebook (right off the bat, I recognize the name of Kenny Wollesen, who provided vibes for John Zorn's holiday set). And you'll note that two of the tracks are only available with the first 500,000 downloads. And I can assure you that at least one of those downloads has been taken. ;^)

Head to Stella Artois and click on the album cover. If you haven't been before, they'll need your birthdate (they sell booze afterall). The cover art will come to life, the announcer will explain, the cute lady will start the album and point to the download. I'd rather the cute lady explained, but maybe she only speaks French.

SIDE A
Deck The Halls
Nutcracker March
Winter Wonderland *
Jingle Bells

SIDE B
Snowball
Baby It's Cold Outside *
Let's Call It Quits
Auld Lang Syne

GET IT NOW

* Only available with the first 500,000 downloads