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SONS OF OLD TOWN - X-MAS EXTRAVAGANZA, VOL. 2

11/30/2018

Skip the morning coffee. Run right over to Bandcamp and grab ya some Sons of Old Town. "X-Mas Extravaganza, Vol. 2", officially released today, has enough energy in the first two tracks alone to fuel you through the rest of the holidays. You think I'm kidding? I had some doctors appointments, today, and was completely beat and in no mood to write anything. So I threw on the Sons of Old Town and, boom, here I am writing. I'm about halfway through the record, right now, waiting for a bad track to come up but, so far, nothing but gold.

Sons of Old Town isn't a band. It's a collective of artists, supporting each other in as many ways as you can imagine. It's a community, a family. We had a go at "X-Mas Extravaganza, Vol. 1" back in 2015 (a year after it's release), but that was just a 7" with 4 tunes (Mind you, SoOT have released plenty of non-holiday records in the interim and they put on a live Christmas Extravaganza every year). Volume 2 is 15 tracks of Indie greatness--a full album's worth. Or perhaps I should say cassette's worth, since that is the physical format in which this release is being offered (there's digital, of course). I have rarely gotten excited about a cassette release in quite some time, but, man, "X-Mas Extravaganza, Vol. 2" is something I want in physical format, whatever format that is. That's right, it's so good, I gotta touch it.

The album kicks off with Glamper's "Drunk and Scrooge". This is apparently their first ever release and they do not hold back. This is good old fashioned raucous Garage Rock, but with the energy of Punk on a caffeine binge. "Drunk and Scrooge" has the potential of absolutely destroying sales of 5 Hour Energy. There aren't nearly enough Christmas songs that rock this hard. Hell, there aren't nearly enough songs of any kind that rock this hard. "Let's all get drunk and Scrooge".

That's followed by Waterfall Wash's "Do You Know When It's Christmas?". It's a simple song about a simple concept (If Christmas is your favorite holiday, celebrate it all the time...and even that might be deeper than it is), but it's full of energy and catchy as hell. "My favorite holiday is Christmas. My favorite holiday is Christmas. My favorite holiday is Christmas." This is one you're definitely going to be singing to yourself in the office on Monday.

Rock Europa manages to provide sparkly Christmas and Birthday wishes to "Baby Jesus" in a song that's both excellent Indie Pop and excellent Alt Rock. And the guitar solo's awesome.

The tempo slows a bit on what may be my favorite song on "X-Mas Extravaganza, Vol. 2", the Alt-Americana band Pickup Sticks' "I Wish It Was Christmas". If you're the kind of person whose first thought at every struggle through the year is "I wish it was Christmas", then you'll connect with this one instantly. But, man, I dig the sound. Never heard Americana (Alt or otherwise) rock this good.

And giving Pickup Sticks serious competition for my favorite from the set is "Holiday Parties" by Empty Atlas. Have you ever seen the same girl (or guy) at assorted holiday parties and yet you never meet? Yeah, you start inventing a whole back story, maybe imagine your first conversation (which you imagine you'll screw up by talking too much), you build a whole life together. Yet, somehow, you can't bring yourself to just walk up and say "Hi". I remember someone exactly like that and, you know what, I kissed her at Midnight one New Year's Eve...and still never got her name (great kiss though). Not that it would've gone anywhere. She was way out of my league. But, geez, at least get a name. Anyway, love this song--Indie Pop Rock with some noticeable Nashville influence.

Sean Knisely offers the multi-purpose "Feel It While We Can (Cold Cold Christmas)". Noting that it doesn't get that cold in Nashville until January, Sean advises that you pretend "that it's a cold cold Christmas" so you have an excuse to get someone to hold. And, if that's not enough to convince someone to spend Christmas with you, just remind them of Global Warming. "They say the whole world's melting slowly/It's all temporary/And so just maybe Christmas/Will never be this cold again." As pick-up lines go, I like it. The best thing about Sean Knisely's track is the music, though. It's got that Gary Numan snappiness to it (and the award for Most Effective Use of Drum Machines goes to...), but with a hipper beat and without the monotone vocals. That's one I want to go back to...again and again.

"Christmas In The Club" by Spoken Nerd brings a little Electro Hip-Hop to the party. Ben Ricketts gives us a very Pop friendly Experimental Electronic tune in "Nothing More". The melody of "Nothing More" is mid-60s Pop. The surrounding music (including lots of bells...what is it with bells this year), oddly seems to work, though it does sometimes feel a bit like the musical equivalent of a Salvador Dali clock. "Right Beside You" is a beautiful Alt Folk Rock tune with lovely comforting lyrics from The Embrace.

Cory Taylor Cox is one of the driving forces behind Sons of Old Town. He teams up with Rock Europa for a pretty Alt Pop tune, "Put Your Coat On". Then Parker Hodges hooks us up with a John Prine worthy "Christmas Jr." which grabbed me right at the start with the line "My neighbor got mad at my brother and me/For shootin' squirrels in his yard on Chritmas Eve". Not enough songs about Christmas Eve squirrel shooting, if you ask me. The whole song is filled with vivid images and memories like that. The music employs a few effects that Prine never would. All the better for that.

If you're as sick of "Blue Christmas" as I am, you probably also find red, green and gold to be cliche. Let's see, what color hasn't gotten it's holiday due? Beige! I betcha nobody's ever done a song about a beige Christmas. Well, now, they have. The artist known as Googolplexia offers an ode to a "Beige Holiday", in which he covers Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa (gonna have to go back and see if he got Ramadan in there). This one's a bit of a goof and, though it's a cool concept and executed well, probably the song on "X-Mas Extravaganza, Vol. 2" I'm least fond of.

The Great Palumbo brings me back around with a home recorded Alt Folk Pop "Two Feet". "Two Feet" is about how things change as we get older ("where'd the time go") and how some things don't ("Yeah, I'm coming home for Christmas/If it's the last thing that I do/I heard we're getting two feet of snow and/I'm bringing my two feet to you").

Charlie Murphey's "It's Christmas" is genius. You can hear Charlie's heartbreak at the first sign of the season. "In the middle of October/Already know that I won't make it sober" and "Thanksgiving helps me to remember/I can only spend limited time with family members/Before it gets weird and we're bringing up history". Really, a gem of a tune, there.

"X-Mas Extravaganza, Vol. 2" closes with the Sons of Old Town version of Phil Spector's "Silent Night" (which is to say a religious tune closing out a mostly secular album). Jake Wood gives us a nice reverby Alt Folk "Come That Fount".

Now this write-up (though too long, as usual) is even a bit more off-the-cuff than usual. I literally wrote this while listening to "X-Mas Extravaganza, Vol. 2" for the first time (usually, for a review, I give something a minimum of 3 spins). And clearly I started to run out of gas about mid-way through, but I was beat to begin with and wasn't going to write anything tonight. But this is a brilliant album that I guarantee you're gonna love. "X-Mas Extravaganza, Vol. 2" belongs in every Christmas stocking in America. And the cassette (which comes WITH a digital download) is actually cheaper than the download alone. But it's limited, so don't sleep on it. Some of the bundle packages are already close to sold out. More information and great, great music awaits you at Bandcamp.

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YOUNG OCEANS - SONGS OF CHRISTMAS

11/29/2018

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As someone who starts hunting down the year's coming Christmas releases beginning in, oh, February, you come across a few along the way that you circle and say, "Oh, yeah, I wanna hear that one when it's out." Young Oceans was a group I had circled. The Brooklyn meditative Art Rock band just has such a unique and fascinating sound, I couldn't wait to hear what they could do with the old carols. "Songs of Christmas" opens with "Silent Night" and it was if I was hearing the song for the first time, which is kinda what they were going for.

Young Oceans was originally a project of artists affiliated with New York's Trinity Grace Church. Naturally, the group has a bit of a spiritual bent, but, for Christmas music obsessives, that's definitely a feature and not a bug. The heart and soul of the group, its fair to say, is songwriter Eric Marshall.

Marshall has long wanted to do something with the old Christmas carols. As he points out, we sing them so much (and they are sung so much by our most popular recording artists) that we've lost the meaning. (Remember the Star Trek episode with the Yangs and the Kohms where Kirk reads the Declaration of Independence? He says, "Down the centuries, you have slurred the meaning of the words". It's kinda like that.) Do we ever stop to think about what the words to, say, "What Child Is This?" really mean, anymore? Not in broad terms, but actually listening to the words...admiring the poetry. If we're being honest then, no, we really don't. Familiarity breeds...indifference? So say you're a musician who admires these ancient carols, what they say and how they say it, and you want to share them with others. And yet you're aware of how they've been played almost into meaninglessness. Do you do a Christmas record, or is that just adding to the pile?

"It wasn’t until a friend of mine encouraged me to explore them through Young Oceans’ more 'Eastern' filter that it clicked for me," says Eric. "What if we abandoned the melody structure altogether? What if we mixed up and re-ordered the lyrics themselves? Was there a way to reverently re-present these sacred pieces of art?"

And I'm telling you, it works beautifully. "Silent Night" was an entirely new experience. I didn't just hear the words, I felt them. In my opinion, the approach of deconstructing and reconstructing the melodies and lyrics works better on some songs than others. But, when it works best, it's a literal revelation.

1.   Silent Night
2.   Go Tell it on the Mountain
3.   O Little Town of Bethlehem
4.   It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
5.   Lo How a Rose er'r Blooming
6.   Angels We Have Heard on High
7.   Half Spent Was the Night
8.   What Child is This

YOUNG OCEANS WEB SITE
YOUNG OCEANS ON FACEBOOK
PURCHASE FROM BANDCAMP
PURCHASE FROM AMAZON

Musically, the go-to comparison seems to be Brian Eno. I'm not as familiar with Eno as a solo artist as I should be or would like to be, but, if we're allowed to consider his work with Roxy Music, I get it. Given that it's an analogy to music I'm more familiar with, to me it's like Vangelis discovered Indie Rock and Dream Pop in the same week. I know that sounds convoluted to you, but it makes perfect sense to me. Basically, I think Young Oceans should have wide ranging appeal. They're too mellow to be dismissed by the older set and too hip to be dismissed by those younger Young Oceans have one of those sounds (as Khruangbin does) that just gets inside you and circulates through your brain like a gentle wind touching all of the pleasure centers in its path.

Favorite tracks are "Silent Night", "Angels We Have Heard On High" and the instrumental "Half Spent Was The Night". I know a lot of mixtapers like to close with some version of "Silent Night". Gentlemen (and ladies), start your engines; Young Ocean's "Silent Night" is about as fresh a version as you'll ever present. "Songs of Christmas" by Young Oceans is available through Bandcamp and Amazon.

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SINGLES INDIE

11/28/2018

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photo by Farouk Mechedal

I love "Warmest Winter" by Linnea Ellis. It makes me all goosebumpy. I'm really surprised this isn't on everyone's playlist already. I've got the darn thing on constant repeat.

Linnea Ellis was born in Borlänge, Sweden. She was playing the violin at the age of three, started playing guitar and writing songs around age 12. She experimented with various styles before settling on a Folky Nordic Pop sound. In 2003, Linnea moved to Stockholm where she worked in bars and sang in clubs. They were "blurry years" for the artist--working, partying, playing, partying, and just trying to find a place to live--all contributed to an exhausting and confusing time. Eventually, she moved to Oslo, believing she'd had her fill of Stockholm. In 2008, Linnea wrote and recorded an EP on her laptop in her bedroom, including "Warmest Winter". But on the laptop it stayed.

Linnea began DJing, became a booking agent for other female DJs, and campaigned for parity for women in the music industry. After nearly a decade of this, she reconsidered some of her choices. "I thought I was done with Stockholm," she says, "but after a while I realized that I wasn’t running away from the city so much as from my emotions. So I gathered myself, moved back to Stockholm, and brought with me this song.”

When the women who would become Linnea's producers--Caroline Lanté (Judy K) and Hanna Ekström (Stockholm Strings)--heard "Warmest Winter", they were convinced they'd found a gem of an artist who was ready to shine. Linnea, too, was ready to move her EP from the laptop to the studio and on to the world.

"Warmest Winter" is very atmospheric and just packed with emotion. And there is so much emotion, and with nothing in the surrounding music wasted, I find myself reflecting on my own stack of emotions. It's like I'm on a long bus trip, looking out the window at a snowy white world, and contemplating my own life--the good and the bad, the fears and the hopes. Songs that can do that--make you reach inside yourself and lay all the secrets bare (even if they're only secrets you were keeping from yourself)--songs like that are rare. They are gold. But even if you don't want to do an inventory of your life or think about the emotions in "Warmest Winter", the music is absolutely stunning. It's a dreamy melody and the production is perfection (to repeat myself, not a single note or sound is wasted). Dare to dance with her; you won't regret it.

"Warmest Winter" by Linnea Ellis is available from CD Baby and Amazon. A full EP should follow. We'll have our ears out for that one. And Linnea is writing new music, as well, for which we should all be thankful.

After looking at my life and crashing back into the hard, hard world, "Peace" is exactly what I need.

Ruth Acuff is generally referred to as an Indie Folk artist. But how many Indie Folk artists do you know who have the harp as their axe? I think of Folk musicians, I picture a guy walking along the railroad tracks with a guitar slung on his back. I don't think you can do that with a harp. But it sure does sound sweet.

I know you're asking and, yes, Country star Roy Acuff is part of the family tree, but Ruth's blazing her own musical trail. I'd have thought the harp would have been the dead giveaway. Ruth Acuff resides in Missouri and, after fronting a Psych Rock band and an Alt Folk band, embarked upon a solo career, releasing the EP "Paisley" in 2011. She has one full length to her credit, "This Is The Dream" (which features the song "Winter", btw...just sayin'). Although she actually plays several instruments (including the Uke), the harp really serves to bring out the beauty of her angelic ethereal (almost childlike) voice. The addition of a small string set on "Peace" further help to frame both Acuff's harp and voice.

When the cold has ahold on you,
it takes everything you have to keep on pushing through.
Peace is what I wish for you.
When there’s no one else but you, alone in a crowded room.
Peace, a calm you can trust.
You’re breathing in that stardust.

Those are some really nice and well written lyrics. The harp notes at the beginning of "Peace" feel like the sun sparkling off the waters of a peaceful lake lapping the shore at sunset. And the "choir break" (cuz I don't know what else to call it) near the end feels very much like being gently touched by an angel, and all of your woes being drained from whatever swamp of darkness has accumulated within. Ruth Acuff may, indeed, be an Indie Folk singer, but "Peace" lies somewhere between New Age and Chamber Pop, I think. Grab some "Peace" from Bandcamp or Amazon. And do it soon; you look like you could use some.

Two straight holiday singles without a single mention of Christmas? Well, we'll fix that right now.

We touched upon "This Life (This Christmas)" by Milton & Jones briefly in our review of "A Very Cherry Christmas 13", but this brand new song is also a stand-alone single coming out on Friday and well worthy of being featured by itself, although I'm not sure what I could add to the fine job done by Christmas Underground. Well, "encyclopedic Stubby" (inside joke; Jim gets it) has to at least give it a try.

Even if you've only dabbled in Indie, you should know Neil Milton. He's a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer and has been (and, technically, may still be) a member of several bands plus a solo artist, but probably is best known for his work with The Frozen North, a Post-Rock instrumental band (well...that's where I know him from). Neil is also the founder and CEO of Too Many Fireworks, a small independent record label that started in Glasgow, Scotland, and relocated (with Neil) to Warsaw in Poland. Neil had been writing songs and looking for a musical partner. Among the ideas he was working on was a Christmas song--a song he admits he wrote just to see if he "could do it, do it festive, and do it well".

Jules Jones called Seattle home, where she was one fourth of the Dream Pop band Ephrata. Jules was also a filmmaker and, in 2017, relocated to Warsaw to write and make the sequels to the film "Planeta Singli". She very much missed her band and was hoping to find someone in Warsaw to collaborate with. While researching music for the soundtrack, Jules noticed that she couldn't find any songs about Christmas break-ups where the break up was acknowledged as final and a good thing. All the songs were all "pining for the fjords" (i.e. "I want you back") and what not..."we'll meet again, don't know how don't know when"...that sort of thing.

As it just so happened, Neil had spent some time on radio in Poland promoting film music. Jules and Neil crossed paths online, Neil mentioned his Christmas song, which was just the sort of thing Jules had been looking for and...folks, we got us a Hallmark movie, here. They had tremendous fun writing and recording with each other and you know what I always say...if the performers are having a good time, the listeners will as well.

Now, musically, I used the term "shoegazey" in the Cherryade write-up (distorted guitars will do that to me). And I'll retract that. But I'm not going to jump on the Spector bandwagon, either. I think people leap too quick to the Spector analogies. But you know what I do hear? I hear a bit of Beatles in there. Listen to that riff in the chorus and tell me that isn't something the boys from Liverpool would do? Anyway you look at it, though, it's some mighty fine Indie Pop that can stand on its own without comparisons to anyone. And I do love the lyrics. “We’ll never meet again / not gonna be friends / this is a happy end / This life’s gonna start / this Christmas.”

The virtual flip is "Love Actually", a sweet understated tune about a couple sharing movies on Christmas (which gives us another one of those Indie song titles with a double meaning). How long before that couple is watching the Hallmark movie based on Neil and Jules and their Christmas single? Because "Love Actually" is a little less rambunctious than "This Life (This Christmas)", you actually get a better sense of how well the voices of Milton & Jones sound together. They sound fantastic and I certainly hope the collaboration doesn't stop with one single. Come Friday, you can get "This Life (This Christmas)"/"Love Actually" by Milton & Jones from Bandcamp or Amazon. You done did it, Neil and Jules, did it festive and did it well.

Since we're on the subject of Indie Pop and since I don't have the time I wish I did to feature everything the way I'd like, I'm going to close with an EP (i.e. not a single). But it's so damn good and I just want to--at least--bring it to your attention. Actually, I could play the loophole card and tell you it's TWO singles and a couple of additional tracks, but we'll get to that.

I don't know much about The Hannah Barberas, other than the fact that their names are Damien, Lucy, Doug and Matthew. They appear to have just popped up this year and they've become quite popular among Internet bloggers who specialize in Indie Pop. One listen and you'll understand why. The word "effervescent" was probably created in anticipation of their arrival. But the word "sparkly" is probably more their style. Jangly guitars, a bass that's fun to follow, harmonies that take me back to Spanky & Our Gang, and lyrics that make you smile from ear to ear. The Hannah Barberas are a force...not to be reckoned with...but to be enjoyed every moment of every day. (Psst. If you "follow" the group on Bandcamp, you may be in line for some free and limited downloads.)

There are 4 songs on "Christmas Bandwagon", 3 originals and a cover of "Christmas Time Is Here". I thought I'd heard about every possible thing you could do with that one...until I heard The Hannah Barberas give it the upbeat Now Sound treatment. Suddenly it's cool again. All proceeds from "Christmas Bandwagon" are going to Shelter, a very worthy UK charity.

There are two songs from "Christmas Bandwagon" available as singles on Amazon, "Oh Santa Claus!" and "A Dream For Christmas". They're great songs. But, really, do you want to leave those other two songs just laying there? Not to mention that Amazon takes a bigger bite than Bandcamp, so that means less going to the cause. So do everybody a favor and buy the full "Christmas Bandwagon" EP on Bandcamp.

We're going to close with "A Dream For Christmas" which would seem to reflect the charitable intentions of The Hannah Barberas. Besides, it's really a wonderful tune and the harmonies sleigh me.

It's not now or never, it's every year
But no one can tell if the next one will be that last one we cheer
So promise me something before you go
That you'll tell your loved ones how you need them so
You say 'see you later'
Well see that you do
So dream that this Christmas
The loneliness will end
And everyone out in the cold
Is welcomed home again

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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT - KYRON BOURKE

11/27/2018

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Born in Dublin and living in Belfast, Kyron Bourke is considered something of a town minstrel, an outsider telling tales in song of heartbreak, guilt and experience...all with a knowing grin. He was a founding member of the unsigned Irish cult band Les Fruits in the late 70s and early 80s. Signed to a solo deal later in the 80s, he scored a minor hit with "Danny". After a couple of albums, he gave up music and took up painting. When sales of his paintings were slow, he began acting with a touring theater company and for BBC radio. A phone call from the producer of the television quiz show The Lyrics Board is what brought him back to music. Kyron appeared weekly as a singing and piano playing team captain. He and that producer, Philip Kamph, began writing songs together, forming Kyron & The Strangels. When Kyron decided to start work on a new album, his tastes had moved to Jazz and Blues.

Kyron Bourke was writing songs for his new album when, around 2008, he learned that his younger brother Brendan's kidneys were failing. Kyron donated one of his. Recovery was difficult and the album was put on hold. Kyron remembers his brother picking him up at the airport on Christmas Eve in 2012. Brendan complained of a cold that he couldn't seem to shake. As it turned out, the medication Brendan took to keep his body from rejecting the kidney was also suppressing his immune system. The cold turned to pneumonia and Brendan died shortly after Christmas. Looking for a way to channel his grief, Kyron wrote what would become "Christmas At The Airport".

Refocused on his music, Kyron worked tirelessly with legendary producer Mudd Wallace and some of the finest musicians in Ireland. They completed "My Dirty Road" in 2015. Soon after, at Christmas, Mudd died. So the album was out there, sort of, but there was no promotion or touring or anything. Kyron went back to playing Belfast night spots and people would ask whatever became of the record.

Recently, a digital record company (Burgundy Records) expressed interest in "My Dirty Road" and Kyron thought, "Why not?" It seemed a fitting tribute to his brother and to his friend, Mudd Wallace. The album has been re-released and "Christmas At The Airport" has been released as a single. You can find both at Amazon. "Christmas At The Airport" by Kyron Bourke is a Blues drenched Jazz song reflecting heartbreak and loss and is extremely different from your usual Christmas fare. And well worth picking up...in case you missed it.

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SINGLES IRREVERENT

11/27/2018

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The last week of November tends to be very busy as many artists choose this week to release their singles and albums. Oh, most of the major label stuff comes earlier, but a lot of independents and self-releasing artists wait until after Thanksgiving (which appears to be the point at which even the hardest hearted Grinch will find Christmas music acceptable). And people who create annual mixtapes are looking for those final touches. So let's see what we can find in Santa's sack of goodies, shall we? Today's category is "irreverent". That's not the same as "novelty". Not at all. But these songs aren't exactly "Winter Wonderland" either. More singles coming up this week. Got a batch of Indie Pop and Rock singles I hope to get to tomorrow.

Nostalgia ain't what it used to be. Take a beautiful melody, a Pop beat, three beautiful voices blending in harmony, and pair them up with thoroughly contemporary life and what you get is one unforgettable song that you can nod knowingly to while it sails completely over the heads of your parents. "As I fly into town/People calling their loved ones/As the plane touches down/I hope that you're waiting and I'm anticipating the moment we meet again." Sounds like a normal Christmas song, right? Well, it isn't an old beau she's waiting to see again. It's her pot dealer. Otherwise, although irreverent, it is a recognizable story. She wants to recapture her youth, too--specifically high school days, when responsibilities were few and there was sex and drugs and (one presumes) rock n roll.

JEMS are three Californians who write songs and make gorgeous music. The name is drawn from their names--Jessica Rotter, Emily Colombier, and Sarah Margaret Huff. There are four different versions of "High For The Holidays" by JEMS. The one on Amazon is the version with the Rap break from Harry Mack and the brief use of the "F" word towards the end of the song. There's also a clean version with Harry Mack and both explicit and clean versions without him. We've used the clean version without Harry. Why? Because Bandcamp's stupid preview embeds go automatically into the next song unless you use the last song. I really don't get that. Seems completely unnecessary and fixable. Anyway, buy the track that suits your taste or need or get the whole bunch on Bandcamp (psst, buy the tracks individually and save...unless you're high, in which case go ahead and pay nearly $2 per track). You know I'm not big on the goof. But when the goof is legitimately funny and wrapped in a beautiful package...why, yes, thank you, I'll take a hit. "We don't need reindeer to get to the sky/We know why Santa has a twinkle in his eye/Come fill my stocking with the good stuff, big guy/Merry Christmas to all and to all a good high".

The Cooter Boys are a California Country duo with a lot of crossover appeal. Their attitude could be described as a bit irreverent but, on them, it works. "Crazy For Christmas" dropped the day after Thanksgiving and, for assorted reasons (what's the deal with the hat covering your eyes, dude?), I wish I didn't like it as much as I do. But I can't help it. "Crazy For Christmas" is crazy awesome. When we talk about a perfect Christmas, we envision some quiet night with softly falling snow, brightly colored twinkling lights and happy children building a snowman. That's right, we picture the Hallmark movie version of Christmas. But, instead of a break from the madness, Christmas is the maddest of all. Traffic, crowded stores, decorating, cooking, unruly relatives, bratty kids with high expectations. What Christmas really is is about a year's worth of high pressure work crammed into a single month--all in addition to our regular work. Most wonderful time of the year? It's the most insane. And "Crazy For Christmas" by The Cooter Boys captures just a little of that insanity in an irresistible upbeat tune that says out loud what at least a part of us is thinking. Grab "Crazy For Christmas" at Amazon and iTunes.

Worldwide Welshman is the UK World-Rock-Pop-Folk band of Liam Rickard, who draws upon the absurdities of life for his multi-lingual songs. "Christmas In Yiwu" is a song that celebrates Santa's real workshop...in the city of Yiwu in China. Don't worry, it's not an angry "burn Christmas to the ground" folk anthem decrying exploitation of people in distant lands. It's a happy little song that acknowledges the reality--you get your plastic crap and they get a little money for their families. It does make you stop and think, though. "Christmas In Yiwu" was a YouTube stream last year but has only been released for purchase this year as part of the "Jingle Bells, Christmas Sells" digital single. You'll find it on Amazon and Bandcamp.

You knew I wouldn't rest until I found a Blues tune. "My Christmas Wish" is a slide guitar gem (think Hound Dog Taylor) from Ted Drozdowski's Scissormen. Ted's been doing the Blues thing for about 30 years and the Scissormen have been together for about ten. Ted also used to be a writer for Rolling Stone, which is a neat little tidbit. "My Christmas Wish" is about spending Christmas with your friends when you have no friends. See, when you have no friends, your friends are down at the liquor store. Like Clyde Lasley in "Santa Came Home Drunk", Ted namechecks a few of these friends of his. "Jimmy Beam in aisle 3, Jameson boys in aisle 5. I can't stand that old Jack Daniels. I'm tired of all his gyp and jive." "My Christmas Wish" by Ted Drozdowski's Scissormen won't be found in aisle 3, 4, or 5, but you can find it at CD Baby and Amazon.

Yeah, I know. But it's French, so I'm letting it pass.

French Punk meets American Pop Rock in Quebec. No clue what they're saying, though I gather its about how expensive the holidays are. But, hey, I dig the sound and there's a cat in the video. So there you go. And, also, it's free! Well, it is right now. "Noel C'est Poche" by Abdominable shows an official release date of December 1, so might be it's only free until then. Since (even after two years of French in school) I don't speak the language, I can't honestly be certain that "Noel C'est Poche" is irreverent, but it's Punk...so it's bound to be. Right? Pick up Abdominable's Christmas single free (technically Donne-moi ton prix) from Bandcamp.

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IT'S COMING

11/26/2018

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A quick reminder that my computer is dying and I could go silent at any time. Shouldn't be out of commission more than a week (I hope). I'd just prefer it not be this week. But that's not up to me.

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COMING ATTRACTIONS - STARS (WIAIWYA)

11/26/2018

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So many thoughts.

There's an expression in politics--"fighting the last war". What it means is that politicians and parties frequently fall victim to assuming that the tactics which proved decisive in the previous election will hold true in the current one. But things change, people change, attitudes change, situations change...everything changes. So someone who approaches an election "fighting the last war" is almost certain to lose, no matter how well they execute their game plan. It's like the weather. One day it's 50 degrees, the next it's 20. Dress for the yesterday and you'll freeze today.

So practically as long as I can remember, people have been trying to re-create the success of the albums we hold to be iconic...be it Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" or Phil Spector's "A Christmas Gift For You". Even when they succeed, they fail...because they are, in essence, "fighting the last war". To crate a Christmas album that has the potential to become an evergreen...an album that future generations will look back upon and say, "That's what Christmas sounds like"...it has to be of it's time. Michael Buble did a very nice Christmas album and he did it very well. But it wasn't an album of it's time. It was an album that harkened back to an earlier time. As soon as you conjure the phrase "harken back", you lose. If we have anything approaching an iconic Christmas album in the last quarter century, it's Low's "Christmas"...and that was nearly 20 years ago. Some will say Sufjan, but I think Sufjan was following the path that Low had blazed. That said, doing an album today that "harkens back" to Low's would also be "fighting the last war".

All of which is a very long way of saying I think the folks with the best label name in the business, Where It's At Is Where You Are, have created an album in "Stars" that has the potential to become the seminal Christmas album of this generation...the album that, 30 to 40 years from now, people will look back upon and say, "That's what Christmas sounds like".

"Let's write a song for Christmas/Go and grab your guitar/We'll make a song for everybody/Get to the top of the charts/Let's find a rhyme for tinsel/Create a song to be sung/In December of every year and/Remind you when we were young". And so begins "Stars". One of the things that made "A Christmas Gift For You" an album of it's time was that the record was very "in your face". By that I mean that the album was almost entirely made up of secular covers remade in the upstart music of the day and it opened with, horrors, "White Christmas". It was, in a way, a total rejection of everything Christmas music had been up until then. Boomers were like that. Millennials or Gen Z--or whatever they're calling the latest generation--is no less skeptical of their predecessors, but they're less "in your face" about it. Instead of "we're going to take your thing and make it our thing", it's more like "we're going to do our own thing, which will be better than your thing". Or, put simply, there are no covers on "Stars".

The opening number, "Christmas Stars" by Whoa Melodic is not just a brilliant Christmas song, but a brilliant choice to set the tone for the rest of the album. It's beautiful Indie Pop, replete with jangly guitars and ooh-la-la harmony vocals. It's today's Indie sound--sort of the raw Indie of the late 90s meeting up with Coldplay and settling somewhere in between. And it's today's Indie messaging, as in "we're going to do something for everybody that will also push us to the top of the charts." It's neither selfish nor selfless--it's hopeful but not unrealistic (dare I say it's ho-listic?). And it has the slightly ironic title (we aren't talking about stars in the Christmas night sky; the band intends to become "Christmas Stars"). OK, maybe I'm reading too much into things, but then I'm still reeling from the review of "Xmas Gold", so my mind is in a trippy place. Rest assured, if all you want to know is whether "Christmas Stars" by Whoa Melodic is a good song that will withstand repeated plays...it is. It is, in fact, one of the best Christmas songs I've heard since...well, since "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)".

1. Whoa Melodic - Christmas Stars
2. Scrabbel - Hiding In The Snow
3. White Town - Say You'll Be Home For Christmas
4. Spaceship - Todmorden Bells
5. Darren Hayman - Blue Tinsel, Red Tinsel
6. Bill Botting - Ginger Wine (Just Like Christmas Day)
7. the Catenary Wires - Christmas Tree (Burn Burn Burn) 03:54
8. Spaceship - Todmorden Bells (reprise)
9. Jeff Mellin - January's Bluff

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The rest of "Stars" is nearly as good. Scrabbel's "Hiding In The Snow" is like a concept album within a single song. Scrabbel takes a simple progression and makes it endlessly fascinating. They take a simple idea--calling out from work to hang with friends in the snow--and make it seem like the very secret of life. Hey, I'm convinced. And it's simultaneously just what it says and metaphor. In a way, we're all "trying to get back to the snow". Aren't we?

White Town's "Say You'll Be Home For Christmas" has got a little bit of Barry White about it (not the voice; nobody has Barry's voice), which is ironic since it's about being alone at Christmas. "Is it warm where you are? Are you safe under the stars? Do you miss home at all? Say you'll come home and see me. Say you'll come home and see me. Say you'll come home and see me. This Christmas. This Christmas." Someone's moved on and someone hasn't. Dreamy music (with a beat) and a very realistic and relatable situation, punctuated by vocals that are, from time to time, ever so slightly off key (which makes the song even more relatable). "Say You'll Be Home For Christmas" is oddly cathartic. The music is sad, yet uplifting in a way. And the story is pathetic but all too relatable. I don't think she's coming home, dude.

OK. I gotta admit. I don't get the bells at all. Somebody is going to have a very clever explanation of why "Todmorden Bells" is "genius" and I'm still going to think it's crap. I'm a stupid Boomer, so I'm probably not supposed to get it anyway.

Darren Hayman's "Blue Tinsel, Red Tinsel" is just a joyous song of Christmas seen through the eyes of a child (and with actual children), or an adult who is more in touch with his childhood than most of us could ever hope to be. What's really wonderful about "Blue Tinsel, Red Tinsel" is that the music is so perfect, you really don't even need the lyrics to feel what the song is about. Favorite line: "And a game called 'Cheat' where everybody cheats", although that bit about the bike was pretty good, too.

"Ginger Wine (Just Like Christmas Day)" by Bill Botting is a good example of celebrating good moments amidst the mundane of real life and, when life is nothing but mundane, celebrating as if there are good moments...just like Christmas Day. Musically, "Ginger Wine" has a similar feel, to me, to Davitt Sigerson's "It's A Big Country". Probably nobody will agree with me on that, but that's how it rolls for me.

"Deck the halls with boughs of holly/Tis the time for melancholy/Christmas tree, oh, Christmas tree, don't weep for me". "Christmas Tree (Burn, Burn, Burn)" by The Catenary Wires is a bit like a modern Indie "Fairytale of New York" (blasphemy, I know; but dysfunctional relationships aren't exclusive to any one generation). After 7 years, the guy just split, and everything about the song tells you how they were growing apart. She sings: "Deck the halls with boughs of holly." He sings: "Tis the time for melancholy." That tells you all you need to know. And, in the "music of it's time" theme, nobody seems too broken up over the break up. You know...s#&% happens.

More bells. Some backwards. Still don't get it.

"Stars" closes with Jeff Mellin's "January Bluff", a down-tempo ode to New Year's. It's the perfect ending to a nearly perfect album (frickin' bells). "Don't worry 'bout a thing.....New Year's here". The lyrics beautifully (and in great detail) describe New Year's Eve. I don't know the traditions in the UK, so I don't know if the drop he's describing is like our Times Square drop, if it is our Times Square drop (via telly), or if it is simply metaphorical--but it does make it very relatable for Yanks. This is a long song and there's an awful lot going on in it. But, in typical Indie Pop fashion, the key is the duel meanings of the title, "January's Bluff". In one sense, a bluff is a cliff...a demarkation point, the end of one thing and the beginning of another. I love the way Webster's Dictionary phrases the other meaning: "to deter or frighten by pretense or a mere show of strength". See? This whole idea of wiping away the old year and starting anew is a fraud. And it's a fraud we repeat year after year--convincing ourselves "by pretense or a mere show of strength" that this day will change everything. As if to lay it out more plainly, there is an extended repetition in the last part of the song: "Cry your eyes out, dry your tears". On one level, many people do precisely this. On another, it's a metaphor for life. And (while, again, I may be reading too much into all this) the song is as long as it is because there is no demarkation between the years--nothing changes (everything changes)--life just goes on, and goes on, and goes on...until it doesn't.

The music of my people, Boomers, was always pretty much unbearably happy or unbearably sad, soft or hard; we're the kind of people who see everything as nails and ourselves as the hammers. It's what I grew up with, so I like it just fine. But there's a different quality to modern Indie music. Christmas Underground might call it "terribly sad lyrics with beautiful music", others might call it a "knowing cynicism", but it's really just facing the reality of life for what it is and making the best of it. The music on "Stars" has that quality. And all of it is just beautiful Indie Pop with no sidetrips to Shoegaze or Pop Punk or Noir Folk or whatever today's new genre is. All of that together makes this an incredibly enjoyable and cohesive album--one that has the potential to become an iconic Christmas record--a record that people will look back upon in 30 or 40 years and say, "That's what Christmas sounds like."

"Stars" is the third WIAIWYA Christmas collection that I'm aware of. "50,000,000 Elves Fans Can't Be Wrong" (2001) and "Christmastime Approximately" (2010) were fine and memorable Indie collections. "Stars" is better. "Stars" will be released November 30 in digital and limited edition color vinyl formats. This is one where you should definitely get the vinyl. I believe "Stars" is culturally significant. But, even if I'm wrong about that, it's just freaking gorgeous and bloody brilliant. (And I have to learn to write shorter reviews. Just sayin'.)

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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT - HILMA NIKOLAISEN

11/25/2018

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Let me say right up front that I can't take credit for finding this one as Lie In The Sound had it last year. But I don't know how many of you read Lie In The Sound (you really should, though; they have much better taste in music than I do). Nonetheless, I absolutely love this song and it fits my weird criteria for this feature in that "Merrily Merrily" will be included on the forthcoming album from Hilma Nikolaisen, "Mjusic", due November 30.

Hilma is a Norwegian Alternative Indie Rock artist at heart, though "Merrily Merrily" is much more a Dream Pop single. It's interesting how different people hear different things in the song. I hear contentment and optimism, others hear cynicism, and Lie In The Sound heard something in between (hope). But the sound is the thing that makes me swoon. Some cite Phil Spector but, while I understand why they reach for that, I get much more of the lush sound of the Lite music of Percy Faith melded with 60s Psych guitars and thoroughly contemporary Indie sensibilities. It's sonically sweet, but with enough of a rough edge to command your attention. "Merrily Merrily" grabs both your head and your heart and doesn't let go. Overall, the song is like catnip for me.

Lie In The Sound seemed especially taken by the virtual flip, "Ring Ring (Bring It On)", which was originally released back in 2015, before Hilma scored with her breakout 2016 album "Puzzler". Lovely in it's own right, no doubt, "Ring Ring" is edgier and leans more heavily on the Psych. But, for me, "Merrily Merrily" has a sound that resonates with my nostalgic side and that added ingredient, I think, makes it a song that will better resonate with others, regardless of age or taste.

"Merrily Merrily" b/w "Ring Ring" can be purchased from Amazon or Bandcamp, Or you can wait for the release of "Mjusic", which will supposedly be available in physical formats. That album releases Friday and is titled after a childhood Punk Band that Hilma and her brother started when she was just 5 years old. Much like the band Mjusic, the album shows a decided Punk influence. You can hear it in the lead single "Election Day Blues" which, to my ears, has less to do with politics and more to do with new beginnings and the choices we make. But that's just me.

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AUSTIN BLUES REVUE - AN AUSTIN BLUE CHRISTMAS

11/25/2018

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In the Thanksgiving dinner of Christmas music, there's one dish I can never get enough of. That's right. Pass me some more of that Christmas Blues, please. Oh, sure, Clapton and Mindi Abair and Sir Charles Jones were tasty enough. But that's barely an appetizer. I'm still hungry, man. Mmmm. Fresh from the oven. The Austin Blues Revue's "An Austin Blue Christmas". And these cats are cookin'.

1. Silent Night - The Texas Horns
2. Christmas Tears - Malford Milligan
3. Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin' - Guy Forsyth
4. White Christmas - Soul Man Sam Evans
5. Christmas Celebration - Michael Cross
6. Santa's Blues - Pete Monfre & Jacqui Walker
7. Back Door Santa - Guy Forsyth
8. Please Come Home for Christmas - Jeska Bailey Forsyth
9. Silent Night (Reprise) - Soul Man Sam Evans

AUSTIN BLUES REVUE WEB SITE
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PURCHASE DIGITAL FROM CD BABY

The Austin Blues Revue isn't a band or group in the traditional sense. It's more of a unique networking of musicians, venues and businesses devised to facilitate fair pay for the musicians and greater profitability for the venues and businesses. The leader of this enterprise is Pete Monfre, who toured the globe for 30 years performing with the likes of Muddy Waters, The Legendary Blues Band, and Marcia Ball. Monfre gave up performing in 2006, saying he couldn't afford it anymore. Studies done show that, while festivals bring in big bucks, local music venues have been suffering and, as a result, pay for the performers is no longer enough to justify the expense of performing. As local venues fared poorly, it also meant a loss of jobs for non-musicians. The situation as it stood was hurting everyone in Austin (not that other cities are faring any better).

Monfre staged the first Revue gig in 2014--a one night only event featuring top performers, followed by a backstage business social event where the stakeholders could learn how basic marketing principles could result in greater profits for everyone. Cross-promotion, greater publicity and visibility, sponsorships, etc., etc. It all begins with fair pay for the musicians. The Revue, itself, is only one example of the principle in action and operates as a non-profit as part of the Austin Community Foundation. Austin Blues Revue networking/concert events are now held about 3 times a year.

But enough about business. Austin never did have a shortage of musical talent and that is brought to bear on "An Austin Blue Christmas". The artists featured on the album have toured with B.B. King, Johnny Winter, Delbert McClinton, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Memphis Slim, Linda Ronstadt, Willie Nelson, and many many more. The backing band for most of the tracks features The Texas Horns led by Mark "Kaz" Kazanoff (Sax), plus Red Young (keys), Derek O'Brien (guitar), and Mark Epstein from Johnny Winter's band on bass. Epstein also produced the album.

Most of the Blues Christmas standards are covered, here, and we're treated to a variety of styles. The record opens with a New Orleans flavored "Silent Night" showcasing The Texas Horns. Guy Forsyth takes the lead on "Back Door Santa" and "Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin'". We get a stripped down Country Blues from Jeska Bailey Forsyth on Charles Brown's "Please Come Home For Christmas". Soul Man Sam gives us a Gospel drenched "White Christmas" and goes Texas Hot on "Silent Night (Reprise)". "Santa's Blues" is a Jazzy duet from Monfre and Jacqui Walker. Michael Cross is outstanding on B.B. King's "Christmas Celebration". And it doesn't get any more Texas Blues than Freddie King's "Christmas Tears" from Malford Milligan. (You can check out Michael Cross taking a swing at "Christmas Tears" on Soundcloud; cross your fingers and hope it's a bonus track on the CD.)

"An Austin Blue Christmas" was partially funded through Kickstarter. The CD Release Show/Business Social is scheduled for December 4. And, hey, here's an idea (their's, not mine): buy copies of the CD in bulk and send them to prospective clients for Christmas, following up after the first of the year ("So how'd you like the Christmas gift?"). But for me, and probably you, it's all about the music. And, as The Austin Blues Revue say themselves, "This is the album Jesus Himself would spin for His birthday party."

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NICHOLAS BURGESS - XMAS GOLD (REVIEW)

11/24/2018

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Nicholas Burgess' digital footprint is extremely light. Other than his Bandcamp site, which tells us he's from Boston, there's really nothing. Well, he is or was one half of the band Hex Map, but that doesn't tell you much either. But his name is Nicholas so, if you're playing the Hallmark Movie Drinking Game, feel free to toss one back right now.

If Walter Carlos and Daft Punk had a baby, he might make music a lot like Nicholas Burgess. At least on "Xmas Gold". Nicholas' earlier work is a lot more Indie Rock oriented than this Electro Pop Yuletide set. But strip away all the weirdness on "Xmas Gold" and what you're left with are well crafted Pop songs with tasty hooks and inspired lyrics. Well, to be honest, some of the weirdness can't be stripped away--so those tracks would be well crafted weird Pop songs with tasty hooks and inspired lyrics--but we'll get to that.

"Xmas Gold" smartly opens with the most identifiably Pop song, "Love Love Love (On Xmas)". With it's opening Beach Boys vocals and Mariah Carey tempo, this is what I suspect it would sound like if Phil Spector decided to do a 2018 Indie version of "A Christmas Gift For You". You could easily hear a Pop Rock band or a retro Girl Group covering "Love Love Love (On Xmas)".

We move decisively to the dance floor for "Greedy Little Boy". And irresistible and danceable beats are definitely one of the things for which Electro Pop is famous. One part "Monster In My Pants", one part Willy Wonka, and one part "Bridge of the Naughty Children", "Greedy Little Boy" is a little more menacing than festive, but then "The Nightmare Before Christmas" enchants everyone, so that's likely a feature and not a bug. The subject matter is what it sounds like (except that the "Greedy Little Boy" is clearly a full grown man). "Dear, Santa, I'm still rotten. Look how long my list has gotten. But that don't mean that I don't want it all." The Christmas drop-ins are expertly done. It's a really cool song but, in the end, it's the beat that sticks with you more than anything.

"Sugar Plum" is one of the absolute highlights of the set. Playing off the familiar riff from "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" and finding every possible rhyme for "plum" imaginable, it could have been a novelty filler if conceived by a lesser artist. Nicholas makes it work...exceedingly well. Everything from the 8-bit music break to the perfectly done Classic Rock guitar solo to the one-note "ooh" build reminiscent of the "ooh bop" in "Never Gonna Get It"...everything is perfect (and all of that is just in one section of an overall perfect tune). I know I said these were finely crafted Pop songs but, for my money, "Sugar Plum" was crafted the finest. There's a hit, there, if radio programmers weren't too deaf to hear it. And the production is genius.

1.   Love Love Love (On Xmas)
2.   Greedy Little Boy
3.   Sugar Plum
4.   Red Lingerie with White Fuzzy Trim
5.   Santa Planet
6.   The Great Christmas Airship Sails Toward Death
7.   Crystal Crystmas Sky

PRE-ORDER CD OR DIGITAL FROM BANDCAMP

And now, let the weirdness begin. Up until now, Nicholas has been flirting with adult holiday themes. I don't mean X-rated or anything. Over time, that perfect shiny Christmas of our childhood does take on a bit of tarnish. But now we've reached the lingerie portion of the program. I mean, what part of a childhood Christmas are we trying to recapture on "Red Lingerie with White Fuzzy Trim"? Wait, don't tell me; I don't want to know. "Red lingerie with white fuzzy trim, this is what Christmas means to them. Nothing more, nothing less, never buy the wrong dress. Nothing less, nothing more, always from the same store." Geez, even the spice in their eggnog has lost it's flavor. But, with all that, the beat somehow gives the whole thing the feeling of something a little more sinister ("Whip it. Whip it good."). Let's just say "Red Lingerie with Fuzzy White Trim" will not fit the theme of "Christmas the way it used to be." Then again, I don't know how your Christmases used to be.

Since we're dealing with what was once called Space Age music, it's only fitting we get a Space Age song. Not to get too deep, here, but philosophers through the ages have theorized that, because the universe is infinite, anything you can imagine actually exists within it. So somewhere out there, there must be a planet of nothing but Santas, who ride reindeer and eat magic mushrooms, who "live and love and die", never asking why. Because Nicholas Burgess has conceived of it, "Santa Planet" must exist. I can't help of think of "Santa Planet" as being a kind of Christmas tree farm for Santas. You know, some get picked and some...just live out the rest of their lives never knowing why they exist, never even thinking about it. Hmm. Does that mean they don't exist, because they don't think? Oh, Descartes, you were a wily one. In any case, for my money, "Santa Planet" is the most original and interesting of the songs on "Xmas Gold". That applies to both the music and the lyrics...and to whatever fever dream inspired them.

We delve deeper into dark territory on "The Great Christmas Airship Sails Towards Death". "Santa's sleigh flies where it may and the night gives way to dawn./You realize everyone dies when all the Christmases are gone." I can think of dozens of ways to interpret this song, but I'm gonna go with the most holiday friendly one I can think of. Keep the spirit of Christmas alive within you--as much as you can as long as you can--for, when the Christmas spirit within you dies, you die with it. OK, so...holiday "not-so-friendly"? But that's really a very traditional sentiment. Christmas was meant to be about the celebration and renewal of life amidst the darkest and coldest of times. Eh.....anybody buying this? Ahem, moving on then.

"Xmas Gold" closes with the Dream Poppy "Crystal Chrystmas Sky". The music on this one is gorgeous. The lyrics seem to suggest that this long strange trip was all a Christmas analogy to the stages of a relationship and, maybe, we've found resolution. At least for this year. "Sometimes I feel like I'm too ancient, sometimes I feel like I'm dead/And every dream I have of us melts in snow, just in my head/And when you're coming around, I feel I bring you down when everything else is good/But you don't see it that way. You make me feel OK. You make me feel like I should." Happy ending? Let's hope.

Understatement alert: "Xmas Gold" is not your ordinary Christmas album. But life isn't all sleighbells and snowmen, either. Nicholas Burgess deserves plaudits for taking us on a Christmas trip that's unique, honest, adult, and simultaneously real and surreal. As it happens, you won't be reviewing "Xmas Gold", so you don't have to think about Descartes and what the Santas on "Santa Planet" dream about, or even whether they exist. As noted at the outset, Nicholas knows how to write a good Pop song. So you can just enjoy the music. Or you can trip out to the electronic noises. In ten states, you can come back from the legal marijuana dispensary and contemplate your navel. It'll help you with the cover art which is, to be honest, a bit...disturbing. Now that I've said that out loud, I hope that's what he was going for. The songs stand well alone and my favorites are "Sugar Plum" and "Crystal Chrystmas Sky". Mmmm. "Santa Planet", too. "Xmas Gold" officially releases November 30 in both CD and digital formats. Place your pre-orders now on Bandcamp.

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SONS OF OLD TOWN - X-MAS EXTRAVAGANZA, VOL. 2

YOUNG OCEANS - SONGS OF CHRISTMAS

SINGLES INDIE

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT - KYRON BOURKE

SINGLES IRREVERENT

IT'S COMING

COMING ATTRACTIONS - STARS (WIAIWYA)

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT - HILMA NIKOLAISEN

AUSTIN BLUES REVUE - AN AUSTIN BLUE CHRISTMAS

NICHOLAS BURGESS - XMAS GOLD (REVIEW)

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