02. For Whom the Carol of the Bell Tolls.............Anonymous Pick
03. Joy To the World ......................………………Shane Speal
04. Cold Frosty Morn.......................………………Jim Morris
05.. Bound For A Throne..............…Chris Dickens & D'bare Bones Band
06. Christmas Stars..........................……………..Slowpaw Steve T
07. Hey hey Santa, Whatcha doin with that coal?........Robert Killen
08. Winter Song.............................………………..Bemuzic
09. Emagine the Change..............………………...Eva & the BluesBusters
10. Joy To The World....................………………..Glenn Kaiser
11. Chris Before Nightmas..............……………….Blues Frog
12. Dance of the Lonely Elf............………………..NoiseMaker59
13. Christmas Traditional Collage.………………...Andries D.Eker
14. Christmas Story....................……………….....Uncle John / Uncle Lou
15. O Wondrous Night.............. ....………………..Henry Lowman
16. Still Waiting Under the Mistletoe.....................Cause the blue rat
17. That Blue White Red Christmas......................Phil Hill Charlie
18. Away in a Manger ...................………………..Blues Frog
19. Angels Rock.............................………………..Skeesix
20. A Three String Is Not Just For Christmas........Jamie McBlues
21. Picking Up a Riff off of Reindeer......................Richard Lewin
22. Santa Claus is Coming to Town.......................RTZ Guitars
23. I'm Gonna Kill Myself On Christmas Day.........Urban Bill
24. Christmas (what it is)....... ......………………….Chuck Otto
25. Not So Silent night...............……………….......BUG
26. At The Horizon..................………………....Robert Killen
27. You'll Shoot Your Eye Out.........Chris Dickens & D'bare Bones Band
28. We Three Strings.................…………………....Eric Denton
29. That's What Christmas is all About...................David Kennedy
30. Le train dans la neige...........……………….......Calim
31. Linus and Lucy....................………………….....Mr.C
Cigar Box Nation, for the uninitiated, is a site and forum devoted to musicians of all skill levels who enjoy making and playing instruments made out of cigar boxes (primarily). This is something that was done in bygone times by Blues, Folk and Bluegrass musicians who couldn't afford store bought instruments. These days, it's done by all manner of people--because its fun, because some enjoy the unique sound, or for any reason whatsoever.
To the best of my ability to remember, I believe the first Cigar Box Nation Christmas Album was released in 2009.
If you're new to the Cigar Box Nation Christmas Album, you'll be amazed at the range and variety. Everything from Lo-Fi rural sounds on a three string cigar box to full band Rock, played on fully electric cigar box guitars (I should add, I'm equally impressed with the cigar box banjos; there's actually a word for that, but it escapes me at the moment). The great thing is that, regardless of how full or bare the sound, regardless of the talent level, this folks are really feeling the joy when they record their music on instruments that they made themselves by hand. It is a joy that is all too often missing from many major label Christmas albums.
Two of my favorites on the set are up next. Slowpaw Steve T's "Christmas Stars", which I'd call Indie Alt Rock is a very atmospheric instrumental. And Robert Killen gives us an excellent and humorous rural Blues, "Hey Hey Santa, Whatcha Doin' With That Coal?" The singer presumes the coal is for his lady ("Yes, she kissed the mailman and, yes, she's been untrue. But she's only getting back at me for all the things I do. Cause I'm a bad, bad daddy, living on the naughty side."), his kids, or his dog. Of course, even he knows the coal should be for him.
Bemuzik's "Winter Song" is a really nice Indie Folk song. Eva & The BluesBusters "Emagine The Change" Lo-Fi with accompaniment from what sounds like a penny whistle. Another nice take on "Joy To The World" followed by a recitation of "Chris Before Nightmas"--or "The Night Before Christmas" with all the words purposely misplaced. NoiseMaker59's "Dance Of The Lonely Elf" is somewhere between Classic Rock and Shoegaze.
There's 31 tracks in all, so let me just toss up the highlights on the back 20. "Christmas Story" from Uncle John/Uncle Lou is fuzzy Blues Rock at its best. Henry Lowman's "O Wonderous Night" goes the other way with a crisp Ambient flavor. Then some beer in your pretzels Country comedy from Cause the blue rat on "Still Waiting Under The Mistletoe". Chuck Otto's "Christmas (What It Is)" is delightful rockin' Country Blues.
Robert Killen, Chris Dickens and Eric Denton each return with three more solid tunes. Denton's "We Three Strings" is my favorite of the three though I suspect a lot of folks might prefer Dickens' Bluesy original, which you might have seen making the rounds last year,"You'll Shoot Your Eye Out".