The other "name" artist on the schedule is Whitney Wolanin who gave us the brilliant "Chistmasology" back in 2006. But even that "single" (digital) is just a series of alternate mixes of the big 2006 single from "Christmasology", "Frosty The Snowman" (release scheduled for November 13).
Norton records can almost always be counted on to bring a little vinyl singles cheer to the season. It's a bit early for their total holiday rollout, but Norton has been pushing the debut release from The New Surfsiders and, as such, they've also pointed to the group's November release Christmas single.
The original Surfsiders were one of those anonymous "round em up and rip em off" budget cover non-groups of the 60s. I'm not sure if the Surfsiders were trying too hard or if the folks at Design/Pickwick paid them in weed and acid, but "The Surfsiders Sing the Beach Boys Songbook" has reached near legendary status for being one of those "so bad it's good" records. Kinda ironic, in many ways, if you really think about it. It only adds to the goof factor that Lou Reed (much younger when the LP was recorded in 1965) has alternately admitted and denied being one of the Surfsiders.
Like their "ancestors", The New Surfsiders are only covering the Beach Boys. Badly (but in a good way). Fortunately for us, that means "Little Saint Nick" in November. Listen to a bit of the original Surfsiders (just a bit--the clip is 15 minutes, but no one expects you to sit through all of it in one sitting), then listen to The New Surfsiders cover "Kokomo" and just think of the possibilities.
Elmo & Patsy were divorced in 1985 and Patsy Trigg took a break from music to try a few other things. She did commercials and some other acting, worked as a disc jockey at WLIJ, taught a music publishing workshop at Motlow College, joined the Bar-B-Q cooking team at Oink Cackle & Moo, and even got her auctioneer's license and sold everything up to and including the kitchen sink. More recently, she's written a few children's books and helped create and market a toy based on her musical character "Percy The Puny Poinsettia".
But Patsy couldn't stay away from music forever. And seasonal music remains her specialty. In 2010, it was "Cyber Santa" and a CD-EP of "Christmas Songs". In 2011, Patsy did a rap version Of "Grandma". But this year's "It's A Merry Christmas When Pigs Fly" is the first single she's taken to national distribution thru the digital market. It's the kind of a song kids would probably love and it's a whole lot less annoying than that Grandma song. Look for it on Amazon, iTunes, or at CD Baby. And there's probably an accompanying kids book to go along with it.
Jeff Funk is a longtime composer, lyricist and arranger as well as an author and actor. He's written over 300 choral works published by Warner Brothers and you might very well have heard some of his arrangements back in the day. And you almost certainly heard the opening song he wrote for NBC's coverage of the 74th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.
Jeff recently completed an original musical, "Glee Club Smarties". Gotta be honest, the musical doesn't really move me. But, while he had the Smarties around, Jeff recorded a pair of Christmas songs that really--for me anyway--recapture a lot of the better sounding Christmas kiddie records of that long gone era. "It's Raining Reindeer" is kitschy enough to bring out the kid in any adult while "Waiting For Santa" has the sweet sway of a sock-hop slow dance record. Let's stroll by the mistletoe, shall we? Definitely wasn't expecting this one to find my soft spot, but it did. Maybe it'll find yours. As my niece said many years ago when she was about 5 or 6, "You never know, you just never know." (Trust me, it was way cute when she said it.)
I'm sure I've mentioned that, growing up, I used to read Billboard at Christmas time. And, as a young Stubby of 13 or 14, I'd look at the international charts and wonder why I couldn't buy all those wonderful holiday titles that charted there. The Internet's changed all that, for sure, but I think that's why I still have a fascination for seasonal music from "other lands". For example, the Scandinavian countries turn out some gorgeous and fascinating stuff. But I don't think the idea of Swedish Chanukah music ever occurred to me. Nils Harning is an accomplished klezmer performer from Stockholm and you can find his take on "Oy Chanukah" on Amazon or at CD Baby. Need I say more?