Category: Bubblegum

BITS & BITES

9/16/2018

I woke up this morning to a very strange sound. Silence. OMG, the rain stopped! It was a glorious 11 minutes. Then it started up again and hasn't stopped since. *sigh*

Anyway, just a few things to tell you about, with perhaps the most interesting bit coming at the end. But, first, some music. Here's the lead single from the new LeAnn Rimes Christmas-slash-Soundtrack album, "It's Christmas, Eve".

As we've mentioned, "It's Christmas, Eve" officially drops on October 12, but "The Gift of Your Love" is available now at online retailers, for all those who just can't wait until Christmas...or Columbus Day or whatever.

Also coming October 12 is a new Christmas album from Country star Tracy Lawrence. I was surprised to see the listing as Tracy's first Christmas set, 2007's "All Wrapped Up In Christmas", was released with great fanfare and anticipation and this one just kinda snuck out there. (Keep in mind that my late father was the Country fan in the family). "Frozen In Time" will be available on both CD and vinyl. Checking out the samples, I was experiencing a bit of deja vu. Finally, I realized that "Frozen In Time" is "All Wrapped Up In Christmas" with the tracks reshuffled and two new songs. One of the new songs is "Please Come Home For Christmas", which is fine and all. But the title track is a real Western Swing gem. As with the Rimes set, "Frozen In Time", the single, is available now. Have a listen.

Hey, Hey, the Monkees are releasing a Christmas album this year. No, I'm not talking about "The Monkees Christmas Album", which was really Davy Jones solo holiday effort with a bunch of odds and ends from the 70s and 80s tacked on (not that that wasn't a useful addition to the library), but I am talking about The Monkees. Seems 2016's "Good Times" was such a hit that the boys decided to follow it up with a Christmas album featuring newly recorded songs. The news was dropped by Mike Nesmith in an interview with the Boston Globe this week. Nesmith, currently touring with a reconstituted First National Band, expressed his reluctance but ultimately signed on to the project. He'll handle lead vocals on "The Christmas Song" and Claude Thornhill's sentimental if quirky "Snowfall" (a perfect choice for Mike). No word on the rest of the set from Mike Nesmith, Mickey Dolenz and Peter Tork (Davy having passed away in 2012), but word has it that Fountains of Wayne guitarist Jody Porter will be in on the fun and there may be a new song or two written specifically for this project by Glenn Tillbrook of Squeeze. All just rumors at this point, though. An official official announcement and some more details are expected soon.

"Good Times" really was a surprisingly good record. I mean really good...actually worthy of the best of the group in their heyday. So I've got my fingers crossed for another quality effort. We'll always have "Riu Chiu", of course.

Just to get it mentioned on the front page, here (some stuff gets lost in the sea of "TBAs" on The List), keyboard wizard Bob Malone will have a Christmas album later this year. Malone is a master of Blues and Rock. Bob burst onto the scene in the early 90s and, as a fan, I will tell you that he's one of those artists who seems to get better and better with each release. And that's why I'm not going to include the video for his 2004 holiday single "You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch" in this piece. Because he's soooo much better than that, now. You can find it on YouTube, if you're interested. But just remember. Bob Malone. Christmas album. November. Look for it. It should be pretty awesome.

Helix, the Canadian Metal band, released "Heavy Mental Christmas" in 2015. It was a pretty fun headbanging romp through the Yuletide. But that album did not include the band's 2012 limited edition 7" single "All I Want For Christmas (Is The Leafs To Win The Cup)"--a classic of the sports holiday sub-genre. So, for 2018, Helix is issuing "A Helix Christmas". The new limited edition album includes everything from their 2015 album, plus "All I Want For Christmas", AND an entirely brand new cover of "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer", which Helix has given a Metal makeover. "A Helix Christmas" arrives October 5. The CD is limited to 500 copies and there will be both red and green vinyl versions (limited to 250 copies each). Pre-orders are being taken now at No Life Til Metal Records.

We have the track list for Arturo Sandoval's "Christmas At Notre Dame", coming October 5. Oddly, no cover art yet. Lately, we get the cover art and have to wait weeks for the track list. Well, even though it'll probably pop up as soon as I post this, I'm not waitin'. So here's the track list for this holiday Jazz set from trumpet master Sandoval.
1. The Christmas Song
2. I'll Be Home For Christmas
3. Ave Maria
4. Joy To The World
5. O Come All Ye Faithful
6. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
7. All I Want For Christmas Is You
8. Frosty The Snowman
9. Fantasy on Fum Fum Fum
10. O Holy Night
11. Silent Night
12. Let It Snine

Now here's the one that most intrigues me. There's a distributor/label in the UK devoted to unsigned bands all around the globe, with a particular focus on Hard Rock and Metal. And Dr johns Surgery Records has it in their heads to do a Christmas album this year. So they put out a call to their friends and the friends of their friends (and, of course, to their own stable of artists) that they want to do this thing. Basically, "send us whatever you got". It's all still very much in flux, but their hope is to issue a double-CD (one record of originals and one of covers) and they're shooting for a release in November. It may or may not be a charity CD--details are all kinda sketchy as yet.

Now, given everything--the nature of the call, the short time window and all--it's likely that some of the tracks will be ones that the bands have previously recorded. And, to me, that's tremendous. We're talking about unsigned bands, so its likely that none of this stuff has ever seen any kind of physical release, and some may never have been issued in any format beyond, perhaps, a YouTube video. I can't tell you how many times I've come across a YouTube video with no corresponding download or release and grit my teeth in frustration. I'm a collector, dammit. And you can't collect YouTube videos.

Among the artists who have agreed to participate are guitar master Joe Feloni, Southern Rockers The Southern Raiders Band, Stillroom (see the 2014 video above), Strawkites (Art Rock/Ambient), and Four Skulls (Hard Rock/Metal). And then there's this little ditty from 2010 which is likely to be on the album and which deserves to be out there somewhere in physical form, from the genius mind of Dean Farnell ("Simon Cowell"), "Why Don't Christmas Go Away?". If we hear more about the Yuletide CD from Dr johns Surgery Records (like where and when to get it), we'll be sure to let you know. And....it sounds like....nope, it's still raining. Tomorrow is another day, I guess. Peace.

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CHANUKAH IN AUGUST

8/19/2018

2 Comments

I don't know if he still does it, but Ernie (Not Bert) used to follow his Christmas In July posts with Chanukah In August (currently, Ernie's on Day 39 of Christmas In July; yeah, don't try to figure it out, just be happy he does it). Being as I missed most of 2017, I thought I'd borrow Ernie's Chanukah In August and mention a few of the better releases I/we missed out on. Maybe we can make it a thing.

Besides, it gives me the opportunity to introduce you to Missy Katz (not her real name). My relationship with Missy Katz is a bit complicated. She was my mother's girl and she and my mother were so completely bonded, while I was completely bonded with Mrs. Katz (not her real name). With both my Mom and Mrs. Katz gone. Missy and I are stuck with each other and trying to make the best of it. Missy Katz (not her real name) is 11 years old. We found her on a roadside when she was just a few weeks old (no mama or brothers or sisters anywhere in sight). Mom had her declawed, so she's indoor only. She's very active and playful (even at 11), a natural hunter. But she's also like Sour Patch Kids in reverse: first she's sweet, and then she's sour. Bedtime, she will lie on my stomach and purr so loud the house shakes. Then, still purring and for no reason at all, she bites (and her bites are deep, yo). Some nights, I'll be sleeping quite soundly and wake up in the morning with a trail of dried blood down my arm. I don't think she knows it's a bad thing, though I tell her all the time. She's got some other quirks. She likes to hold her tail between her paws and she'll frequently stand on her hind legs for extended periods (looking like a meerkat).

Missy Katz (not her real name) was a pain to get a picture of. I'd have her all set up and, just as I'd snap the picture, she'd turn her butt to me. So this is the best I could do. Anyway, Missy Katz (not her real name) will be our blog cat mascot going forward. Now on to the music. And, just so you know, Hanukkah 2018 begins at sundown on Sunday, December 2 (or so my calendar says).

2017 wasn't exactly a great year for new Hanukkah music. One of my favorites, though, was "Hanukkah Rocks" by Brady Rymer & The Little Band That Could. Rymer's band is ostensibly a Kids band and the track was one of two Hanukkah tracks (the other being "Rainbow Candles") off his seasonal album "Revvin' Up The Reindeer". I like it because, musically, it sounds like something the Archies would have done. The world needs the occasional Bubblegum Hanukkah tune. But, truth be told, I'm not sure Brady knows the holiday. Apparently, he's having his latkes with "sugar and spice". I thought it was sour cream and apple sauce (yeah, the video tries to save it, but I'm not buying it). There's a cat in the video, so all is forgiven. If anybody wants to know, I take my latkes plain, thank you very much.

And speaking of Bubblegum Hanukkah.... Yeah, we got the usual batch of a capella Hanukkah videos that weren't available for sale or download (we'll save those vids for our Eight Nights of Hanukkah festivities). But can it just be coincidence that the one you could buy was Six13's "Nice Jewish Boy Band Chanukah"? You mean to tell me we had a whole Bubblegum Hanukkah thing going on last year and I missed it? Oy!

When making a Hanukkah mix, should you ever wish to, you approach it just as you would a Christmas mix. You want balance, flow and some originality. Obviously, you don't want 80 minutes of "Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel". You might want to have some fun with it, but you want to be respectful. Authenticity is good, too. Basically, if you're a goy like me making a mix for Jewish friends, you want your Hanukkah mix to say "I know this holiday means as much to you as Christmas does to me." True enough, Hanukkah is not the most important holiday on the Jewish calendar (which allows you some wiggle room for missteps). But remember, if you're goy making a Hanukkah mix, you're essentially a guest in someone else's home.

You also, probably, want to mix up the genres. And that makes this Hanukkah tune probably the best of 2017. "Al Hanissim" is a traditional Jewish prayer that translates to "on the miracles". It's a prayer of thanksgiving (though not a prayer of Thanksgiving). Following the opening prayer, the lyrics tell the story of either Hanukkah or Purim (depending upon the holiday). For a long time, I searched for a version that sounded joyful and, over time, I did find a few. But Moshe Storch released a version in 2017 that's not only joyful and fun, and sung entirely in Hebrew, it's Country! Yee Haw! "Al Hanissim (Country Style)"! Put that in your Hanukkah mix and smoke it.

While you might not want 80 minutes of "Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel" for a Hanukkah mix, you probably don't want to avoid it altogether. It's essentially the "Jingle Bells" of Hanukkah music. So pick a good one. 2017 gave us just such a selection. The Michael Treni Big Band recorded "Dreidel" as a Latin Jazz number, "Loco Latin Top", included on their Christmas album "You Better Watch Out". If you're trying to mix up your sounds and genres, "Loco Latin Top" fits like a Hanukkah glove.

What would Chanukah in August be without some freebies, right? Gonna give you two because, technically, one isn't from 2017 and the other is barely Hanukkah.

First up is Aaron Holder's "Chanukah Lights". This is a nice Folk Pop number from Holder, who has also recorded a lot of more traditional Israeli music. "Chanukah Lights" (aka "Hanukkah Lights"), as you might have guessed, is the track that isn't from 2017. I believe it dates back to 2015, but it was re-released last year and I originally found it with the 2017 date.

A note about free downloads from Soundcloud. Tag or label them properly immediately after downloading. Some artists understand the value of proper tagging and others don't. And, if you don't make sure they're labeled or tagged appropriately as soon as you download them, you're going to wake up one day with a folder of tunes you have no idea what they are, who sings them, or anything else. No, I have no such a folder. I'm not that organized. I have tunes I can't identify all over the place on my computer. Learn from my mistakes; Lord knows, I never do.

Now this one I recommend highly...but only if you're a bit adventurous. The artist is Damion Shade & The Savage Young and this comes from the album "The Swallower of X-Mas". You might think, from the title, that this is a Christmas album. Well, it is and it isn't. None of the songs mention Christmas or anything wintery at all. There are only a very few times where there's any reference at all that, if you really stretch your mind, might be some oblique reference to something a step or two removed from the season (most memorably "Jesus figurines scattered all over your house" in "Punctuation"). But, the more I listened, the more I concluded (perhaps wrongly) that this was indeed a very specific holiday piece...centered very tightly upon the fallout and subsequent darkness of a very very VERY bad breakup. Not some puppy love breakup, but a serious adult break. Since there's nothing in the songs that says so, I'm largely taking my cue that it's a holiday split based upon the album title.

"The Swallower of X-Mas" is so dark and bleak, overall, I'd only recommend it's use in any holiday mixtape to those with extensive experience at using such material (kids, don't try this at home). If you really know what you're doing, though, man, this album packs a wallop. And damn if I don't want to hear more from Damion Shade.

For our current purposes, we're fortunate that "Hooray For Hanukkah" is, to my ears, the most listenable and accessible track on the album. I just love the Indie sound of this track. Unlike the other songs on the album, there's even a passing reference to the holiday ("Whose house is this with candles lit"), but that's about as Hanukkah as it gets. At the core is someone who may or may not be nearing the final stages of grief..."I need you. I don't need anything. Ambitions piled up in the sink. I really want to leave and I really want to be nothing." Brilliant powerful stuff.

As with Christmas music, so much Hanukkah music can be a checklist. Let's see, we've mentioned the Menorah, the Dreidel, Latkes...I think we're all set. It's a little less annoying for Hanukkah music because the radio isn't playing it to death. But "Hooray For Hanukkah" is no checklist holiday song. It's an honest human moment (albeit a dark one). I love it, personally. Your mileage, as always, may vary.

Well, I can't close on that note. I need a palette cleanser. And I have just the thing. Born in Australia, Alexis Fishman is a bit of a renaissance woman. She's an actress, having starred in numerous cabaret and Off Broadway productions, she's a playwright, a singer and songwriter, and a Jewish educator in New York. In October, Alexis will return to Australia to star in her new show "Amy Reimagined", about the life of the late Amy Winehouse. Her Hanukkah single is from late 2016. It's a swinging Big Band Jazz number, "My Baby Eats All The Hanukkah Gelt".

I suppose I should really do 8 tunes, you know, but I think 7 will do for August. So that's all for now. Hopefully, we'll have more Hanukkah goodness for you in the coming months. Until then, Happy Hanukkah from Stubby and Missy Katz!

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BITS & BITES

CHANUKAH IN AUGUST

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