Category: Various Artists

STUBBY'S STOCKING STUFFERS 2020

12/21/2020

First, yes, Stubby's is still closed. And I believe the domain, itself, will vanish in October. But I couldn't abandon you entirely...not in a plague year. So I did what I do.

Let's be honest as all hell. 2020 has been a miserable year. For everybody. And Christmas is but a brief exhale, because Covid isn't going anywhere and there's still a traitor in the White House until January 21. (Don't like my politics? I don't care.). And the influence of the year gone by is going to be felt in the music and the mix. But, on this kinda thing, you take what the fates will allow. So, this year, no Fowler VW/Blackwatch collection, no Arbor Christmas, nothing new from Reindeer Tribe. No Stubby's House exclusive. But, surprise, we did get a Bootie Xmas a year ahead of schedule, plus the usual festive treats from The Line of Best Fit (Ho Ho Ho Canada), Paste/Noisetrade, Sofia Talvik, The Dollyrots, and Joyzine. And thank God for my friends at Christmas Underground, Christmas A Go Go, and Mistletunes...who continue to do all the fine work that I just don't want to do anymore (I'm too old; I'm so old, I have to take a nap in the middle of a four minute song, now).

I tried to avoid any song that mentioned the pandemic overtly (though there were some good ones). I believe there's one mention of a mask in here, but that's about it. Nonetheless, the themes of isolation, frustration, defeat and depression are reflected in some of the music. And then, of course, there are those happy, "No, Christmas will fix everything" songs. In the end, the mix sounds a lot like my own internal dialog from 2020. But it might be awkward, shifting gears so often. And the whole thing (2020) did have me changing how I do this (it was subconscious, but I noticed it while listening). Ordinarily, I go for the new and different, but I found myself reaching for the more familiar. So there are 10 songs on the set that I would call "familiar"--covers of songs you definitely know (and a couple more you might not). I'm not sure that's a lot, or the most, but there were only 5 on last year's collection. And, also, I am never going to pass on an opportunity to include The Long Blondes' classic "Christmas Is Cancelled" (which was offered anew by Joyzine).

As always, I did my best to get the volumes right. But I was operating at a disadvantage, this year. My best sound is the CD player in the car. That's where I usually work this stuff out. But, with Covid, I hardly go anywhere. And it's too cold to just sit in the car and listen. But it does make a difference. Even today, I had a mixing issue which vexed me. A quick couple of minutes in the car and I knew exactly what to do.

The rest, you know. The selections below were all offered for free (or NYOP) at some point this year. A couple that I downloaded just two weeks ago no longer are--Behind The Sofa and Andrew Binder--and Mento Buru's holiday EP is only freely downloadable through the end of December. The song titles are linked to the source of the download, while artist names are linked to their website or Facebook page (if they have one). I generally shy away from including "major" artists but then, generally, I do that when there's not a Jenn Grant on the table (basically, if I've heard of you before you made Christmas music, I consider you to be a "major" artist).

The download of Stubby's Stocking Stuffers 2020 will be available through January 6 (Little Christmas), at which time it will disappear faster than Jack Frost can nip your nose, and it will never be offered again. And you can reach the download by clicking on any of the artwork in this post (or simply go HERE). All of the artwork is included in the zip, if you feel the desire to create a physical CD as a seasonal souvenir.

A couple of songs require a tad of explanation. Last Train Home did one of my favorite Christmas albums back in 2000 (still a free download, btw). And, 20 years later, they decided (in "By The Lights On The Tree") to check in on the characters from "Christmas In St. Paul". "Better King Wenceslas" tells the true tale of that legendary monarch. And "HOHOHO" is essentially a Christmas version of John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom".

I always like to tell you who almost made the cut...the last song dropped from the mix. This year's was a bit of an odd duck called "Time Travel Eggnog" by The Eggnog Queen. But we did salvage 3 seconds from the track, which you'll hear on Disc Two. We also saved 3 seconds of Goddammit Jeremiah's "Let's Just Give Christmas A Miss" (the closest I came to including an explicit Covid song). They're linked up below, so you can get the full tracks. Unfortunately, iTunes kept tossing in extra dead air. So, frustrated, I just tacked those two bits onto the songs that followed.

So that's it, pretty much. Try and have a good--and safe--Christmas. Please wear a mask when out and about. It's not for you; it's for the people you love. You have until January 6 to get Stubby's Stocking Stuffers 2020. And, me, I'll be drifting back into my "retirement", thank you very much. Go GET IT.

DISC ONE

1. Back To Christmas - Ryan McAllister (2020)
2. What Will Santa Bring - Heatwaves ft. Freddie Dilevi (2020)
3. Donde Esta Santa Claus? - Mento Buru (2020)
4. Mrs. Claus - Lisa Jeanette ft. Vince Gilbert (2020)
5. Deck The Halls - Urban Surf Kings (2020)
6. Merry Christmas Baby - The Chimney Brothers (1999)
7. Flowers of December - The Cleaners From Venus (2020)
8. 25 Days - Deangelo Nedio (2020)
9. The First Noel - Darren Denman (2020)
10. I've Been A Good Boy Santa - The Parlotones (2020)
11. Christmas Time - The Spacepony (2020)
12. Oslo In The Wintertime - Firefly Effect (2020)
13. I Believe In Father Christmas - Todd Gilbert (2020)
14. This Mess We're In - Sofia Talvik (2020)
15. Star-Crossed Christmas - Barnaby Bright (2020)
16. O Little Town - Prince Loogie (2020)
17. Merry Christmas (Goddammit Jeremiah)
Christmas Is Cancelled - The Long Blondes (2004)
18. White Winter Hymnal - Piney Gir & Roxys (2020)
19. O Tannenbaum - Andrew Binder (2020)
20. Snow Is Falling In Manhattan - Holly Grove Choir & Ensemble (2020)
21. Downtown Christmas Eve - Jenn Grant (2020)
22. Lonely Christmas - WALLIS (2020)

DISC TWO

1. Christmas Will Be Just Another Lonely Day - Lisa Mychols (2020)
2. The Ho Ho Song - Francois Vaiana (2012)
3. HOHOHO - 14-4 Liquor Store (2020)
4. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - The Dollyrots (2020)
5. Electric Snow - Wake Up And Smell The Sun (2020)
6. Salvation Song - The Ragged Flags (2020)
7. North Pole Blues - Cigar Box Slim (2019)
8. Nobody Told Me It Was Christmas - Vista Blue (2020)
9. Good Christmas - Mashup Mania (2020)
10. It's Christmas Time Again - Velvet Starlings (2020)
11. Home 4 Xmas - The Winona Project (2019)
12. A Sad Christmas Samba - The Great Jazz Audiobook (2015)
13. Broken Heart Christmas - White Rose Motor Oil (2020)
14. O' Massive Night - Alex Jonestown Massacre (2020)
15. Believe (The Eggnog Queen)
Put A Sweater On - Head Sound (2020)
16. Better King Wenceslas - The Burning Hell (2020)
17. By The Lights On The Tree - Last Train Home (2020)
18. Stars Will Shine - Tiam (2020)
19. A Good Christmas - The Good People & Juggla (2010)
20. Just Another Christmas Song - Behind The Sofa (2020)
21. This Dirty Town (Got Covered In Snow) - Catriona Sturton (2020)
22. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Drew & Kari (2020)
23. A Christmas Tree - Holly Taymar (2020)

12 Comments

STUBBY'S STOCKING STUFFERS 2019

12/21/2019

6 Comments

Why, Stubby, why? Because he must (bonus points if you remember the movie "because he must" comes from).

In perfect honesty, I enjoy doing the Stubby's collections more than just about anything I do. They're fun, they're a challenge, they're unexpected (even when you're expecting them), they're different than pretty much anything else that's out there, and I actually feel like I do them pretty well. I do regular Christmas comps and the Stubby's comps are a completely different trip. All of the music, as you know, is culled from the downloads that artists and labels (and other free and legal sources) offer for free. You never know what's coming, what isn't, or when. Oh, sure, Sofia Talvik is pretty reliable for a great free Christmas tune and I rely on the annual collection from Polaroid. But, for instance, of the 46 artists on this years collection, there are only 14 I'd even heard of before this year. First, you've got to collect the stuff--hours and hours of it--then whittle it down to a couple hours of the most worthy. And, unless you've tried it, you really have no idea what is required to take that much music you've never heard before from artists you've never even heard of before--with different styles, sounds, volumes, recording quality, etc., etc., etc.--and weave it all into something that sounds like a coherent whole. It's a skill, I tellz ya. Yeah, a pretty stupid and useless skill, but it's all I got. And I look at that kid in The Sixth Sense who sees dead people and figure I got the better deal. Anyway, on to business.

First up, Stubby's House of Christmas is still officially closed. So we need a new title. Thus Stubby's Stocking Stuffers! Works for me. All of our usual rules apply--including the rule that says I get to break the rules--except for one. It used to be that the music had to come from our posts during the year. No posts, so that one is out. The music doesn't have to be from 2019, but I don't think there's anything on here that I didn't first discover within the last year and a couple of months. I shy away from artists I consider to be big names/major label types. Any kind of music goes, though I felt there was less genre diversity among the free stuff this year. There's only one Jazz track on the set and that one is from 2015. I still think there's quite a diversity of sound.

Everything has been fully and properly tagged (I hope) and rolled up into a zip file that also includes all of the artwork you'll need to create your own little musical souvenir of the 2019 Christmas season. Click on any of the artwork in this post and you'll find yourself at the place where the download link is. And that download link is active from right now until Midnight January 6 ("Little Christmas"). I say Midnight, but it's usually 2 or 3 a.m. EST. Once it's gone, it's gone. Not like Stubby's, itself, which somehow seems to keep popping up no matter how dead its supposed to be. No, no. Once that link is deactivated, Stubby's Stocking Stuffers 2019 will never return.

A couple of things about the music. You know that, most years, we would be fortunate enough to have a Stubby's House Exclusive--a song that was free nowhere else on the web, just on the Stubby's collection. Well, Stubby's is closed, so that seems unlikely. But wait. Hang on a second. I do believe we have one. You may recall that my farewell post featured the song "The Little Things" by Athena Sorensen & The Merry Shout. One of the people behind Mosaic Rain Recordings and co-writer of the song, Tre Carn, sent me a link earlier this month to a download of that song "to share with your followers". Yep, I'm calling it. We've got ourselves a Stubby's Exclusive! Yay!

You should know that all of the songs in the track list below are linked up to the source of the free download (artist names are linked to their websites or Facebook pages, if they have any). And I promise you that I do cut the fades and the held notes at the end to make the collection tighter. So do yourself a favor and make sure to download "The Little Things" from the link provided below, so you get the pure uncut unadulterated real thing (cuz you ain't gettin' it anywhere else for free...probably).

The other thing you need to know is that there is one song on this year's collection that comes with a PARENTAL ADVISORY. We've spoken about Still A Great Night (Alex Feder), so you should know about his, um, frequent use of profanity. You should also know that I consider his Christmas music to be among the most original and brilliant and powerful being written today. "Still A Great Future" contains two uses of the "F" word and some other adult themes. But, hey, some assembly required. If such a thing bothers you, or if you have youngins in your household, just leave the song out when you put the mix together. It's that simple. If you like, tack a different song onto the end in its place. Entirely your call. But I like the song and I like where I put it and feel it fits the subtext of the set (and when I say "subtext", I'm quite certain I'm not nearly as clever as I like to think I am, so that subtext is probably pretty surface apparent).

This year, Hanukkah and Christmas overlap. There's less free Hanukkah music available, sadly, but we've got one mini-set of Hanukkah tunes and one more to grow on on Stubby's Stocking Stuffers 2019. Mazel Tov! (I'm gonna miss our annual Eight Nights of Hanukkah celebration. *sigh*)

Stubby, shut up already. Getting there. I always like to tell you who almost made the cut. The last song physically cut from the collection was "All Of Us On Christmas" by Paper Scissors, which I described somewhere as Simon & Garfunkel doing the vocals for "Incense & Peppermints". Also...Vista Blue provided another exceptional EP this year (grab it now), but I just couldn't get them to fit (in terms of flow) between any two other songs. I did try. There's one spot where you'd be certain they'd fit, musically. I thought so too. They didn't. And the Paste Holiday Sampler arrived just after I'd finalized the playlist. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure I'd have at least tried to shoehorn Letters To Cleo in. This year's "no kidding', I guess he really did like that" track is "Christmas Time" by Wesly Thomas. I think it's really pretty. It would be impossible for me to pick a favorite, this year. I think all of this music is really great. Even the stuff you'll hate, I love.

As usual, I struggled to get the volumes to match up. The first five songs on the second disc weren't even on the same continents. After running out of hair to rip from my skull, I eventually threw up my hands and declared "close enough".

And thanks to Christmas A Go Go, Christmas Underground and Mistletunes for keeping the fires going. I mean it when I say I couldn't have done this without you.

We'll toss a video of "The Little Things" between the two CD playlists below and add a bonus stream at the end...a newly recorded Ska cover of "White Christmas" by our friends The Fayetteville Ska Alliance. it's not on the collection, but it's awesome. Alright, cats and kittens. Keeping in mind that the link will vanish like Marley's Ghost at Midnight January 6th, start your downloads. And keep riding. For the love of God, never stop riding.

DISC ONE
1. RESOUNDING JOY - TIN BIRD CHOIR (2019)
2. CAROL OF THE BELLS - aeseaes (2019)
3. CHRISTMAS STAR - raja ffm (2019)
4. LONELY ROBOT (LOST CHRISTMAS) - NINI BONG (2019)
5. WHEN THE SNOW STARTS - PARTY THE HUT (2014)
6. IN RED AND IN WHITE - THE POPGUNS (2014)
7. THE SANTA HOP - GOLDENFACE (2019)
8. JOY BELLS RINGING - ROBERT RANDOLPH (2019)
9. MISTLETOE RODEO - JACKALICO (2019)
10. TO MAKE ANGELS IN SNOW - FRANCIS LUNG (2019)
11. EIGHT - ZEEK MITCHELL (Z) (2019)
12. OPEN MY HEART - YOSEF GOLDMAN (2019)
13. EIGHT DAYS AND EIGHT NIGHTS - THE BURNING HELL (2018)
14. HIP HOP HANUKKAH - AARON DAVID SMITH (2019)
15. WHITE CHRISTMAS - PEGGY SUE (2019)
16. IT'S NOT CHRISTMAS TIME (WITHOUT YOU) - RYYZN (featuring Kimmy Baggins) (2019)
17. PLEASE COME BACK HOME - KRIS ANGELIS (2019)
18. SAD XMAS - TORI ROZE & THE HOT MESS (2019)
19. 24 DECEMBRE - MATTE THEORY (2018)
20. I CALL HER NOEL - BRIAN SCARTOCCI (2019)
21. HARD DECEMBER - THE WINTER FAILURE (2019)
22. DECADE ENDER - BASEBALL GREGG (2019)
23. WHAT IF SANTA CLAUS IS JUST 20 FERRETS IN A RED SUIT? - GODDAMMIT JEREMIAH (2019)

DISC TWO
1. NO ROOM - TOM COLE (2019)
2. DEAR SANTA - DOUG McKEAN (2019)
3. DON'T BELIEVE IN CHRISTMAS - OH! GUNQUIT (2018)
4. WORK XMAS PARTY - TAPE/OFF (2019)
5. CHRISTMAS TRAIN - SOFIA TALVIK (2019)
6. MERRY XMAS TROUBLEMAKER - COSTA BRAVA & FRIENDS (2019)
7. GRINCH - THE GREAT JAZZ AUDIOBOOK (2015)
8. BLUER CHRISTMAS - REINDEER TRIBE (2019)
9. ANGELS IN THE SNOW - CHASE KERBY (2019)
10. WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO YOUR HAIR? - HARRISON LEMKE (2019)
11. THE SEVEN REJOICES OF MARY - JOE BAILEY (2019)
12. SNOWFALL - NIGHT FLOWERS (2019)
13. THIS HANUKKAH - CLUB SOFA (2019)
14. MERRY CHRISTMAS - STEVE RAY BAND (2019)
15. DO YOU BELIEVE IN SANTA? - BRANDON WOLFE SCOTT (2019)
16. WINTER SOLSTICE - MARIA TAYLOR (2019)
17. CHRISTMAS TIME - WESLY THOMAS (2019)
18. SNOW - DAMARIS + DARRICK (2019)
19. ADVENT PRAYER - KEISHA VALENTINA (2019)
20. STILL A GREAT FUTURE [EXPLICIT] - STILL A GREAT NIGHT (featuring LP) (2019)
21. WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS DRIVE TO HOLLIS - DJ SCHMOLLI (2018)
22. THE LITTLE THINGS - ALTHENA SORENSEN & THE MERRY SHOUT (2019) STUBBY'S EXCLUSIVE!!!
23. JESUS CHRIST - THE ABC JUGBAND (2019)

6 Comments

MO CHRISTMAS KEB MO (and other weekend updates)

9/7/2019

1 Comment

I love it when a rumor pans out. Long time ago, in April (and not in Bethlehem), we told you that we'd heard a rumor that Keb Mo was working on a Christmas album. It was just a rumor, but from a reliable source. And here 'tis.

"Moonlight, Mistletoe & You" takes center stage on October 18 and promises to cover the many moods of the season with a list of songs that's mostly original.

According to the product info, "Moonlight, Mistletoe & You" contains only 3 covers...pointing to "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm" (featuring Melissa Manchester) and "Please Come Home For Christmas". Looking over the rest of the tracks, that would suggest that one of the straight up Blues numbers--"Santa Claus Santa Claus" or "Santa Claus Blues"--is the third (though I'm not convinced, absent writing credits or sound samples, that both of those aren't covers).

Keb Mo will also bring the Christmas romance and seasonal feels with the album's title track and "One More Year With You". And, for something a bit more lighthearted, we'll be treated to "Christmas Is Annoying", a song which highlights the negative column of the Yuletide ledger (including the Christmas crunch on both money and time).

Keb Mo says, “There’s something about Christmas time that makes everyone’s hearts a little lighter and I wanted to contribute to the movement of spreading a little joy," adding that, after 25 years of performing as Keb Mo, it was time for him to record a full Christmas album. It's not as though Keb Mo hasn't ever dabbled in seasonal sounds, going back to "Jingle Bell Jamboree" (originally released in 1994) and culminating in a collection of his holiday sides on the 2011 digital EP "The Spirit Of The Holiday".

"Moonlight, Mistletoe & You" is being released by the Concord Music Group. And Keb Mo will be taking it out on the road with this year's Jingle Bell Jamboree tour.

Please Come Home for Christmas
Moonlight, Mistletoe, And You
Better Everyday
Santa Claus Santa Claus
Christmas is Annoying
Merry Merry Christmas
I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm
Santa Claus Blues
When the Children Sing
One More Year With You

KEB MO WEB SITE
PRE-ORDER FROM AMAZON

Dionne Warwick has recently completed work on another Christmas album. It sounds as though there will be some collaborations on this one. We do know for sure that Dionne teamed up with Country singer Eric Paslay on what he describes as a "wild" version of "Frosty The Snowman".

Speaking of Eric Paslay, he turns up on the coming Hootie & The Blowfish album, "Imperfect Circle", due out November 1. Though not a seasonal album, it does contain a song entitled "New Year's Day". Just sayin'.

If one can draw conclusions from a vague social media post, Country artist Brandy Clark might be working on a Christmas album. Or at least the sheet music therein was for "Merry Christmas Darling". People who pay attention might remember that Clark posted a video to YouTube in 2017 of the Carpenters hit, but this seemed to be hinting at something more polished. Of course, it could be that she's just recording the one track for a collection of some sort, but that would be a shame as Clark is such an exquisite singer and songwriter. So...fingers crossed.

Kate Rusby's fifth Christmas album will arrive on November 29th. It's called "Holly Head" which, though I've never heard the term, is apparently what you call someone who can't ever get enough Christmas. Kate promises some traditional songs that you know, some you don't, and some of her own creations. She'll be supporting the album with a December tour of the UK.

Likewise, Rick Wakeman's "Christmas Portraits" has been completed and is also set for release on November 29th.

Last year's "The Christmas Album" from guitar maestro Delicate Steve comes to vinyl this year...translucent green vinyl in a big red cover, as you can see. Release date is set for October 11 and you may pre-order your copy here or direct from Delicate Steve, himself.

Contemporary Christian artist and multiple Dove Award winner Nichole Nordeman has been in the business for over two decades, but she's only just getting around to recording her first Christmas album. Nordeman is going the crowdfunding route for this one and she looks poised to reach her goal with just over 3 weeks remaining in her Kickstarter campaign.

And, speaking of Kickstarter, Central Florida vocal Jazz quintet Resolve still have a ways to go to reach their goal and about 3 weeks to get there. But I'm hopeful they'll make it and we'll get a nice little Jazz EP, "All Wrapped Up" for Christmas. Bonus points because this would not just be their first holiday release, but their first release of any kind.

And, just to be as complete as we possibly can...Cherryade Records has announced that they are in the early stages of putting together Volume 14 of "A Cherryade Christmas". The always wonderful collection of Indie Pop and Rock is once again being curated by Gareth Jones.

Rumors, we hear rumors. You just know Pentatonix will come up with something for December (a Deluxe version of their last, perhaps?). And rumors persist that Ariana Grande and Katy Perry are working on new Christmas music (separately). Please note that those rumors are thus far from less reliable sources than the Keb Mo rumor was. Also heard a rumor about new Christmas music from Trans-Siberian Orchestra....annnnnd thereby I just lost half of my readers. ;^)

Decidedly not a rumor, Jim Brickman will be back with "Celebration of Christmas" on October 25. Annnnd I just lost the other half. Guess I might as well wrap this up, then.

Finally, the Bear Family's annual Christmas collection will be released overseas on October 4. It can take anywhere from an extra week to a month for the German label's releases to reach the states (just sayin'). "Yulesville" (not yet available for pre-oder at Amazon US) contains 33 tracks of early Rock and R&B, most of it at least somewhat obscure and a few tracks making their CD debut. And there's a 28 page booklet to fill you in on which tracks are which and other fun facts.

Among the tunes making their CD debut is a rare Melodeers single, "Wishing Is For Fools". But I'll tell you in advance that the song doesn't seem to have any connection to Christmas. As someone who has collected Christmas music for almost 50 years, I will confess unfamiliarity with "Lonely Christmas" by Kerry Adams and "Winter Wonderland" by Allan & The Flames. I think I know the rest and have most of them on either CD or vinyl, including the ever elusive "Cool Cool Christmas" by Bobbie and Boobie. Not bragging, just pointing out how difficult its getting for these labels to "discover" lost classics anymore (OK, I'm bragging a little). But, given the reasonable price point of these seasonal Bear Family comps, it warrants a place in any holiday library.

1. Intro   (radio commercial)
2. Be Boppers' Christmas - Cordell Jackson
3. Winter Wonderland - Allan & The Flames
4. Sleigh Bell Rock - Three Aces & A Joker
5. Rudolph, The Red Nosed Reindeer - The Melodeers
6. Cool, Cool Xmas - Bobbie & Boobie
7. Boogie Woogie Santa Claus - Patti Page
8. Twistin' Bells - Santo & Johnny
9. Merry Christmas Baby - Dodie Stevens
10. Yulesville - Edd 'Kookie' Byrnes
11. Xmas Bell Rock - Barry & The Highlights
12. Comin' Down The Chimney - Little Joey (Sonny Bono)
13. All I Want For Christmas Is A Steady Eddie - Barbara Mann
14. Dónde Está Santa Claus? - Augie Rios
15. Jingle Rock - Tommy Lee & The Orbits
16. Big White Cadillac - Little Joey Farr
17. White Christmas - The Drifters with Clyde McPhatter
18. Lonely Christmas - Kerry Adams
19. All Winter Long - Linda Laurie
20. Christmas Kisses - The Bookends & Ray Anthony
21. Jingle Jangle - The Penguins
22. Wishing Is For Fools - The Melodeers
23. Rock And Roll Christmas - Cordell Jackson
24. Happy New Year - Lightnin' Hopkins
25. The Cactus Christmas Tree - The McGuire Sisters
26. Rock'n Rudolph - The Uniques
27. Santa's Got A Coupe De Ville - The Four Imperials
28. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - The Four Seasons
29. Good Morning Blues - Dee Dee Ford
30. It's Christmas Everywhere - Paul Anka
31. Rock'n'Roll Santa - Little Joey Farr
32. Silent Night - Dinah Washington
33. Happy New Year - Huey 'Piano' Smith & The Clowns

1 Comment

WHOLE LOTTA CHRISTMAS GOIN' ON

8/23/2019

2 Comments

If I were still on top of my game, I'd have already posted most of these. But I'm not and I haven't...so...so...sew yer buttons (as my ex-girlfriend used to say). Basically, if your question is "When were you going to tell me about this?" the answer is "I'm telling you now." And, hey, it's still just August, ya know.

I like a band whose sound can't be summed up in a single word and Los Lobos is just such a band. Chicano Rock, Brown-eyed Soul, Tex-Mex, Cowpunk, Americana, and many other descriptions have been applied to the group. They've played around with Christmas music before, recording "Rudolph The Manic Reindeer" for the promotional "Winter Warnerland" record. They followed that with a couple of Christmas tunes on a promotional CD single in 1993. Then there's their Holiday House Party from 1992, which you can still listen to on the web.

But the band has never before released a commercially available full Christmas album. Well, let's take care of that right now with "Llego Navidad", coming this October 4 on Rhino Records. The product info tells us the band researched over 150 songs before choosing the playlist for the album. And they've included one original, "Christmas And You".

You can currently pre-order the album on CD, and it is expected that there will be vinyl before Christmas, as well.

1. La Rama
2. Reluciente Sol
3. It's Christmas Time In Texas
4. Amarga Navidad
5. Arbolito de Navidad
6. ¿Dónde Está Santa Claus?
7. Llegó Navidad
8. Las Mañanitas
9. La Murga
10. Christmas And You
11. Regalo de Reyes
12. Feliz Navidad

LOS LOBOS WEB SITE
PRE-ORDER FROM AMAZON

OK, maybe you've got what you think is enough holiday music from the band Chicago already. But consider this. The previous Christmas albums from Chicago focused on covering well known songs of the season. "Chicago 37" is all about original Christmas music. There are only 3 covers among the 11 tracks. "Chicago 37" includes new songs like "I'm Your Santa Claus", "All Over The World", and "Merry Christmas, I Love You" (written by Chicago's Lee Loughnane and John Durrill of The Ventures). "Chicago 37" will be available in both CD and vinyl formats. CDs arrive October 4. Vinyl will follow on November 22.

1. (Because) It's Christmastime
  2. All Over the World
  3. Bring My Baby Back
  4. Merry Christmas, I Love You (R&B Version)
  5. What the World Needs Now Is Love
  6. All Is Right
  7. Sleigh Ride 2019
  8. I'd Do It All Again (Christmas Moon)
  9. I'm your Santa Claus
  10. Here We Come a Caroling
  11. Merry Christmas, I Love You (Ballad Version)

CHICAGO WEB SITE
PRE-ORDER CD FROM AMAZON
PRE-ORDER VINYL FROM AMAZON

You know how much we love "different" here at Stubby's. And, as hard as it is to believe something inspired by ancient sounds could be both new and "different", Leah has done just that. Most known for her Symphonic Metal stylings that feature a mix of Celtic, Folk, Classical and Rock elements, Leah has mostly foregone the Metal elements for "Ancient Winter". And yet it still contains enough Rock to sound contemporary, while (naturally) sounding "ancient". The album contains 3 old Christmas carols and five originals. And Leah is joined by an all-star guest cast that includes Troy Donockley (Nightwish) Anna Murphy (Cellar Darling) Shir-Ran Yinon (Eluveitie) Oliver Philipps (Everon, Phantasma) and Rupert Gillett. Expect the official release in mid-to-late September. Leah is an independent artist and, as such, you can pre-order direct from her as part of her crowdfunding campaign. I'm looking forward to hearing Leah's take on "Noel Nouvelet" ("Sing We Now of Christmas"), but we get our first taste with the lead single, "Redemption".

The Whole World Summons
Light of the World
Upon Your Destiny
Redemption
The Messenger
Gaudete
Puer Natus
Noel Nouvelet

LEAH'S WEB SITE
CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN

R&B artist Ne-Yo is getting ready his reindeer and his Gogo sleigh for a Yuletide record, expected to arrive October 11. Though we haven't yet learned the title or track list, Ne-Yo has previously stated that Donny Hathaway's "This Christmas" is a must and that he'd like to include a version of "Silent Night" based upon the Temptations' arrangement. The album will also include the original "Just Ain't Christmas".

Ne-Yo has previously appeared on The "Motown Christmas" album, performing a duet of "The Christmas Song" with Tasha Cobbs, and covered Marvin Gaye's "I Want To Come Home For Christmas" for "The Best Man Holiday" soundtrack.

R&B/Jazz fusion guitarist Jonathan Butler will release his second Christmas album on October 4. "Christmas Together" features assistance from Smooth Jazz all-stars like Dave Koz, Gerald Albright, Keiko Matsui and Rick Braun and artwork from the students of South Africa's Lalela Foundation. Butler grew up in South Africa when Apartheid was in full force. Butler's first Christmas album, "Merry Christmas To You", was released in 2013. Dave Koz, by the way, is featured on several new Christmas releases this year, as well as releasing one of his own, "The Gifts of the Season" (no further details on that one yet).

1. Winter Wonderland
2. Mary Did You Know? (feat. Sheléa)
3. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (feat. Keiko Matsui)
4. Joy To The World (feat. Dave Koz)
5. Deck The Halls (feat. Gerald Albright)
6. We Three Kings (feat. Rick Braun)
7. Love Is (feat. Sheléa)
8. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
9. Away In A Manger (feat. Dave Koz)
10. Jingle Bells (feat. Kirk Whalum)

JONATHAN BUTLER WEB SITE
PRE-ORDER FROM AMAZON

Yes, Mannheim Steamroller have milked every last drop out of the cash cow they created in 1984, but that first album, "Mannheim Steamroller Christmas", still slaps (in the vernacular of the Twitterverse). It's been 35 years since that wonderful piece of vinyl was released, so of course we're getting a new vinyl release of that seminal seasonal this year. It's described as a "Limited Edition Edition", though I have no idea what that means as yet. It's due October 18. It's not yet available for pre-order at Amazon or anywhere else but, when it is, you'll find it here.

The Country group BlackHawk had hoped to release their Christmas album last year, but you know how these things go. Fret not, for BlackHawk's "The Spirit of Christmas" will officially drop October 18. All of the songs on the album are traditional songs of the season. But, considering the stellar job the group did with "We Three Kings" in 1996, that's a feature and not a bug. And you gotta dig that cover art.

1. Joy To The World
2. We Three Kings
3. Silent Night
4. Away In A Manger
5. Oh Holy Night
6. Oh Little Town Of Bethlehem
7. The First Noel
8. Oh Come All Ye Faithful
9. Hark The Herald Angels Sing
10. What Child Is This

BLACKHAWK WEB SITE
PRE-ORDER FROM AMAZON

Charlie Daniels has been making music for over 50 years, now, and, as the year's have gone on, he's added many a Christmas song and album to the holiday cannon. The Carolina Cowboy's first Christmas tune was "Carolina (I Remember You)" which appeared on 1980's "Full Moon". He released a full Yuletide set, "Christmas Time Down South", in 1990. Later would come "A Merry Christmas To All" (2002), "Joy To The World" (2009), "Hallelujah, It's Christmas Time Again" (2012), and a special reading of "Twas The Night Before Christmas" in 2013.

Coming October 18, Charlie Daniels will release "Christmas Classics", a single album collecting up some of the best of Charlie's music of Christmas past. The album focuses on the traditional songs of the season, from "O Little Town of Bethlehem" to "Frosty The Snowman", and includes his readings of "Twas The Night Before Christmas" and "The Christmas Story From The Book of Luke". As Charlie has recorded some of these songs more than once, we can't yet tell you which versions he'll be including, but here's the track list.

1. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
2. The Christmas Song
3. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
4. Blue Christmas
5. Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
6. Frosty The Snowman
7. White Christmas
8. Hallelujah
9. Joy To The World
10. The Christmas Story From The Book Of Luke (Luke 2:1-11)
11. Twas The Night Before Christmas

CHARLIE DANIELS WEB SITE
PRE-ORDER FROM AMAZON

Speaking of Country music, those folks at NOW Records (Now That's What I Call...) have a new compilation of Christmas Country music comin'. "NOW Country Christmas" is due to drop October 4.

Amy Grant fans can look forward to a very limited (and expensive) vinyl collection featuring "A Christmas Album", "Home For Christmas" and "A Christmas To Remember". Those last two have never been issued on vinyl before. PLUS "Amy Grant Christmas" will include a 7" single featuring two Christmas songs (TBA) exclusive to this collection. One would like to presume, given the price, that we're talking collector's grade vinyl, but the listing doesn't say that. It does say that this collection is strictly limited to 1000. Anticipated release date is October 11. For those of us living on the poor side of town, "Home For Christmas" will see a stand-alone vinyl release, also on October 11.

Southern Gospel's Ernie Haase & Signature Sound will release "Jazzy Little Christmas" on October 11. The release is said to take us back to the days of The Four Freshmen, with a three-piece Jazz band and intricate vocal harmonies.

Gospel trio The 11th Hour have a digital set due October 11th. "The Greatest Gift" can be pre-ordered at iTunes and Google Play. There's more Gospel coming from Master's Voice and Down East Boys.

Luke Evans, Gaston in the live-action "Beauty And The Beast" and Owen Shaw in the "Fast And Furious" series of films, is in the process of recording a Christmas album. And he promises it will not be an album of "show tunes".

Bluegrass fans, Santa's got something for you as well as Red River releases two collections drawn from the popular Christmas Grass series. One is nothing but "The Instrumentals" while the other features "The Best of Christmas Grass". Both albums drop on October 4.

Larry Stewart is one of the lead vocalists for Restless Heart. Even as that group continues to add to their story, Larry also does some solo work and, this year, he's planning on releasing a solo Christmas album. Go to his web site and you'll be greeted by an invitation to pre-order (though, if you click on it, it just takes down your name and email; whether he then sends you details via email, I can not say). If Larry Stewart does release a Christmas album this fall, you can bet that last year's single, "Don't Save It All For Christmas Day", will be included.

Who's up for a new Christmas album from keyboard wizard Rick Wakeman? You know Rick from Yes, you know him from Strawbs, and you know him from his "Journey To The Center of The Earth". Look for a new Christmas album from Rick, "Christmas Portraits", in late November. Of late, Rick Wakeman has been releasing a series of solo piano Classical recordings of Rock and Pop songs, beginning with "Piano Portraits". "Piano Portraits" was quite successful, spawning the followup "Live Portraits". More recently, he released "Piano Odyssey" which is along the same lines but with strings and choir. Given that the Christmas set is titled "Christmas Portraits", I'm anticipating a solo piano effort (yep, Rick says that's what it is...just piano). Song selection could be interesting. Given the nature of the series, I'd expect more "Merry Christmas Everybody", "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" and "Step Into Christmas" than "O Holy Night" or "Sleigh Ride". Rick previously released a Christmas album in 2010. If you're looking for his take on traditional Christmas music, "Christmas Variations" is already out there.

If you've been collecting as long as I have, there's probably nothing on this latest release from Jasmine you don't already have. However, not everybody has been collecting as long as I have, it's nice to have all of these on one disc, and, mostly, I didn't want folks who love Christmas Blues to be left out in this avalanche of coming releases. "Let's Make Every Day A Christmas Day" is set to arrive at Amazon on September 12. So get those pre-orders in if you want it right away.

1. Christmas In Heaven – Charles Brown
2. Christmas Spirits – Julia Lee And Her Boy Friends
3. Blue Holiday – Aretha Franklin
4. Dig That Crazy Santa Claus – Oscar Mclollie
5. Merry Christmas, Baby – Lionel Hampton
6. Christmas Comes But Once A Year – Charles Brown
7. Boogie Woogie Santa Claus – Mabel Scott
8. Christmas In The Congo – The Marquees
9. Silent Night – Huey Piano Smith And The Clowns
10. Christmas Tears – Freddie King
11. Christmas Questions – Charles Brown
12. Christmas Letter – Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers
13. Christmas Blues – Jimmy Witherspoon
14. This Time Of The Year – Brook Benton
15. Just A Lonely Christmas – The Moonglows
16. It’s Christmas Time – Charles Brown
17. I’ll Be Home For Christmas – Bull Moose Jackson
18. Christmas Boogie – Sugar “Chile” Robinson
19. I Want My Baby For Christmas – Smokey Hogg
20. Sonny Boy’s Christmas Blues – Sonny Boy Williamson
21. Let’s Make Every Day A Christmas Day – Charles Brown
22. Blues For Christmas – John Lee Hooker
23. Merry Xmas – “Little Willie” Littlefield
24. I Hear Jingle Bells – Freddie King

PRE-ORDER FROM AMAZON

And, finally, Australia's Rachel Leahcar is finishing up the mixing of her coming Christmas album. Rachel sings Soul, Pop and Classical and placed third in the inaugural season of Australia's version of The Voice in 2012. She's also been a popular favorite at the Myer Music Bowl Carols By Candlelight program, where she's performed Mariah's "All I Want For Christmas Is You", among other fare. Rachel's as yet untitled Christmas set will be a mix of classics and more recent music (though no originals), and will feature 6 languages and 4 duets. I suspect she'll include last year's single, an "Ave Maria" duet featuring Lara Nakhle. So let's close with that.

2 Comments

(NOT NECESSARILY) THE BEST OF STUBBY'S

7/1/2019

8 Comments

[Links to download the collection removed 8/1/19; links to the individual songs remain]

OK, I slept late a lil' bit. Sue me. Christmas In July festivities are already underway at Christmas TV History and Ernie (Not Bert). And you've still got until July 15 to get your requests in at The Nights Before Christmas. For what it's worth, Amelia's most recent Christmas Mix, albeit from December, is "Christmas In The Sun", which also feels appropriate for this out-of-season season. And here is the Stubby contribution.

Welcome to Christmas In July, 2019. I've given it a lot of thought and I'm not going to renew the domain when it expires this October. If I renew, I'd be tempted to post and, for a multitude of reasons, I just don't want to do that. If I have something to say, I'll turn up on Imwan or The Fa or, who knows, Christmas A Go Go maybe. But I did want to leave you with one final gift, which will bring us to a nice even ten Christmas mixes (the official run of the blog will end up being 9 years...not a bad run, all things considered). And I figured the way to go would be something of a "Best Of".

It's not really a "Best Of". Can't be. I insist on sticking to my stupid rules that the songs be freely available and, needless to say, a lot of the stuff we've featured through the years no longer is. In most cases, the artists--including some of my absolute faves like Kissing Party, Laurie Cameron and Beta Radio--are now selling their Christmas music. And that is their absolute right and the music is worth every penny. These folks are trying to make a living, after all, and that's not easy for independent artists. But a good deal of the music we've featured is still free. And that's very cool. There's no running theme or anything. I was just trying to get a flow to the music. So, before anyone asks, there is no significance to the fact that Lorna's "Building Beautiful Bridges" is followed immediately by The Burnt Bridges' "The Best Christmas Yet" (yeah, I noticed that).

I started from scratch. I downloaded everything anew. For one thing, I lost some music when my last computer died. But, for another, I've always started working from the mp3s. Downloading anew allowed me to start with WAV or AIFF files, where available. And, I could be wrong, but I believe these will be higher quality mp3s (320?) than we've featured in the past. This does mean that some of the edits are going to be different. Some of the intros may be trimmed differently (ended up having to do a fade in on one or two) and some of the fade outs may be too short or too long (that's mostly due to my failing hearing). It is what it is.

Another reason this isn't technically a "Best Of" is because I get bored. So, at some point, I started tossing in tunes that weren't ever included on one of our Stubby's House Christmas mixes. Most of these were covered or at least alluded to on the site. But a few never were. I've been hunting free Christmas music since 2004 or thereabouts and posting about them (elsewhere) since 2007. So two of the tunes we've never mentioned (here) before--"Dear Santa" by Amy Gore and "Xmas In Yr Neighborhood" by Sugar & Gold--are from 2009. Then there's one we missed in 2018, Matt Edible's "Advent Beard" which was part of Joyzine's annual Advent calendar. In all, there are something like 19 tunes that were never included on a Stubby's mix (they're denoted in the playlist below by their years appearing in purple). That's practically an entire disc.

Which brings up another point. Just how much music is here? Well, cats and kittens, there's FOUR DISCS WORTH. A double double album. There was just too much good stuff to do less. Initially, I didn't know if I'd have time to do more than one disc. That's why most of the Christmas cuts I've been overly obsessed with are on disc one (who hasn't grown tired of hearing me yammer on and on about "The Gospel According To A Sheep" or "All My Dumb Dreams" or "Everything's Dead Pretty When It Snows"?). When it became clear I could do more, I did spread a few of my all time faves to the other discs, but disc one is still highly concentrated greatness.

Some of these songs are as familiar as the back of my hand (Hey, what's that spot? I don't remember seeing that before?) and some (like "Feelings" by ATLAAS) I'd totally forgotten about (and so fell in love all over again). Sadly, the annual collections from Polaroid, Cigar Box Nation, XO Publicity, Suburban Sprawl, Blackwatch, etc. kinda got short shrift. I'd just see all those tunes from all those collections and get overwhelmed by the magnitude of it all. Most everybody got at least one track, but not Cigar Box Nation and I apologize for that.

Most of our long time friends, whom we discovered together, are included...Sofia Talvik (of course), mojochronic, Captives On The Carousel, Joe Algeri (The JAC), Joe Bonamassa, The Dollyrots, The Winter Failure, Jessie Kol, Jillaine... By the way, Jessie's latest is an awesome cover of Lionel Ritchie's "All Night Long". It's part of a Motown tribute being put together by her new record label (here's a mini-doc from Jessie and husband/musical partner Perry Sorensen). As for Jilliane, last I heard, she'd graduated law school and gotten a job with a law firm. I'm guessing that's keeping her pretty busy.

I did reach out to Morgan Shaughnessy because I couldn't imagine doing any kind of "Best Of" without "Pretty Colored Lights"--one of my absolute favorite seasonal suites from the past nine years. And Morgan was more than happy to let us include her Christmas tune as a Stubby's House Exclusive (Yaaayyyy!).

You know the usual rules. Because it's Christmas In July, you'll have the full month to grab this and then its gone forever. Song titles are linked to where you can download the songs free, artist names are linked to any write-up we might have done (or something else, if we didn't...or maybe nothing at all). The year given in parentheses is, I believe, the year the track was originally recorded. The years that appear in gold are the years those tracks appeared on a Stubby's House mix. The zip file contains the art work to put together your own CDs. Since they were done as individual discs, the primary art work is jewel case. But, if you'd prefer to put together two double discs, I included artwork for that as well. Most years, I put in extensive time getting the volumes of the cuts to match up. For this one, I'm afraid, I took the "Eh, close enough" approach.

But wait! There's more!

I always like to tell you who almost made the cut. There are a couple of different categories with this collection. First, there's the Christmas music from Still A Great Night, which I think is some of the most brilliant original Christmas music I've heard in my adult lifetime. But I like to keep things family friendly and those tunes tend to come with a strong parental advisory. Then there was the song from the 2017 Polaroid collection, "If I Die On Christmas" by Jack Bellissimo. I love that song. But I've lost a brother, a friend and a cat in the last few months and was in no mood to think about death, right now.

Which brings us to the tune that should be on this set, but isn't. "No Christmas" by Fredrik Magnusson. I had every intention of including it but, when I surveyed the final mix, it wasn't in there. Well...that sucks. That sucks and it will not stand.

I whittled down gradually from a massive amount of music. When I looked at the music that got far enough along to get the SB prefix, there was about an hour and a half of those that did not make the final four discs. So you get ANOTHER FULL DISC of "Stubby's Leftovers"! 23 more tracks (including one from 2019)! I didn't do much of anything regarding volume control on these and they're not numbered. Might also be a few tagging errors (generally on the year, but there could be some spelling errors, too). I'll let you figure out what, if anything, you want to do with them. Naturally, somebody is going to ask what didn't make the cut of songs that didn't make the cut. "Rejoice Rejoice" by Parenthetical Girls, "White Christmas" by Florent, and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" by Woodhouse.

Being as there's so much here, the full zip file is nearly a GB. If that's too much for your computer to handle (not judging), I've also made the set available in more bite sized pieces--Discs 1 & 2, Discs 3 & 4, and Leftovers. Artwork doesn't take up much space, so full artwork is in every zip. There are two hosts. And, if we have a repeat of December's unzipping difficulties, let me know. I do have another trick up my sleeve, though its time consuming for everyone. [All download links for the collection removed 8/1/19]. So have at it and Merry Christmas In July!

One last holiday greeting
1. Winter Wonderland/Misty Mountain Hop...Fleming & John (2004)
2. Why Can't It Be Christmas All Year......Rosie Thomas (2009)
3. My Favorite Season......Magnolia Sons (2013) - 2013
4. Every Day Is Christmas......Charles Bradley (2010) - 2015
5. I Believe In Christmas Time......Kirby Krackle (2013) - 2013
6. Christmas Brand New......Bonnie & The Barrows (2016) - 2016
7. Walking In The Air......Smerins Anti-Social Club (2010) - 2011
8. The Gospel According To A Sheep...How To Throw A Christmas Party (2011) - 2014
9. Because I'm Santa......The Dollyrots (2012) - 2012
10. Holiday Hare......The Returners (2014) - 2014
11. Xmasploitation (Santa's Badass Revenge)......mojochronic (2008)
12. I Can't Wake Up At Dawn......Bacio (2016) - 2016
13. The Mountain Wind Blows Cold......Laura Ashton Jones (2013) - 2016
14. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus......Citrus (2014) - 2015
15. How'm I Gonna Lose You This Christmas......The Cosbys (2012) - 2012
16. I Don't Want Your Presents......The JAC (2013) - 2013
17. All My Dumb Dreams......Andrew Dost (2011) - 2011
18. Feelings......ATLAAS (2014) - 2014
19. No Mean Christmas......The Paperback Throne (2015) - 2015
20. Turn Off The Sun......Captives On The Carousel (2011) - 2012
21. Everything's Dead Pretty When It Snows......Pete Green (2005) - 2010
22. Pretty Colored Lights......Morgan Shaughnessy (2014) (Stubby's House EXCLUSIVE !!!) - 2014

1. There Will Be No Christmas......Yuuwii & Weiwen (2015) - 2016
2. It's That Time Of Year......The Revelations (2011) - 2011
3. Christmas In Paradise......Reindeer Tribe (2015) - 2015
4. Linus & Lucy......Awjita (2014) - 2015
5. Squeezin' Them Presents......Hector Comancho (2012) - 2012
6. Home For Christmas......Last Train Home (1998)
7. At Christmastyme......Locust Avenue (2010) - 2010
8. Have Yourself A Filthy Little Christmas......And What Will Become Of Them (2005)
9. Flexible Flyer......The Brixton Riot (2016) - 2018
10. suck my christmass......mooptheband (2017) - 2017
11. Christmas Boogie (One Little Kiss)......Joe Bonamassa (2015) - 2015
12. (Please Don't Leave) On Christmas Eve......Pony Boy (2014)
13. On Christmas......Dum Dum Girls (2014) - 2014
14. The Only Place I Wanna Be......Markey Blue (2014) - 2016
15. The Night Before Christmas......The Clothes (2013) - 2013
16. Christmas Every Day......Winterval (2016) - 2016
17. Hipster Holidaze......Kirabelle Frabotta & Brian Thibault (2015) - 2015
18. Dance of the Abandoned Snowman......Poodleplay Arkestra (2011) - 2011
19. All I Want For Christmas Is You......Charlotte Carpenter (2015) - 2015
20. Let's Call A Christmas Truce......John Hardy (2015) - 2015
21. Adeste Fideles......Jaimina Johnston (2009) - 2010
22. I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day......Jillaine (2011)

1. Holiday Jangle......Found Sound Orchestra (2010) - 2010
2. Hey, It's Christmas......J. Catala (2011) - 2011
3. I Don't Intend To Spend Christmas Without You......Maylee Todd (2012)
4. Maybe Next Christmas......Blue Skies For Black Hearts (2012) - 2012
5. My Bloody Christmas......Icon Girl Pistols (2010) - 2011
6. Merry Christmas Time......Somerdale (2016) - 2016
7. Advent Beard......Matt Edible & The Obtuse Angels (2018)
8. Christmas Card Blues......Jim Nelson (2018) - 2018
9. Just Like Christmas......Gordon & Cilla (2013)
10. Snow Day......Jackpot, Tiger (2010) - 2010
11. Yuletide Zeppelin......mojochronic (2007)
12. Simply Christmas......Fireflake (2016) - 2016
13. It Ain't Christmas Without You......Roxy Roca (2013) - 2014
14. The Eyes, The Beard, The Nose, The Stomach, The Lungs......Indie Folker (2010) - 2010
15. Christmas Time......Piney Gir (2011) - 2011
16. Please Stop By For Christmas......Invisible Sundial (2017) - 2017
17. A Berlin Christmas Tale......Sofia Talvik (2013) - 2013
18. I'll Be Home For Christmas......Andy Allo (2017) - 2018
19. Northpole Man......Over The Rhine (2006)
20. That's What I Want For Christmas......Lucy Lockwood (2016) - 2018
21. Breath Of Heaven......The Winter Failure (2014) - 2014

1. Reindeer Direction......Camryn Manheim Steamroller (2011) - 2011
2. Don't Let It Snow......Wendy Jans (2010) - 2011
3. Christmas Time Is Here......organissimo (2004) - 2015
4. Building Beautiful Bridges......Lorna (2004) - 2015
5. The Best Christmas Yet......The Burnt Bridges (2015) - 2015
6. Christmas Day With Me......Laura Vane & The Vipertones (2009)
7. I'm Gonna Meet Him Tonight......The Red Nosed Ramblers (2017) - 2017
8. Xmas In New York......The Rosebuds (2012)
9. Xmas In Yr Neighborhood......Sugar & Gold (2009)
10. Last Christmas Girl......Stratocruiser (2005)
11. Melt The Heart Of A Snowman......Steve Karos (2018) - 2018
12. Ring Ring Ring......Scarlett Tanager (2011) - 2011
13. New Beginnings......Fever Fever (2016) - 2016
14. Christmas Came Today......Chris Brown (2010) - 2010
15. Dear Santa......Amy Gore (2009)
16. All I'm Missing Is You......Chase Atlantic (2013) - 2014
17. In The Bleak Midwinter......Jessie Kol (2010) - 2010
18. Poem At Year's End......Sofia Talvik (2018) - 2018
19. Imagine Santa......djBC (2006)
20. Closing Of The Year......Pinecone Rockets (2018)

6/4......That Band From Holland & Left Handed Orchestra (2012) - 2012
100,000 Christmas Lights......The Brixton Riot (2018)
Auld Lang Syne......Hillary Grist (2010) - 2010
Baby, Please Come Home......Alejanra O'Leary (2014)
Christmas Day......Tim Crahart Blues Band (2012)
Christmas Kiss......Jetty Rae (2014)
Christmas Time......Lauren Bird (2015) - 2015
Corndogs For Christmas......The Jake Duda Band (2018) - 2018
Eight Dates A Week (Song For Hanukkah)......The Holiday Scene (2016) - 2016
Falalalalove You......Nikki Lane (2014)
Goodnight Moon......City Rain (2012) - 2012
Gorillabot Santa......Gorillabot (2016) - 2016
It's Merry Christmas Time......Miranda Dodson (2014)
Keep Me For Christmas Time......The Hard Ground (2009) - 2013
Kids Come Back Again At Christmas......Sloan (2016) - 2016
Mary Did You Know......Jacob Abello (2012) - 2012
No Christmas......Fredrik Magnusson (2014) - 2014
Please Come Home For Christmas......Six And The Sevens (2013) - 2013
Step On The Snow......Ilai Weigl (2019)
Weihnachtszeit......Torsten Kuder (2016) - 2016
Whatever You Want......Sports (2015) - 2015
Winter A-Go-Go......Cosines (2011)
Winter Spirits......The Winter Spirits (2017) - 2017

8 Comments

DON'T YOU FORGET ABOUT THESE

12/30/2018

1 Comment

There were so many albums I really wanted to get to, this year...to properly review or at least feature. The old computer dying when it did threw a bit of a wrench into the works, but I was pretty much behind all season anyway. And it's not that I think anyone out there relies solely on Stubby's to learn of new Christmas releases (if you do, you shouldn't), but a voice of recommendation from any corner is a good thing. So you've got 11 months, now, to prepare next year's playlist. Here are a few releases from 2018 that I really liked (but didn't get to feature) for you to check out and consider.

We at Stubby's first encountered Amber Norgaard through her contribution to "Christmas From The Heart" in 2016. I was really impressed with "Light To The World" and the way it took the story of Joseph and Mary and Jesus and sort of superimposed it over the eternal and universal experience of women giving birth more generally. Song aside, Amber has one of those voices that, though soft and ever so slightly smokey, just cuts through all the clutter and instantly reaches your heart and soul.

At the urging of her mother, Amber recorded an entire Christmas album this year, "Be The Peace", which (though released in November) I didn't catch up to until right around the time my computer died. I think I largely expected a fairly AC/CCM Folk experience, though I figured it would be a good one. And the opening track, "Love Came Down At Christmas", beautifully arranged and performed with exquisite choices of instruments, was about what I was expecting.

And then came the Blues guitar opening for the thoroughly Gospel "I Pray on Christmas". Hey now! Amber, as it turns out, sprinkles surprises like that throughout "Be The Peace". She brings together a multitude of sounds--Folk, Rock, Jazz, Blues, New Age, Pop--and the instrumentation is impeccable throughout (much as I'm a sucker for cello, I especially enjoyed the texture the Sax brought to the proceedings). There's even a Spanish language spin on "I'll Be Home For Christmas".

Before she became "Tucson's Folk-Rock Goddess", Amber Norgaard was a nurse. And there's undeniably a healing quality to her music, which makes for fine listening on both spiritual and secular levels. In her hands, even "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" is strangely uplifting. Personal favorites on "Be The Peace" include the title track, "I Pray on Christmas", "O Come O Come Emmanuel", "I'll Be Home For Christmas" and "Light To The World".

Amber, by the way, has a dog named Macauley. Well, nobody's perfect, right Missy Katz?

1.   Love Came Down at Christmas
2.   I Pray on Christmas
3.   O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
4.   I'll Be Home for Christmas - Estaré En Mi Casa
5.   Light to the World
6.   O Holy Night
7.   'Til the Season Comes 'Round Again
8.   Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
9.   Be the Peace
10. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

AMBER NORGAARD WEB SITE
PURCHASE CD FROM AMBER NORGAARD
DIGITAL AT AMAZON
DIGITAL AT CD BABY
DIGITAL AT iTUNES

We've had our share of Monkey business this year. But there's no monkey like a Green Monkey. The thing about the annual Green Monkey Christmas comp is that there's no need to sample. You know, without hearing a single note, that it's going to be one of the finest Rock/Alt Rock Christmas records of any year. And, sure enough, the very second I saw that "A Green Monkey Christmas For Martians Up On Mars" was out, I laid my money down without hearing a note. Every year, I listen to these Green Monkey comps, telling myself, well, there's bound to be a track or two I could live without. And there never is. Every bit of every one is pure gold. (Well, OK, the joke of Jeff Kelly's "Christmas At The End of Time" has been done before, and once was more than enough).

Every October, Tom Dyer puts out the call for the Christmas album, artists new and old answer, and Tom tosses in a few contributions of his own. The result is always a wide variety of sounds that, together, create a cohesive and rocking' collection. And 100% of the proceeds go to MusiCares.

Highlights on "A Green Monkey Christmas For Martians Up On Mars" include Super Z Attack Tram's Progressive "We 3 Super Kings", Kaz Murphy's vaguely 50s lament "Christmas Was Yesterday" (can't help but imagining Gene Pitney singing that one), the Ramones friendly "All I Want For Christmas (Is To Be Left Alone)" by The Swaggerlies, Duane Hibbard's "Blame It On The Nog" (which is sort of Alice Cooper meets The Cramps), Emily Bishton's straight forward "Toyland", and the Bluesy single from the set, Tom Dyer & The True Olympians' "(I'm A) Lonely Little Christmas Tree". Sample or don't sample, just buy "A Green Monkey Christmas For Martians Up On Mars" and you will not regret it. Parental Advisory on "Happy New Year" by Kline's 57.

Green Monkey issued another Christmas release this year, "Tom and Kat's Excellent Christmas Adventure", which collects up some of the best of Tom and (daughter) Kat Dyer's Christmas tunes (including last year's delicious "Fruitcake"), but I haven't really had a chance to listen to that album, yet.

And I would be remiss if I didn't mention my very favorite tune on this year's Green Monkey comp (I'm sure they wrote it with me in mind)--the Psych Pop "Gray Whiskers (Winter Cats)" by Donovan's Brain. Missy Katz has that one on constant repeat.

1.   Tom Dyer - T'was The Night Before Christmas
2.   Donovan's Brain - Gray Whiskers (Winter Cats)
3.   Super Z Attack Team - We 3 Super Kings
4.   The Holiday Bloch-busters - War On Christmas
5.   Emily Bishton - Toyland
6.   Kline's 57 - Happy New Year
7.   Tom Dyer & The True Olympians - (I'm A) Lonely Little Christmas Tree
8.   Richard Stuverud - Empty Branches
9.   Kat Dyer - Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel
10. The Elf-tones - New Year's Day
11. Toiling Midgets - Snowshoe and Weasel
12. Kaz Murphy - Christmas Was Yesterday
13. The Swaggerlies - All I Want For Christmas (Is To Be Left Alone)
14. Duane Hibbard - Blame It On The Nog
15. Tom Dyer & The True Olympians - Christmas Train
16. Ed Portnow - Wintertime is Christmas Time
17. Jeff Kelly - Christmas At The End Of Time
18. The Freewheelin’ Joe Ross - T'was The Night Before Christmas

GREEN MONKEY WEB SITE
PURCHASE FROM BANDCAMP

I can't tell you how much I've been wanting to do a proper review of "A Christmas Album" by The Purple Hulls. As a Bubblegum child, Bluegrass has always been a tough fit for me. But the Bluegrass I like, I really like. I can't explain it, but it's like I only connect to Bluegrass that's got "soul" (not the R&B kind of soul, but that feeling that says "this isn't music we make; this music is who we are"). And I really like The Purple Hulls. They've got that extra something, that "soul".

I've yet to find the time to truly give "A Christmas Album" a fair listening. I've heard all the tracks, but a few here and a few there, and that's not how I like to do when I review an album. What I can tell you straight off is that I'm selling them short by even referring to them as a Bluegrass band. There are really only a few tracks that are purely Bluegrass. The wider-lens Americana covers it better.

The Purple Hulls are identical twin sisters Penny and Katy Clark of Kilgore, Texas. Needless to say, those harmonies are tight and these young ladies know their way around string instruments. For a few years, now, the sisters Clark would post a Christmas song to YouTube and those were so incredible that demand for a Purple Hulls Christmas album was growing rapidly. "A Christmas Album" is fairly gorgeous throughout, covering standards from "Let It Snow" to "O Come All Ye Faithful" to originals like "Can't Stop Christmas From Comin'" and "That's Christmas To Me".

Hard to pick out personal favorites since it's all so good, but, in addition to the songs already mentioned, I'd add "Labor of Love". But you also shouldn't miss their sweet take on "White Christmas" or their rousing version of "Auld Lang Syne".

I can not recommend "A Christmas Album" highly enough. I think that, once you've had a taste of The Purple Hulls, you're going to want their entire catalog. And that still won't be enough. They're that good. And, kids, there's even "A Christmas Album" vinyl (exclusively available from The Purple Hulls and not due out until early January). It's very very limited, so I wouldn't wait another second if vinyl is what you crave.

1.   O Come, All Ye Faithful
2.   Reunion Song
3.   Let It Snow!
4.   That's Christmas to Me
5.   Celebration Song
6.   Can't Stop Christmas from Comin'
7.   White Christmas
8.   Labor of Love
9.   Greatest Christmas Gift
10. Auld Lang Syne
11. Matthew's Begats (Live)

PURPLE HULLS WEB SITE
BUY CD or LP FROM PURPLE HULLS (scroll down)
BUY CD FROM BANJO BEN CLARK
BUY DIGITAL FROM AMAZON

"Did we lose the sun". That's just one of the lines that let's you know "Stay Warm" by The O'Pears is not a Christmas album of twinkle lights and tinsel. To be fair, I haven't had the time to more than sample this album (and, to be fair to me, it wasn't released until December 17), but it was one on my list (and I checked it twice) and what I've heard so far gives me to know I was very very right to put it on my Nice list.

The O'Pears are a Canadian Folk trio of singer-songwriters. And, clearly, nothing makes me weaker in the knees than perfect female harmony vocals. I gotta say, I'm especially enchanted when two of the women harmonize and the third breaks off and sings something in an entirely different direction, like a leaf floating off the tree and blowing in the wind. Just sayin'.

"Stay Warm" presents a picture of the Winter season in all its complexity...the joy and love and the dark and cold. Remarkably, it manages to explore the dark and cold aspects with warmth and light, for the most part. "Did we lose the sun", as example, is from "Find The Sun", which isn't about Winter at all, but a relationship in which the flame seems to have gone out. "Did we even try before we let it go." But even that song ends with hope as the singer vows to "Find The Sun" rather than let love die. "Hearts Grow Fonder" is as complex as the season itself, weaving loss and nostalgia, the warmth of family and the cold of the season, into one tidy "toast" that is, taken all together, a positive mix.

Perhaps the sweetest song, here, is "Jingle Jangle".

I like it when you sing me carols
I like it when you trim the tree
But I like best when you jingle jangle
jingle jangle for me

Most of the other songs, however, have both a little light and a little dark to them. The O'Pears scatter a few "minute carols" through the set, but, aside from Joni Mitchell's "River", the full songs are all written by the women of The O'Pears. And their songwriting is as amazingly perfect as their harmonies.

One of the most interesting things about "Stay Warm" is that The O'Pears did not include their 2017 Christmas single "Quiet Now" (nor 2016's "Long Winter"). That at least suggests that we'll be hearing more seasonal suites from The O'Pears, and that makes me very happy. While I haven't listened to it all, yet, I'd already count "Stay Warm", "Ring The Bells" and "Lady Winter" as favorites. And, really, this album should have as much appeal to lovers of Indie Pop and Dream Pop as to those who love Americana, a cappella, Folk and Folk Pop. It's just really beautiful stuff.

1.   A Candle Burned
2.   Stay Warm
3.   Bleak Midwinter
4.   Lady Winter
5.   Silent Night
6.   Hearts Grow Fonder
7.   Find the Sun
8.   Gloria in Excelsis
9.   Jingle Jangle
10. Carol of the Bells
11. Ring the Bells
12. River

THE O'PEARS WEB SITE
PURCHASE FROM BANDCAMP
(Bandcamp listing in Canadian dollars)
PURCHASE FROM AMAZON

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A STUBBY'S HOUSE CHRISTMAS 2018

12/22/2018

7 Comments

UPDATE 12/23/18: Some readers report difficulty extracting the files. I have tried different compression software and different storage hosts than those linked herein, but with the same results on the other end. However, one reader who had difficulty with his "native" extraction software found success with something called 7-Zip. It's a Windows program and I barely know the MACs I've used all my life. But those with problems do seem to be Windows people (although some Windows people report no problem at all). The upshot is...try 7-Zip (it's free). And I apologize for the difficulties, if you've experienced them, even though it doesn't seem to be anything I'm doing or not doing. I just want you should have a Merry Christmas. Computers...can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em.

It's here! It's here! The moment I've...I mean you've...been waiting for. "A Stubby's House Christmas 2018" is finally ready for me...I mean everyone...to enjoy. Well, as ready as it's going to be. FWIW, "A Stubby's House Christmas" has never been posted earlier than December 21 (and that was 2013--the year we weren't here at all, if you recall). The 23rd seems to be the average. So we're actually early, sort of. Aside from the computer issues this year, I really enjoy making the Stubby's House mixes. They're the most fun and the most challenging mixes I do. This year, we're with MEGA, although, if you have trouble with them, we're also on dropbox.

By now, you know how this works. All of the songs, here, were available as free and legal downloads from the artists or labels and we've posted about them at some point during the year. The music, itself, doesn't have to be from this year (a few of these tracks go back to the 90s), so long as we spoke about it this year. I stay away from major artists, so you'll find no JD McPherson or Rodney Crowell or Lindsey Stirling or Old 97s or Mavericks or Sufjan on here, though we saw free music from all of those folks. That's just not how I roll. Who decides who is a "major artist"? I do. The music has been tagged and rolled up into a zip file along with all the artwork you'll need to create your own copy of "A Stubby's House Christmas 2018", should you so desire. And, you should know by now, clicking on any of the artwork in this post will take you to the download. The link goes up now and comes down at Midnight January 6th ("Little Christmas")...well, it'll be Midnight somewhere (I'm in North Carolina and it's usually up until 2 or 3 a.m. local time). Once it's down, it'll melt away like Frosty, never to be a snowman again. And the most important rule of all...they're my rules, so I get to break them.

First rule I get to break isn't really breaking a rule. Most years, we have a Stubby's House Exclusive, which is a song that was NOT available for free anywhere else. And this year's Stubby's House Exclusive happens to be a song that we haven't talked about this year. In fact, I'm told, it's a song that's never been released anywhere in any format. It's "All That Matters" from Marcel Kapteijn, our friend from the Netherlands whose album "Ding Dong Days" so impressed me earlier this year. "All That Matters" is, I think, a beautiful song. There's no sleigh bells or mentions of Santa, but it'll give you the Christmas feels and I think it should be especially poignant for fathers of daughters. And I'm honored that Marcel would allow Stubby's to be the first place in the world where you can download it.

My philosophy of Christmas music is that I like it all. I like the old, I like the new. I appreciate music that's entirely original and different, but I also want to hear "White Christmas" every now and then. I want something that sounds fresh enough that you could listen to it through the summer, but, if the end result doesn't make you feel like Christmas, then what's the point? And you already know I like Pop songs and Blues...and Jazz and Indie and different. And I get bored hearing the same sounds or genres for very long. The music on these Stubby's House Christmas mixes tends to be very organic. It goes where it wants to go. A perfect example is Andy Allo's "I'll Be Home For Christmas". Didn't matter where I tried to put it, it always ended up right before "Christmas In A Strip Club". That's where it wanted to be. I'd have to check previous volumes, but this particular mix is very secular. That's not by design, but was apparent to me early on. And they are designed to be played straight through (though Disc One meanders a bit) with no extra time between the tracks.

I usually like to tell you who almost made the cut, but this year was a little weird. A couple of tracks I wanted on here--"A Few Christmases Ago" by Ricky and "Christmas Eve In Cornwall" by Skazka Project--were quickly dispatched when I just couldn't get the sound to blend at all with anything else that was going on. Technically, the last song cut was one I never intended to be on the mix. Folk Angel's "Hark The Herald Angels Sing" was a placeholder, but I liked the tempo and feel enough that it just hung in there until the very end. Then there were the two songs that were put on at the very end and taken off just as quickly...neither of which we've spoken of this year. One was a Jazz/Funk "Little Drummer Boy" by Victor Jones (you'll find it here) that I loved, but I didn't love it 6 minutes worth. The other was "Christmas Is Here (And You're Not)" from Sheffield's Before Breakfast (here). Before Breakfast would have won the last spot, but for the easy fit of Ben Knight's "The Lament of Kevin McAllister", which was the final track added.

As usual, I struggled to get the volume of the songs in the same ballpark. I think I was doing well until the computer died. The speakers on this computer suck (I do have externals at the other place), I've had to find and learn all new software, and, to top it off, it seems as though the CD player in my car has decided to pack it in as well. So forgive any such issues, as well as typos or outright mistakes. Like maybe I confused Emma Rowley and Stacey Randol or something (I actually did that, though I think I caught it).

Quick updates of note. Nicholas Burgess has posted an instrumental version of "Xmas Gold". "The Xmasy of Gold" is name-your-price at Bandcamp and well worth downloading just for the bonus track, "The Ecstasy of Gold", which is freakin' gorgeous. Our old friends Kissing Party, while not on this collection, have a Kickstarter campaign on to put out another album. I love those guys (yes, enough to insert them in this post). Massive debts aside, I've rifling through the couch cushions as we speak. Campaign ends December 31. And don't forget their brilliant Christmas collection, "Winter In The Pub". And I finally found the web site for The Difference. Not only that, I found a video for "Always Christmas With You" which I'll throw between the tracklists for Disc One and Disc Two. Which reminds me...song titles below are linked to our write-ups and mentions while artist names are linked to their web sites or Facebook pages (where available).

Finally, I thought I'd try to do something different this year. I invited some friends and special guests along. I know there are going to be a bunch of people who are going to say, "Man, Stubby's gotta ruin everything". But, you know what? The music on "A Stubby's House Christmas 2018" is freely available (save one track). You're very intelligent people; I'm sure you can figure out how to "fix" what I did, if you don't like it. Oh, and the set closes with a "Bonus Track"--which is actually two tracks mixed together (poorly). You'll have to download the collection to find out what the Bonus Track is. But, if you don't like it--and if you don't mind profanity--I wouldn't be at all offended if you replaced it with "Dead Birds & The Virgin Mary" by Still A Great Night. Genius, and the best new Christmas song of the year, I think (but I was trying to keep it clean; silly Stubby).

So have at it. You've got better than two weeks to get your download on. [Links removed, as promised]. Remember, after January 6th, "A Stubby's House Christmas 2018" will be gone gone gone. Merry Christmas from me and Meowy Christmas from Missy Katz.

DISC ONE:
1. HIDDEN TRACK - PENNY FUSION
2. 2000 MILES - NIGHT FLOWERS
3. COME ON SANTA! - THE FLATMATES
4. ON THE FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS - GODDAMMIT JEREMIAH
5. WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS - PREDATOR DUB ASSASSINS
6. SLEIGH RIDE - ANALOG MONARCH
7. MELT THE HEART OF A SNOWMAN - STEVE KAROS
8. THE HOLIDAY SHIFT - HOT BREAKFAST!
9. HE CAME WITH THE SLEIGH - SPRAY
10. THE LAMENT OF KEVIN McALLISTER - BEN KNIGHT
11. FILTHY ANIMAL - CHAIR MODEL
12. CHRISTMAS BLUES - UNCLE ILLMO'S BAND
13. SNOWBANK - MEGAN NASH & BEARS IN HAZENMORE
14. I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS - ANDY ALLO
15. CHRISTMAS IN A STRIP CLUB - DAVID DEARNLEY
16. CORNDOGS FOR CHRISTMAS - JAKE DUDA BAND
17. IS IT STILL CHRISTMAS? - DEPRESSION GLASS
18. TWINKLE LIGHTS - SAM DeMARTINO
19. MS. CLAUS - THE GRAPES & FRIENDS
20. DRUNK AT THE OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY - BONUS POINTS
21. DONDE ESTA SANTA CLAUS - STACEY RANDOL
22. THAT'S WHAT I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS - LUCY LOCKWOOD

DISC TWO:
1. SANTA PLANET - NICHOLAS BURGESS
2. ON THE FIFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS - GODDAMMIT JEREMIAH
3. KERSTMIS OVERAL - FEEST DJ MAARTEN
4. CHRISTMAS CARD BLUES - JIM NELSON
5. FLEXIBLE FLYER - THE BRIXTON RIOT
6. (YOU COULD MAKE) AN ANGEL SIGH - THE LOLLIES
7. THE CHRISTMAS BLUES - MATT HUGHES
8. MERRY CHRISTMAS (I'M SORRY) - WHISPERHAWK
9. UNDER THE MISTLETOE - LES BICYCLETTES de BELSIZE
10. CHRISTMAS GREETINGS
11. MORE THAN A CHRISTMAS (Michael Buble vs. Boston) - VOICEDUDE
12. ALWAYS CHRISTMAS WITH YOU - THE DIFFERENCE
13. CROSS YOU OFF MY LIST - LOLA KIRKE
14. XMAS LIGHTS - DEXY
15. O HOLY NIGHT - THAT CELLO GUY (Cremaine Booker)
16. CHRISTMAS MUST BE TONIGHT - HIDDEN AGENDA DELUXE & OH SUSANNA
17. ALL THAT MATTERS - MARCEL KAPTEIJN (STUBBY'S HOUSE EXCLUSIVE!)
18. POEM AT YEAR'S END - SOFIA TALVIK
19. WHAT ARE YOU DOING NEW YEAR'S EVE? - EMMA ROWLEY
20. AWAY IN A SILENT NIGHT - JASON HOLLAR TRIO
21. BONUS TRACK

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CIGAR BOX NATION CHRISTMAS 2018

12/20/2018

2 Comments

Well, if you hadn't already surmised by the extended silence, my computer finally died. And look what got released almost as soon as I went down.

Anyone who has had a computer die on them probably understands that I feel like I'm having to learn everything from scratch, all over again. Software you trusted for years they either don't make anymore or they "improved" it (i.e. it no longer works). And I was so close to being done with the Stubby's House mix. Oh, I backed up enough that I'm determined to finish it before Christmas. It's just that what would have taken me maybe 6 more hours will probably now take me 6 days. Maybe. I dunno. Maybe I'm a fast learner. Eh, probably not. But, by God, it will get done, even if it's for Christmas in July.

So "Cigar Box Nation Christmas 2018". I haven't had a chance to listen in full, but, skipping around, it sounds like one of their most consistently listenable collections yet. Keep in mind that the Cigar Box Nation collection is the ultimate in DIY. These are folks who have built their guitars and banjos themselves, using old cigar boxes. And then, asked to come up with a Christmas song, they joyfully jump to the challenge. They write original songs, even though many of them are not songwriters. And they aren't booking studio time for these labors of love, so there's plenty of lo-fi. But don't let that scare you off, because there's lots of good stuff here.

I can't give you the track-by-track, but I will tell you that "Fruitcake For Christmas" by Jim Morris was one of my two favorites. My other favorite was Ben Knight's Home Alone inspired "The Lament of Kevin McAllister". There's some excellent Country Blues from Buggy and from Andries D. Eker. Cause The Blue Rat's "Christmas Party Every Day" is Electric Blues a la Fred Schneider of the B-52s. Cliff Wayne's "Cigar Box Heroes at Christmas" has the feel of 50s Rock n Roll. RTZGuitars' "We'll Dress The Tree" is sweet Folk. I loved the old time Country trip of "Reindeer Tracks" from Tory, Troy and Claudia Eckstein. And you know you can count on great music from Cigar Box Nation Christmas regulars Skeesix and Darren Rose. So go grab yourself a handful of homemade Christmas. It's free. Head to Cigar Box Nation to download "Cigar Box Nation Christmas 2018".

01. Rudolph The Snowflake Reindeer......BIG CHRIS & D'BARE BONES BAND
02. Bells on Christmas Eve.....................DEREK ROSE
03. Christmas Party Every Day................CAUSE THE BLUE RAT
04. Christmas Special.............................LOU and DEB LaMANNA
05. Fruitcake for Christmas.....................JIM MORRIS
06. Cigar Box Heroes at Christmas...........CLIFF WAYNE
07. Reindeer Tracks.................................TORY, TROY AND CLAUDIA ECKSTEIN
08. Christmas on Mars.............................DEREK ROSE
09. Across the Snowy Field......................HENRY LOWMAN
10. Coming Home For Christmas...............ANDRIES D. EKER
11. Green Smoke.....................................SKEESIX
12. Lightning In My Egg Nog ...................CLIFF WAYNE
13. Melody for the Tree............................BLUE FROG
14. Santa Blues.................................,......BUGGY
15. It's That Time of Year ........................GLENN KAISER
16. Ave Maria, where ya been so long?......RICHARD LEWIN
17. Christmas Wish...................................CLOTTO
18. December...........................................HENRY LOWMAN
19. The Lament of Kevin McCallister...........BEN KNIGHT
20. Christmas Song...................................SINGLE STRING SIDESHOW
21. Picking out a Tree................................RICHARD LEWIN
22. We'll Dress The Tree............................RTZGUITARS
23. Season's Carol.....................................ANDRIES D. EKER
24. Little Drummer Boy..............................SINGLE STRING SIDESHOW
25. We Wish You a MerryXmas...................MARKUS GAISER
26. Santa Watches You (Everyday).............JAMES CONDER
27. Silent Night Instrumental......................GLENN KAISER

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HO! HO! HO! CANADA 10

12/17/2018

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It probably says something sad and awful about my life that one of the items on my personal Bucket List is to listen to a "Ho Ho Ho Canada" release all the way through before Christmas. I'm usually too late and too busy to give the thing a proper listen until after the holidays. Well, at least I can cross that one off, now. I stalked the sucker, this year, haunting The Line of Best Fit's Twitter feed. So I knew when it was coming and I was ready.

1. Matthew Cardinal - Jan 8th
2. Beatrice Deer - Quviasuvvik Nallutimmi

HO! HO! HO! 10 at THE LINE OF BEST FIT
DOWNLOAD FREE AT BANDCAMP

3.   Begonia - It Won't Be Christmas ('Till You're Here)
4.   Kristian Noel Pedersen - December 1st, 2017
5.   Kalle Mattson - Twice The Gifts (Half The Love)
6.   Frontperson - Shorter Days (Winter Version)
7.   Megan Nash and Bears in Hazenmore - Snowbank
8.   Colyn Cameron - Golden State Address
9.   Late King Daisy - December 25th
10. respectfulchild - s.a.d
11. Jon Neher & Michael Scott Dawson - The Young Winter
12. Jesse Dandelion - Can I Call You On Christmas
13. Kashka - It's Winter Now
14. Hillsburn - Like The Winter (Revisited)
15. Whitehorse - Ho Ho Ho
16. Future States - That Time
17. Smaller Hearts - Christmas At Home
18. Graham Van Pelt - Snowball Fight With My 2 Best Friends
19. Bleu Nuit - Les Automobiles
20. Joshua Van Tassel - Winter

The Line of Best Fit is an online music magazine, mostly focused on new and alternative sounds. Me being the idiot I am and mostly knowing these folks from the annual "Ho Ho Ho Canada" releases, I have always assumed they were based in Canada. But, no, they're in the UK--London, to be precise (face meet palm).

FWIW, the British alternative scene gets plenty of coverage at Christmas, so it's cool that the annual Line of Best Fit holiday collection is a showcase for Canadian artists and bands. And many, if not most, of the songs on "Ho Ho Ho Canada" are recorded exclusively for this free compilation.

But lets start with a couple of the numbers that aren't exclusive. Begonia's "It Won't Be Christmas ('Till You're Here)" is one of those awesome singles I fully intended to include in one of our singles round-ups, but I never got to it. If I had a nickel for every single I didn't get to this year, I'd have a lot of nickels. In spite of the fact that the lyrics do a lot of check-listing, the fusion of Indie Pop and Motown Soul will win my heart every time.

Whitehorse had a remarkable Alt Rock Christmas album this year. In almost any other year, "A Whitehorse Winter Classic" would be the record everyone was buzzing about. But, in a year with holiday albums from Eric Clapton, JD McPherson, Rodney Crowell, Ingrid Michaelson, The Monkees, The Mavericks, The Old 97's, John Legend, PJ Morton and (God forgive me) William Shatner, not to mention...well, let's not. Point is, Whitehorse got a little lost in the shuffle. Or, in some cases, lost in the battle of the wallet. But "A Whitehorse Winter Classic" is still a great album. And it's going to still be a great album next year when...there can't possibly be as many "must buy" Christmas albums next year as there were this year, can there? Whitehorse just happened to have a song called "Ho Ho Ho". Wasn't that convenient? And, by the way, Whitehorse has their own Advent Calendar going on, so don't miss out on all the fun.

Kristian Noel Pedersen's "December 1st, 2017" is spritely Indie Pop on the subject of holiday shopping. As the title might suggest, this one's from 2017. After you listen, you're going to want to head over to Bandcamp and grab the name-your-price holiday album "December 1st, 2017" comes from...and all the previous volumes, as well. (And, as if that wasn't enough, Kristian's Christmas records tend to come out just a few days before Christmas...so keep an eye open for the 2018 edition.)

And, as someone who likes Christmas music from faraway lands, and that means music in languages I don't speak, how could I not love the Inuktitut version of "Christmas Time Is Here" from Beatrice Deer? The song was included on Beatrice's 2010 holiday album, "An Arctic Christmas", which is mostly in English but does include "Silent Night" and "O Holy Night" in the native tongue of the Inuk. "Quviasuvvik Nallutimmi" also got me to check out Beatrice Deer's latest full-length, "My All To You", and I was considerably smitten by the music. Just sayin'.

The rest of "Ho Ho Ho Canada 10" features everything from Ambient Electronica to Alt Folk and plenty of the Indie Pop and Indie Folk we've come to expect from The Line of Best Fit.

Kalle Mattson's "Twice The Gifts (Half The Love)" may be the first Christmas song written from the perspective of a child of divorce. Jesse Dandelion's lo-fi Electro Pop "Can I Call You For Christmas" is irresistibly delightful. There's Indie Folk from Hillsburn and lo-fi Indie Folk from Frontperson. If you're looking for something completely different, try "That Time" by the Art Pop band Future States or "Les Automobiles" from Post-Punkers Bleu Nuit. I never know whether Ambient music is good or not, but I do know what I like. And I like Joshua Van Tassel's "Winter", which closes "Ho Ho Ho Canada 10". Joshua doesn't call his music Ambient (which, I guess, further shows my lack of understanding of the genre), but "Winter" is very Vangelis.

My personal favorites (upon first listen) were "Snowbank" by Megan Nash and Bears in Hazenmore and "Christmas At Home" by Smaller Hearts. Yeah, I like that sort of thing so that's the sort of thing I like.

But there's plenty, here, to sink your teeth into and it's all a free gift from the artists and The Line of Best Fit. You can read about the artists and songs at the magazine's web site and you'll find the download on Bandcamp.

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A VERY BOOTIE CHRISTMAS 5

12/15/2018

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I've made no secret of how much I miss Santastic. I mean, look, Santastic has it's own tag, here. Sofia Talvik, whom I love dearly, doesn't have her own tag. Polaroid doesn't have it's own tag. But Santastic has it's own tag. I miss the merry Mash-up mirth of djBC. I miss my dear friend mojochronic.

But Mash-ups are still a thing. So let's have a Mash-up Christmas, just like we used to know.

"More Than A Christmas" is from Voicedude who was a regular on the Santastic compilations. He's also a regular on the Bootie Christmas comps. djBC, if I'm not mistaken, is east coast while Bootie is all the way on the other side of the country in San Francisco. Santastic was an every year proposition, with the last one assembled in 2015 (they're all still available for download, by the way...last I checked). djBC put up a whole bunch of his own on Soundcloud 2 years ago (a personal Best of), which I guess I missed. The Bootie folk only release Christmas collections once every three years. And 2018 just happens to be "A Very Bootie Christmas" year.

1. Oneboredjeu – Welcome To The Christmas Parade (My Chemical Romance vs. Mariah Carey)
2. DJ Dumpz – Last Christmas Without You (Pitbull vs. Usher vs. OneRepublic vs. Cascada + more)
3. DJ Morsy – Toxic X-Mas (Britney Spears vs. Jose Feliciano)
4. Sergio Billec – That’s One Bites For Christmas (Imagine Dragons vs. Queen vs. Bruno Mars vs. Alessia Cara vs. Chris Rea)
5. Voicedude – I Got Ho Ho Ho’s (Ludacris vs. Jackson 5)
6. DJ T-Bone – Mele Kalikimaka Bootie (Bubba Sparxxx vs. Jimmy Buffett)
7. DJ Axcess – One Day It’s Christmas (Matisyahu vs. Band Aid II)
8. Voicedude – More Than A Christmas (Boston vs. Michael Bublé)
9. DJ McFly – Party Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree (LMFAO vs. Brenda Lee)
10. Smash-Up Derby – Seven Nation Santa (Adrian A vs. White Stripes)
11. DJ McFly – Riders On The Sugar Plum (The Doors vs. The Nutcracker)
12. DJ Firth – Christmas Candy Shop (50 Cent vs. Wham!)
13. Voicedude – Last Breath (Backstreet Boys vs. The Police)
14. Voicedude – The Greatest Fa La La La (Sia vs. Justin Bieber vs. Boyz II Men)
15. DJ Pulse – Jingle Life (Zara Larsson vs. Jingle Bells)
16. Warezio – Countdown to Hallelujah (Europe vs. The Heavenly Hosts)

Given that there's been three years since either Santastic or Bootie did a Christmas comp, you'd think the cup would be overflowing. But Bootie is finding the same issues djBC did...people keep using the same songs. Bootie says the entirety of "A Very Bootie Christmas 5" could have been variations on Mariah Carey's standard, or Wham's. And I'll tell you, personally, I'm getting a little tired of young Michael Jackson shouting out that "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town". Honestly, you're never going to top "Imagine Santa" with that bit, so let's retire it, shall we?

But all that said, it's a damn fine feeling to experience an entire collection of merry mash-ups and bodacious boots again after a few years of having to hunt them up one at a time (and never finding very many).

Voicedude dominates "A Very Bootie Christmas 5" with fully 25% of the tracks thereon. But there's good reason for that. Voicedude does his thing every year, regardless of whether there's a comp or not. And he's one of the best. A lot of 'leggers merely lay the vocals of one track over the music of another. And that's fine, as far as it goes. But a true blender, like Voicedude, is going to create one song out of two (or more). "More Than A Christmas" is a perfect example of this. If I didn't know better, I'd swear that song was written and recorded that way from the start.

DJ McFly, who also used to turn up on Santastic, has two cuts on "A Very Bootie Christmas 5". Other Santastic regulars--like Cheekyboy, Divide and Kreate, ATOM, and mojochronic--aren't here, but then I don't know if they're still doing the Mash-up thing at all, anymore.

My favorites from "A Very Bootie Christmas" are two from Voicedude..."More Than A Christmas" and "I Got Ho Ho Ho's". There's no denying that DJ T-Bone's "Mele Kalikimaka Bootie" is fun. "One Day It's Christmas" from DJ Axcess works well. And "Welcome To The Christmas Parade" by Oneboredjeu is an appropriate lead-off track. Feel free to find your own favorites. You can download the entire "A Very Bootie Christmas 5" from the Bootie web site. You can also download the 4 previous volumes here. I still miss mojochronic. That man was a freakin' genius.

Since we're having a Mash-up party, there is one of the Santastic veterans still out there doing an annual Christmas thing who isn't on the Bootie set. DJ Schmolli's 2018 Yuletide Mashup is completely Santastic worthy. "Wonderful Christmas Drive to Hollis" features Sir Paul, The Cars, Run DMC, and a few others. It's brilliant. Download it free through Soundcloud. You'll also find some Christmas Mashups at Sowndhaus, though not much new for this year and the best of them have been comped already.

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A VERY BOOTIE CHRISTMAS 5

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