Remember I said I was down to one on-line distribution catalog? Yeah, well, they stopped posting in June. *sigh* Anyway, things are starting to heat up a bit, right now. So we have to do a bit of Christmas Catch Up. Pay attention and you might even find another free download in this post.
Rolling Stone reports that the Alt Country band Old 97's have recorded a Christmas album--their first. The band previously recorded "Holly Jolly Christmas" for a local artist album in 1995. It later turned up on an Elektra promotional CD in 1998. Then there was the digital single "Here It Is Christmas Time" in 2007, which found it's way to the album "An Americana Christmas" in 2014. So, apparently, the Old 97s get the Yuletide spirit about every twelve years. Or at least frontman Rhett Miller does. As reported by Rolling Stone, Rhett says "It was pulling teeth to get my band to go along with this idea, just because they’re ornery." Rhett says the album consists of 9 original songs, all of which he wrote or co-wrote. The album's title is "Love The Holidays", which is also the title of one of the songs on the record. (Whoops! Looks like I missed one. Apparently, the Old 97's also recorded "I'll Be Home For Christmas", which appears on the 2003 CD "Holy Cow Christmas". It's not in my collection and I did not know that.)
Rolling Stone reports that the Alt Country band Old 97's have recorded a Christmas album--their first. The band previously recorded "Holly Jolly Christmas" for a local artist album in 1995. It later turned up on an Elektra promotional CD in 1998. Then there was the digital single "Here It Is Christmas Time" in 2007, which found it's way to the album "An Americana Christmas" in 2014. So, apparently, the Old 97s get the Yuletide spirit about every twelve years. Or at least frontman Rhett Miller does. As reported by Rolling Stone, Rhett says "It was pulling teeth to get my band to go along with this idea, just because they’re ornery." Rhett says the album consists of 9 original songs, all of which he wrote or co-wrote. The album's title is "Love The Holidays", which is also the title of one of the songs on the record. (Whoops! Looks like I missed one. Apparently, the Old 97's also recorded "I'll Be Home For Christmas", which appears on the 2003 CD "Holy Cow Christmas". It's not in my collection and I did not know that.)
We've got a Christmas album coming from The McCrary Sisters, a Roots Gospel singing group. Now you might be thinking, "Gospel? I've got The Blind Boys of Alabama Christmas CD. That's all I need. Leave me alone." Well, there's Gospel and then there's--Great God A'mighty--GOSPEL! I have heard "Amazing Grace" close to a million times (I might be exaggerating) and never much cared for the song. The McCrary Sisters turn that worn out hymn into a full-on Blues tour de force. This has got more than a little of that "House of The Rising Sun" sound to it. Check it out.
Can I get an amen? Amen! Now that's what I'm talkin' bout. Makes you want to drop to your knees and shout Hallelujah (or get to your feet and shout Encore....either way).
Daughters of a former Baptist minister (who was also a founding member of the Fairfield Four), The McCrary Sisters formed their group in 2010 (Beverly Ann McCrary was already an accomplished session vocalist while Regina toured with Bob Dylan in the 80s). They've released four albums to date, with 2015's "Let's Go" and 2017's "Live" CD and DVD being their most recent. Their live shows often play out like the variety shows of old with humor sprinkled throughout and with plenty of guest performers. One of the things the Nashville based McCrarys do every year is their "McCrary Kind of Christmas" show. So I'd imagine, by now, they know what songs they want to sing and just how to sing them. And there'll be some outside talent on the Christmas album, too. The guest artists are said to include Keb Mo, Shirley Caesar, and Alison Krauss. There's certainly a chance the Christmas record won't be finished in time for this holiday season, but, man, I sure hope it is. (I'm prayin', Lord. Let the McCrary Sisters Christmas album arrive this year.) If you have any lingering doubts that The McCrary Sisters will appeal to everyone on your Christmas card list, check out this performance of "Let It Go" (not a Christmas song) on YouTube.
Daughters of a former Baptist minister (who was also a founding member of the Fairfield Four), The McCrary Sisters formed their group in 2010 (Beverly Ann McCrary was already an accomplished session vocalist while Regina toured with Bob Dylan in the 80s). They've released four albums to date, with 2015's "Let's Go" and 2017's "Live" CD and DVD being their most recent. Their live shows often play out like the variety shows of old with humor sprinkled throughout and with plenty of guest performers. One of the things the Nashville based McCrarys do every year is their "McCrary Kind of Christmas" show. So I'd imagine, by now, they know what songs they want to sing and just how to sing them. And there'll be some outside talent on the Christmas album, too. The guest artists are said to include Keb Mo, Shirley Caesar, and Alison Krauss. There's certainly a chance the Christmas record won't be finished in time for this holiday season, but, man, I sure hope it is. (I'm prayin', Lord. Let the McCrary Sisters Christmas album arrive this year.) If you have any lingering doubts that The McCrary Sisters will appeal to everyone on your Christmas card list, check out this performance of "Let It Go" (not a Christmas song) on YouTube.
Around here, we love our vinyl and we love our singles and this one is both. Making it's way to Amazon September 7 is the Horror Punk split 7"--"Christmas Classics"--from Maryland's Snubbed Records featuring The Independents and The Alements. Technically, this was released in December 2017, but I wasn't around and it doesn't look like it made it to any of the major outlets (Amazon, CD Universe, etc.) until this year. Each band gets two tracks--an original and a cover--and the whole shootin' match is pressed to festive green vinyl. (That reminds me....I wonder what our friends at Snowflakes Singles are planning for this year.) Anyway, we are fortunate in that The Independents posted a demo version of their original, "Ho Ho Ho - What A Party", back in 2013. And it sounds eminently mixtape worthy.
More Crowdfunding Christmas next. Johnny Hiland is a blind guitarist and singer/songwriter known for his "chicken pickin'" guitar style and his ecclectic mix of Blues, Rock, Country and Western Swing. Call it Americana, call it whatever you like, the dude is pretty awesome. Johnny is currently trying to raise funding to record two albums...a Gospel set and a Christmas album...with the hopes that both will be completed by this December. Johnny's campaign is hosted by Indiegogo. Unlike Kickstarter, Indiegogo is not an all or nothing platform. Whatever you pledge, they get (and they are expected to fulfill their obligations to you, as well). I've shied away from Indiegogo in recent years (I have my reasons). But, for Johnny Hiland, hellz yeah, I can make an exception. (Please note that not all perks are postage paid.) You've got about a month left to help Johnny reach his Indiegogo goal.
If you're a dedicated Christmas music hunter, you're probably already aware of Johnny's 2015 holiday single, "Chicken Pickin' Jingle Bells". And, if you're not, you can check it out below and head here for the free download. (You can also hear Johnny with the Hues Trio on this free Bandcamp download of "Blue Christmas".)
If you're a dedicated Christmas music hunter, you're probably already aware of Johnny's 2015 holiday single, "Chicken Pickin' Jingle Bells". And, if you're not, you can check it out below and head here for the free download. (You can also hear Johnny with the Hues Trio on this free Bandcamp download of "Blue Christmas".)
SARAH SMITH (I do love this picture)
Here's a tip for those of you younger cats and kittens dreaming of musical stardom. Before you choose your stage name or band name, go over to Wikipedia and type it in. If there's more than a couple items in the "disambiguation", choose something else. Yeah, I don't care if it is your real name, choose something else. That's right, I'm looking at you, Sarah Smith.
I confess, while I'm fairly knowledgeable about Christmas music, there's a good possibility I've never heard of you if you've never done a Christmas record...no matter how big you are. So, after several wrong turns, I discover that Sarah Smith is a Canadian Rock artist who fronted the group The Joys (also a bad choice for a band name) for several years before going solo. I say Rock artist because that's how she's described by others. Alt Rock might be more fitting. There's a fair dose of Folk Rock and Americana in her music, as well. First impression, she reminded me of Melissa Etheridge, musically (no offense intended to either).
Sarah's been writing and recording Christmas songs this summer for an album that should see release in the fall. I'm quite curious to hear what she comes up with, given my lack of familiarity. And I wouldn't be surprised to see some artists I am familiar with turning up as guests on the recording. I'm going to point you to Sarah's website and her YouTube channel...just to make sure you get a chance to check out the correct Sarah Smith. As for a video, I could only find one Christmas one (with reasonable sound quality) featuring Sarah and its not really representative of her more rocking catalog. It's also not available for purchase or download, so far as I can tell (Lordy, I hate streams). But it is a nice song, nicely done. Written by Glenn Bennett and sung here by Sarah Smith and Doug Varty, here's "When The Lights Come On At Christmas".
I confess, while I'm fairly knowledgeable about Christmas music, there's a good possibility I've never heard of you if you've never done a Christmas record...no matter how big you are. So, after several wrong turns, I discover that Sarah Smith is a Canadian Rock artist who fronted the group The Joys (also a bad choice for a band name) for several years before going solo. I say Rock artist because that's how she's described by others. Alt Rock might be more fitting. There's a fair dose of Folk Rock and Americana in her music, as well. First impression, she reminded me of Melissa Etheridge, musically (no offense intended to either).
Sarah's been writing and recording Christmas songs this summer for an album that should see release in the fall. I'm quite curious to hear what she comes up with, given my lack of familiarity. And I wouldn't be surprised to see some artists I am familiar with turning up as guests on the recording. I'm going to point you to Sarah's website and her YouTube channel...just to make sure you get a chance to check out the correct Sarah Smith. As for a video, I could only find one Christmas one (with reasonable sound quality) featuring Sarah and its not really representative of her more rocking catalog. It's also not available for purchase or download, so far as I can tell (Lordy, I hate streams). But it is a nice song, nicely done. Written by Glenn Bennett and sung here by Sarah Smith and Doug Varty, here's "When The Lights Come On At Christmas".
I've long been baffled by Amazon's search engine (the digital more so than the CD & Vinyl). I mean, you'd think if you search for "Christmas", you'd get every album with "Christmas" in the title. But noooo. Include any other word and you get a whole different selection of albums with "Christmas" in the title. This is what happened when I was checking to see if the Snubbed 7" had gotten a digital listing at Amazon last December. I searched for "The Independents" "Christmas" and this EP, showing an April 2018 release date, showed up. The EP is titled "Rockin' Rhinos Christmas Cracker" so why didn't it ever turn up in a simple search for "Christmas"? *sigh*
Anyway, the Rockin' Rhinos are, ostensibly, a Rock/Punk/Ska band for the younger set. I mean the really younger set. Like 7 years old and under. They dress up like animals and cavort for the little tykes. But they're a kids band that adults can enjoy--a kid's band, as they themselves say, "for parents who would cheerfully strangle a Wiggle or condemn Barney The Dinosaur back to extinction." In all likelihood, "Rockin' Rhinos Christmas Cracker" was released across the pond in 2017 (though I don't know that for sure), but I'll take the April 2018 Amazon listing as enough excuse to rant about search engines and mention it here. Not sure all of the 5 tracks are holiday-centric, but at least three are. The album opens with a Punk Rock "Silent Night" and ends with a Rock Steady "Shepherd's Delight". Inbetween is this Pop-ish "Best Wishes", which we'll close with today. Note: there are 9 "animals" in the band, but only 2 in the video.
Anyway, the Rockin' Rhinos are, ostensibly, a Rock/Punk/Ska band for the younger set. I mean the really younger set. Like 7 years old and under. They dress up like animals and cavort for the little tykes. But they're a kids band that adults can enjoy--a kid's band, as they themselves say, "for parents who would cheerfully strangle a Wiggle or condemn Barney The Dinosaur back to extinction." In all likelihood, "Rockin' Rhinos Christmas Cracker" was released across the pond in 2017 (though I don't know that for sure), but I'll take the April 2018 Amazon listing as enough excuse to rant about search engines and mention it here. Not sure all of the 5 tracks are holiday-centric, but at least three are. The album opens with a Punk Rock "Silent Night" and ends with a Rock Steady "Shepherd's Delight". Inbetween is this Pop-ish "Best Wishes", which we'll close with today. Note: there are 9 "animals" in the band, but only 2 in the video.
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