I think I need to unionize. It's Thanksgiving weekend and everybody gets time off except the Christmas music bloggers. So much Christmas music, so little time.
First up, I wanted to tell those who aren't aware that our friends over at Merry & Bright are doing a giveaway (maybe more coming from them as well). The CDs they're giving away right now are "Christmastime In New Orleans" by the NOLA Players. Y'all remember how much I loved that one, right? There is a little "skill" test required, but its real real easy. Evan an idiot like me could do it. So head on over to Merry & Bright for the full skinny and maybe win yourself a free CD. I think you have until December 4 (since the winner will be announced on the 5th). Just take care of it today and you won't have to worry about when it ends. It'll only take you a couple of minutes, I swear.
First up, I wanted to tell those who aren't aware that our friends over at Merry & Bright are doing a giveaway (maybe more coming from them as well). The CDs they're giving away right now are "Christmastime In New Orleans" by the NOLA Players. Y'all remember how much I loved that one, right? There is a little "skill" test required, but its real real easy. Evan an idiot like me could do it. So head on over to Merry & Bright for the full skinny and maybe win yourself a free CD. I think you have until December 4 (since the winner will be announced on the 5th). Just take care of it today and you won't have to worry about when it ends. It'll only take you a couple of minutes, I swear.
If you've stopped by the Free List recently, you might have noticed I was lamenting the lack of Rock freebies. Well, no sooner said than... And the two we'll be pointing you to, right now, are so good that I've got to front page them. (This is not to say you shouldn't also visit the Free page. Plenty of activity back there lately). First up is the new collection from InVogue Records, "Happy Holidays, I Miss You".
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1. In Her Own Words – Yule Shoot Your Eye Out
2. Chase Huglin – Christmas Eve / Pierceton Queen 3. Hotel Books – Christmas Eve Until I Leave 4. JT Woodruff – Down Patton Hill (Christmas ’85) 5. Woven In Hiatus – Joy 6. Mark Rose – It Won’t Be Long Now 7. Convictions – Memories In The Attic 8. Mirror Eyes – Of All The Charlie Browns In The World, I’m The Charlie Browniest 9. Punchline – I Always See You In December 10. September Stories – Christmas ’12 11. Courage My Love – Last Christmas DOWNLOAD AT BANDCAMP PURCHASE CD (of 100) AT INVOGUE RECORDS |
COURAGE MY LOVE
InVogue Records specializes in Alt Rock, Hardcore and Pop Punk and they've got 11 tracks from their roster of artists that are both diverse and damn good. A Parental Advisory is in play for some of these songs. Just sayin'. For a number of years in the aughts, Pop Punk has been one of the more dominant of Rock styles. Which makes a certain kind of sense when you think about the kind of music a lot of younger folks would want to play. Pop Punk was this generation's Garage Rock. The thing is when you listen to that many Pop Punk Christmas tunes, you start to notice that a lot of them sound alike and there isn't that much depth to the lyrics. Again, just sayin'. You get the occasional absolutely brilliant, sure to be a staple of the season for decades to come tune (like Fall Out Boy's "Yule Shoot Your Eye Out"), but most of it is like cotton candy--looks pretty, tastes sweet, but there's not much more to it than air and sugar. "Happy Holidays, I Miss You" is not restricted to just Pop Punk, but the Pop Punk that's there, for the most part, has real substance to it...in both the musical structure and lyrics.
"Happy Holidays, I Miss You" is bookended with well known covers (In Her Own Words do Fall Out Boy's classic and Courage My Love has a stab at "Last Christmas". I won't swear that the rest are originals, but they sounded fresh and new to me. They run the gamut between festive joy and somber disillusionment. The two tracks that most stand out are likely Convictions' Hardcore "Memories In The Attic" (a Christian band, they describe their sound as "Aggressive Worship") and "Christmas Eve Until I Leave" from Hotel Books which is Slam Poetry that is entrancing and irresistible. In the latter, we get ruminations on where Christmas all went wrong...and I can't disagree that "we've missed the point." "Maybe every night deserves a little silence, not just the one weekend of the year." Bravo. Well said. The group Punchline is a veteran of the annual Christmas song thing and they bring their "A" game. And how can you not love a tune with the title, "Of All The Charlie Browns In The World, "I'm The Charlie Browniest"?
Best of all, "Happy Holidays, I Miss You" can be yours as a name-your-price download via Bandcamp. The label seems aware that people will take advantage of a free download, but they are also trying to raise money for charity. The brother of the vocalist for In Her Own Words died of a rare form of liver cancer several years back and money raised through Bandcamp until New Years Day will be donated to the scholarship fund that was begun in Jason Wilhelm's honor.
Now...you say you want hard copy? The label is selling precisely 100 CDs of "Happy Holidays, I Miss You". As the album was on pre-sale for awhile (it officially released on Friday), I wouldn't waste any time hustling over to the InVogue web store.
"Happy Holidays, I Miss You" is bookended with well known covers (In Her Own Words do Fall Out Boy's classic and Courage My Love has a stab at "Last Christmas". I won't swear that the rest are originals, but they sounded fresh and new to me. They run the gamut between festive joy and somber disillusionment. The two tracks that most stand out are likely Convictions' Hardcore "Memories In The Attic" (a Christian band, they describe their sound as "Aggressive Worship") and "Christmas Eve Until I Leave" from Hotel Books which is Slam Poetry that is entrancing and irresistible. In the latter, we get ruminations on where Christmas all went wrong...and I can't disagree that "we've missed the point." "Maybe every night deserves a little silence, not just the one weekend of the year." Bravo. Well said. The group Punchline is a veteran of the annual Christmas song thing and they bring their "A" game. And how can you not love a tune with the title, "Of All The Charlie Browns In The World, "I'm The Charlie Browniest"?
Best of all, "Happy Holidays, I Miss You" can be yours as a name-your-price download via Bandcamp. The label seems aware that people will take advantage of a free download, but they are also trying to raise money for charity. The brother of the vocalist for In Her Own Words died of a rare form of liver cancer several years back and money raised through Bandcamp until New Years Day will be donated to the scholarship fund that was begun in Jason Wilhelm's honor.
Now...you say you want hard copy? The label is selling precisely 100 CDs of "Happy Holidays, I Miss You". As the album was on pre-sale for awhile (it officially released on Friday), I wouldn't waste any time hustling over to the InVogue web store.
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1. Christmas Snowflakes on the Autobahn — Steven Drozd
2. Kissmas — Munch 3. Holiday Party — Chelsey Cope 4. Christmas Spirits — Brinka 5. Back for Christmas — Andrew Belle 6. Ave Maria — Boondice 7. All I Want For Christmas — Prettyboy 8. The Holidays Have Changed — Boondice 9. Behold — Brinka 10. Holiday — Labrys 11. Ice Icicles — Boondice DOWNLOAD AT BANDCAMP |
One of the annual Christmas presents we very much look forward to is the Blackwatch Christmas collection. Blackwatch is a recording studio in Oklahoma and, in cooperation with Fowler VW, they put together the collection which is always free to download and, if you happen to be in Oklahoma, you can even pick up the vinyl (limited to 500 copies) FREE, (yeah, you heard right--at least that's what NewsOK says) at Fowler VW. Nonetheless, they do raise money from the collection and from the live show (December 9 this year, I think) and 100% of the money raised goes to help fund music programs in the Norman, Oklahoma Public Schools.
This is year 6 of the tradition and so, therefore, we are celebrating "A Blackwatch Christmas, Volume VI". Kicking the album off in style is Steven Drozd, the multi-instrumentalist from the Flaming Lips. I was really taken with "Kissmas" by Munch and prematurely labeled it the best track on the album. Then I heard Chelsey Cope's "Holiday Party" and it was "Munch who now?" Always good to see free Christmas music from Andrew Belle and this one, "Back For Christmas", is one of his best. Prettyboy brings the high energy of a six-pack of Red Bull to his version of Mariah's "All I Want For Christmas Is You". And, for my pal Jim of Christmas Underground, Labrys delivers a Dream Pop "Holiday". Additionally, there's some Electronica, a bit of Ambient, and Boondice's Synth Pop "Ice Icicles" sounds like perfect soundtrack music for a "Beverly Hills Cop" movie.
If you can't make it to Oklahoma to grab a free piece of vinyl, you can certainly make it as far as Bandcamp to download the set. And, if you missed any of the earlier volumes in the series, they're still there on Bandcamp and they're still free. So just do it.
This is year 6 of the tradition and so, therefore, we are celebrating "A Blackwatch Christmas, Volume VI". Kicking the album off in style is Steven Drozd, the multi-instrumentalist from the Flaming Lips. I was really taken with "Kissmas" by Munch and prematurely labeled it the best track on the album. Then I heard Chelsey Cope's "Holiday Party" and it was "Munch who now?" Always good to see free Christmas music from Andrew Belle and this one, "Back For Christmas", is one of his best. Prettyboy brings the high energy of a six-pack of Red Bull to his version of Mariah's "All I Want For Christmas Is You". And, for my pal Jim of Christmas Underground, Labrys delivers a Dream Pop "Holiday". Additionally, there's some Electronica, a bit of Ambient, and Boondice's Synth Pop "Ice Icicles" sounds like perfect soundtrack music for a "Beverly Hills Cop" movie.
If you can't make it to Oklahoma to grab a free piece of vinyl, you can certainly make it as far as Bandcamp to download the set. And, if you missed any of the earlier volumes in the series, they're still there on Bandcamp and they're still free. So just do it.
1 Martin Cilia - Christmas In July
2 Los Straitjackets - Groovy Old St Nick
3 The Beagles - Snoopy’s Christmas
4 Meshugga Beach Party - Hot Rod Hannukah
5 Black Flamingos - How The Gurch Stole Christmas
6 The Barbary Coasters - Lump Of Coal
7 Twang-O-Matics - Staffan var en stalledräng
8 Urban Surf Kings - I Saw Three Ships (Mr. Rebel Version)
9 Fronkensteen - Nutty Sweet
10 Aqualads - Angels We Have Heard On High
11 The Ogres - Xmas Is A Bust
12 The TakeOffs - Santa Claus Is Coming To Surf
13 The Other Timelines - Public Access Christmas Special
14 The Kanaloas - X-Mas Palm Tree
15 The Falcons - Ye Merry Gentlemen
16 Crazy Aces - Crazy AceMas
17 The TomorrowMen with E-Rock - Friends (At Christmas Time) PURCHASE FROM DOUBLE CROWN
18 Travelers Of Tyme - Dance Of The Sugarplum Fairy
19 Tiki Joe’s Ocean - Jingle Bells
20 Whoa Nellie! Vera & Johnny - Little Johnny Got a Japanese Guitar for Christmas
2 Los Straitjackets - Groovy Old St Nick
3 The Beagles - Snoopy’s Christmas
4 Meshugga Beach Party - Hot Rod Hannukah
5 Black Flamingos - How The Gurch Stole Christmas
6 The Barbary Coasters - Lump Of Coal
7 Twang-O-Matics - Staffan var en stalledräng
8 Urban Surf Kings - I Saw Three Ships (Mr. Rebel Version)
9 Fronkensteen - Nutty Sweet
10 Aqualads - Angels We Have Heard On High
11 The Ogres - Xmas Is A Bust
12 The TakeOffs - Santa Claus Is Coming To Surf
13 The Other Timelines - Public Access Christmas Special
14 The Kanaloas - X-Mas Palm Tree
15 The Falcons - Ye Merry Gentlemen
16 Crazy Aces - Crazy AceMas
17 The TomorrowMen with E-Rock - Friends (At Christmas Time) PURCHASE FROM DOUBLE CROWN
18 Travelers Of Tyme - Dance Of The Sugarplum Fairy
19 Tiki Joe’s Ocean - Jingle Bells
20 Whoa Nellie! Vera & Johnny - Little Johnny Got a Japanese Guitar for Christmas
Our friends at Double Crown Records are back with their fourth platter of Christmas delights, "Seasonal Favorites, Vol. 4". Double Crown specialize in Surf but they've been known to dabble in other retro styles. Take Tiki Joe's Ocean. They're one of the best Lounge/Exotica bands currently in circulation. As with the other "Seasonal Favorites" albums, some of these tracks are old favorites and some are newly recorded specifically for this release. In the former category, we've got some blasts from the past from The Barbary Coasters, Los Straitjackets, The Falcons and Meshugga Beach Party (Hanukkah alert!). Some of the bands providing fresh waves are The Beagles, The Other Timelines, The Ogres, Twang-O-Matics and the Black Flamingos (if you didn't catch their "How The Gurch Stole Christmas" when we featured it earlier, go have a listen).
You should purchase "Seasonal Favorites, Vol. 4" direct from Double Crown and, while you're over there, be aware that their Black Friday sale runs through Monday. We're talking 35% off orders of $20 or more. (I'd make a Crazy Eddie joke in here, but who even remembers him?) And many of their releases are already on sale, so toss 35% more on top of that and, hello, Merry Christmas. So big big savings can be yours and you won't even have to trample your fellow man or woman to death in the mosh pit of holiday shopping at the brick and mortar stores. Details are right there on Double Crowns' home page (pst-the secret woid is BLACKFRI).
You should purchase "Seasonal Favorites, Vol. 4" direct from Double Crown and, while you're over there, be aware that their Black Friday sale runs through Monday. We're talking 35% off orders of $20 or more. (I'd make a Crazy Eddie joke in here, but who even remembers him?) And many of their releases are already on sale, so toss 35% more on top of that and, hello, Merry Christmas. So big big savings can be yours and you won't even have to trample your fellow man or woman to death in the mosh pit of holiday shopping at the brick and mortar stores. Details are right there on Double Crowns' home page (pst-the secret woid is BLACKFRI).
One last brief bit of business before we call it a night. The Christmas single from The Empty Hearts is not only out and brilliant, it's available on hard copy CD from the band, though it won't ship until mid-December. I do like my hard copy. You can get it regular or you can get it signed. Different prices. Your choice.
I really like the "B" side.
I really like the "B" side.
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