Good Sunday to ya. Did you remember to change your clocks? I never do. So half the year I'm early and half the year I'm late. And I kinda like it like that. Just a quick bit of housekeeping. I still haven't done so with last year's stuff, but I did move this year's reviews to the Reviews page (except for the NOLA Players right below, but they'll get over there, too, at some point. Now when I say "moved", I didn't actually move anything. For labels and artists, whatever link you've used, if any, will still work. But it's easier to find things (like your review) on the Reviews page for people who otherwise wouldn't know about it. Stuff can kinda get buried on the front page after a while. Now back to the show.
I don't know if I've ever come across Mike Adams At His Honest Weight before. In this case, it worked out well for me because I came into his cover of "Old Toy Trains" with no expectations. Mike's usual sound (at least what I've sampled so far) is much more in an Indie Rock and Pop bag. Brooklyn Vegan described it as "left-of-the-dial pop music" and that's a brilliant description. Wish I'd said it. Great stuff, mind you--but quite a bit different than the stripped down feel on this gorgeous cover of the Roger Miller classic.
Turns out that Mike is a huge Roger Miller fan. The folks at Flannelgraph Records gave Mike the opportunity to record a Christmas song and there was no other choice to be made. As in the world of Dirk Gently (oh, hell, yeah, I'm watching that), everything is connected. We already knew wrestler Mick Foley was a Christmas music obsessive and he says "Old Toy Trains" is either his favorite or second favorite Christmas song of all time. So Flannelgraph gave Mick the B-side to chat about it.
Turns out that Mike is a huge Roger Miller fan. The folks at Flannelgraph Records gave Mike the opportunity to record a Christmas song and there was no other choice to be made. As in the world of Dirk Gently (oh, hell, yeah, I'm watching that), everything is connected. We already knew wrestler Mick Foley was a Christmas music obsessive and he says "Old Toy Trains" is either his favorite or second favorite Christmas song of all time. So Flannelgraph gave Mick the B-side to chat about it.
Put it all together, press it to limited edition red and green with snowflake splatter vinyl and, son, you've got yourself a Christmas single. The song is short, certainly, but beautifully done. I fell in love with it immediately. And just look at that purdy vinyl. Whoo-wee! And, just so you know, profits from the single will be going to Toys For Tots (exactly as they should). The pressing is limited to 529 (which may or may not be a significant number). You can certainly get the digital version, if you prefer. You'll find both on Bandcamp.
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