It's become one of our favorite holiday traditions, right up there with the Santastic series, and the 2012 Christmas album from Cigar Box Nation has finally arrived. This one's a huge mother--41 tracks in all, I think. Cigar Box Nation is an online community of musicians--professional and amateur--who prefer their music homemade and their instruments the same way. There's a long history of Cigar Box Guitar music in this country and these people keep that legacy alive. You don't need a Gibson or a Les Paul to make great music, so long as you've got an old cigar box and a couple of strings, you're golden. Of course, a lot of these cigar box instruments are a bit more elaborate than that--many electrified and what not. And the annual Christmas album features so many styles and sounds, that it's like opening the mystery present on Christmas morning, with plenty of oohs and aahs all round.
In the best of years, it takes me a long time to get through an entire Cigar Box Christmas album. But a quick hop, skip and jump through "Cigar Box Christmas 2012" reveals plenty of great music, starting with the killer opening Blues number, "Cigar Box Santa" from Mark "Fat Max" Hill. Ledfoot T provides a beautiful folk song about the famous "Christmas Truce 1914" (not quite John McCutcheon, but very fine in it's own right). And there's a rather affecting story-song about the same event, "Le Miracle De Noel" from c# merle. "Snowflakes In The Misty Village" is a sweet and lovely, nearly ambient, old world folk instrumental from SUGIMUGI. "Meansleeves" from The Anonymous Pick is an all too brief Heavy Metal riff that sounds like it came from a lost Black Sabbath session. I very much enjoyed Captain Nemoff's "Welcome To My Kitchen" (some old time country blues, that) and, though this year's set is a bit light on straight up pop, there's one wonderful pop track from Neanderpaul, "Christmas Only Comes One Day Of The Year" that, having grown up a Bubblegum Child, would make this set worthwhile to me all by its lonesome. There's some classic Lo-Fi old timey, some simple heartfelt homemade seasonal tributes, some classic blues rock that sounds like Jimi Hendrix jamming with Eric Clapton, some stuff just for fun, and no doubt some you may regard as clunkers. In short, "Cigar Box Christmas 2012" is a surprise Christmas party in a zip, and everybody's coming. Download it free at Cigar Box Nation.
In the best of years, it takes me a long time to get through an entire Cigar Box Christmas album. But a quick hop, skip and jump through "Cigar Box Christmas 2012" reveals plenty of great music, starting with the killer opening Blues number, "Cigar Box Santa" from Mark "Fat Max" Hill. Ledfoot T provides a beautiful folk song about the famous "Christmas Truce 1914" (not quite John McCutcheon, but very fine in it's own right). And there's a rather affecting story-song about the same event, "Le Miracle De Noel" from c# merle. "Snowflakes In The Misty Village" is a sweet and lovely, nearly ambient, old world folk instrumental from SUGIMUGI. "Meansleeves" from The Anonymous Pick is an all too brief Heavy Metal riff that sounds like it came from a lost Black Sabbath session. I very much enjoyed Captain Nemoff's "Welcome To My Kitchen" (some old time country blues, that) and, though this year's set is a bit light on straight up pop, there's one wonderful pop track from Neanderpaul, "Christmas Only Comes One Day Of The Year" that, having grown up a Bubblegum Child, would make this set worthwhile to me all by its lonesome. There's some classic Lo-Fi old timey, some simple heartfelt homemade seasonal tributes, some classic blues rock that sounds like Jimi Hendrix jamming with Eric Clapton, some stuff just for fun, and no doubt some you may regard as clunkers. In short, "Cigar Box Christmas 2012" is a surprise Christmas party in a zip, and everybody's coming. Download it free at Cigar Box Nation.
Mark "Fatt Max" Hill..............CIGAR BOX SANTA
Jim Junksville Sharkey.......JOLLY OLD ST. NICHOLAS
Captain Nemoff......................GREAT CHANGE
Bailey and Katfish.................AWAY IN A MANGER
Jamie MacBlues...................SILENT NIGHT
Leadfoot T...............................CHRISTMAS TRUCE 1914
SUGIMUGI................................SNOWFLAKES IN THE MISTY VILLAGE
Uncle John..............................LOOKING OUT AT THE WEATHER
c# merle..................................THE BALLAD OF BIG STEVE
407bug.....................................CHRISTMAS IS COMING !
RTZ GUITARS.........................JINGLE BELLS
SLOWPAW STEVE T with the Middlesex County Itinerate Hobo Gospel Choir....I SAW THREE SHIPS
FatBoy CooKen......................HOLIDAY CHEER
Linda Lou................................WHAT CHILD IS THIS?
Henry Strat-o-varius Lowman.............EADEM MUTATA RESURGO / SPIRITUS SANCTUS
The Anonymous Pick............MEANSLEEVES
Phillip Robert...........................HAPPY BIRTHDAY SANTA CLAUS
Dribbling Sidney.....................GRACE
Henry Strat-o-varius Lowman.............THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY
Habanera Hal..........................ODE TO JOY
c# merle.................................. LA MIRACLE DE NOEL
Captain Nemoff......................LET IT SHINE ON ME
Uncle John..............................LITTLE TOY TRAINS
Captain Nemoff......................WELCOME TO MY KITCHEN
Blind Pomegranate Harrison-Smythe...... The Hogfather Brings Great A'Tuin A Present
Mike "Katfish" Karash.........SILENT KNIGHT
Clock and His Wily Wolf.......SANTA DRIVES AN OLDSMOBILE
FatBoy CooKen.......................SANTA JAMS
Calim.........................................PETIT PAPA NOEL
Phillip Robert..........................(HE'S) COMING BACK AGAIN FOR CHRISTMAS
W.M. Peterson.......................SANTA CLAUS
Pinetree Joe...........................Deck the Halls (own lyrics)
Calim.........................................L'ABOMINABLE HOMME DE NEIGHES
Brickdust & Pyno...................CHRISTMAS CRACKER
NEANDERPAUL.......................CHRISTMAS ONLY COMES ONE DAY OF THE YEAR
JIM WOODS............................WATCHIN' OUT FOR SANTA
Ben Kepler .............................CHRISTMAS COAL
Cris Portillo Jr........................CHRISTMAS GHOST
Brian Hunt...............................O HOLY NIGHT
Mike Bingham.........................AULD LANG SYNE
RTZGUITARS...........................THE SILENT CHRISTMAS
Jim Junksville Sharkey.......JOLLY OLD ST. NICHOLAS
Captain Nemoff......................GREAT CHANGE
Bailey and Katfish.................AWAY IN A MANGER
Jamie MacBlues...................SILENT NIGHT
Leadfoot T...............................CHRISTMAS TRUCE 1914
SUGIMUGI................................SNOWFLAKES IN THE MISTY VILLAGE
Uncle John..............................LOOKING OUT AT THE WEATHER
c# merle..................................THE BALLAD OF BIG STEVE
407bug.....................................CHRISTMAS IS COMING !
RTZ GUITARS.........................JINGLE BELLS
SLOWPAW STEVE T with the Middlesex County Itinerate Hobo Gospel Choir....I SAW THREE SHIPS
FatBoy CooKen......................HOLIDAY CHEER
Linda Lou................................WHAT CHILD IS THIS?
Henry Strat-o-varius Lowman.............EADEM MUTATA RESURGO / SPIRITUS SANCTUS
The Anonymous Pick............MEANSLEEVES
Phillip Robert...........................HAPPY BIRTHDAY SANTA CLAUS
Dribbling Sidney.....................GRACE
Henry Strat-o-varius Lowman.............THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY
Habanera Hal..........................ODE TO JOY
c# merle.................................. LA MIRACLE DE NOEL
Captain Nemoff......................LET IT SHINE ON ME
Uncle John..............................LITTLE TOY TRAINS
Captain Nemoff......................WELCOME TO MY KITCHEN
Blind Pomegranate Harrison-Smythe...... The Hogfather Brings Great A'Tuin A Present
Mike "Katfish" Karash.........SILENT KNIGHT
Clock and His Wily Wolf.......SANTA DRIVES AN OLDSMOBILE
FatBoy CooKen.......................SANTA JAMS
Calim.........................................PETIT PAPA NOEL
Phillip Robert..........................(HE'S) COMING BACK AGAIN FOR CHRISTMAS
W.M. Peterson.......................SANTA CLAUS
Pinetree Joe...........................Deck the Halls (own lyrics)
Calim.........................................L'ABOMINABLE HOMME DE NEIGHES
Brickdust & Pyno...................CHRISTMAS CRACKER
NEANDERPAUL.......................CHRISTMAS ONLY COMES ONE DAY OF THE YEAR
JIM WOODS............................WATCHIN' OUT FOR SANTA
Ben Kepler .............................CHRISTMAS COAL
Cris Portillo Jr........................CHRISTMAS GHOST
Brian Hunt...............................O HOLY NIGHT
Mike Bingham.........................AULD LANG SYNE
RTZGUITARS...........................THE SILENT CHRISTMAS
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