Category:

Stubbys House of Christmas

BLACKLIST ROYALS & RED CITY RADIO - A VAGABOND CHRISTMAS SONG

1/1/2013

Blacklist Royals & Red City Radio - A Vagabond Christmas Song by paper + plastick

We've heard from the Blacklist Royals before. Back in 2010, they offered up an acoustic track, "Baby It's Christmas" as a free download. This time out, they've teamed up with Red City Radio and released "A Vagabond Christmas Song" as a free download. I was trying to think of a way to describe the sound of the Blacklist Royals when I came across a blog I'd never seen before...Celtic Folk Punk. Well, that's the name of the blog (I gotz me sum new readin' to do, now), but I think it fairly describes the Blacklist Royals as well. "A Vagabond Christmas Song" is very cool, indeed, and I think you should get it while the getting's good. Add it to your cart at Paper + Plastick, enter your name and email address, and they'll send you the link to the free download.

BRION RIBORN - FORGOTTEN MEMORIES (AULD LANG SYNE)

12/31/2012

Michigan Roots artist Brion Riborn recorded his non-traditional traditional holiday songs back around 2008 and 2009, releasing the songs as a series of digital singles. But those singles have not been widely available except through his web site. Now a bit more established, Brion has released a pair of these (along with "Where Shadows Lie", a song he says is a Hobbit song) as a 3-song name-your-price download at Bandcamp. Better yet, the complete set of holiday tracks is available through Noisetrade. Brion's take on the holiday season is, like Michigan, more icy cold than celebratory. For example, in "I Still Haven't Found The Silent Night", after spinning through the original carol, Brion launches into a bit of U2's "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For". It's chilling, pleading and desperate. Call it a Folk mashup, whatever you call it, it's effective. And, on Brion's "Forgotten Memories", he does much the same with "Auld Lang Syne", imploring us to "celebrate and remember. But don't look back, never look back." If you need an original Americana take on "Auld Lang Syne", grab Brion's at Bandcamp. Better yet, grab all of Brion's seasonal sides via Noisetrade. You'll even find "On Valentine's Day", there, for those who like to think ahead a bit.

LORD HURON - AULD LANG SYNE

12/29/2012

Lord Huron - Auld Lang Syne by Lord Huron

L.A. Indie Folk/Rock band Lord Huron has just released their cover of "Auld Lang Syne". Lord Huron incorporates a bit of electronica and what the L.A. Times calls "Wild West Romance" into their sound. They're unique and happening enough to have appeared on The Tonight Show in 2012 and their latest full-length is "Lonesome Dreams". "Auld Lang Syne" is free through Soundcloud for the moment, so pick it up.

CHRISTINE BERGER & BEN DE VRIES - LEISE RIESELT DER SCHNEE

12/26/2012

So, right before Christmas, I got the most amazing gift from Lie In The Sound, a German blog run by Brigitte and Christoph that seems to have an overabundance of holiday spirit each year (made manifest by the many free holiday downloads they manage to find).

First of all, there was this really sweet write-up. Not the kind of thing we all write about fellow bloggers from time to time when we're trying to point you to a worthy site, but a very personalized...."Christmas card" I'd call it. But the gift beneath their endearing words was the gift of turning me on to a traditional German folk song that seems to have escaped my attention all these years. And that's no small feat.

“Leise rieselt der Schnee” roughly translates as "Snow Is Falling Gently" (Brigitte even took the time to try and translate the lyrics into English...because we all know I don't speak anything else) and you should definitely check them out. It's a song about the growing excitement as Christkind draws near (rather than Santa, Christkind is an angel-like girl, Brigitte explains, who wanders the woods bringing presents to the children). Not stopping there, our friends at Lie In The Sound found a few videos and this lovely free download of “Leise rieselt der Schnee” performed by Christine Berger and Ben DeVries. It's a lo-fi folk recording, but no less beautiful for that.

What's more, the song was part of an entire FREE compilation of Christmas music from Canadian DIY label Badgerland released last year, "A Very Badgerland Christmas". AND what's even more, the Badgerland label has been releasing holiday comps of homemade music since 2009. Needless to say, that's a lot of music I haven't had tome to sift through just yet, but they're all free, so you might as well get them, right? (This Christmas music obsession is a sickness, I tellz ya.)

So, first, go read the Lie In The Sound "Christmas card" to Stubby's. Then check out “Leise rieselt der Schnee” by Christine Berger and Ben DeVries. And then grab all the Badgerland Christmas comps via Bandcamp. You've got some work ahead of you, so go get started. (And thank you, Brigitte and Christoph for a most wonderful gift.)

SONGS FOR CHRISTMAS (2009)
THEE CHRISTMAS MIXTAPE (2010)
A VERY BADGERLAND CHRISTMAS (2011)
YULETIDE ENTERTAINMENTS (2012)

JOHNNY MAINSTREAM - CHRISTMAS EVE EVE

12/21/2012

It's not quite "Christmas Eve Eve" just yet, but it's getting close. This is a fun little bit of Indie Folk Rock, with plenty of barroom pop sensibilities. And with an anthem ending that's bound to be repeated from sea to shining sea before the holidays end. "More beer, more beer, more beer, more beer, more beer, more beer, more beer, more beer..." Well, you get the idea. At least there's no doubt what Johnny Mainstream wants for Christmas. The Connecticut band tosses in a nearly dirge like version of "Lo How A Rose E're Blooming" to complete the two song package (not that that's a bad thing...that's just how the song goes). Name your price at Bandcamp.

VARIOUS - CIGAR BOX CHRISTMAS 2012

12/20/2012

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.

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

THE EISLEYS (AND FRIENDS) - 2012 CHRISTMAS BUNDLE

12/13/2012

1. Merriment - I'll Be Home For Christmas
2. Perma - Silver Bells
3. Reed & Christie - In The Bleak Midwinter
4. Eisley - Hark The Herald Angels

Traditions are good. I like traditions. And it's become a tradition for Indie Pop/Rock legends, the Eisley/Dupree Family, to offer up a homemade gift each holiday season. This year's special treat is a 4 song Christmas bundle. The Eisley's contribution, here, is "Hark, The Herald Angels Sing", but we also get songs from their "Extended Family"--Perma, Merriment, and Reed & Christie. Very cool.

The Eisleys express that they'd love to sit down and put together a real holiday record some day but, just at the moment, they are finishing up their fourth fill-length. Look for that in 2013.

In the meantime, you can not only get the 2012 Extended Family EP, but their 2011 Christmas Bundle as well, featuring very nearly every Christmas song the Eisleys have put out through the years. As Indie Pop/Rock Christmas music goes, it don't get much better than the Eisleys/Duprees. So run on over and grab all the great holiday music the Eisleys & Duprees are offering. Just punch the download buttons and their yours, no email address required

LAURIE CAMERON - MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM SCOTLAND

12/9/2012

Earlier this year, I came across a 2011 Christmas single from Scottish lass Laurie Cameron. Laurie brought out, as I've never heard before, the true heartbreak underlying "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)". Laurie is back, for 2012, breaking our hearts once again with"Merry Christmas From Scotland (Lulled With A Stiff Drink)". The more I hear from Laurie, the more I long to hear. While Laurie works on her full-length debut, enjoy this one as a "Name-Your-Price" download via Bandcamp. "This one's to you."

WAYFARER - THE HOLLY & THE IVY

12/8/2012

Seattle based Wayfarer began their Indie Folk rise on the ashes of Sherwood's demise earlier this year. You may or may not recall Sherwood's "Snowing In Seattle" from 2008; an excellent contribution that still garners annual spins at Stubby's house (my real house, not the web site).

Wayfarer speaks of repurposing old hymns and such, but they carry with them the influences of the Beach Boys and Beatles that also colored Sherwood's music. The result is highly accessible Indie Folk Rock that could well have come from the mid to late 60s, yet sounds as fresh as a morning snow. Wayfarer's interpretation of "The Holly And The Ivy" is a perfect example. They breathe more life into a musty old chestnut than I would have though possible. Grab "The Holly And The Ivy" at either Bandcamp or Noisetrade and pick up a couple of bonus tracks in the deal.

THAT BAND FROM HOLLAND & LEFT HANDED ORCHESTRA - HOW TO MICROWAVE WHOLE TURKEY

12/1/2012

1. Santa's back in town
2. Sledding
3. Torgs Interlude
4. Mountain
5. Christmas Cards
6. Pet Rock Pete
7. 6/4
8. Random things to do
9. Do I really have to wear this ugly sweater?
10. Christmas on the moon

NAME YOUR PRICE AT BANDCAMP

It's time for our annual holiday treat from That Band From Holland. This time they have Left Handed Orchestra in tow. As with previous Christmas efforts, "How To Microwave Whole Turkey" is fun and tasty. The group experiments with a lot of different sounds here--everything from Alt Country ("Sledding") to Alt Jazz ("6/4") and they do it all very well. My favorites, here, are the 60s Psych Rock/Power Pop "Pet Rock Pete", the more straight forward Alt Rock of "Mountain" (cool lyrics on that one) and the previously mentioned "6/4" (I'm a sucker for the weird time signature stuff). And I'm sure plenty folks will find "Do I Really Have To Wear This Ugly Sweater?" and "Christmas On The Moon" thoroughly enjoyable (not to mention great mixtape fodder). "How To Microwave Whole Turkey" is a "Name-Your-Price" download at Bandcamp, as are all the band's previous holiday efforts. Why not collect the whole set?

Just a postscript here. I went back and reviewed our entries on TBFH from 2010 and 2011 and, every time, I remark about the group's lyrics. Which, you know, I think is a good thing. Might want to start paying more attention to these guys between the holidays.