tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52093647376628746042024-03-14T10:36:01.518-07:00Merry and Bright!A Christmas Music blog, plus the occasional musings about books, movies, and other mental ephemeraDer Binglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715110164755826620noreply@blogger.comBlogger530125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209364737662874604.post-21716466640955773152023-12-29T08:16:00.000-08:002023-12-29T08:16:36.798-08:00Wrapping Up 2023Hello all! It's time to wrap up 2023 here at Merry & Bright. Covid Update: Today is day 6 after first symptoms. All symptoms are gone, I'm feeling fine, but still testing faintly positive on the test strip. So, activity will be limited for one more day. Protocol says that I can go out masked (since there's been no fever at all and symptoms are gone), so I'm going to hit a couple of record stores briefly today. But that's about it. Seeing "Godzilla Minus One" was on the agenda today, but I think I'll push that back until I test negative.<div><br /></div><div>Family Christmas festivities are still scheduled for New Year's Day, so that'll be good. The youngest daughter was at the Pop Tarts Bowl in Orlando yesterday (12/28). We saw her on the broadcast a couple times. And, being with the winning team, she got to help eat the edible mascot after the victory. We're looking forward to her return to hear all about the trip.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks to everyone who stopped by the blog this year - I appreciate your comments and reading the blog.</div><div><br /></div><div>Special thanks to Laurie Cameron for delivering the best artist interview I've published.</div><div><br /></div><div>Special thanks to Tim Neely for his lengthy interview. I think the collector community really enjoyed Tim's insights and thoughts.</div><div><br /></div><div>As always, thanks to the Brotherhood of Christmas Music: (INPO) Ernie, Rob, Brad, Greg, Hugh, Tim, Tim, Mitchell, and all the rest, many of whom I'm sure I am unintentionally omitting.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lots of great music came to Merry & Bright this year. If you haven't had a chance to scroll through the New Music Roundups, I hope you can take a few minutes and check them out. Mango Island Sound is a great new friend of Merry & Bright; I can't wait to check out the catalog of Death Hags; Frida Hansen may take the prize for beautiful new voice this year; and so many more!</div><div><br /></div><div>What will 2024 bring? Hard to tell. I love doing the artist interviews and profiles, so I imagine the mojo of the blog will continue to lean that direction. I feel that I fill a bit of a gap there, amongst the top Christmas Music blogs. New music features and roundups - yep, those will stay. </div><div><br /></div><div>Music Sharing: I didn't have as many this year, and think that will continue to be a trend. I'm going to stop buying vinyl "that I don't have" (like the Klokken Ringers, although it was pretty good) and instead only buy ones that really intrigue me (like Nora Aunor). If the intriguing ones are sharable, I'll share. After moving hundreds of records to the basement this week, I need to slow the acquiring and enjoy what I have. Maybe I'll ship the excess to Ernie. Nah, he's got them all already :-)</div><div><br /></div><div>So, Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Joyous Kwanzaa, Happy New Year, Happy and Safe Holiday of your personal choosing! Be Great - Do Great Things - Be Nice To Others. See you around!</div>Der Binglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715110164755826620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209364737662874604.post-73123245965762787292023-12-25T15:37:00.000-08:002023-12-25T15:37:36.871-08:00Merry Christmas!Merry Christmas everyone! I hope everyone's Christmas was joyful, safe, and happy :-) Here at the Bingle house, my Covid symptoms are pretty much like a head cold. Not too bad, ups and downs in sniffles and energy level. I'll be house-bound for at least one more day, likely two. Shades of 2020, we did a family Zoom call this afternoon for the holiday. We hope that this is the last Zoom Christmas.<div><br /></div><div>Take care everyone!</div>Der Binglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715110164755826620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209364737662874604.post-50772658526131172762023-12-24T09:51:00.000-08:002023-12-24T09:51:37.312-08:00Bah! Humbug.Well, the plans <i>were</i> Christmas Eve brunch at my son's house, with all the siblings who could make it. Then, back home for a while before 4:00 Christmas Eve mass, then home for the evening. Christmas Day plans were a little altered anyway - casual late afternoon with the kids and granddaughter, stockings, soup 'n' sandwiches. Then big family Christmas was planned for New Year's Day, since our youngest daughter is away, working as a nutrition intern at a college football bowl game in Orlando.<div><br /></div><div>But - a positive Covid test this morning busted those plans all up.</div><div><br /></div><div>I haven't had Covid since early January 2021, so this is round 2 for me. Had a sore throat last night, and was more concerned that it might be strep, and I'd need to find a testing location and get an antibiotic on Christmas Eve. But I did a Covid test first, and it was a big positive. I have a slight sore throat, a little nasal congestion, and seem to be a bit more tired than usual, but that's it. But, in the name of not spreading it around, plans today and probably tomorrow are scuttled. </div><div><br /></div><div>Oh well - the Christmas season was already extending by a week, so there's a silver (and gold) lining. Now we just hope that no one else get it before New Year's Day.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, Merry Christmas Eve everyone! I'll be back with a couple other rambling posts before wrapping things up for the year. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!</div>Der Binglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715110164755826620noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209364737662874604.post-18032286752463845702023-12-23T10:53:00.000-08:002023-12-23T10:53:22.519-08:00Bells! Bells! Bells!My final share for this season is a fine, joyful collection of well known Christmas carols by the Klokken Ringers. <i>I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day</i> is a very nice album of 14 songs, leaning toward the spiritual rather than the secular. Accompanied by organ, French horn, and flute, the arrangements are classic and the sound is very fitting for your Christmas spirit.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEdW_IdjB-la03Ux-pYSizYfL954PZBi7T96-t75VxH1BKNdZhxhw-cae6pt2pr4_xXOScColUERl5Ducmy8tGyanJKxRrmVFLLgEvWKkM9AYC2Vhrc3ed-kRikBygeTpuRXp7LCgm4ZCc-qYqch8xBNe5LGWnCkyMigoQoPDnOgUUMgzOFY3HujKnXJkC/s2448/KR%20Front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2444" data-original-width="2448" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEdW_IdjB-la03Ux-pYSizYfL954PZBi7T96-t75VxH1BKNdZhxhw-cae6pt2pr4_xXOScColUERl5Ducmy8tGyanJKxRrmVFLLgEvWKkM9AYC2Vhrc3ed-kRikBygeTpuRXp7LCgm4ZCc-qYqch8xBNe5LGWnCkyMigoQoPDnOgUUMgzOFY3HujKnXJkC/s320/KR%20Front.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZuvqEq5KPGl-zv1AL0ENp2L04kWuHF4Kf9LjKsP-t7ajdEHfRrjCY6EkbHMVRUXiCI4BM0m-Q4KbCTaDP6d_HaHAC6WmbZVHMjtRZytBNKDi8HPoNYmGJYYLDV8Ohr3cDkBvJOhkD5wS7BszJYwJCmB-GCfzFIcGOxv4N7n5i8dX2p9vYDccvwbLFk_dY/s2444/KR%20Back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2443" data-original-width="2444" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZuvqEq5KPGl-zv1AL0ENp2L04kWuHF4Kf9LjKsP-t7ajdEHfRrjCY6EkbHMVRUXiCI4BM0m-Q4KbCTaDP6d_HaHAC6WmbZVHMjtRZytBNKDi8HPoNYmGJYYLDV8Ohr3cDkBvJOhkD5wS7BszJYwJCmB-GCfzFIcGOxv4N7n5i8dX2p9vYDccvwbLFk_dY/s320/KR%20Back.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div>Please enjoy The Klokken Ringers <i>I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day </i> <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ALkLbr3Sy538tXHj7Yo6cXtZj1Z2FKNh/view?usp=sharing">download link</a></div></div>Der Binglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715110164755826620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209364737662874604.post-40571815811236203002023-12-22T15:37:00.000-08:002023-12-22T15:37:27.751-08:00Christmas Time!Whew. After that last share, we need something to get back into the real Christmas spirit. I think I've got just the ticket, <i>Christmas Time</i>, a compilation album from the Vocalion label featuring some of the biggest Country & Western stars of the day. <div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTqezleA5GFXNJ9u1R2-nCyIyTv2OWOrq75YslNIPeqT-AGb9QFe0I1UEXRNHcNH13p2DCIaeJ4mUneeck_TMTc_8yYI5l8EtRXhrhykPoaHiqaBjUTd0h4aqtvPUXJW8q4uvey-gLuxk_TeuNVq_dtH_zmzKHeb2M65eh7Q1WC76ziqhNC_MD4kmeyzZU/s2432/CT%20Front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2432" data-original-width="2430" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTqezleA5GFXNJ9u1R2-nCyIyTv2OWOrq75YslNIPeqT-AGb9QFe0I1UEXRNHcNH13p2DCIaeJ4mUneeck_TMTc_8yYI5l8EtRXhrhykPoaHiqaBjUTd0h4aqtvPUXJW8q4uvey-gLuxk_TeuNVq_dtH_zmzKHeb2M65eh7Q1WC76ziqhNC_MD4kmeyzZU/s320/CT%20Front.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><div><br /></div><div>Loretta Lynn, Kitty Wells, Red Foley, Ernest Tubb, and Webb Pierce are featured on this record, along with some artists that aren't quite as well known - Elton Britt & The Pinetoppers, The Maddox Brothers and Rose, and Lonzo and Oscar. All in all, this is a really good collection of vintage C&W Christmas recordings, all nicely and subtly arranged, none of the over-production that is so prevalent now.</div><div><br /></div><div>The album closer "Jangle Bells" by Lonzo and Oscar, is especially refreshing. A semi-novelty song to the tune of Jingle Bells, it's a bit of humor with a nice fiddle break.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjTi57hix5_5zviFcWBfFin0PuKp4WTmimQAIgxnhgwRBbNdo7IXOL7a5U3QJGEzJgoyHE09yrToIlji2cmVdhF1DTzVv5AD2jd6HbLw9MotwVzIjwVSQ-9IiMvOl2hB1pooKsQE2cH0c3bTVOIAAx_za_BOX1e3-5Jg6aia-DSU2dHR1kfNvS9bdxicBE/s2446/CT%20Back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2437" data-original-width="2446" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjTi57hix5_5zviFcWBfFin0PuKp4WTmimQAIgxnhgwRBbNdo7IXOL7a5U3QJGEzJgoyHE09yrToIlji2cmVdhF1DTzVv5AD2jd6HbLw9MotwVzIjwVSQ-9IiMvOl2hB1pooKsQE2cH0c3bTVOIAAx_za_BOX1e3-5Jg6aia-DSU2dHR1kfNvS9bdxicBE/s320/CT%20Back.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>Although this contains Bobby Helms' "Jingle Bell Rock", widely available on nearly every CD in your local thrift shop, I haven't excluded it from this record (I suspect other of these songs are too). I figure everyone grabbing this album already has JBR in their collection.</div><div><br /></div><div>Enjoy <i>Christmas Time!</i><br /></div><div><i><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yLjOS3EZReUDYNt9KM_3fHT58yOGLk9Y/view?usp=sharing"><br /></a></i></div><div><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yLjOS3EZReUDYNt9KM_3fHT58yOGLk9Y/view?usp=sharing">download link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Der Binglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715110164755826620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209364737662874604.post-37393304200976739822023-12-21T15:54:00.000-08:002023-12-21T15:54:47.970-08:00Merry? Christmas?Here on the longest night, the day on the calendar where we here in North America have the fewest hours of daylight and therefore the most hours of darkness, it seems fitting to share <i>Born To Die</i>. My reaction when I saw this in the record store was "Well, that's cheery." The opening song and title track reference suffering and shame. "March of the Wisemen" certainly has a funereal dirge quality to it. "I'm Goin' Home", sung by composer Ron Hamilton, speaks of being tired of what the Earth offers. <div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZmEpBHLIm2GOxqiBinOdEm7NDTVIfVyzYzz7gmsX78uTjNbBxrT8RnrxcmTaaNt9NFwTSy5GMJjoHWivPdJnYjM7tUEmtSqhCEiAGAD1uzvy4rEqMw4j60fa_K8GQuj2xTpDjctpd8JKsz5TYdactdvFkNY8jE0nO7vCN8MzNomyvMDmgxaJAjV00oHk/s2491/BtD%20Front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2491" data-original-width="2483" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZmEpBHLIm2GOxqiBinOdEm7NDTVIfVyzYzz7gmsX78uTjNbBxrT8RnrxcmTaaNt9NFwTSy5GMJjoHWivPdJnYjM7tUEmtSqhCEiAGAD1uzvy4rEqMw4j60fa_K8GQuj2xTpDjctpd8JKsz5TYdactdvFkNY8jE0nO7vCN8MzNomyvMDmgxaJAjV00oHk/s320/BtD%20Front.jpg" width="319" /></a></div><br /><div><div><br /></div><div>If you're tired of Ho Ho Ho's and jingling bells, this may be your remedy. While "Listen to the Christmas Bell" is more celebratory than the rest of the "Christmas Cantata", most of the chorale music, with three soloist numbers, is pretty much a downer. Frank Garlock, President of the record label, says that <i>Born To Die</i> "contains some of the most beautiful Christmas music ever written". He calls it "refreshing". I'll let you be the judge.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is Dread Pirate Ron's first full-length cantata. I'm sure history shows whether he composed additional cantatas, but I didn't go look.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1_uQbGkLaWzubwuRkUX3yUOenGF_gx0WOI01DoT4Fl2DomLbaOD24XliGeRR1poUtKGWGwdMeS2oGdWWmp9fB1HLx9c95WIi25SwHhRIInMFZSPdFb8O2MBQaVGBFThN8jFPr0P2ya-UMAXcnjgHXXg6WUSTOxNDhHNGOJSDyMEL2IVYCzT_VySsi8T5t/s2465/BtD%20Back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2465" data-original-width="2463" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1_uQbGkLaWzubwuRkUX3yUOenGF_gx0WOI01DoT4Fl2DomLbaOD24XliGeRR1poUtKGWGwdMeS2oGdWWmp9fB1HLx9c95WIi25SwHhRIInMFZSPdFb8O2MBQaVGBFThN8jFPr0P2ya-UMAXcnjgHXXg6WUSTOxNDhHNGOJSDyMEL2IVYCzT_VySsi8T5t/s320/BtD%20Back.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Eleven tracks. Most of them reference Christmas. </div><div><br /></div><div>Enjoy? <i>Born To Die </i><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iHWn3J_qz_FWzlQZSePVHmrqNMiA9G00/view?usp=sharing">download link</a><br /><div><br /></div></div></div>Der Binglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715110164755826620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209364737662874604.post-3507982426712006472023-12-20T11:16:00.000-08:002023-12-20T11:20:15.087-08:00The Soul of Santa: Doing Good This Christmas Season<p>What could be better than a new album of amazing Christmas music? Easy! When purchasing that album supports a charitable organization with abundant heart and overflowing soul, in their mission to ensure that everyone has a space in this world, regardless of disability.</p><p>The Soul of Santa "Do Good" Foundation is a Kansas City-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization striving to connect individuals with disabilities in our community to the resources they need to live a full, productive life. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpi-WhmcRsI8Jhabua9Pp9-asWQdLW9wzgXIjrjATdZje9VeYTgDvRa97ujMbExJBbRmyX0wKC4PynBkVYoCVDXNsvXKLY4lRtSORT3Z4LzMHy6kBIuZzEOSgBA1qap7CBJTo0r9YXj4_5Cbs_U0OMgpAZrxuuCm0bCVArhjgcd9j5djqKvcr1b1wekAw/s488/Soul%20of%20Santa.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="488" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpi-WhmcRsI8Jhabua9Pp9-asWQdLW9wzgXIjrjATdZje9VeYTgDvRa97ujMbExJBbRmyX0wKC4PynBkVYoCVDXNsvXKLY4lRtSORT3Z4LzMHy6kBIuZzEOSgBA1qap7CBJTo0r9YXj4_5Cbs_U0OMgpAZrxuuCm0bCVArhjgcd9j5djqKvcr1b1wekAw/s320/Soul%20of%20Santa.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://thesoulofsanta.org/give/">Donate to The Soul of Santa</a></h4><p>The Soul of Santa describes their mission as "Our mission is to connect high-functioning individuals with disabilities from low-to-moderate income households to resources. Through personalized holistic workforce development plans, fundraising, community awareness and education, we will help empower them to experience the fullness of life." The story of the foundation, all the good they do in the Kansas City community, and how to support them is on their <a href="https://thesoulofsanta.org/">website</a>.</p><p>This has been a busy holiday season for The Soul of Santa. They hosted a Christmas Tree Lighting at the historic 18th & Vine jazz district in Kansas City. They produced a "Very Jazzy" Holiday Benefit Concert, featuring the incredible Lonnie McFadden, a true gentlemen and a gem of the Kansas City music scene. </p><p>Best of all, the organization pulled together some of the finest musicians around to produce "The Soul of Santa" Christmas album, 13 tracks of soul-stirring holiday tunes (available to purchase on Amazon and stream from the usual streaming sites). Buying the album directly supports The Soul of Santa and their mission. The album features "The Soul of Santa" by AriaCamille, "A Big Dawg Christmas" by Roblo Dastar, "Christmas Magic" by The Royal Chief, "Slidin on Christmas" by Xta-C, and many more!</p><p>At the Ali Center in Louisville, KY, one can purchase items in support of the center and their mission that state "Be Great - Do Great Things". What The Soul of Santa does in our community is indeed Great. Please consider supporting The Soul of Santa by purchasing the album or making a donation to them through their website. Or volunteer! There are many ways each of us can support their wonderful work.</p><p>Soul of Santa Executive Director Dennis Powell took some time out of his very busy Christmas season to answer a few questions about The Soul of Santa (the organization and the album). Thank you Dennis!</p><p>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Q&A with Dennis Powell, Executive Director, The Soul of Santa "Do Good" Foundation</h3><div><br /></div><b>Q: “The Soul of Santa” is a wonderful new album for this holiday season. How did the idea of producing a Christmas album to support the mission of The Soul of Santa “Do Good” Foundation come about?</b><br /><br />A: Our founder, Tucker Lott, has written poetry for many years and he had the vision to create original music for Aria to sing with her angelic voice. We were able to connect with Grammy nominated super producer Jo Blaq who took this project to another level. After Aria passed it became even more important to give her music a grand release as a way to honor her. We knew that her voice would touch people once they heard it and it would also be a unique way for people to support our foundation. In talking with the team <a href="mailto:sedwardskc@gmail.com">Shawn Edwards</a> had the idea to create a compilation album in the vein of the “A Very Special Christmas” album series and we decided to expand the project to 12 songs as a play on the “12 Days of Christmas.”<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNGvzFTclBQL66SKpRrC_D5DQVsQI9Yt23RaqjPVQvUD7DhOSdtSxT0zAnxAceF_bvK9Mi0T95OwnPyViWfQgNGO07zsUaUJV6zGXWjq_SCGFR8v0HSgUbOu4GWfs28DW6nwY0AJM65kDrVgGhk-A_Ke6x5fRY9YyRc-gSH80zuUH1vLA5Ac4NmeuLwb4/s843/The-Soul-of-Santa-Christmas-Album-Main-Cover-Art.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="843" data-original-width="843" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNGvzFTclBQL66SKpRrC_D5DQVsQI9Yt23RaqjPVQvUD7DhOSdtSxT0zAnxAceF_bvK9Mi0T95OwnPyViWfQgNGO07zsUaUJV6zGXWjq_SCGFR8v0HSgUbOu4GWfs28DW6nwY0AJM65kDrVgGhk-A_Ke6x5fRY9YyRc-gSH80zuUH1vLA5Ac4NmeuLwb4/s320/The-Soul-of-Santa-Christmas-Album-Main-Cover-Art.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><b>Q: Can you tell us a little about the artists that appear on the album, and their connection to The Soul of Santa?</b><br /><br />A: We cannot thank Jo Blaq, Roblo Dastar, The Royal Chief, <a href="mailto:paulasaunders2013@gmail.com">Paula Saunders</a>, <a href="mailto:andreasings2u@icloud.com">Andrea Tribitt</a>, XTA-C and Doris Donley enough for lending their talents to this project. Not only are these incredible artists but they are all from right here in Kansas City! They all believed in the mission of our foundation and nearly all of the songs were created just for our album. Jo Blaq has become family and is a staunch supporter ambassador for our foundation. We are eternally grateful for their support and ask that you give them a follow! <br /><br /><b>Q: How has the Kansas City community responded to the efforts of The Soul of Santa organization over the past few years, and are you seeing some excitement this year about the Christmas album?</b><br /><br />A: The awareness of our organization is growing which has led to increased support. Many people have no idea how much work we are doing to truly embody our mission to “Do Good 365!” Our Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremonies centered on disability awareness were on a much grander scale in terms of production and sponsorship support and we saw increased participation as a result. We expect that the attendance at our fundraiser concert will grow as we continue to connect with the community. This has by far been our best year in terms of impact and it is only going to get better from here! <br /><br /><b>Q: There is a special story about one of the artists on the album, AriaCamille. Can you share her story and the connection to the album?</b><br /><br />A: Aria was one of Tucker’s daughters and she is the inspiration for our foundation’s mission. Aria lived with epilepsy however she did not let that, or anything else, dampen her spirit. She was unable to complete chiropractic school due to epilepsy so she transitioned to becoming a school teacher for students with special needs. Unfortunately that career did not compensate her at the level she deserved and she needed some additional resources to experience the fullness of life. When we decided that we needed to narrow the focus of our foundation to a primary community of interest Aria championed helping people like her and thus our mission statement was formed. This album is a display not only of her tremendous talent but also her perseverance. We are determined to make sure the world knows about the special gift that was AriaCamille!</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Xlug3hYzPZU" width="320" youtube-src-id="Xlug3hYzPZU"></iframe></div><br /> <br /><b>Q: Last question – what is your Christmas wish for the good people that The Soul of Santa “Do Good” Foundation serves?</b><br /><br />A: Our vision is to create a world where no one ever feels forgotten or overlooked due to their disability. We strive to empower our Souldiers to experience the fullness of life not just on Christmas but 365 days a year! We have been able to help thousands of individuals and we hope that we can continue to be a resource for many years to come! Please consider supporting our efforts by signing up to volunteer, downloading our album, purchasing some merchandise or making a donation.<br /><br /><b>Q: Thank you so much for your time! To all of the good people at The Soul of Santa, I wish you a joyous holiday season!</b><br /><br />A: Thank you for reaching out and we hope you have a wonderful holiday as well! You were one the first publications to reach out in support of our album and we cannot thank you enough. You are the first person to know that we will be releasing a special live album featuring some classics that we know you all will love! Merry Christmas!!!</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://thesoulofsanta.org/give/">Donate to The Soul of Santa</a></h3><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://thesoulofsanta.org/">The Soul of Santa website</a><br /><p><a href="https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0CM48VMPJ?ref=dm_sh_vVjNHBd3wXulkFchqE2EmRf68">Buy "The Soul of Santa" on Amazon</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKc_28HC7VRmzjp1UjO3CVYWP_XewVdt1">The Soul of Santa - entire album playlist on YouTube</a></p><p><br /></p></div>Der Binglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715110164755826620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209364737662874604.post-39276339033240922962023-12-19T14:48:00.000-08:002023-12-19T15:09:25.955-08:00Son of New Music Roundup<p>There was too much great new music for just one roundup, so here we go with another! Bring on the Son of New Music Roundup (2023).</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Negah Santos - "Christmas Time"</h4><div style="text-align: left;">Negah Santos, percussion whiz from The Late Show Band, did a late season single drop, "Christmas Time".</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2xrsQSvBC9vnpaPUvQlaAh9znFU7WmwUyk7ljC6_UGcqIAMbRoqDe7QiCY8Qj7K1Y8_z24HTtRPP_bODHJD10WHTQECHnK7kkGxLtnLGXzgDteeJjMI0IHVHDTRE84ov389eC3rD13_IvVcD4Lc569dk5s-b7w8_eKeEEx3vwApD1x-l3R9blL3pLKbHp/s700/Negah.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2xrsQSvBC9vnpaPUvQlaAh9znFU7WmwUyk7ljC6_UGcqIAMbRoqDe7QiCY8Qj7K1Y8_z24HTtRPP_bODHJD10WHTQECHnK7kkGxLtnLGXzgDteeJjMI0IHVHDTRE84ov389eC3rD13_IvVcD4Lc569dk5s-b7w8_eKeEEx3vwApD1x-l3R9blL3pLKbHp/s320/Negah.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Negah, composer, vocalist, and percussionist, is joined by Eduardo Mercuri, Joe Saylor, and MIchael Thurber on this happy little Christmas ditty. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5fEQ1vSDUnU" width="320" youtube-src-id="5fEQ1vSDUnU"></iframe></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Negah Santos <a href="https://ngahsantos.bandcamp.com/">Bandcamp page</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Ojay - "December Snow"</h4><div><br /></div><div>Ojay, hailing from Perth, Western Australia, has released a great new song this Christmas, "December Snow", which is quite intriguing since I'm quite certain that it never snows in Perth, WA in December. Regardless, it's an excellent new song from a band that I'm going to check out in more depth once the holiday season is over.</div><div><br /></div><div>I love they lyrics - referencing the Northern Lights and admitting "I've never seen a flake of snow in my life". Check this one out folks.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkBMb3a9R2JNBnuDbktqQPRww2RDBc4VuM3s4WELn0WsxlGw8CzLATLg50fgjM4MXMUA4Q524MkGkKYOW7kxSUHfitxVkF4BB1KYx32obgbc9RT3AxS466mQONInL_9q4XTGaqvr0odsXHmoxoSXBMiVaWCvBgoVheYBG_A9hBI29f3l5VFhlEhjVqlO8-/s400/OJAY.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="395" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkBMb3a9R2JNBnuDbktqQPRww2RDBc4VuM3s4WELn0WsxlGw8CzLATLg50fgjM4MXMUA4Q524MkGkKYOW7kxSUHfitxVkF4BB1KYx32obgbc9RT3AxS466mQONInL_9q4XTGaqvr0odsXHmoxoSXBMiVaWCvBgoVheYBG_A9hBI29f3l5VFhlEhjVqlO8-/s320/OJAY.png" width="316" /></a></div><p>From their bio: "Forming in 2018, Ojay brought their high energy, carefree attitude to the bored youth of suburban Western Australia". Der Bingle likes this.</p><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zts-ckQC06Q" width="320" youtube-src-id="zts-ckQC06Q"></iframe></div><p><br />Ojay <a href="https://www.ojayband.com/">website</a></p><div>Ojay on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ojaybandaus">FaceBook</a></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibqXpnZ7AoMi8ADKsdFtF8BE6vbNrS4br15r1wN49Qr2z49JOUrPeQDImR-ws2ef1_RHUetYYucYVNfrcJ8u5LGAJuw3fODi_uxvB4d8-TbEe4J3LfxRuObpk8vZiY337gMY0LbbaIvX7PQaAMN04UMna3dTwZNrDtHbZLjxRXm0auPeZp5rvY6gx7ak-u/s448/ojay.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibqXpnZ7AoMi8ADKsdFtF8BE6vbNrS4br15r1wN49Qr2z49JOUrPeQDImR-ws2ef1_RHUetYYucYVNfrcJ8u5LGAJuw3fODi_uxvB4d8-TbEe4J3LfxRuObpk8vZiY337gMY0LbbaIvX7PQaAMN04UMna3dTwZNrDtHbZLjxRXm0auPeZp5rvY6gx7ak-u/s320/ojay.webp" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ojay</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div><br /></div><div><h4>Frida Hansen - "Yule" and "Jól"</h4><div><br /></div><div>Icelandic singer Frida Hansen brings us <i>Yule</i>, an album of eight traditional Christmas songs. Per her EPK, "Fríða is an Icelandic singer/songwriter. She grew up with riding horses and training and playing with dogs - and all the time singing. She released her first few songs in the fall of 2020, but had been singing and writing songs from a young age." </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUR62tL2PTs4HoMwji5mEtMUYFa5pc2c8z3L1uk6IWyKGRxWt218S86RVDFB7c-DAp21OQLM_3L8dqvNXBGYeatICvJ1rQ_4Nkws-6E7Awnp2Gf5TmEcJJOoWSOv9letKTpEB0RXIoToY1e3O6WYwfJfttK1hhIj179QDBzEwVcFMOk1vbpQq908DVD-mk/s990/Frida%201.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="990" data-original-width="660" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUR62tL2PTs4HoMwji5mEtMUYFa5pc2c8z3L1uk6IWyKGRxWt218S86RVDFB7c-DAp21OQLM_3L8dqvNXBGYeatICvJ1rQ_4Nkws-6E7Awnp2Gf5TmEcJJOoWSOv9letKTpEB0RXIoToY1e3O6WYwfJfttK1hhIj179QDBzEwVcFMOk1vbpQq908DVD-mk/w266-h400/Frida%201.webp" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frida Hansen</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Frida is a bit mysterious, as info about her is a bit challenging to track down. Beyond the mystery, though, is her beautiful voice. Frida's performance of the Christmas standards, including "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!", "Silver Bells", and "Fum Fum Fum", tinged with her Icelandic accent, is sublime. She and her pianist Stefan Thorlieffson also perform what I assume is an original composition, "Merry Christmas Everyone", a fine composition and worthy of its spot alongside an album of standards.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jKxE5CFQFXs" width="320" youtube-src-id="jKxE5CFQFXs"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Hey! Good news! If you prefer to hear Frida sing these in her native Icelandic, you're in luck! She and Stefan also have an Icelandic version of the album, <i>Jól.</i> It's utterly charming. Both versions are streamable on Spotify.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XebcWmxxSuc" width="320" youtube-src-id="XebcWmxxSuc"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/40r5wqNyREBpi8YVrhuQOh?si=k4gQ1rqjTsqsxOnts7RM3Q">"Yule" (English) on Spotify</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/4j2oQC1t694LmNDryhNTfg?si=x-lHGcRfTs-3cKbXuW73ew">"Jól" (Icelandic) on Spotify</a> </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.instagram.com/fridahaansen/">Frida Hansen Instagram</a></div><div><br /></div><div>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Lorena Leigh - "Angels We Have Heard On High" </h4><div><br /></div>Entering the holiday season with a danceable spirit, <a href="https://music.trendpr.com/lorenaleigh">Lorena Leigh</a> rings in holiday cheer with her latest single, “Angels We Have Heard On High.” In a dynamic fusion of catchy indie pop melodies and funky electronic rhythm, Lorena Leigh's interpretation of "Angels We Have Heard On High" entrances listeners with a vibrant journey that celebrates the joy and excitement of the holiday season.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi9BEdOwvZ9-PmW_Wv9mA4ZLlQRfCWHFet6UeehxnIJxZfYeORov5x1UXi5-_DywKHtkdDasmYyDFx7JnpTYayfmK_ckB5YhHfvWPiigK9bD84JOZnVqNv_4FiIxRFJ12uUJdcH0xDCHMQaR0sSke2eKss0rZwt-WDVAnSmfITx4sxpe6Y0J-DcNddJ4aC/s3000/AlbumArt-Angels%20We%20Have%20Heard%20On%20High-LorenaLeigh.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi9BEdOwvZ9-PmW_Wv9mA4ZLlQRfCWHFet6UeehxnIJxZfYeORov5x1UXi5-_DywKHtkdDasmYyDFx7JnpTYayfmK_ckB5YhHfvWPiigK9bD84JOZnVqNv_4FiIxRFJ12uUJdcH0xDCHMQaR0sSke2eKss0rZwt-WDVAnSmfITx4sxpe6Y0J-DcNddJ4aC/w320-h320/AlbumArt-Angels%20We%20Have%20Heard%20On%20High-LorenaLeigh.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <br />Departing from the classic renditions, Leigh envisions a different scene where the shepherds react to the good news with unbridled jubilation, dancing, and hollering in the fields. "That's what I tried my best to create,” said Leigh. “Something a good shepherd could reeeeally break it down to in their worship and praise! That's my kind of Christmas.”</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yCKOPyBk6oc" width="320" youtube-src-id="yCKOPyBk6oc"></iframe></div><br /><div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://soundcloud.com/lorenaleigh/angels-we-have-heard-on-high/s-jUa8sbYZqVK?si=97dd2d6f20a64e5ab1058a3e4733bed9&utm_campaign=social_sharing&utm_medium=text&utm_source=clipboard">Lorena Leigh "Angels We Have Heard On High" on Soundcloud</a></div><div><br /></div><div>-----------------------------------------------------------------</div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Save Ferris - "Xmas Blue"</h4><div><br /></div>Southern California ska heroes Save Ferris have dropped their first new original song since 2017, the holiday single “Xmas Blue”, a lonely Christmas tale of a heart longing for a loved one who is not there.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ZiD9fYGVYdB928Drci2T4Ji0hfbnR1TY6dFYhsgxIHsZTCnxihlyD2ALfH1ZnroOG6hdGo8b9M54n2dvwPXkSfKXnQoM-TN5Rhe1BHkwDaebQouQJtgk2zlIA59h2hP_4ZRFuOHrtGSId08Ty6KCkrd4SAlWqNIgQyxBWj2tZ6Q6EHoaFadsb5MKM20j/s1180/SAve%20Ferris.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1180" data-original-width="1180" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ZiD9fYGVYdB928Drci2T4Ji0hfbnR1TY6dFYhsgxIHsZTCnxihlyD2ALfH1ZnroOG6hdGo8b9M54n2dvwPXkSfKXnQoM-TN5Rhe1BHkwDaebQouQJtgk2zlIA59h2hP_4ZRFuOHrtGSId08Ty6KCkrd4SAlWqNIgQyxBWj2tZ6Q6EHoaFadsb5MKM20j/s320/SAve%20Ferris.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br />Save Ferris leader Monique Powell said, “I wrote the song about someone I knew that went through a hard divorce, and even two years later was still so obsessed with his ex-wife that it was borderline stalking."<br /><br />Powell added, “I’m excited to give this present to fans as a warmup for what is to come in 2024 with all new music that I’ve been working on and is ready for release!”<br /><br /><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Gc7OUC1zp3g" width="320" youtube-src-id="Gc7OUC1zp3g"></iframe></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><h4 style="text-align: left;">D.L. Yancey II - "Christmas Eve" EP</h4><div><br /></div><div>Singer/Songwriter D. L. Yancey II aka DLY2, takes his spot on the holiday new music stage with a new 4-song EP <i>Christmas Eve</i>, featuring the single "Christmas Twist", along with "One Winter's Night", "I'll Be Home", and "Being With You".</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ph5ivHb8Sck" width="320" youtube-src-id="ph5ivHb8Sck"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Hear <i>Christmas Eve</i> on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/5MnHxbZprN2KBgGIghbvVe?si=OptfjKGNSFiMK9JhJbchpw">Spotify</a></div><div>Visit D.L. Yancey II on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dlyancey/">Facebook</a></div><div>DLY2 on <a href="https://dlyancey.bandcamp.com/album/promo-out-the-box">Bandcamp</a></div><div><br /></div><div>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div></div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Death Hags - "Exit to Winter Planet"</h4><div><br /></div><div>So... a Major Award for those who persevered to the final entry in the Son of New Music Roundup.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXp8voAdY_ucFm5ztRLCERv1vQJOcnAD2pfQasypLnAAFZik7Rxjks-4yHP4Cprf3hggoSra_zRnB9yEgf16Sug2IdslTY6-gy2iBeC580h-noYVT52t2UxDcBhi7uUV7KgsnCkb1-iQrtMTFreDORNyXSWGi2eVrjnFCoEMZIHIyZMEjwZtjJim8Xd8Cp/s1440/cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXp8voAdY_ucFm5ztRLCERv1vQJOcnAD2pfQasypLnAAFZik7Rxjks-4yHP4Cprf3hggoSra_zRnB9yEgf16Sug2IdslTY6-gy2iBeC580h-noYVT52t2UxDcBhi7uUV7KgsnCkb1-iQrtMTFreDORNyXSWGi2eVrjnFCoEMZIHIyZMEjwZtjJim8Xd8Cp/s320/cover.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Death Hags has released a new album for the season. <i>Exit to Winter Planet</i> features seven new compositions. Los Angeles musician/songwriter Lola G. aka DEATH HAGS has created a genre-bending world of noise pop, experimental electronic and bass-heavy cinematic soundscapes that fans have called “future sound of dystopian romance.” Death Hags has toured extensively in North America and Europe, playing festivals like SXSW and Pop Montreal. Her music has been featured in Electronic Sound Magazine and Bandcamp Daily as well as films by Christophe Honoré and Steven Soderbergh. She is currently living in the woods near New York, working on her seven-album project BIG GREY SUN.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Yfppuyt1CuQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="Yfppuyt1CuQ"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><i>Exit to Winter Planet </i>is the latest holiday-themed release from Death Hags, following <i>Frozen Santa </i>and <i>Supersonic Noel</i>. Visit Death Hags' Bandcamp page to see the entire discography. Listen and enjoy.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://linktr.ee/death_hags">Death Hags Instagram</a></div><div><a href="https://deathhags.bandcamp.com/">Death Hags Bandcamp</a></div><div><br /></div><div>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div>Der Binglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715110164755826620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209364737662874604.post-61421313823857170292023-12-18T17:49:00.000-08:002023-12-18T19:32:51.001-08:00Mango Island Sound "So Many Christmases Ago"Every year, it seems, one of the songs that I receive from the many artists around the world and feature in the New Music Roundup connects with me in a way so that it deserves a feature post all its own. "So Many Christmases Ago" by Mango Island Sound is <i>that</i> song this year.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis05dxnZnlEAJEFugTaSeuxsOJC3hcSKGARWhndQDtp6FltCR6dlvPBq32lV-D3N4gbcOTGdZ7w7P3HrktZkgFdZ29aSjF5wPF6rJzumOXnHgQ7snpaO08k67EEmvYGUV60Ohvqduab-IK6N2D3Dd1wiYCinmycUg-qY_QlOd3irMxTAIhlnJW62V6_qpF/s225/Mango.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis05dxnZnlEAJEFugTaSeuxsOJC3hcSKGARWhndQDtp6FltCR6dlvPBq32lV-D3N4gbcOTGdZ7w7P3HrktZkgFdZ29aSjF5wPF6rJzumOXnHgQ7snpaO08k67EEmvYGUV60Ohvqduab-IK6N2D3Dd1wiYCinmycUg-qY_QlOd3irMxTAIhlnJW62V6_qpF/s1600/Mango.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><div><div><br /></div><div>"So Many Christmases Ago", written by Mark Pelczarski, sole permanent member of Mango Island Sound, is performed by Mark and his guest musicians. With its calypso-influenced sound and lyrics brimming with nostalgic memories, it will fill you with a gentle happiness, as if you're reminiscing about Christmases past while lazing in a hammock on a sunny tropical beach. </div><div><br /></div><div>Mark drew upon his own memories of Christmas growing up when writing "So Many Christmases Ago", and for those of us of just the right age his memories resonate with us like the beauty of a Strad in the hands of a virtuoso. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's not only the memories of the past that make "So Many Christmases Ago" such a wonderful song. It's the recognition of time passing, which makes the memories more meaningful, and the connection of the past with the present and future. Mark's lyrics:</div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div style="text-align: left;">Kids grow up so quickly go out on their own</div></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div style="text-align: left;">Generations come and then they go</div></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div style="text-align: left;">Grandkids scurry 'round us now as we once did</div></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div style="text-align: left;">So many Christmases ago</div></div></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><div><div><br /></div><div>hit home with me, as my own children are grown, my parents and aunts and uncles have passed, and we have welcomed our first grandchild into the family. My Christmas memories are significant in the traditions we have and hope to pass along to the next generations, even as we create our own new traditions.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJTubOCPYwKx7qoAKCjOaAGW6a0aSEIgB6Z756dDWy9S-8OkwJyRhDPPfqMtBQo5sGZd2VeWQZOKH0Jn4JDpiLyxPjGcQTssqvq7tmFANy7sYFcE7mzkKZChctBpVznXvc6_IQHWnqPnRPo5qFMIlydAhmG9eVPv9OXccl19pRBrKEqWg7ft40H2YF0Zc/s1640/MAngo%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="1640" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJTubOCPYwKx7qoAKCjOaAGW6a0aSEIgB6Z756dDWy9S-8OkwJyRhDPPfqMtBQo5sGZd2VeWQZOKH0Jn4JDpiLyxPjGcQTssqvq7tmFANy7sYFcE7mzkKZChctBpVznXvc6_IQHWnqPnRPo5qFMIlydAhmG9eVPv9OXccl19pRBrKEqWg7ft40H2YF0Zc/w400-h225/MAngo%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div>The song closes with my favorite lyrics of the year:</div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div>The years all blend together as we reminisce</div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div>Old photographs and stories bring delight</div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div>As long as we hold onto all these memories</div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div>We'll always be together Christmas night</div></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><div><div><br /></div><div>I've had the privilege of getting to know Mark a bit this season through our e-mail chats back and forth about his music, our families, and the similarities we share in our respective lives on this ol' planet. Mark is a fine dude, and he's the type of musician I love to support at Merry & Bright - making music for the love of music, reaching out personally to bloggers like me, and genuinely happy to have reached a new fan. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBe0wZ0SluwCT-F7LHTCysIteOmP7k_vgIw42p9PXZNP2mTfvOaIKTYxxx72yz9CpHopyvJiXfwTqzMAqXyjqwZZECTqS8c3ukg99eL_7N4KstuztYBdmnVP1SGYjXFs3rVMqFEfIYFkM7t6VBMPkJ84MO3Q490HVa6RQhB1TDJV-iXoqDt1FcGURCkND2/s1200/mango%203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBe0wZ0SluwCT-F7LHTCysIteOmP7k_vgIw42p9PXZNP2mTfvOaIKTYxxx72yz9CpHopyvJiXfwTqzMAqXyjqwZZECTqS8c3ukg99eL_7N4KstuztYBdmnVP1SGYjXFs3rVMqFEfIYFkM7t6VBMPkJ84MO3Q490HVa6RQhB1TDJV-iXoqDt1FcGURCkND2/s320/mango%203.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Mark learned to play steel drums/steelpan over 30 years ago, and has worked and played with Jimmy Buffett and Dan Fogelberg, just to name a couple, over the years. As Mango Island Sound, Mark has created some fantastic, groovy songs, including "Calypso is Good for the Soul", "Dance, Dance, Maybe", and "Conch and Circumstance". All of Mango Island Sound's music is available through their <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/5209364737662874604/6142131382385717029#">website</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>And Hey! How about this! Mark has put together a <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7chnu7JO4UAWsj01x4HecX?si=265e89131ca6412a">Mango Island Sound Tropical Christmas Playlist</a> on Spotify which is, as Special Agent Dale Cooper might put it, a damned fine Christmas playlist.</div><div><br /></div><div>Please check out Mango Island Sound on all the interwebs. I think you'll dig it :-)</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7chnu7JO4UAWsj01x4HecX?si=265e89131ca6412a">Mango Island Sound Tropical Christmas Playlist</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.facebook.com/mangoislandsound/">Mango Island Sound on Facebook</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://mangoislandsound.com/">Mango Island Sound website</a></div></div>Der Binglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715110164755826620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209364737662874604.post-73909361971652079832023-12-17T11:43:00.000-08:002023-12-17T14:05:15.723-08:00Sunday SonnyToday's share is my favorite of the season, although it's just a single, not an album. I am very pleased to share Sonny Stitt's single of "Christmas Song", parts 1 and 2 on the A and B sides of the record.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjya5v9SlYpn5nBFurfeOhypdefnNttmB98Jlp0NEv5oXn2YbbtK9Gw9FSqXI4NtIaxm9e0cI_GXbO7Ai55fD4Wedrf-YzdsDLBqG0dzNCt70ZVXQA9sVWlLRfpdgeBZqvet2Sdn0XwSzLcjMygky_FSm42DDuyOThEO1l3gxTjxvvtVFBFChdT3M4unDf4/s1394/SS1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1394" data-original-width="1382" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjya5v9SlYpn5nBFurfeOhypdefnNttmB98Jlp0NEv5oXn2YbbtK9Gw9FSqXI4NtIaxm9e0cI_GXbO7Ai55fD4Wedrf-YzdsDLBqG0dzNCt70ZVXQA9sVWlLRfpdgeBZqvet2Sdn0XwSzLcjMygky_FSm42DDuyOThEO1l3gxTjxvvtVFBFChdT3M4unDf4/s320/SS1.jpg" width="317" /></a></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Sonny Stitt emerged as a bebop saxman during the late 1940s. Sonny was a contemporary of Charlie Parker, and early in his career was (unfairly, IMO) criticized as being a Bird copycat. Sonny later transitioned away from alto sax to tenor (although he played both throughout his career), which quieted some of the critics.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sonny Stitt was a prolific artist in the studio, recording from the late '40s through 1982, the year of his death. Sonny's legacy is undergoing a bit of a resurrection, as this year we saw two significant Record Store Day releases, <i>The Bubba's Sessions </i>and <i>Boppin' in Baltimore: Live at the Left Bank</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttNDLa_P2BGbX2CO0Y1CpgX_LeRDOmm2R70_4AO4yTPRLNae4_LQf1ZO8IORqUnmgQdfy7UfsHjA1bAalpUDCQiRIsoIOZb6YbJTONbU7f5y_L4z_6F8SUFRAd_Q7Z2IpHscT6duKETaZL7yedyRTDyxJu0Ru1hV-vQpGxEuTvYdYo80mbf0IS1DtYo39/s1419/SS2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1419" data-original-width="1397" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttNDLa_P2BGbX2CO0Y1CpgX_LeRDOmm2R70_4AO4yTPRLNae4_LQf1ZO8IORqUnmgQdfy7UfsHjA1bAalpUDCQiRIsoIOZb6YbJTONbU7f5y_L4z_6F8SUFRAd_Q7Z2IpHscT6duKETaZL7yedyRTDyxJu0Ru1hV-vQpGxEuTvYdYo80mbf0IS1DtYo39/s320/SS2.jpg" width="315" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Sonny had an extraordinary tone, which comes through almost magically on this single. It is a gorgeous recording. I have not been able to find a recording or release date for "The Christmas Song". I believe it would have been an early 50's record, on the MET label. Perhaps the collector community will come through and share that info with us.</div><div><br /></div><div>Please enjoy "Christmas Song" parts 1 and 2 by Sonny Stitt</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kSOTepRMx3n-DGJmg0-NyOMsOj0bgLLI/view?usp=sharing">download link</a></div></div>Der Binglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715110164755826620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209364737662874604.post-15525784704934800622023-12-10T12:41:00.000-08:002023-12-10T12:41:09.340-08:00Sunday Share: Nora Aunor "Seasons Greetings"I'm pretty excited to share this album. I found this in a great record store in Manhattan KS recently (<a href="https://www.sistersofsoundrecords.com/">Sisters of Sound</a>, if you happen to be in the Little Apple). The guy in the record store said that Nora Aunor was pretty big time in the Philippines, her home country. 'Pretty big time' is an understatement. Ms. Aunor is an actress and singer who has been performing since the 1960s, and is still active. In 2023 she filmed <i>Pieta</i>, a drama-thriller movie. She has received 17 FAMAS (Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences) nominations, winning Best Actress five times.<div><div><br /></div><div>As a singer, Ms. Aunor has a long discography, from her 1968 debut album <i>My Song of Love </i>through her 2009 release <i>Habang Panahon. Season's Greetings</i>, from 1973, is one of three holiday albums. She is a beloved star in her home country.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH_RoRHpyJiVgrupqLHtJhFV1q9U-FxmL4hOxCBfm1Wy107uXXYItdNmadHhVfDBPgpA3MMzzbI3IpxVToNNp8jGRkkYd5FY_-0zJEhtXAkqURp4Ih5PiDfI9_t0KrFrlD5jPD71dIi66UhhXOmiClJHgSMAi3Y0J6QruQrAiUGRuzX2_TJN4DmSezL5MR/s2477/Nora%20Front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2466" data-original-width="2477" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH_RoRHpyJiVgrupqLHtJhFV1q9U-FxmL4hOxCBfm1Wy107uXXYItdNmadHhVfDBPgpA3MMzzbI3IpxVToNNp8jGRkkYd5FY_-0zJEhtXAkqURp4Ih5PiDfI9_t0KrFrlD5jPD71dIi66UhhXOmiClJHgSMAi3Y0J6QruQrAiUGRuzX2_TJN4DmSezL5MR/s320/Nora%20Front.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Season's Greetings from Nora Aunor</i> is a joy of an album. What caught my attention was "I Don't Intend (To Spend Christmas Without You)", the rarely covered song best known by versions from Margot Guryan and Claudine Longet. "Mister Santa", reminiscent of the Lennon Sisters, and "Christmas Don't Be Late" (a re-named Chipmunk Song) are also highlights, along with nine other Christmas standards.</div><div><br /></div><div>A great album by a great artist!</div><div><br /></div><div>Please enjoy <i>Season's Greetings from Nora Aunor</i> <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ocYHW4qCktjxCd7vQWhvEU8xOUWhfm7Y/view?usp=sharing">download link</a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJcXlq3_xQoHq_GSplfLNc9hFxbT2pvcs5pc7YxbMKu5UMXQVDBvH37Ud-grDMrVJPYnEoDup_duQGoaiHfQJ9Tpg50V7p8OLQYBe3sMM0iiohxbMvszx_HJaZa5isQC9Kjd6ikW5aUrT5sHwxmN9KD9sMqfS7BpXFR8ubCGqXG8CPtOHsuqgvtoFoppxP/s2475/Nora%20Back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2452" data-original-width="2475" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJcXlq3_xQoHq_GSplfLNc9hFxbT2pvcs5pc7YxbMKu5UMXQVDBvH37Ud-grDMrVJPYnEoDup_duQGoaiHfQJ9Tpg50V7p8OLQYBe3sMM0iiohxbMvszx_HJaZa5isQC9Kjd6ikW5aUrT5sHwxmN9KD9sMqfS7BpXFR8ubCGqXG8CPtOHsuqgvtoFoppxP/s320/Nora%20Back.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Der Binglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715110164755826620noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209364737662874604.post-35523848394506427152023-12-07T19:44:00.000-08:002023-12-07T19:44:12.290-08:00Merry and Bright Interview with Tim Neely (part 2)<p>Part 2 of my exclusive interview with Tim Neely, Christmas Music Collector All-Star and author of the <i>Goldmine Christmas Record Price Guide</i>.</p><p>-------------------------------------------------------------</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">MB:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ok, let’s get to
some nuts and bolts, or should I say chestnuts and peppermint sticks, of
Christmas music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1997 your book, the
Goldmine Christmas Record Price Guide, was published.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even now, 25+ years later, it’s still an
indispensable guide for the serious collector.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>How did the Goldmine guide come about?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>TN: </b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">First, thanks for
the compliment. <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Christmas Record Price Guide</i> came about
for two reasons. First, when I was hired at Krause Publications, the publisher
of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Goldmine</i> in those days, I was
brought onboard to put together a database that eventually became the source
for the Goldmine Standard Catalog of American Records, a mammoth
1,200-plus-page price guide that finally hit the market in 1998. Second, to
lead up to that event, I was given leeway to create books that would help beef
up the database en route to the final goal. Christmas records were a strong
interest of mine, and of course, a general guide to records would have to have
some Christmas records in it. So why not a separate guide to Christmas music?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>MB:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b> </b> </span>You should be
very proud of the Guide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I refer to it
many times every year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">TN: Thank you. It
didn't sell very well, but those people who did buy it, such as you, treat it
with great reverence. I haven't checked lately, but I once noticed that old
price guides don't have much interest as collectibles in their own right. The
exception was the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Christmas Record Price
Guide</i>.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I've been asked many
times by fans to do an updated version, but I don't know how viable it would
be. When I worked at Krause, it was out of the question because of the poor
sales of the first edition. It's now been more than 15 years since my last
price guide of any kind and more than a quarter century since the Christmas
guide came out. I find it surprising, but flattering, that there is still
interest all these years later.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BpiNj-HTBBFlchwhyphenhyphendCyb9dUHKMgi4sZokl7vwrW4QuV0tT-kuICqNIcWlqeUO_QeMrGiQy0HWwiFN0my9cWtZtzCS-z0z3tutzCOLio3IY2slruUlLxWnFWiSDdVJSsOcqEhyphenhyphentqV8kHkr_J3wtGScrWmV6yPE1m2lBpGI-zxgn_Sq-JPkJA3DP7ewXC/s1808/Neely%20Guide%20Back.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1808" data-original-width="1191" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BpiNj-HTBBFlchwhyphenhyphendCyb9dUHKMgi4sZokl7vwrW4QuV0tT-kuICqNIcWlqeUO_QeMrGiQy0HWwiFN0my9cWtZtzCS-z0z3tutzCOLio3IY2slruUlLxWnFWiSDdVJSsOcqEhyphenhyphentqV8kHkr_J3wtGScrWmV6yPE1m2lBpGI-zxgn_Sq-JPkJA3DP7ewXC/w264-h400/Neely%20Guide%20Back.jpg" width="264" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>MB: And now, with the first edition of the Goldmine Guide
behind you, you’ve continued to carry the Christmas music torch with your
“Christmas Song of the Day”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every year
since 2014, each day from December 1 through December 31 you share with us, via
your website <a href="https://timneelystuff.wordpress.com/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Tim Neely Stuff</span></a>, a Christmas song that has
some special meaning to you, including the story behind the song (that’s 279
songs so far, by the way).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of the
stories are quite personal, which brings a deeper meaning to the song for us,
your readers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How is it that a
particular song gets selected as one of your Christmas Songs of the Day?<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>TN:</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I have two
primary considerations for each Christmas Song of the Day. First, does this
song deserve greater attention from mainstream radio? And second, do I at least
like it? Beyond that, if the song has an interesting story, that makes it
better.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I always worry that
some of the entries get way too personal. In real life, my past stays close to
the vest until I can trust someone. But I'm usually more open and vulnerable
when I write. Many Christmas songs remind me of early Christmases, lost loves,
people who have passed away, and other things that don't always come up in
conversation, and adding those impressions makes the story more meaningful to
me. I'm glad at least some other people get something out of them.</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">MB:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve been
introduced to so many songs and artists through your annual CSotD lists (as a
collector nerd, I have them all listed in a spreadsheet).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sharing under-appreciated songs to our
community is one of the very special things about being in the collector
family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are there a couple standouts
from that list of 279 songs that you’d like to mention?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>TN:</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">You're more
organized with my Christmas Songs of the Day than I am! I sometimes have to
search my old entries to make sure that I've not done a song in the past. All
my old entries still exist, so newcomers to the CSotD can see what I've done
previously. I'm thinking of making it easier to find past years' entries, if I
can do so. <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Since 2015, when I
moved the feature to my blog rather than posting it only on Facebook, only a
handful of my entries have made it to mainstream radio; it's more common that
my choices <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">used </i>to be on the radio
but have been shunted aside.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I could mention so
many of the songs I've posted. Because you also asked what songs I think would
work great on regular rotation on Christmas radio, I'll pick a couple that
might not because of the emotions they may evoke. <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">In 2007, when she was
merely an up-and-coming country singer and not yet a cultural phenomenon,
Taylor Swift did an EP for Target, and one of the songs on it is the
heartbreaking "Christmases When You Were Mine." A couple of the
covers on the disc are in regular radio rotation, but not this one, a song she
co-wrote. I was more than a year and a half past my first serious relationship,
and it <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">still </i>made me cry the first
time I heard it. The line "When you were putting up the lights this year,
did you notice one less pair of hands?" really hit hard. I'd imagine that
anyone who'd had a great Christmas with a now-gone romantic partner could
relate.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">In a similar vein is
"The Heartache Can Wait" by Brandi Carlile, which I find devastating.
She's desperately trying to avoid breaking up with a romantic partner during
the Christmas season because she knows what would happen.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">On a more cheery
note, I've really come to like those songs in which, to paraphrase
"Amazing Grace," Christmas is lost, but now it's found. Three of
different types that immediately come to mind are "Santa Will Find
You" by Mindy Smith, "Christmas Always Finds Me" by Ingrid
Andress, and "When My Heart Finds Christmas" by Harry Connick, Jr.
The last of those used to be played regularly on Christmas radio, but I
realized how rarely I'd heard it in the past several years, so I wrote a CSotD
entry on it in 2022. To me, it's the greatest Frank Sinatra Christmas song that
Ol' Blue Eyes never recorded.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">MB:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m often asked
“What is your favorite Christmas song?”, and my answer usually includes five or
six songs in rapid response.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, I’ll
pose that question to you:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you have a
favorite Christmas song?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How about an
album?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>TN:</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I still have a
soft spot, more than 50 years after I first heard it, for "The Christmas
Song" by Nat King Cole. I didn't know what it was called when I was a kid;
it was the "chestnuts roasting on an open fire" or "kids from
one to 92" or the "many times, many ways" song. I think it says
just about everything secular that makes Christmas wonderful. And with all the
covers of the song, though none has surpassed Cole's several versions, none has
been an embarrassment, either. There are some great covers.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">As far as more sacred
songs, there's something about "Silent Night" sung by candlelight in
a Christmas service, especially on Christmas Eve, that still gets to me,
whether in English or German or with wordless vocals or as an instrumental.
It's popular in the Christmas-music community to be unkind to Mannheim
Steamroller, but its version of "Stille Nacht," with just a voice or
voices singing "ooh" instead of the words, is otherworldly. Few other
songs make me feel how lonely a pre-dawn Christmas morning can be.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A more
"contemporary," or post-1980s, song I love is "Breath of Heaven
(Mary's Song)" by Amy Grant. I happen to think that the 1990s were a
golden decade for new Christmas songs, and this might be the most golden of
all. I rarely hear it except on Christian stations, but when that piano intro
comes on, I get goosebumps. And the part at the end of the second verse where a
word is dropped each time is some great writing: "Help me be strong. Help
me be. Help me."<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Albums? That's even
tougher. As I've written in my blog almost annually, I have a soft spot for the
1967 W.T. Grant compilation <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Very Merry
Christmas, </i>mostly because it was the first "grown-up" album my
parents let me play. But it also has some truly unusual selections that rarely
have appeared on other Christmas albums, such as "The Star Carol" by
Simon and Garfunkel and "Sweetest Dreams Be Thine" by Theodore Bikel.<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnunxsUOP8tAVfYdYE15H5uch75Gu4LUArbYyfSPBgE1SE1RxLxZsVdI9txuq6TnlY3YuT_hYUWEd-81t1Fnfs6P4QFdf6Xmk3W6zBXTdiPj_-wxCfQ_TvOAibbUR-43Y5xOTq3N5ocft7G-_cz7GmZuKvhRbCQaspc1jRhyphenhyphenbBdLXO4tx-8FSeMPCpYoxu/s800/grant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="800" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnunxsUOP8tAVfYdYE15H5uch75Gu4LUArbYyfSPBgE1SE1RxLxZsVdI9txuq6TnlY3YuT_hYUWEd-81t1Fnfs6P4QFdf6Xmk3W6zBXTdiPj_-wxCfQ_TvOAibbUR-43Y5xOTq3N5ocft7G-_cz7GmZuKvhRbCQaspc1jRhyphenhyphenbBdLXO4tx-8FSeMPCpYoxu/s320/grant.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I also love <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector, </i>as
it is called these days. That pretty much speaks for itself, though there's a
misconception that it was a noble flop when it was first released. In reality,
it was pretty successful in 1963, but it did go out of print from about 1967 to
1972, which added to its mystique. Overall, the year 1963 was an unusually
strong year for both new and reissued Christmas music. Perhaps a blog entry is
in order to flesh this out some more.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A single-artist
Christmas album that never gets old is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A
Charlie Brown Christmas </i>by the Vince Guaraldi Trio. I didn't even know this
album existed until 1990. It's so omnipresent today that it can be hard to
believe that, for quite a long time, the only easy way to hear the music was to
watch the TV show once a year. <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">MB:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you could pick
one or two unheralded Christmas songs that no one in the general public has
heard and get them into the top 10 Christmas song radio rotations, what would
they be?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>TN:</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Just one or two?
If you insist … (smile)<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Let me start with one
I first heard on a hyper-local radio station some years ago. It was so obscure
that I couldn't Shazam it, nor could I find the lyrics online, when I first
heard it. I ended up emailing the radio station, and they told me what the song
was. I then discovered that I had it in my collection! It's "Your
Christmas Day" by Laura Allan – another great new Christmas song from the
1990s. I just love the lines "And though the road be long and winding /
There's a Christmas star a-shining / And the angel's gonna help you find your
Christmas day." It's a very optimistic song.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The other one is one
of the many Christmas songs without which the season in England would be
incomplete, but Americans don't know at all – "Driving Home for
Christmas" by Chris Rea. Most people who go somewhere for Christmas drive
there, and Rea sings of the anticipation and the memories, and of the other
drivers around him who are also driving home for Christmas. If I were
programming a holiday radio station, I'd immediately find a place for this. I
think American audiences would love it.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">OK, here's a third,
if you'll indulge me. The alt-rock band Better Than Ezra was basically a
one-hit wonder with their 1995 Top 40 hit "Good." But before they
vanished, they put out a wonderful non-album cut called "Merry Christmas
Eve," which is like "The Christmas Song" for the 1990s, because
it mentions so many things that make the holiday great. And it even mentions
"a midnight Mass for a birthday" in its lyrics. I've heard it on the
radio only a handful of times since the first time I heard it around 1997, but
I love it, and I think radio would, too.</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy7oTPnaUathsyZrRoIHuTqWSBgWSd-0GynSSHzSQ2St91aPTL90yjz6An1dJfJnxu6-RP6j00Sbq8YLdLNHiDkJNOLDnhOXypAGRavENY7M9hDO5m90_3TF4v1YGQ8oUg-TLx7fjQp6LP2A3bGi1bVLFrzfa7jSzUN9kplHRkgGfeAdP4y8AoKy0IbK3L/s225/ezra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy7oTPnaUathsyZrRoIHuTqWSBgWSd-0GynSSHzSQ2St91aPTL90yjz6An1dJfJnxu6-RP6j00Sbq8YLdLNHiDkJNOLDnhOXypAGRavENY7M9hDO5m90_3TF4v1YGQ8oUg-TLx7fjQp6LP2A3bGi1bVLFrzfa7jSzUN9kplHRkgGfeAdP4y8AoKy0IbK3L/s1600/ezra.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">MB:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you have a
‘holy grail’ of Christmas records you want for your collection?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At a screening of “Jingle Bell Rocks” a few
years ago, I asked that question to Mitchell Kezin, and his response at that
time was one of Jimmy McGriff’s albums (since found and acquired).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is there anything on your list?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>TN:</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I stopped
actively buying "vintage" Christmas music once I lost track of what I
owned and what I didn't. But if I ever decided to come out of retirement, so to
speak, a couple albums I don't own and have never owned that I'd like to get
are both the mono and stereo original 1965 editions of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Charlie Brown Christmas </i>by the Vince Guaraldi Trio. They were
expensive 20 years ago and are probably even more expensive now, despite almost
annual reissues (though I don't think it's ever been reissued in mono).<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">On CD: When I moved
to Virginia in 2013, a good portion of my CD collection never made it onto the
moving truck. Though most of the missing albums and singles were non-Christmas,
I did lose a couple hundred Christmas CDs. To this day, I haven't completely
assessed what was lost, but I know I have several holes in what used to be
complete runs of several series, including the True Value Hardware <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Happy Holidays </i>series and the Hallmark
series (the Sheryl Crow and James Taylor discs, at least, are missing). So I'd
want to re-obtain those. <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">As for discs I never
had, I remember getting outbid on eBay on a promo copy of the Kimberley Locke
Christmas CD back when it was released, and I've never encountered another one.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">On 45: The
full-volume mix of "Gaudete" by Steeleye Span. It's on the original
British 45, and it's not that rare over there, but it has eluded my grasp. The
song was released twice in the U.S. on 45, but I don't know if either one
contains the British single mix or was lifted from the album, which fades in,
peaks in volume halfway through, then gradually fades out. Unless someone here
in the States has one, it would cost me more in postage than the record is
worth.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I'd also like the
Beatles' Christmas 45 box set from a few years back; I was broke when that came
out, and of course it's now out of print and very expensive. I'd love to hear
those in decent sound. I've had a bootleg LP with muddy sound since 1980 or so.
<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">And there's one more
45: "Blue Christmas" by Seymour Swine and the Squeelers (sic) on the
Swine Productions label. This is the famous "Porky Pig" version
recorded by a DJ in, I think, Charlotte, N.C. in the 1980s. I first heard it on
a mix CD someone sent me in the 1990s, but I've since learned that it was
edited and sped up, so I want the real McCoy. <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">MB:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What type of
Christmas songs do you not care for?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is
there a particular music genre or songwriting style that just doesn’t jingle
your bells?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>TN: </b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I have a very
high tolerance for Christmas music of virtually all genres and virtually all
aspects of the holiday season. The songs or versions I don't like tend to be on
a case-by-case basis.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">MB:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A final question
for you Tim, and it’s a bit philosophical.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What are the qualities of your love of Christmas music that you would
share with everyone if you could?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>TN:</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Wow. What I love
about Christmas music is the seemingly endless ways that songwriters and
singers express their love of the season. You'd think that, by now, everything
that could possibly be said about almost every aspect of the holiday has been
said. But every year, I find something new, different, and interesting. And
that's what is so great about it to me.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">And as a format,
there is none more diverse. Sure, all the songs are about this time of the
year, but there is no other format where Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Johnny
Mathis, and Bing Crosby rest comfortably with Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton, John
Legend, and Taylor Swift, who fit in with Mannheim Steamroller, Trans-Siberian
Orchestra, Bruce Springsteen, and the Pretenders, who can be joined by the
Beach Boys, the Ronettes, Donny Hathaway, and Vince Guaraldi. (And that's
merely scratching the surface.) If you're lucky, you might hear every one of
those artists in the same hour!<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">MB:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tim, once again,
thank you so much for taking the time to visit with Merry & Bright.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope for many more years of Tim Neely’s
Christmas Song of the Day, and I wish you a very happy and safe holiday season!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>TN: </b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Thank you so
much!<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">-----------------------------------------------------------</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">See Tim's Christmas Song of the Day at <a href="https://timneelystuff.wordpress.com/">Tim Neely Stuff</a></span></p><br /><p></p>Der Binglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715110164755826620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209364737662874604.post-52808911059562957282023-12-04T16:50:00.000-08:002023-12-05T05:45:42.512-08:00New Music Roundup!<p>Hi folks! It's once again time for the annual New Music Roundup. So, giddyap - here we go!</p><p>--------------------------------------------------------</p><div><h4>The Gleeman - "I Love Christmastime"</h4></div><p>Singer songwriter The Gleeman has announced a Christmas single release, ‘I Love Christmastime’ to keep the focus of the world’s eye on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the impact it continues to have on the children of the war-torn country. The single is raising awareness for the charity <a href="https://www.warchild.org.uk/">War Child</a>.<br /><br />Music has historically been known to bring togetherness in times of displacement and conflict. In the past, Christmas songs such as "Christmas 1914" by Mike Harding and Paul McCartney’s ‘Pipes of Peace’, all delivered a Christmas sentiment and poignant message. Music is a constant source of comfort for many, a safe place of escapism in a turbulent world. Christmas for Ukrainians, despite their devastating war-torn environment, is still an essential and important date for them to celebrate, particularly for children. This year for the first time in its history, Ukraine will celebrate Christmas day on the 25th of December.<br /><br /></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ss6_VvxyWKI" width="320" youtube-src-id="ss6_VvxyWKI"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div></div></div><div><a href="https://www.warchild.org.uk/" style="text-align: right;">War Child </a><span style="text-align: right;">received the track a few months ago and loved the song, which has been written from the perspective of a child, as The Gleeman crafts lyrics remembering the joys and magic of the Christmases gone-by. A gifted musician and storyteller, The Gleeman with the support of War Child was motivated to release the single to keep the plight of children in Kyiv and Ukraine at the front of people’s minds.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://stream.thegleeman.co.uk/ilovechristmastimewarchildversion">All the streaming for "I Love Christmastime"</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://thegleeman.co.uk/">The Gleeman website</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">--------------------------------------------------------</div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Dustin Douglas & The Electric Gentlemen - "Christmas is the Time to Say I Love You"</h4><div><br /></div><div>Looks like Dustin Douglas & The Electric Gentlemen (DDEG) may just make it on to Santa’s “nice list,” after all. The critically-acclaimed blues-infused rock band presents their rendition of one of their favorite holiday songs “Christmas is the Time to Say I Love You” (Billy Squier, 1981)</div> <br />“’Christmas is the Time to Say I Love You’ has always been one of my favorite Christmas tunes,” said Frontman/Lead Guitarist/Singer-Songwriter Dustin Douglas. “Something about the bluesy verses and Squier’s unmistakable voice makes me smile. I always knew someday I’d record this track.”<br /> <br />And that he did. However, in true fashion, the group – which is rounded out by Drummer Tommy Smallcomb and Bassist Matt “The Dane” Gabriel – didn’t simply cover the iconic holiday song. They re-invented it. Recorded at Eight Days A Week Studio in Northumberland, PA, DDEG’s version boldly boasts the band’s signature swagger, big guitars, infectious rhythms, and sexy grooves with Douglas’ distinct bluesy, vocal delivery, honoring Squier's original vibe … while making it their own.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hHQuH3zYrUw" width="320" youtube-src-id="hHQuH3zYrUw"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /><a href="https://lnk.to/ChristmasisthetimetosayIloveyou">"Christmas is the Time to Say I Love You" - all the streams/digital sites</a></div><div> </div><div><a href="http://www.dustindouglasmusic.com">Dustin Douglas Music</a><p>--------------------------------------------------------</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Mikalyn "Sweet the Snow Falls"</h4>Canadian musician Mikalyn's heartfelt emotional rendition of a beautiful holiday song about the magic of the outdoors in the Winter, written by promising new Canadian songwriter Greg Weinerek.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ELXiAicZeLE" width="320" youtube-src-id="ELXiAicZeLE"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.mikalynmusic.com/">Mikalyn Music</a></div><div><br /></div><div>--------------------------------------------------------</div><h4>Chris Daily <i>Seasonal Sounds</i></h4><div><i><br /></i></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjSK6nrihtqWX1UQ9TDNGxURKXA7PqFD8Z_TN0_HSfQJ8svweXLsvW92UvJOwWzT110fbApw0p4hBuQjgVbp6jcinJK6z5spWt7u2BmGCwwtmNpqGckCyHft-i7FPs9bVGxwPtbS43Jg9Df2vR-1nQqjg0Mj5zbx2BbyrnpNsGdTNfAb47MLneIIHh-Cow/s700/Chris%20Daily.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjSK6nrihtqWX1UQ9TDNGxURKXA7PqFD8Z_TN0_HSfQJ8svweXLsvW92UvJOwWzT110fbApw0p4hBuQjgVbp6jcinJK6z5spWt7u2BmGCwwtmNpqGckCyHft-i7FPs9bVGxwPtbS43Jg9Df2vR-1nQqjg0Mj5zbx2BbyrnpNsGdTNfAb47MLneIIHh-Cow/s320/Chris%20Daily.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div>“Seasonal Sounds & Traditional Songs” is a mix of classic R&B and retrorock with indie lo-fi vibes and an ear towards the holiday season. Also featured on the track "When Otis Redding Sang (Merry Christmas Baby) Remix" is soul singer songwriter Erica Michelle.<div><br /></div><div><a href="https://chrisdaily.bandcamp.com/album/seasonal-sounds">"Seasonal Sounds" on Bandcamp</a><br /><div>--------------------------------------------------------</div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">The Static Dive "Happy Xmas (War is Over)"</h4><div><br /></div>As we enter the holiday season with wars on multiple shores, The Static Dive (musician and writer, Bob Smith) delivers a bossa nova-infused indie-pop interpretation of John Lennon's holiday classic. With its chill vibe, a touch of melancholy, and a unique jazz combo arrangement, the song is a smooth take on an iconic call for peace that is more relevant today than ever before.<div><br /></div><div>Note from Der Bingle: "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" is a Christmas song that is sacred to me - there are very few versions that I like. The Static Dive's passes muster - well done!<br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CnwSCgnDwTA" width="320" youtube-src-id="CnwSCgnDwTA"></iframe></div><br /><div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://staticdive.com/">The Static Dive website</a></div><div><br /></div><div>-----------------------------------------------------------</div></div></div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Mango Island Sound "So Many Christmases Ago"</h4><div><br /></div>"So Many Christmases Ago" is family song about memories of Christmas Eve as a child, Christmas morning as a young parent, then Christmas night as a grandparent, and ends with "as long as we hold on to all these memories, we'll always be together Christmas night." It's in a traditional Christmas <br />style and builds to a subtle, slow calypso beat with steel drum accompaniment.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gu5RU-kAa_c" width="320" youtube-src-id="gu5RU-kAa_c"></iframe></div><br /><div><a href="http://mangoislandsound.com/">Mango Island Sound website</a></div><div><br /></div><div><div>-----------------------------------------------------------</div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Corvair "Long Way Around the Sea" </h4><div><br /></div>Portland-based band Corvair is pleased to release their latest Christmas song, a cover of Low’s “The Long Way Around the Sea.” This is the fourth Christmas song the band has released in four years. They are currently working on a Christmas EP for 2024.<br /><br />Singer and guitarist Brian Naubert says of the decision to cover the song, “Low’s Christmas album, which was released in 1999, is one of my favorite holiday albums of all time. I’ve always been very interested in Christmas music, including making my own, but their record completely redefined for me what the genre could be. It’s so profound, there’s not one saccharine moment.”<br /><br />Singer Heather Larimer says of the song, “I’ve been making Christmas music since my first band, Eux Autres. And I usually like to try to push the subject matter a bit dark. For instance, the first one I co-wrote (“Another Christmas at Home”) was about a dive bar in Omaha. But this year, it felt right to cover a Low song, one that is written deep inside the original Christmas Story. Even just the phrase ‘take the long way around the sea,’ with all of its sustained open vowels, is very poignant. It cracks your heart open to sing it.”</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IBUYvYw12bE" width="320" youtube-src-id="IBUYvYw12bE"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.corvairband.com/">Corvair website</a></div><div><br /><div>-----------------------------------------------------------</div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Amanda Fagan "Snowfall"</h4><div><br /></div><div>Amanda Fagan, San Diego singer/songwriter who last graced the pages of <a href="https://merryandbright.blogspot.com/2021/11/new-music-christmas-ep-from-amanda-fagan.html">Merry & Bright in 2021</a>, is back with a new single for the 2023 Christmas season. "Snowfall" is another original song from the talented Amanda.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hVxFXOiuIqk" width="320" youtube-src-id="hVxFXOiuIqk"></iframe></div><br /><div><a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/2Wh3bcdw3q2dteiNrNmRbc?si=08t_HP6pQkud9-3wItVGXw">"Snowfall" on Spotify</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://herecomesamanda.com/music/">Amanda Fagan website</a></div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">-----------------------------------------------------------</span></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">Deneice Pearson "Santa Claus is Coming" </h4><div><br /></div>Continuing a celebration of 40 years in the industry Brit Award winner, Grammy nominee, and lead singer of iconic pop group, FIVE STAR, Deniece Pearson announces news of her first ever Christmas single, ‘Santa Claus is Coming.’ Out 1st December.<br /><br />It’s a Caribbean Christmas for Deniece as she presents her original Christmas song ‘Santa Claus is Coming’. Celebrating the true meaning of Christmas and also the fun side of the season, the reggae-flavoured ‘Santa Claus is Coming’ is an uplifting, joyful sing-along with pitch perfect harmonies and an infectious groove – a modern-day Christmas song with all the hallmarks of a keeper.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TAqgDwFMy6k" width="320" youtube-src-id="TAqgDwFMy6k"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MsDeniecePearson/">Deneice Pearson Facebook</a></div><div><a href="https://www.instagram.com/msdeniecepearson/">Deneice Pearson Instagram</a></div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">-----------------------------------------------------------</span></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">Ashley Brandenburg "Winter Magic"</h4><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eKwxNWYbONA" width="320" youtube-src-id="eKwxNWYbONA"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div>Get ready to feel the holiday spirit with Ashley Brandenburg's newest release, "Winter Magic." This festive tune seamlessly combines nostalgic elements with singer/songwriter pop sounds, creating a truly enchanting experience. With its catchy chorus and heartwarming lyrics, "Winter Magic" celebrates the joy and wonder of the season. Ashley's soulful voice and musical talents shine through in this uplifting track, reminding listeners of the magic that can be found in the simplest of moments. So, grab a cup of hot cocoa, cozy up by the fire, and let "Winter Magic" transport you to a world of holiday cheer. Don't forget to share it with your friends and family to spread the joy this season!<div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ashleybrandenburgmusic">Ashley Brandenburg Music</a></div><div>-----------------------------------------------------------</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Kevin Scott Hall & Judy Pancoast "Christmastime in Maine"</h4><div><br /></div><div>From the duo of Kevin Scott Hall and Judy Pancoast comes "Christmastime in Maine", capturing the qualities and spirit of the holidays in the Pine Tree State from two born and raised Mainers. "Christmastime in Maine" is produced by award-winning roots artist Grant Malloy Smith, and is available at all the usual streaming platforms.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_caQzjJySyo" width="320" youtube-src-id="_caQzjJySyo"></iframe></div><br /><div>Kevin Scott Hall <a href="https://www.kevinscotthall.com/index.html">website</a></div><div>Judy Pancoast <a href="https://www.judypancoast.com/">website</a></div><div>-----------------------------------------------------------</div></div></div>Der Binglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715110164755826620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209364737662874604.post-40823160848887619172023-12-03T14:15:00.000-08:002023-12-03T14:15:52.996-08:00New Music: Cliff Beach "Christmas Day Funk"<p>Cliff Beach's 2021 album <a href="https://merryandbright.blogspot.com/2021/11/new-music-cliff-beach-merry-christmas.html">"Merry Christmas, Happy New Year"</a> was one of the most fun and enjoyable Christmas music albums of the year. Now, Cliff is back with a new single "Christmas Day Funk".</p><p>"Christmas Day Funk" is a great, high energy, funky Christmas tune. The thing I love most about Cliff's music is that it seems you can hear him smiling as he sings. There's just a pure, happy, joyful spirit from the soul that comes through. I dig it.</p><p>Check out the video for "Christmas Day Funk", head to Spotify and add it to your holiday playlists, and be sure to follow Cliff Beach Music on Facebook. All the links are below.</p><p>Extra! Extra! Want to hear from the man himself? Good friend Ken Kessler, proprietor of Sounds of Christmas, connected with Cliff for a new Podcast episode. Head on over to the <a href="https://www.soundsofchristmas.com/podcasts.html">Sounds of Christmas podcasts</a> and listen to Ken and Cliff talk about "Christmas Day Funk" and what's up for a 'Big 2024'.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eZSMBf8u72I" width="320" youtube-src-id="eZSMBf8u72I"></iframe></div><p><a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/3tT1GUD0hZYC0ziQr4NeLa?si=0ba977157621474a">"Christmas Day Funk" on Spotify</a></p><p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/cliffbeachmusic/">Cliff Beach Music</a></p>Der Binglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715110164755826620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209364737662874604.post-90020398913144203342023-12-01T05:39:00.000-08:002023-12-01T05:39:54.975-08:00Merry and Bright Interview with Tim Neely (part 1)<p>Tim Neely is well known in the world of Christmas Music collecting. And, "well known" is an understatement to the hard core Christmas music collector community. Tim is the author of the indispensable <i>Goldmine Christmas Record Price Guide</i>, published in 1997 and still highly sought after by collectors 26 years later.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDlZRNypB_cZMOxIYAxajMBe6i6boMpR3v6nPrz8x8ARr7ocEWGm_40sK3wDBe2vni9hpN6I938JD2Cq6UhN5y2CU10v6EYhCPqCK5B7p23M8748fKuf_-q0BeLdMZOhyK9M8xiPZYqRNHqUQ9JSOUeTZ3i4Yn8q8SVrBl46zcfLFcOWGTof1B7YsU0uEQ/s1000/Goldmine.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="657" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDlZRNypB_cZMOxIYAxajMBe6i6boMpR3v6nPrz8x8ARr7ocEWGm_40sK3wDBe2vni9hpN6I938JD2Cq6UhN5y2CU10v6EYhCPqCK5B7p23M8748fKuf_-q0BeLdMZOhyK9M8xiPZYqRNHqUQ9JSOUeTZ3i4Yn8q8SVrBl46zcfLFcOWGTof1B7YsU0uEQ/w263-h400/Goldmine.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><p>Tim is an active member of the online Christmas music collector community, contributing tidbits of recording history to many discussions. Deeper knowledge about the history of Christmas music recordings may not exist (although Stubby might make it a tight race). </p><p>Each year since 2014 Tim has graced us with a "Christmas Song of the Day" during the month of December, sharing with his readers a song that has some special meaning to him. We learn all about the song, and why he selected it, which may be a very personal, moving story. I've been introduced to many new artists and songs from Tim, BarlowGirl, Laura Allen, and Nightbirde being three that come to mind. You can follow along Tim's CSOTD at his website, <a href="https://timneelystuff.wordpress.com/">Tim Neely Stuff</a>.</p><p>Several months ago I asked Tim if he would mind doing an interview with Merry & Bright, to talk about all things Christmas music. Tim enthusiastically agreed, unaware of just how many questions would be coming his way. Trooper that he his, Tim sent back extraordinarily thoughtful answers to all my questions.</p><p>I am very, very grateful for Tim's time. He is a music lover, collector, historian, and gentleman with truly fascinating insights into Christmas music, past and present. So, here on December 1, coinciding with Tim's debut Christmas Song of the Day, I am very proud to present Part 1 of my interview with Tim Neely. Stay tuned to Merry & Bright for Part 2.</p><p>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Merry & Bright Interview with Tim Neely part 1</h3><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Merry & Bright:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Tim, thank you for spending this time with Merry & Bright.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As such a highly respected member of the
Christmas music collector community, I think my readers will really enjoy
hearing your thoughts about Christmas music and related topics. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Tim Neely:</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Thank you
for thinking of me and asking me.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">MB:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d like to start
by learning a little more about you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
personal earliest memory of Christmas music is a Bing Crosby album that my
parents had (“Songs of Christmas”, Decca DL 34461,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>with Bing and Katherine Crosby wrapping
presents on the front cover and Bing advertising for La-Z-Boy on the
back).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I played that record year round
in my early childhood, and I still have it in my collection today, over 50
years later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is one of your
earliest memories of Christmas music?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>TN:</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Just one? I must
have been a Christmas music fan from my pre-kindergarten years, because I
vaguely remember watching three classic Christmas TV specials, if not the year
they first aired, then not long thereafter – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, A Charlie Brown Christmas, </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">How the Grinch Stole Christmas! </i>With
help from my dad, I made a reel-to-reel tape recording of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rudolph </i>off the television one year, but about a third of the way
through, the sound became distorted. <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I also remember
looking forward to the Christmas season at church, because they'd pull out
Christmas songs to sing as part of the service, such as "O Come All Ye
Faithful," "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," and "Angels We
Have Heard on High."<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Another early memory
is that my parents bought me a songbook of Christmas music when I was quite
young, and I used it so much that it eventually fell apart. I did a search for
it not too many years ago, and I found that it was called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Christmas Carols </i>and was published by Whitman in 1964. (Earlier
editions were printed many times dating back to 1938!) It has a great cover,
with singers standing around what looks like an old-time organ. It would be
neat to have that 1964 songbook again.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Finally, during the
Christmas season of 1967, my parents bought an LP at W.T. Grant, which used to
be a five-and-dime department store chain. Grants was where we went to visit
Santa, probably because it was the closest place to do so from home. Anyway, they
bought an album called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Very Merry
Christmas. </i>That album was the first "grown-up" record that my dad
let me play on his big-people stereo. That is where it all began. I've had
other copies of that album in the years since, but I still have that record that
my folks bought in 1967, complete with my handwriting on the back cover.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">MB:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How did you
become a collector of Christmas music?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>To paraphrase Malcolm Gladwell, was there a ‘tipping point’ after which
your collecting mojo really took off?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or
was it a gradual thing, where one day you suddenly realized you had built up
quite a collection?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>TN:</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">It was definitely
a gradual thing. I consider the start of my record collecting as March 1973,
though there had always been records around the house. It wasn't a focus of the
collection for many years, but when (especially) 45s of Christmas songs showed up,
I got them. I had "The Chipmunk Song" by the Chipmunks early on, as
well as Gene Autry's "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and Jimmy
Boyd's "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," because an early focus of
my 45 collection was songs that hit #1 in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Billboard.<o:p></o:p></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Some others I recall
adding to my collection early on were an early-1960s pressing of "The
Christmas Song" by Nat King Cole; the 45 EP with "Blue
Christmas" by Elvis Presley on it; and "The Man with All the
Toys" by the Beach Boys. <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Christmas part of
my collection started to grow in the mid- to late-1980s, to the point where by
1990, I made Christmas mix tapes for my mom's Christmas parties for her friends
from work. By that time, I had dozens of holiday albums and hundreds of 45s. By
the early 1990s, I began to collect Christmas CDs; I also started to collect
various-artists series of albums. I got all eight volumes of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Very Merry Christmas </i>from Grants and
most of the Firestone and Goodyear volumes. Finally, I worked on collecting the
True Value Hardware <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Happy Holidays </i>series.
By 1997, I had enough Christmas albums that I segregated them from the rest of
my collection. So it was definitely a gradual progression. <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">MB:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can you estimate
the size of your collection?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How many
LPs, singles, CDs?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ll exclude
downloaded digital music from the count.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>TN:</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">At one time, I
had over 10,000 Christmas records, including 45s and LPs, and I think I still
do. I have an entire wall filled with Christmas CDs, including both full-length
and singles; I estimate that I have 4,000 CDs.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">MB:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve often
thought about what will happen to the collections that our colleagues in the
community own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My collection is pretty
large, but it pales in comparison to some of the true A-Listers like Rob
Martinez, Ernie Haynes, and Tim Sewell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Where will your collection wind up a few decades down the road?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And what would you like to see happen to the
collections from our peers?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hate the
thought of a giant truck backing up to the loading dock at the local thrift
store with pallets of Christmas records from a collector.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>TN: </b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">It's not
something I've thought about very much, unfortunately.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">MB:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve wondered
about the utility and feasibility of an International Christmas Music Museum
and Research Center, as a place for these collections to live on in
perpetuity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe someone out there
knows of a rich patron to provide the startup funding.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>TN:</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Or perhaps, one
can find a major research university with a great already existing
music-history department to host such a collection. A large financial donation
or endowment would help, which alas is beyond my meager means. But if that
school already has some infrastructure, adding a Christmas-music component
would simply require storage space and commitment.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">MB:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What are your
general thoughts about the Christmas music collector community?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What role do you think the blogs, message
boards, and sharing of out-of-print vinyl (lovingly transferred to digital)
have had on the world of Christmas music?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>TN:</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I love it! Any
time you discover other people with the same specific interest, it's a godsend.
All the talk by bloggers and enthusiasts has been a positive thing, because I
think it shows that reissues of rare Christmas music, especially by niche
labels, can be commercially viable.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">MB:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s talk about
the evolution of music media, a topic not exclusive to Christmas music, but one
very important to us as collectors. We’ve seen the distribution of music
transition from vinyl to CDs to digital downloads to streaming (I left out
8-tracks and cassettes, but I suppose we can give them a nod as well).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now vinyl is “in” again, and achieving
significant sales, with more and more new and re-releases every year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What are your thoughts about the evolution of
the media, and the resurrection of vinyl?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>TN: </b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">It makes me glad
I got off the acquisition treadmill a few years ago! By the 1990s, every new
Christmas album was on CD, and many were still on cassette, but almost none
were on vinyl. With all the LP reissues of the past 10 years, I'd be doing the
opposite of what many music buyers did in the early 1990s. In other words, I'd
be replacing my discs with records, rather than the other way around. But
there's no way I could ever afford to do so today.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Along those same
lines, I know of a Christmas music collector who has at least 40 (!!) vinyl
variations of Vince Guaraldi's <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Charlie
Brown Christmas </i>with different colors of records and styles of covers. At
one time, that album was impossible to find! I remember buying the 1988 reissue
version at a store that was clearing out its records in 1990, and I had no idea
it existed at all. Now, it's reissued so frequently that it's darn near
impossible to keep track, or keep up.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">MB:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s do a quick
focus on digital music – “physical” versions – MP3, WAV, FLAC, etc. – as well as
streaming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have a huge collection of
digital music stored away on hard drives and internet services, but I
personally lose track of them, and strongly prefer my CDs and records.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I am not yet a convert to streaming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will stream some music each season, but
it’s a very small part of my listening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>How has digital and streaming music affected the way you listen to
Christmas music?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>TN:</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Frankly, not much
at all. I mostly find it annoying! Going all the way back to Kimberley Locke's
2005 version of "Up on the Housetop," and possibly earlier, record
labels started with digital-only Christmas music. When that song was popular,
the only way to find that song was if you were fortunate enough to find one of
the promo-only CDs containing it – unless you believed in ITunes, where you
could buy the song as a digital download. Two years later, she did an entire
Christmas album, but it was only available digitally; hard copies were
promo-only.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I downloaded a few
one-offs over the years, but only if they were free. One I'm glad I got was
"Fa La La" by Jim Brickman featuring Olivia Jade Archbold, because
Brickman made a WAV (lossless) version available on his website the year it was
sent to radio (2011), and ever since, I don't think it's been on a hard copy.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">To this day, I keep a
keen eye for those increasingly rare new Christmas compilations in hopes of
finding songs I've heard in recent years but despair of ever owning because
they aren't on CD or record.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">MB:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over the years,
have you seen peaks and valleys in the popularity of Christmas music?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To me, although this may be completely a
personal experience bias, it seems like the first Mannheim Steamroller
Christmas album kicked off a bit of a resurgence in Christmas music
popularity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, then when the first “A
Very Special Christmas” was released, that seemed to contribute to another
boost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you have seen peaks, what do
you think were the triggers that led to the bumps in popularity?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Certain songs or albums?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other influences?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>TN: </b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I could write an
entire essay, or even a book, on this subject. But the short answer is yes, I
have seen peaks and valleys in the popularity of Christmas music. I'd argue
that Christmas music, combining both the streaming and playlist-based
phenomenon and the sales of physical media, has never been more popular than it
is today! Admittedly, the CDs are far less numerous today than 15-20 years ago,
but they're still out there. And I really miss the store-brand CDs from such
places as Starbucks, Kohl's, Hallmark Gold Crown, and True Value Hardware. New
records, of course, are much more available today. But it's with radio and
streaming where Christmas music is bigger than ever.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I'd say the lowest
point in Christmas music in the United States was probably the late 1970s to
the mid-1980s. Few artists were recording new Christmas LPs; most new releases
hitting the market were novelties (numerous "Christmas Disco" albums,
for example). And it was considered "uncool" to make Christmas
records by the most popular artists of the day, though the Eagles had a hit
with their version of "Please Come Home for Christmas" in 1978. In
the UK, things were a bit different because of the national obsession with the
Christmas #1 hit, which started in earnest in 1973 and remains a thing to this
day.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Another contributor
to a lull in Christmas-music popularity was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Billboard's
</i>decision in 1963 to segregate Christmas music, both singles and albums,
from its main singles and albums charts. Because of that, we don't really know
how big the holiday hits from 1963-73 really were, unless one has access to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cash Box, </i>which never disqualified
Christmas music from its charts.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">You mentioned the
Mannheim Steamroller Christmas album. It was released in 1984, and it actually
made the main <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Billboard </i>Top 200 album
chart the year it came out, peaking at #110. But it didn't <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">really</i> take off until people started buying compact discs later in
the 80s. And yes, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Very Special
Christmas </i>(1987) made it cool for American pop-rock artists to make at
least the occasional Christmas song again.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">MB:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fairly recent
history of Christmas music radio is quite interesting in itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think that for many, many years commercial
radio stations would work a few Christmas songs into their playlists during the
season, and a very few would make the seasonal switch to all Christmas music in
December.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Side anecdote:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>another early memory of mine is a Wichita KS
radio station playing “Jingle Bells” by The Singing Dogs every morning during
the season.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few years ago it seems we
had an eruption in the number of stations switching to an all-Christmas format,
and also there were races to see who could do it first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my market (Kansas City), Christmas radio
has normalized, and there are only one or two that switch to all
Christmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What are your thoughts about
the history of Christmas radio, the huge upsurge, and where we are now?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>TN: </b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">When I was
growing up, the local sunup-to-sundown AM station used to play what it called a
"Christmas Caravan of Music" starting a couple days before Christmas.
It was strictly easy-listening fare; each segment was sponsored by a local
business, and all may have been pre-recorded so the station announcers could
have time off for the holiday. In the 1970s, the Philadelphia stations would
incorporate maybe one Christmas song an hour into the format up until Christmas
Eve, when they would play 24 hours of non-stop holiday music on a loop.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The first station I
remember adapting an all-Christmas format for longer than a week was in
Baltimore, Maryland, in November and December of, I think, 1989. It did so as a
stunt, as it was going to change its format on January 1 of the new year. My
recollection is that the station's ratings saw a significant improvement during
those two months, and a seed was planted. <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I think it was Fred
Allen who once said, "Imitation is the sincerest form of television,"
and that's even more true on the radio. The first time I heard a station where
I lived go all-holiday during the Christmas season was in 1997. <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Not many years later,
probably in 2003, I was in Grand Rapids, Michigan, visiting family during
Halloween weekend. As I was driving in the area, two adult-contemporary
stations switched to Christmas music within a couple hours of each other.
People were getting ready for trick-or-treating to the sounds of Santa! They
did this for one reason: In any given market, the first station to switch to
Christmas music gets the highest ratings from Thanksgiving to December 25,
regardless how early the change. <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">During the years I
lived in central Wisconsin, at least one commercial station switched every year
except 2012. That year, the usual all-Christmas station had changed formats to
contemporary hit radio (top 40) and didn't convert, and no other commercial station
took its place. Instead, the only station in the market that played
all-Christmas was a non-commercial Christian station, and its usual minuscule
ratings improved significantly. <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Many people complain
about so-called "Christmas creep" and about the onslaught of holiday
songs, but those who aren't complaining, and many who are, are listening. Year
after year, radio ratings prove it. <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">In my market of
Lynchburg-Roanoke, Va., one commercial station switches to all-holiday
gradually, starting usually with the Delilah show in early November and then on
weekends before going completely all-Christmas the weekend before Thanksgiving.
Three Christian stations also switch to Christmas music, but they wait until
after Thanksgiving.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">MB:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, for a
leading question, what do you think of the quality of the playlists of
commercial radio stations that switch to Christmas music?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, how about the playlists of the satellite
radio stations?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>TN:</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I don't listen to
satellite radio, so I can't comment on that.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">As for the usual
playlists on commercial radio, I know that, if I were a program director for a
Christmas radio station, I would do things differently. <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Some songs get played
over and over again because, frankly, Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without
them. But I would play the chestnuts less frequently – perhaps four times a day
instead of 10 or 12. <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I'd also incorporate
more lesser-known songs, both old and new, that still convey the spirit of the
holiday. One of the more annoying trends in Christmas radio the past five or so
years is to simply add more different versions of the same few dozen famous
songs, but by more current artists. How many versions of these songs do we
really need to hear?<o:p></o:p></b></p><p>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p><br /></p>Tim Neely Interview with Merry & Bright part 2 coming soon!<p></p>Der Binglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715110164755826620noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209364737662874604.post-21610691117621346012023-11-30T14:33:00.000-08:002023-11-30T14:33:07.545-08:00Radiola Company Christmas Album<p>Today's share is of an album that I was thrilled to find last Summer as I was flipping through the Christmas album bin at a local record store, one that I had not been to in several years. "The First Annual Radiola Company Christmas Album", pressed in 1970, contains two classic radio programs, ones that Radiola claims have never appeared on an album before.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjva4Zsvzq4u5LyXuJdPaWiETmKGLgU5RqCLSnswQbzGS12HtmS6qBEjsnFrgMO0R-oyvGt58Cs82Lf6mP-9BzqSiE7t3VTTD9SmT_jbBpPlXuH0phxKjOddmnpn2vvON4vQvuhQx0Sp4hiLLzO-jfPjPD0cGTGUPrHPzX_bfDCH4nHsdYY77ngtpW_lyk-/s2478/Radiola%20Front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2478" data-original-width="2441" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjva4Zsvzq4u5LyXuJdPaWiETmKGLgU5RqCLSnswQbzGS12HtmS6qBEjsnFrgMO0R-oyvGt58Cs82Lf6mP-9BzqSiE7t3VTTD9SmT_jbBpPlXuH0phxKjOddmnpn2vvON4vQvuhQx0Sp4hiLLzO-jfPjPD0cGTGUPrHPzX_bfDCH4nHsdYY77ngtpW_lyk-/s320/Radiola%20Front.jpg" width="315" /></a></div><p>Side A is "The Amos 'n' Andy Christmas Show", which originally aired on December 24, 1950. "Amos 'n' Andy" premiered as a radio sitcom in 1925 and became hugely popular, airing on radio and television with varying casts and forms until 1960. The 1950 Christmas program is an example of the radio entertainment from that era.</p><p>Side B, though, is why I was so excited to find this record. Side B is the December 20, 1947 episode of the "Truth or Consequences" radio program. I've listened to this program multiple times, from other download sources on the internet, but am thrilled to have my own copy of the album. This Christmas episode of Truth or Consequences is a tear-jerker, as the subject of the program is a wounded soldier spending Christmas in a military hospital. Listen along as his 'consequences' play out over the course of the program. This is radio entertainment at its finest, and a Christmas program you will not forget.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXqjAQlGozN9WADCp1UXboJagBlvnE_WlygUatTY2Lb4LeHR965sgD4v1VOhPUBKXgFg1a3dABdA-RAVqjyYtQF5SA3H4d-GzZVJjYp9SU0x_LoCmWYcpnL9hKtrUDxrHjQmBFFKwJm2xfsEJzw94BG3NUN2VMr5Ovk04kuWvEo2Jno4zuaR77IeB8Jpxx/s2461/Radiola%20Back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2452" data-original-width="2461" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXqjAQlGozN9WADCp1UXboJagBlvnE_WlygUatTY2Lb4LeHR965sgD4v1VOhPUBKXgFg1a3dABdA-RAVqjyYtQF5SA3H4d-GzZVJjYp9SU0x_LoCmWYcpnL9hKtrUDxrHjQmBFFKwJm2xfsEJzw94BG3NUN2VMr5Ovk04kuWvEo2Jno4zuaR77IeB8Jpxx/s320/Radiola%20Back.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Please enjoy "The First Annual Radiola Company Christmas Album"</p><p><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vNqeZrnBJAilsy-B0vAT3A7LVmIvmSYv/view?usp=sharing">download link</a></p><p><br /></p>Der Binglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715110164755826620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209364737662874604.post-32704795374318918252023-11-23T10:09:00.000-08:002023-11-23T10:09:47.090-08:00What This Christmas Community Means To Me - A Special Guest Column from Rehya Stevens<p>Happy Thanksgiving everyone! A couple months ago I asked Rehya Stevens if she would be interested in writing a guest blog for Merry & Bright, and she jumped at the opportunity! I can think of nothing better to post on this Thanksgiving Day than Rehya's beautiful column about her connections with the Christmas blogger/podcaster/online media community. Read on my friends :-)</p><p>And thank you Rehya - you're the best!</p><p>-----------------------------------------------------</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">What This Christmas Community Means To Me</h2><h4 style="text-align: left;">by Rehya Stevens </h4><div><br /></div>I’m a California girl who lived in Los Angeles for 23 years, until moving back to my hometown (in Placer County) in July of 2022. Placer county is often referred to as the midwest of California, where people say what they mean, mean what they say, or say nothing at all. In my experience, Hollywood culture is more, “get in where you fit in, then hustle hard to earn your keep — for you’re only as valuable as your most recent accolade.” Don’t get me wrong, I chiseled my craft in LA (I am forever grateful for the toolkit I now have), and made some lifelong friends who became family through steadfast support and trauma bonds that are pretty hysterical in retrospect. If you live to tell, and can laugh your butt off about it years later, pat each other on the back! You now have a psychological immune system of steel, and an indomitable spirit! <br /><br />A big part of me recognizes that what has compelled me to write and record so much Christmas music through the years is the desire to create a benevolent musical space where being together is always joy filled, non-competitive and abundant in levity and mutual support. Even still, I never thought back in 2018 when I reached out to Aaron Henton, Martin Johns, Jeff Westover, Todd Killian, Ken Kessler, Art Kilmer, Gerry Davila, Duane Bailey and Jim Devers with news of my first Christmas album ("Celebrate"), that six years later, that we would feel like kindred spirits, toasting a cup of cheer over zoom every Christmas, shooting the breeze, and just “hanging” - with no agenda.<div><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB8NTBRIkcNMDJ2TY8uqy_mK62IUCJ6voVVKShyphenhyphenAMiGhD4jKlRcvjKkDVtGnhCUbJyaHYg0f3uTIlqZXx-oilRvaCDZlsVYDSxANMl5WDVXh31dN1H9EbRWkh9H8zH4E4WwtZaual6tiR1BferWVB4NbmsNc9So_prqNdLS0Hh9mIK04UWvv-dOpgIlNqd/s1400/Rehya%20guest%20blog.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="1400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB8NTBRIkcNMDJ2TY8uqy_mK62IUCJ6voVVKShyphenhyphenAMiGhD4jKlRcvjKkDVtGnhCUbJyaHYg0f3uTIlqZXx-oilRvaCDZlsVYDSxANMl5WDVXh31dN1H9EbRWkh9H8zH4E4WwtZaual6tiR1BferWVB4NbmsNc9So_prqNdLS0Hh9mIK04UWvv-dOpgIlNqd/w400-h400/Rehya%20guest%20blog.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Katie Kennedy</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I love Aaron’s gentle, patient disposition. He’s too wise to get too ruffled. Seems to me he’d rather preserve his energy for planting gentle seedlings by way of example. He’s a ravenous reader, so my guess is, he probably has more leadership skills than most head honchos, but the mess of their wake is best used by allowing nature take care of things, giving way to a more sustainable future. He’d rather be on the creative side of that process. Aaron’s Blog: <a href="https://merryandbright.blogspot.com/">https://merryandbright.blogspot.com/</a><br /><br />Martin is a treasure trove of music history, and his ideals are to me - what the founding fathers fought for - but more progressive for this complex day and age. Talking to him is like talking to your esteemed college professor who always left you with the sense that you were barely scratching the surface when you thought you’d reached the deep end of the ocean. Back to the drawing board you go! Damn. We need more thinkers like Martin on this planet. Martin’s Blog: <a href="http://stubbyschristmas.weebly.com/">http://stubbyschristmas.weebly.com/</a><br /><br />Jeff lives in the deep end of the intellectual and political ocean, big time! He cares deeply about the state of the world, and is clearly a fine historian. Each conversation we’ve shared has left me yearning to give him my Dad’s phone number. My Dad is a Ukrainian immigrant who spent part of his childhood in a displaced person’s camp in Germany. When he immigrated to the states, he learned to speak English by way of bibles and encyclopedias - the only reading materials allowed in the home of his sponsors. My father has fits of indignation over the teachings of the old testament, and an unquenchable thirst for truth. Jeff’s passion for history and uncovering what’s true reminds me so much of my dad. I imagine together, they could solve the problems of the world if only they could fine tune human nature to be gentler. Yes, that would be their mission statement. Jeff’s Blog/Podcast: <a href="https://mymerrychristmas.com">https://mymerrychristmas.com</a><br /><br />I love Todd’s passion for creativity - whether that’s making furniture, doing graphic design, video editing or podcasting. He’s the kind of guy you’d be lucky to have as a best friend. If we lived close by, I’m sure we would be. I picture puzzling through winter, two-week long monopoly games, and trying to convince him to make ornaments with me that have so much glitter, it speckles the floors and furniture until the following summer, evading your every deep-clean effort. Todd’s Podcast: <a href="https://www.christmasclatter.com/">https://www.christmasclatter.com/</a><br /><br />I love Ken’s engaging personality, and his gift of communicating from the heart. He loves Christmas for all the quirky, endearing things it brings out in us. The way his wife tapes a new strip of wrapping paper to cover the bald spot on the gifts - every year, without fail - is one example. He encourages our unique ways of celebrating the holidays - and that also applies to the unique ways we live our lives. Being a career focused singer-songwriter who felt it best to spare a husband and children from the trials and tribulations of my roller coaster lifestyle, I think Ken would say, “Great!! More Christmas for us!!” Rather than, “Oh, that’s so tragic.” Thank you Ken 🙏Ken’s Radio Station:<a href="https://www.soundsofchristmas.com/"> https://www.soundsofchristmas.com/</a><br /><br />I love Gerry’s keen intellect and sense of humor. Not much gets past him - hence, nuance is everything in his arena. He strikes me as a sophisticated thinker, with a wicked sense of humor. That combination of gifts could easily boil up and over a deep pot, but he keeps it on a perfect simmer, for a steady, concentrated flavor. Whatever he’s serving up is going to be delicious! Gerry’s Podcast: <a href="https://totallyradchristmas.com/">https://totallyradchristmas.com/</a><br /><br />I love the way Art revels in the beauty of simple moments that bring us closer. I fully relate, because I live for those things! A shared cookie making afternoon, swapping lines from a favorite movie together as you go. Recipe swapping. Movie and popcorn nights with a s’mores station set up by the fire. There is something so re-energizing about the simple side of the holiday season. Everyone come as you are, no pressure. The moment we’re in is the only one that matters. Yes!! More of this please. Art’s Podcast: <a href="https://www.cozychristmaspodcast.com/">https://www.cozychristmaspodcast.com/</a><br /><br />Duane syncopates the Christmas lights on his house to “Jingle Jangle” every year and sends me the videos. It feels like tradition now, and I look forward to it every December. Seriously, it’s a pretty incredible light show. His neighbors ought to hire him for a pretty penny to dress their houses. I have plenty of other Christmas songs for them too 😉Duane’s Podcast: <a href="https://christmaspodcasts.com/48-boogie-woogie-christmas-with-duane-e1kk0gb/">https://christmaspodcasts.com/48-boogie-woogie-christmas-with-duane-e1kk0gb/</a><br /><br />Jim Devers recently got married and welcomed a new baby this year - she’s just beautiful! I figure, 6 years from now, he’ll start doing music interviews again. In the meantime, I look forward to seeing pictures from his Christmas mornings - all mayhem and bed hair! Jim’s Blog: <a href="https://linkin.bio/santatapesmusic">https://linkin.bio/santatapesmusic</a><br /><br />So, you see… this community is about so much more than music. It’s about community!! Isn’t it funny how life often appears to be about one thing — and it’s about so much more than we can possibly see at the outset of any endeavor? Knowing and being part of this community is enriching because of all the people in it, sharing who we are, sharing our love of Christmas, and seeking connection from that heart space. The spirit of Christmas is a wonderful thing. In essence, it’s about friendship, care and community. That’s what I’ve found here. Thank you Aaron, Martin, Jeff, Todd, Ken, Gerry, Art, Duane and Jim for brightening my world all these years. Your friendship and support has made all the difference on my journey, and you hold such a unique place in my heart by just being YOU! I’m so glad we found each-other through our shared love of this magical season. <br /><br />Merry Christmas to you & yours!<br /><br />Love,<br />Rehya </div></div><div><br /></div><div>------------------------------------------------</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.rehyastevens.com/home">Rehya Stevens Music</a></div>Der Binglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715110164755826620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209364737662874604.post-78021804214703617262023-11-21T14:41:00.000-08:002023-11-21T14:43:00.184-08:00Interview with Laurie Cameron: A Merry and Bright Exclusive<p>In 2011, Scottish singer/songwriter Laurie Cameron released her first single, "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)", b/w "One Christmas Fall". The song and and accompanying video quickly made the rounds through the Christmas music collector community. I found Laurie's striking interpretation of "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" to be completely mesmerizing, and felt that she struck through to the heart of the song and the sadness in the lyrics. For me, it became <i>the</i> defining version of the song. From that moment, I became a Laurie Cameron fan, and have followed her musical journey ever since.</p><p>In July of 2015, Laurie released her first album<i> The Girl Who Cried for the Boy Who Cried Wolf</i>, with nine original songs and her arrangement of "The Slave's Lament" by Robert Burns. Laurie's brilliance as a songwriter paired with her heartfelt singing made<i> The Girl Who Cried</i>... a strong, auspicious debut.</p><p>November of 2015 brought Laurie's Christmas EP <i>Merry Christmas from Scotland, </i>featuring three songs for the holiday season. You'll find out more about this EP in the interview.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-4JIPpKB49CODvUdKh4TDQnv6Ana1zRVZxtLOAYv3ifT0PuP0Vw-X66J3uKv3FoL2FrM4iG1nxn0r_EKCvd5qO1USzhapZumAQL07cWeZjJ2wQSAFWQstpvJawIELym94w7wTCFH1G6ATMuN4drOsjNgtjXRRPbRKPYh9W8XC5ViYsci-M5JDHxydE9Ot/s945/LC%20Trees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="945" data-original-width="945" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-4JIPpKB49CODvUdKh4TDQnv6Ana1zRVZxtLOAYv3ifT0PuP0Vw-X66J3uKv3FoL2FrM4iG1nxn0r_EKCvd5qO1USzhapZumAQL07cWeZjJ2wQSAFWQstpvJawIELym94w7wTCFH1G6ATMuN4drOsjNgtjXRRPbRKPYh9W8XC5ViYsci-M5JDHxydE9Ot/s320/LC%20Trees.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>In January of 2020 Laurie released <i>Something In Us Never Dies</i>, nine Robert Burns works arranged and sung by Laurie. Robert Burns is one of Scotland's most beloved figures, considered by most to be the greatest Scottish poet in history. Laurie's love of and devotion to Robert Burns' poems and songs is evident in <i>Something In Us Never Dies. </i>The album is magnificent, Laurie's vocals are incomparably beautiful, a fitting partner to the words of Mr. Burns.</p><p>Laurie Cameron, born in August 1989 in Perth, Scotland, now resides in Crieff, Scotland, only a short distance from her hometown. In recent years Laurie has continued to make music, and spent several months living in the US. Now back in her homeland, she hints at a new EP in the works. </p><p>Laurie's voice is enchanting, beguiling, and pure. Her songwriting is soulful, her interpretations of Robert Burns deeply reverent. Her musicianship in creating complete, beautiful works is masterful. And, fortunately for me and for Merry & Bright readers, she is a wonderful, friendly human being who happily agreed to this interview (not knowing how many questions there would be!).</p><p>So, thank you Laurie for your time spent crafting these thoughtful responses, and for sharing your talent with us.</p><p>To my readers, please enjoy this career-spanning interview with Laurie Cameron.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQac51Za9rO6_SGZ9E6Qur5SjeD-a-aFnM6gMEtGXC3J62sFA4nvK9srzQ45B8D4FTEChIf9fFC6injMNkQ9_2x6uY9yZOZd5HVgDSxEsqCva21i_-_cokm5MnzK_dIi05mWTRg8r1Ass4Bwnbc4MDy6QWyJII4UxRRmGf9DaWZLkkNfgKeUxZ-EwjpapA/s1600/Laurie%20Cameron%20-%20Burns.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQac51Za9rO6_SGZ9E6Qur5SjeD-a-aFnM6gMEtGXC3J62sFA4nvK9srzQ45B8D4FTEChIf9fFC6injMNkQ9_2x6uY9yZOZd5HVgDSxEsqCva21i_-_cokm5MnzK_dIi05mWTRg8r1Ass4Bwnbc4MDy6QWyJII4UxRRmGf9DaWZLkkNfgKeUxZ-EwjpapA/w400-h300/Laurie%20Cameron%20-%20Burns.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">Merry & Bright Interview with Laurie Cameron</h2><b><div><b><br /></b></div>Merry & Bright:</b> Laurie, thank you for taking time to answer a few questions with Merry & Bright. You are one of my absolute favorite artists, and I am thrilled to learn more about you and your music. <br /><br /><b>Laurie Cameron:</b> Thank you for the kind words, Aaron! I’m delighted to spend some time with Merry & Bright. <br /><br /><b>MB:</b> Most of us in the Christmas music collecting community first learned about you with your rendition of “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”. Far from a cover, it was a complete re-imagining of the song thematically, from the uptempo song we all know popularized by Darlene Love (and others) to a melancholy, heartbreakingly sad song of loneliness and lost love during the Christmas holiday. Can you tell us how you took this holiday standard and created such a different musical experience?<div><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhul1hd4ULpFVj90PjcfjEzPd14uoBrooEO4eKBrOHA2oKlcxVcDSrLJtoWi5pxgw6krr4Rk6KNBOpwF-GXIY9n7gcbxekwFBsHFNBoUwAgX8cz9R_kRcxXDi4KKKRA-l2K2KDom4IFJleWknE5CYmcFjsDNkF-ZlD1Lfq1EmdovkUd56O_VX-yDQeYo9G7/s600/Laurie.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhul1hd4ULpFVj90PjcfjEzPd14uoBrooEO4eKBrOHA2oKlcxVcDSrLJtoWi5pxgw6krr4Rk6KNBOpwF-GXIY9n7gcbxekwFBsHFNBoUwAgX8cz9R_kRcxXDi4KKKRA-l2K2KDom4IFJleWknE5CYmcFjsDNkF-ZlD1Lfq1EmdovkUd56O_VX-yDQeYo9G7/s320/Laurie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><br /> LC:</b> When you listen to the lyrics of Christmas (Baby Please Come Home), there’s a deep feeling of someone experiencing loneliness around Christmas time. While I still love the original upbeat classic, I felt like the lyrics would lend itself well to a slower, more melancholic version and after playing around on the piano with my bandmate, Ross, we really liked the sound of a stripped back version with just minimal piano, vocals and an old tambourine! <br /><b><br />MB: </b> Your interpretation made the verse “They’re singing Deck the Halls/But it’s not like Christmas at all” intensely emotional. To me, your version of this song is the new standard, and the way the it is meant to be sung. What kind of reactions did you get when you released it? <br /><br /><b>LC:</b> That’s lovely, thank you. We had great feedback when we released the song – some commented that they’d never actually realized how sad the lyrics are. That was a great compliment as people were appreciating the song in a new light. I do remember one radio show that weren’t the biggest fans of our miserable version though, after playing the song they said something along the lines of ‘god, if that’s what’s waiting for you, I don’t think I’d want to hurry home for Christmas’, which is quite funny! <br /><br /><b>MB:</b> “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” isn’t readily available anymore on the usual platforms (at least in the US). Is there a chance we will see a re-release at some point? <br /><br /><b>LC: </b>I would like to re-release it again in the future and perhaps record a live version. I do love a Christmas release so there’s a good chance!<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><b>MB:</b> Next in your Christmas catalogue is the EP “Merry Christmas from Scotland”, with three original songs, “Merry Christmas From Scotland (Lulled Wi a Stiff Drink)”, “One Christmas Fall”, and “Holy, Holy, Holy”. Can you tell us a little about the inspiration and creation of this record?</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDXrELUl5eiCkHW8Y3MpHb_WEXq2QdgZpPltCtZ4JyKi8Mo69LBab38XTed_fM-B0BPUR8N9Hoxv8QNe9Vyd_gA1hPSEIZcl3FahiljiVEyXEVIxCM7f2zWHes2SmYpmJ870HH-0vNP3qhSd13rXiA3Zn4GOr-zcK4jfWmT0ReZvGzqsFvdb6hd-cfIwwC/s500/Merry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDXrELUl5eiCkHW8Y3MpHb_WEXq2QdgZpPltCtZ4JyKi8Mo69LBab38XTed_fM-B0BPUR8N9Hoxv8QNe9Vyd_gA1hPSEIZcl3FahiljiVEyXEVIxCM7f2zWHes2SmYpmJ870HH-0vNP3qhSd13rXiA3Zn4GOr-zcK4jfWmT0ReZvGzqsFvdb6hd-cfIwwC/s320/Merry.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b>LC:</b> I’ve always loved Christmas music and every year I have this desire to write a new Christmas song. This EP is a combination of my old and newer releases from over the years - my most recent, ‘Merry Christmas from Scotland’, the much older ‘One Christmas Fall’ and an instrumental, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy’. At the time, I remember thinking about releasing a full album of original Christmas songs, but I decided on a smaller EP – perhaps it will be a stepping stone to a full Christmas album one day. <br /><br /><b>MB: </b> The title track “Merry Christmas From Scotland (Lulled Wi a Stiff Drink)” seems thematically similar to your “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” – Christmas apart from someone special, or formerly special, perhaps, with lingering emotions. The verses “Wherever you are now, whatever you’re drinking/Who lights up your life like glitter-dipped tinsel/I send my love from a frostbitten street” tell a tale of distance and perhaps trying to move on. Can you tell us more about the story and song? (And let me know if I got it right 😊 ) <br /><br /><b>LC: </b>You got it right! I spent a little time living in New York in 2010 and when I wrote this song, I had moved back to Scotland and was thinking a lot about people I’d grown close to there. It’s a song about how the festive season has a way of making you reminisce, the feeling of missing people you were once very close to, but at the same time appreciating where you are now and the beauty around you – and hoping the best for them wherever they are. <br /><br /><b>MB: </b> Your lyrics for “Merry Christmas from Scotland…” are beautiful and poetic, as they are in “One Christmas Fall”, which has a gorgeous melody, paired with a beautiful wintry, dreamy atmosphere. I especially love the verse “The road is gone, the snow escalates/And you should stay, you should stay”. There’s a different story here – can you tell us more about “One Christmas Fall”? Who is the subject of the song, who came ‘quiet to the door and left behind a trail of broken footsteps’ and told ‘the tales of the winter lands when you were young’? </div><div><br /><b>LC:</b> Growing up as a kid in Scotland my family all lived close to one another (aunts, uncles, cousins), all just a few streets away. ‘One Christmas Fall’ is a song reminiscing on the many years we had white Christmases and big snowstorms – I remember trudging through the snow late at night on Christmas Eve to visit family. I also have vivid memories of my cousins coming to our door an hour or two before New Year and their shoes would be covered in snow and seeing their footsteps left all the way along the road. I’d sit playing cards and videogames with my cousins and my parents would be chatting and laughing with their siblings in front of the fire while a snowstorm was blowing outside. My childhood gave me a lot of inspiration for this song! <br /><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio1lGeY6ToisDsJBvMjU8d0-8a0hCtBTX-R7aW5dzAbaFcX7dOpzi-qAMWLqIKBnA-TvuUCe_YYbDz3r7-s7Hl6zn5pw-Edf7wcrfSNpN6ufBm_PbDCmTHO0q9KGio5A7rv-1GbkgT-Oi1ll_6kJXSDtIwpqdetukFKHdJHtaZj7vXieeiM_n5qZvWHTWR/s6240/DSCF3954-Laurie%20Cameron.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="6240" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio1lGeY6ToisDsJBvMjU8d0-8a0hCtBTX-R7aW5dzAbaFcX7dOpzi-qAMWLqIKBnA-TvuUCe_YYbDz3r7-s7Hl6zn5pw-Edf7wcrfSNpN6ufBm_PbDCmTHO0q9KGio5A7rv-1GbkgT-Oi1ll_6kJXSDtIwpqdetukFKHdJHtaZj7vXieeiM_n5qZvWHTWR/w400-h266/DSCF3954-Laurie%20Cameron.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Joe Lafferty</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b>MB:</b> The EP closes with “Holy, Holy, Holy”, a wordless piece that envelopes the listener with layered expression. There are no sleighbells or the plucky strings of sleigh ride songs, but still it feels ‘Christmassy’ in the sense of the long, dark nights of Christmastime and the Winter solstice, and one’s personal spirituality during this season. What is the story of “Holy, Holy, Holy”? <br /><br /><b>LC: </b>My brother, who’s a photographer, was using a clip of one of my songs to use in one of his videos. He had slowed the song way down until it wasn’t recognizable anymore, but it had a really cool ethereal sound to it. I thought an instrumental track with that sort of sound would be a nice addition to the Christmas EP, so we took the ‘Holy, Holy, Holy’ section of ‘Merry Christmas from Scotland’ and slowed it down to create a whole new track. I loved how it came out – like the sound of being swept away in a snowstorm. <br /><br /><b>MB:</b> Before I move to your two albums, I’d like to ask another Christmas-related question. Can you tell us a little bit about the Christmas traditions in Scotland? Are there any special celebrations or traditions in your hometown of Perth? <br /><br /><b>LC: </b>Generally I think Christmas in Scotland is fairly traditional and not too dissimilar to the US (although, I’ve never seen houses on the outside decorated quite as extravagantly as they are in the US!) Some of my favorite family traditions including making homemade mulled wine every December so the whole house smells of cinnamon and orange, and my mum baking her traditional Christmas cake every year. New Year in Scotland is called ‘Hogmanay’ and we often celebrate with ‘first footing’ - the first person to enter your home after midnight is called a ‘first-footer’, an old Scottish tradition whereby a dark-haired male brings with him a coin for wealth, a lump of coal for warmth, a black bun (Scottish fruit cake) and a dram of whisky to give your home good luck for the year ahead. <br /><br /><b>MB:</b> Your first full album was “The Girl Who Cried for the Boy Who Cried Wolf”, released in 2015. This album featured nine original songs, highlighting your haunting arrangements and rich, poetic lyrics. Can you share a few thoughts about making this music?</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1alimzaS1qPXPvk5bnz303S7OB6i5F8CyV5wYkqYbYtUyOG6-KAi7uAMgyTmECXOIXD_fENHyVAElIO2T7M4oL44V6IsTJuI-CJ93JEItkQ92LatfBkA9hBWgHo6Yo6Zg4btT7cKTADvjFO6ODCuR3A6krrp0SGVlv4_YHuQi1_ih5qGiwEp9yHmMrJX/s1200/Girl.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1alimzaS1qPXPvk5bnz303S7OB6i5F8CyV5wYkqYbYtUyOG6-KAi7uAMgyTmECXOIXD_fENHyVAElIO2T7M4oL44V6IsTJuI-CJ93JEItkQ92LatfBkA9hBWgHo6Yo6Zg4btT7cKTADvjFO6ODCuR3A6krrp0SGVlv4_YHuQi1_ih5qGiwEp9yHmMrJX/s320/Girl.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b>LC:</b> I have such fond memories of recording that album. While we had a rough idea of how we wanted it to sound, we ended up improvising a lot in the studio and many of the songs are quite different to how we anticipated (in a good way). Some of the songs are quite atmospheric – it was recorded in a studio converted from an old mill which added to the feel of the album. We experimented a lot in the studio – some of the funnier memories include throwing ping-pong balls onto the strings of an open piano and recording the sounds, which turned out very cool and eerie. It opened our eyes to what was possible – from writing the songs at home on an acoustic guitar, to recording them using instruments like old church-like organs, accordion, cello and violin. Some of the songs are personal or inspired by family members (‘Foreign’, ‘Thomson’, ‘Fare Forward’) and others such as ‘Leave Us, Leave Us’ and ‘The Girl Who Cried for the Boy Who Cried Wolf’ are purely imaginative. The days we spent recording that first album hold a special place in my heart. <br /><br /><b>MB: </b> There is one more song on “The Girl Who Cried…”, “The Slave’s Lament”, a Robert Burns poem set to your music. This turned out to be a preview of things to come. Why did you choose to include “The Slave’s Lament” on this album? <br /><br /><b>LC: </b>I grew up reading and listening to the work of Robert Burns through my mum and dad, and ‘The Slave’s Lament’ was one of the first I learned to play. I used to perform it at gigs now and again, the lyrics are melancholic and really beautiful and it felt like a nice addition to the album. <br /><br /><b>MB:</b> Your next album, “Something In Us Never Dies”, is a masterpiece. Nine songs of Robert Burns’ poems, letters, and songs, musically interpreted and arranged by you. How did you choose from Mr. Burns’ tremendous legacy of work to find the ‘right’ nine songs for this album?</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhItFN1OyBDTNZLEJjCvx6txw0zYU8-Un6WM_AFNUHeRkvNhXB1kPBTCoIDCoD9ix3Al7eRmS2GLcVUbUJGBwV8w4rCNUUb5Z4Ql3vZHwRKr8LHs4X50Iri0l2EUTjzv8t8uNw_CbDr32qMfmnbUm89lBQIWEXN5RFXB_A3DiVyzzvLWaA97GMZlF0RZi7s/s700/Burns.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhItFN1OyBDTNZLEJjCvx6txw0zYU8-Un6WM_AFNUHeRkvNhXB1kPBTCoIDCoD9ix3Al7eRmS2GLcVUbUJGBwV8w4rCNUUb5Z4Ql3vZHwRKr8LHs4X50Iri0l2EUTjzv8t8uNw_CbDr32qMfmnbUm89lBQIWEXN5RFXB_A3DiVyzzvLWaA97GMZlF0RZi7s/s320/Burns.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b>LC:</b> Thank you! I spent many months reading the complete works of Robert Burns over and over, highlighting pieces that I felt spoke to me most. I was drawn to pieces I could relate to – Burns wrote often about being away from Scotland and missing his homeland – when I worked on the album I had just returned from living in Canada for two years, so I found his work talking about home relatable. Other themes in his work I loved were around the idea of life being fleeting and making the most of the time we have. <br /><br /><b>MB:</b> How challenging was it to find just the right music to fit Mr. Burns’ words? <br /><br /><b>LC:</b> Typically, Robert Burns songs are set to more traditional, folksy music and while I grew up loving those songs (and still do), I wanted to showcase some of his lesser-heard work in a modern light. Leading up to recording, I was really enjoying playing around with synths and electric keyboards, probably inspired from watching the likes of Stranger Things! It was such a different sound from my earlier folksy music, but I’m so happy with how it all turned out. A modern take on Burns understandably won’t be to everyone’s taste, but I hope it reached the ears of some who ordinarily wouldn’t have come across his work. <br /><br /><b>MB:</b> Robert Burns is credited with writing, collecting and popularizing the verses of the much loved “Auld Lang Syne”. He also wrote the Winter-themed “Winter: A Dirge” and “Up in the Morning Early”. Have you ever considered recording these to add to your Christmas/Winter song catalog? And if not, would you please? 😊 I for one would LOVE to hear Laurie Cameron perform “Auld Lang Syne” (all five verses please!) <br /><br /><b>LC: </b>If there’s one thing I’d love to do, it’s record more Burns songs! I adore the full version of Auld Lang Syne and worry I may not be able to give it the justice it deserves, but that’s a song I would love to record. <br /><br /><b>MB:</b> Just a couple more questions, Laurie. Who are some of the musicians who inspire you? Do you have any particular Christmas music influences? <br /><br /><b>LC: </b>I have to give a shout out to my fellow Scottish musicians and bands who are a great inspiration – Admiral Fallow, Frightened Rabbit, Kris Drever. I’m a big Christmas music fan, too. I love Sufjan Stevens’ ‘Sister Winter’, Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson’s ‘Winter Song’ – you can’t beat a melancholic Christmas song.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizGABFuKfUPftozoI5Aitoj9oyHbczFnPwlYy3qUnNHZVTfiTBHatdQ_9G5rjnoXYsL9eBdZkBjKBZjXYI9QCIgDg10RUjt3r1ifENw0tz-_7gDn_zkh6Y9U0Y8bGZwY-cK7OXY_cVfI2r6-WKauaNXlk-wUG7Hvbp3USkgldOtNaUWBUccyEB8IMcZLrc/s1600/Laurie%20Cameron.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizGABFuKfUPftozoI5Aitoj9oyHbczFnPwlYy3qUnNHZVTfiTBHatdQ_9G5rjnoXYsL9eBdZkBjKBZjXYI9QCIgDg10RUjt3r1ifENw0tz-_7gDn_zkh6Y9U0Y8bGZwY-cK7OXY_cVfI2r6-WKauaNXlk-wUG7Hvbp3USkgldOtNaUWBUccyEB8IMcZLrc/w300-h400/Laurie%20Cameron.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /> <br /><b>MB: </b> What is on the horizon for you, Laurie? Do you have any plans in the works for new music? <br /><br /><b>LC: </b>I do have plans for a new EP in the near future and I’m excited to get back into recording. I have a bunch of new songs inspired by my time living in California over the last few years. Maybe another original Christmas song next year – I haven’t released one in a while! <br /><br /><b>MB:</b> Laurie – thank you so much for treating us to these insights about you and your music. It’s a great privilege to learn about the thoughts, creative processes, and inspirations from such a talented musician. I wish you much happiness and success! <br /><br /><b>LC: </b>Thank you so much, Aaron. It’s been a pleasure and I truly appreciate your support. Wishing you a wonderful festive season ahead!</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@lauriecameron">Laurie Cameron Youtube Channel</a></div><div><a href="https://lauriecameron.bandcamp.com/album/something-in-us-never-dies">Laurie Cameron Music Website</a></div><div><a href="https://www.facebook.com/lauriecameronmusic">Laurie Cameron Music Facebook </a> </div><div><br /></div><div>Laurie's video for "Merry Christmas From Scotland (Lulled With a Stiff Drink)"</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GVgUrlDQmBk" width="320" youtube-src-id="GVgUrlDQmBk"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /><br /> </div></div></div>Der Binglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715110164755826620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209364737662874604.post-40686529478782167082023-11-19T13:59:00.000-08:002023-11-19T13:59:44.841-08:00"Aubrey Logan Christmas" and Bonus Q&A<p>"BLUF" is a new-ish business acronym, meaning Bottom Line Up Front. It's used to state the conclusive point of an otherwise lengthy communication at the beginning, then add the discussion, facts, information, etc used to come to the conclusion. So...</p><p>BLUF: <i>Aubrey Logan Christmas</i> is hands-down one of the best new Christmas albums this season. </p><p>From the opening track "Sleigh Ride" through the studio-recorded closer "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve" and the bonus live performance of "Blue Christmas" with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, <i>Aubrey Logan Christmas </i>commands the spirit of Christmas music.</p><p>Labelled the "Queen of Sass", Aubrey Logan is either an immensely talented jazz trombonist who is also an incredible jazz singer, or a generationally talented jazz singer who also has world class chops as a trombonist. Take your pick. Aubrey has been a featured performer with Dave Koz and with Postmodern Jukebox, and has released three albums as a solo artist/bandleader. All of her talents - singer, trombonist, scat singer, arranger, songwriter - burst forth from <i>Aubrey Logan Christmas. </i>This is one of those records that I'll keep playing, and playing, and playing....</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAjuoNhGk2QWF7DtXBuMOm1UiFcK0aEHNnvCfm-HgLBWoILMjXirju-3tAdJKA9DE9YDzgMkyXk-Ppko0_YTMkMd9LqkfpOgUyl06aH3Y7nWcz1y7CKVrrhlgQ8qBS1xo4efqFj-8-6ObaAXkoPvg8C4IxycLaEW25c-V5zJfVBbQRx2ONvZ9kXIIXnMpc/s2391/Aubrey-Christmas.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2391" data-original-width="2295" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAjuoNhGk2QWF7DtXBuMOm1UiFcK0aEHNnvCfm-HgLBWoILMjXirju-3tAdJKA9DE9YDzgMkyXk-Ppko0_YTMkMd9LqkfpOgUyl06aH3Y7nWcz1y7CKVrrhlgQ8qBS1xo4efqFj-8-6ObaAXkoPvg8C4IxycLaEW25c-V5zJfVBbQRx2ONvZ9kXIIXnMpc/w384-h400/Aubrey-Christmas.png" width="384" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The album opener, "Sleigh Ride", is absolutely full of energy and creativity. From the opening notes you're in for a thrill ride of a song. Aubrey's rendition of "Sleigh Ride" makes you feel like you're out in that sleigh, having the time of your life- fast, hold on to your seat parts; slower, whew! we're on a flat, snowy meadow; whoa! hang on again, here we go! Absolutely one of the best unique interpretations I've heard. And, oh yeah, full of sass.<div><br /></div><div>"This Is How It Ends", an original song written by Aubrey, is a quite funny song about breaking up over the holidays, when it probably should have happened sooner. Attention Christmas compilation creators - this one will make it on many annual comps.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Blue Christmas" really highlights Aubrey's range as a singer. Powerful in all registers, she commands this song. With just a pinch of sass added for good measure.</div><div><br /></div><div>"In the Bleak Midwinter" is an incredible vocal performance, sung with complete reverence to the song we know and love.</div><div><br /></div><div>"O Holy Night" - wow. Aubrey's arrangement is magnificent. It's a bit non-traditional in the approach, with Aubrey's singing balanced with instrumental trombone taking the melody throughout the song, and the sung lyrics carefully chosen. I am firmly in the 'don't mess with O Holy Night' crowd, but I absolutely love what Aubrey has done.</div><div><br /></div><div>"What Are You Doing New Year's Eve" is a jazz tour de force - play it and be amazed ay Aubrey's scat singing.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-DpiVMFpPn1X2k_V4smfUvgGr4JyQPL74jnsN-DTk2JbFI4uOGWOSvpegr0brCGROOIoL70AFFuHL5RshIOS5pfoS-Z1CQcpkhsBZ-V7Lt0rEUbVPX7Mbcjt7q2hZLE6eXCQ0nJoVgKPNa3rY9Aswt41dCC70mpSKAKMnNCZ7gmAC3E1R28aMa6U3NgYi/s5472/Photo%20by%20Amy%20Gawlik%20%20Aubrey%20Logan%20(40%20of%2041).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5472" data-original-width="3648" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-DpiVMFpPn1X2k_V4smfUvgGr4JyQPL74jnsN-DTk2JbFI4uOGWOSvpegr0brCGROOIoL70AFFuHL5RshIOS5pfoS-Z1CQcpkhsBZ-V7Lt0rEUbVPX7Mbcjt7q2hZLE6eXCQ0nJoVgKPNa3rY9Aswt41dCC70mpSKAKMnNCZ7gmAC3E1R28aMa6U3NgYi/w266-h400/Photo%20by%20Amy%20Gawlik%20%20Aubrey%20Logan%20(40%20of%2041).jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Amy Gawlick</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Aubrey is promoting her album, preparing for a December tour, and she still made time to answer a few questions for Merry & Bright. Please enjoy learning more about <i>Aubrey Logan Christmas </i>from the Queen of Sass herself, then visit her website (or the usual music commerce sites) and get yourself a copy of <i>Aubrey Logan Christmas.</i><br /><p>-------------------------------------------------------</p><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Q&A with Aubrey Logan </h3><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Merry & Bright</b>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Hi Aubrey!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks for taking some
time to answer a few questions about your amazing new album <i>Aubrey Logan
Christmas.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s start with “Sleigh
Ride”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the freshest, most
entertaining version of this song I’ve heard in many years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can you tell us a little about creating your
take on this Christmas standard?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Aubrey Logan: Thank you for having me on! As for Sleigh
Ride, it was a fine line for me between making it sound familiar, as we all
want because…it’s such a classic…and fresh. The song didn’t need to be tampered
with as Leroy Anderson already wrote in interesting chords complete with a
modulation. But…we tampered with it! Primarily by making it as fast as we could
without it being unplayable. And…we added in some bebop chord changes to the
bridge. Hopefully it comes across familiar AND fresh. That was my intention!<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>MB</b>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’re
known as the “Queen of Sass”, a label that I imagine you wear proudly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On <i>Aubrey Logan Christmas</i>, you even
managed so sass up the venerated classic “Carol of the Bells”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do you apply the Aubrey Logan sass to a selection
like this, and still maintain reverence to the familiar song we all know and
love?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>AL: Similarly to Sleigh Ride, I wanted to keep the
integrity of the carol we all have heard over and over again. However, do it
with a twist. Carol of the Bells is meant to be sung by a choir. I realized
why: it’s because there’s no place to breath in the song! The lyrics run into
each other with zero space, so when you inhale, someone else at least is
singing so that it sound seamless. Not so when you do it solo! Adding a little
comedy into my music has always been kinda my thing. So this lent itself perfectly
to that.<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXaX7MjGFl-dXnMn2tApTUXS58P5EZpcBNgLBiltZIJ9l_vvnT8lQy0wcoKeNtJJ0338xaLOZU8Q2v40GwCI_7K6bBFuLwx8EBHzux5XkJ1CU8IB8ME7OaFkzetDRfIYEDLDBBGlu0p2RjkFYKJjVTUoNAHoowUKD0AshE3_KnXVQK3cq5nb3KQRN73M5/s4457/Photo%20by%20Amy%20Gawlik%20Aubrey%20Logan%20(30%20of%2041).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4457" data-original-width="3566" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXaX7MjGFl-dXnMn2tApTUXS58P5EZpcBNgLBiltZIJ9l_vvnT8lQy0wcoKeNtJJ0338xaLOZU8Q2v40GwCI_7K6bBFuLwx8EBHzux5XkJ1CU8IB8ME7OaFkzetDRfIYEDLDBBGlu0p2RjkFYKJjVTUoNAHoowUKD0AshE3_KnXVQK3cq5nb3KQRN73M5/w320-h400/Photo%20by%20Amy%20Gawlik%20Aubrey%20Logan%20(30%20of%2041).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Amy Gawlik</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><b>MB:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your
original composition, “This Is How It Ends” is a strikingly funny Christmastime
breakup song.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Powerfully bluesy, I might
call it an anti-torch song -<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>not about
unrequited love, but about ‘there ain’t no more love here, bud’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can you share some thoughts about “This Is
How It Ends”?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>AL: An anti-torch song! I’m going to steal that one.
Thank you! Ha! Well, I sat down to write an original Christmas song because my
manager wanted me to. I didn’t have any idea what to write. Out of my head came
a melody and chords. That usually happens though. Lyrics take me FOREVER. I had
the melody written for such a long time before brainstorming enough to stumble
upon the lyrics to This is How It Ends. It just kinda flowed out as I was
sitting down one day trying to think of rhymes. As I continued to write the
fictional story about the Christmas breakup, I started to imagine that it was
like an episode of Seinfeld where George Costanza is recalling some lady
breaking up with him over the holidays. “How dare she!” So that’s how the Anti
Torch song was born.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>MB</b>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love the
song selections – from the nearly ancient “In the Bleak Midwinter” from the
Christina Rossetti poem, to the modern hip-funk James Brown classic “Santa’s
Got a Brand New Bag”, to the Christmas canon cornerstone “The Christmas
Song”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What was your approach to
choosing the songs for <i>Aubrey Logan Christmas?<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>AL: The approach was simply this: I arranged Christmas
songs that I like and avoided the ones that I don’t! (And we all have those!)
For example…you’ll never hear me sing Santa Baby. <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>MB</b>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aubrey,
this is one of the best new Christmas albums this year – love it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks for letting us in on a few secrets
about creating this great record!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope
you bring your show to Kansa City some time soon <span face=""Segoe UI Emoji",sans-serif" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol-ext; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: "Segoe UI Emoji";">😊</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>AL: I am honored and I cannot wait to get back to KC!<o:p></o:p></b></p><br /><p></p></div><div><a href="https://www.aubreylogan.com/">Aubrey Logan website</a></div><div><a href="https://shop.bandwear.com/collections/aubrey-logan-shop"><i>Aubrey Logan Christmas</i> direct from the artist</a></div><div><a href="https://www.facebook.com/aubreyloganmusic">Aubrey Logan Facebook</a></div></div>Der Binglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715110164755826620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209364737662874604.post-90932833116275930252023-11-17T14:29:00.000-08:002023-11-17T14:29:34.266-08:00New Music: The Wildwoods "Somewhere in the Snow"The Wildwoods, a Folk/Americana trio from Lincoln, NE are releasing a new original Christmas single "Somewhere in the Snow". The Wildwoods, husband and wife Noah (guitar) and Chloe Gose (violin) and Andrew Vaggalis (bass) have been making music together for many years, releasing their debut album <i>Sweet Nostalgia</i>, in 2017. Since then the award-winning trio have toured extensively in the Midwest and beyond, and have released two additional albums, <i>Across A Midwest Sky</i> (2019) and <i>Foxfield Saint John</i> (2023), plus several singles.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86nhrJ6AjjhzOQGXtX8wNP94gqTAAOQhQ0uOKeHREuG77qwpYKQxj1ZQ4VZ6MDnWIlxeod1FlzCcywEFJGJcE-tMocRpsIL5DUbZdla36HbmvnpPyJXmHr8MciXJvFzGchc-sYRxxgsZ7N_ihl7ylPefyTg-NrUQGhSXvnC7pYHYmlvjkpjRQzALrwint/s700/Wildwoods%20Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86nhrJ6AjjhzOQGXtX8wNP94gqTAAOQhQ0uOKeHREuG77qwpYKQxj1ZQ4VZ6MDnWIlxeod1FlzCcywEFJGJcE-tMocRpsIL5DUbZdla36HbmvnpPyJXmHr8MciXJvFzGchc-sYRxxgsZ7N_ihl7ylPefyTg-NrUQGhSXvnC7pYHYmlvjkpjRQzALrwint/s320/Wildwoods%20Cover.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><div><br /></div><div>"Somewhere in the Snow" is their first Christmas song release, and it's wonderful. The trio's vocals blend together magically, and the result is a dreamy, almost mystical feeling winter song. It invokes a modern white Christmas, and is easy to imagine the snow floating down from above, covering the outside while we stay safe and warm inside with the ones we love. It's a gorgeous song, and I love it more each time I listen.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidw1e3BrfudYAlZvDtFkfYEi6CBmPzQQG-hJFVgC79y7dyOJ2T6R9DxNshm0IB0XuztcTrVO0fzzk50pXFDilSlMgXLg0bp4XaXc3tJkpnb5Hvo_l8d_VW7G5C2OOWwmLoiZ0Hj2jFRSUa8iX04m4Xlgz0RX51NNFYZ8c7cfgcCPJg2WENaSKZGDIk-UiS/s960/Wildwoods%20Band.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidw1e3BrfudYAlZvDtFkfYEi6CBmPzQQG-hJFVgC79y7dyOJ2T6R9DxNshm0IB0XuztcTrVO0fzzk50pXFDilSlMgXLg0bp4XaXc3tJkpnb5Hvo_l8d_VW7G5C2OOWwmLoiZ0Hj2jFRSUa8iX04m4Xlgz0RX51NNFYZ8c7cfgcCPJg2WENaSKZGDIk-UiS/s320/Wildwoods%20Band.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Wildwoods</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>"Somewhere in the Snow" is available on The Wildwoods Bandcamp site, and will be out on all the usual streaming and digital outlets by November 18th. If your annual Christmas playlist needs a tranquil, peaceful addition, "Somewhere in the Snow" will be perfect.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Wildwoods <a href="https://thewildwoods.bandcamp.com/track/somewhere-in-the-snow">"Somewhere in the Snow" on Bandcamp</a></div><div><a href="https://www.thewildwoodsband.com/home">The Wildwoods website</a></div></div>Der Binglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715110164755826620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209364737662874604.post-31778825972319699262023-11-15T16:49:00.000-08:002023-11-15T16:49:29.950-08:00Coffee Chat with Alicia Stockman<p>It's a rare pleasure to get to meet the musicians that are featured on Merry and Bright! They hail from all across the country, and sometimes from the lands beyond our own national borders. So it was indeed wonderful to meet Alicia Stockman during her weekend stay in Kansas City. Alicia, <a href="https://merryandbright.blogspot.com/2023/11/new-music-alicia-stockman-recipe-for.html">featured earlier</a> with her new song "<a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/4X4zSY3o7erCc7Qdtk1GQN?si=09dbe00747d64b14">A Recipe for a Merry Christmas Eve</a>", makes her home in Utah, but was in Kansas City for a house concert and an appearance on local community radio station <a href="https://kkfi.org/">KKFI</a>. Before her radio gig, we met a a local coffee shop and bakery (<a href="https://www.enchanteonmain.com/">Enchante</a>, on Main St), enjoyed some hot beverages, and chatted about Christmas music, holiday traditions, and many other things. I completely enjoyed meeting Alicia - she is a darling, super nice, and exceptionally talented.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLoROep4LEt6-LMFWNGGOGSAFfkom0u0tD31kbP8Azc7gpZUhHF2Fu31234OrKuTVQHs7nS_-4tSuQxkCmtLKBBTZpZGyDuxJdAQJd9jZx_UZ2jiMCJD0q7LUNBsLKo4UQtoeAXdDvCXUrf3XoWhz5cWweOWE9JKYVn0uW-72bW8vvyD9cTcuQwYhlsOIf/s2016/IMG_9949.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLoROep4LEt6-LMFWNGGOGSAFfkom0u0tD31kbP8Azc7gpZUhHF2Fu31234OrKuTVQHs7nS_-4tSuQxkCmtLKBBTZpZGyDuxJdAQJd9jZx_UZ2jiMCJD0q7LUNBsLKo4UQtoeAXdDvCXUrf3XoWhz5cWweOWE9JKYVn0uW-72bW8vvyD9cTcuQwYhlsOIf/w300-h400/IMG_9949.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p>One part of our conversation was a quick Q&A about a few favorite topics, exclusively for this follow-up piece to the original post. [Note: I've paraphrased Alicia's answers from my handwritten notes]</p><p><b>Der Bingle:</b> Favorite Christmas Song?</p><p><b>Alicia Stockman:</b> Favorite traditional song is "Sleigh Ride", favorite Christmas album is Dean Martin's <i>A Winter Romance.</i></p><p><b>DB:</b> Unique or Favorite family Christmas tradition?</p><p><b>AS:</b> Now (since we live in Utah), our family tradition is to go skiing every Christmas morning and have cocktails on the mountain. As kids, Santa would leave a scavenger hunt for us to find on Christmas morning, always leading to Nerf guns, so I and my sister would have Nerf fights until our parents couldn't take it any more and got up :-)</p><p><b>DB:</b> Fruitcake: Yes or No?</p><p><b>AS:</b> A firm No. Every fruitcake I've ever had was either dry and stale or too gooey. (Note: Der Bingle should send Alicia one of his fruitcakes, which are delectable).</p><p><b>DB:</b> Musician Who Inspires You?</p><p><b>AS:</b> Patti Griffin (but there are many)</p><p><b>DB: </b> Favorite Sweet Holiday Treat?</p><p><b>AS:</b> Pecan Puffs</p><p><b>DB:</b> How many instruments do you play?</p><p><b>AS:</b> One well. A couple others not quite so well.</p><p><b>DB: </b> Dream Duet Partner?</p><p><b>AS:</b> The Indigo Girls (so that would be a Dream Trio!)</p><p><b>DB: </b> Dogs, Cats, or Other?</p><p><b>AS: </b> Dogs, definitely! (and then we shared pictures of our dogs)</p><p>Following our coffee chat, Alicia headed to KKFI for her guest spot on the Siren Song program, where she played "Recipe for a Merry Christmas Eve" live. (For a limited time you can listen to her performance <a href="https://kkfi.org/program-episodes/alicia-stockman-performing-live-on-siren-song/">here</a>). Program Note: Merry & Bright readers will be able to hear Alicia's song on <a href="https://kkfi.org/program/river-trade-radio/">KKFI's River Trade Radio</a> on Sunday December 10th, in the 9AM-10AM CST timeframe, when I have my annual Christmas music show. You can stream River Trade Radio from your location at <a href="http://KKFI.org">KKFI.org</a>.</p><p>Please take some time to explore Alicia's music, especially her first full album "These Four Walls", available on Bandcamp and the usual digital music outlets.</p><p>I'd like to thank Alicia for a great coffee chat!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwZM-WsFy-h3kWOdDQ-oPGAQI_8CRvE1GHpE2VfWQ_FwwKj7XNmQqf40gcHAgqLOGKapgMcsp4u2RBFQnua6AW2nUcqBYGsE_mOzbk6IMT08Ak-BI_2Mxx7EJPXCyzdiVCSwtXlvxOWGOl07fWOPYCsZHVXv3DTIobAi7jSjS24r6YvrWsyA_8ErUo4CcR/s700/these%20four%20walls.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwZM-WsFy-h3kWOdDQ-oPGAQI_8CRvE1GHpE2VfWQ_FwwKj7XNmQqf40gcHAgqLOGKapgMcsp4u2RBFQnua6AW2nUcqBYGsE_mOzbk6IMT08Ak-BI_2Mxx7EJPXCyzdiVCSwtXlvxOWGOl07fWOPYCsZHVXv3DTIobAi7jSjS24r6YvrWsyA_8ErUo4CcR/s320/these%20four%20walls.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><a href="https://aliciastockman.bandcamp.com/track/recipe-for-a-merry-christmas-eve">"Recipe for a Merry Christmas Eve" on Bandcamp</a></p><p><a href="https://aliciastockman.com/">Alicia Stockman website</a></p>Der Binglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715110164755826620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209364737662874604.post-56174950897206531162023-11-13T17:15:00.000-08:002023-11-13T17:15:59.356-08:00Sharing Season Starts: Well, The Cover Art Is Nice<p>So, I bought this album, our 2023 sharing debut, for a buck at a used record store this past Summer. Why, you may ask? Take a look at the cover, and at the track list. Notice anything a little unusual for a Christmas record? What the heck? My interest was piqued, so I forked over the buck, foregoing one fifth of a venti latte to be sipped later.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW8ImqsIaeb4B5t2ORbw6Aj4nfB53Lu45qx-7mJeqVWaQ528YMJCOxH0pC5eq_n400aUfz4sW_aAXx8gEBMBf3RHkEtixbHPnZcBsbNFSifNAStwSzZkhGmnc30Buz4hpTxy3SO5PGYPHW01RO8EWFtzmUYLW_TrZVfT1N0NvUaWypVlO8kgrDIfU-tIM5/s2447/PKK%20Front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2436" data-original-width="2447" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW8ImqsIaeb4B5t2ORbw6Aj4nfB53Lu45qx-7mJeqVWaQ528YMJCOxH0pC5eq_n400aUfz4sW_aAXx8gEBMBf3RHkEtixbHPnZcBsbNFSifNAStwSzZkhGmnc30Buz4hpTxy3SO5PGYPHW01RO8EWFtzmUYLW_TrZVfT1N0NvUaWypVlO8kgrDIfU-tIM5/s320/PKK%20Front.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>To quote Jack Benny, Well. </p><p>There is no "When I get to the bottom I go back to the top of the slide". No stopping and turning and going for a ride. No blistahs on my fingas. </p><p>It turns out the Peppermint Kandy Kids version of "Helter Skelter" is some other song. Semi-intelligible, like every other song on the record, because they are all sung by a children's choir. I might double-quotate "choir", but that might be mean, so I won't.</p><p>If you're fond of children's choir recordings, maybe this share will make your day, because every song is by the same bunch of kids. If you're fond of children's choirs singing a handful of songs you've probably never heard before and probably won't hear again, like "Ho Ho It's Christmas", "Twinkle the Tiniest Reindeer", and "The Reindeer They Left Behind", then by all means download away. If you're looking for the perfect album to clear the house of the stay-too-long folks at your Christmas party, here it is. If you have hard drive space that you need to use up, that's another good reason to download this.</p><p>An alternative would be to go to your local elementary school's Christmas program and listen to the kids choirs live. Probably more enjoyable, and there's a good chance you could buy some Christmas cookies at the post-concert bake sale. (Word of Warning [based on a true story]: If they start singing Go Where I Send Thee, you're locked in to all eight verses for what seems like an hour).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsQ13oeqCvkAHDoWspTaSaNG8X-8aFbL0KTLqBoTJDM7Z_ez3_7sFaEFr7QJ1MbC8WXiyZ48yXjhhyphenhyphenFrgYtslbekxrrUn8ehfjz1ahSFTosl96TVOXpVGzH6alwse4kjG2AqKKZPQgwLF6rVpqsN7H5EQPmMou4Rt2Z_X-NYfCpPjtxCTRmA1ZxhpjAZRZ/s2456/PKK%20Back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2435" data-original-width="2456" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsQ13oeqCvkAHDoWspTaSaNG8X-8aFbL0KTLqBoTJDM7Z_ez3_7sFaEFr7QJ1MbC8WXiyZ48yXjhhyphenhyphenFrgYtslbekxrrUn8ehfjz1ahSFTosl96TVOXpVGzH6alwse4kjG2AqKKZPQgwLF6rVpqsN7H5EQPmMou4Rt2Z_X-NYfCpPjtxCTRmA1ZxhpjAZRZ/s320/PKK%20Back.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Now, I seem all curmudgeonly here, so let me wrap up with some positive things. The artwork is pretty cool - very kids-oriented, but still pretty neat. Rudolph on the cover folds out, although there's just blue behind it. And I'm sure the Peppermint Kandy Kids had a good time when they were singing for the record. They do sing with energy, for sure. Not quite the energy of the kids on Petula Clark's "Where Did My Snowman Go?", but that energy could power Wyoming for 3 weeks. And finally, I <b>never</b> say "that music is bad", because someone out there likes it. It just may not be for me. And that's the case here - Peppermint Kandy Kids is just not my thing.</p><p>So, download and enjoy, or not :-) I guarantee that the rest of the shares this year will be more enjoyable.</p><p><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/12Pio-9AEb9PEhoLpKd0Cgc4m-hJajztj/view?usp=sharing">Peppermint Kandy Kids download link</a></p>Der Binglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715110164755826620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209364737662874604.post-8013038604075159552023-11-10T09:04:00.000-08:002023-11-10T09:04:05.082-08:00Rehya Stevens - New Christmas Album!<p>Rehya Stevens, great friend of Merry & Bright and first-ballot M&B Hall of Famer (if I ever get around to creating a Merry & Bright Hall of Fame) is back in 2023 with a new album of Christmas music. <i>Santa's Taking Over the Town</i> features 10 new songs, all originals, all bubbling over with the Christmas spirit and sound, and all some of the best new Christmas music you will hear this year.</p><p>But wait! There's more! <i>Santa's Taking Over the Town </i>is available as a Deluxe Edition CD, personally signed with love and affection by Rehya, and including Rehya's 2021 <i>Tis the Season</i> album. That's 21 songs by the reigning West Coast Empress of Christmas music! You can find this and all of Rehya's music at <a href="https://www.rehyastevens.com/music">her website</a>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8wBfqbHQFwUYP4rCvE2jV9I7qwQPUgbeFNGrwF05beqNtiTTwy6qZTOm2efKl7aRCBpiv_mR_A-1ZHdCAuzG9uKiktZumMJZDzNLfzBDWzVcdt9RFHEXDx_o0qb2KhdXQFxZwaNX_H3dV6M3jSqCnyKDHnBCfxMxwf80KD1gnI47Ko6z6FhR2NptuU-g_/s600/RS1.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8wBfqbHQFwUYP4rCvE2jV9I7qwQPUgbeFNGrwF05beqNtiTTwy6qZTOm2efKl7aRCBpiv_mR_A-1ZHdCAuzG9uKiktZumMJZDzNLfzBDWzVcdt9RFHEXDx_o0qb2KhdXQFxZwaNX_H3dV6M3jSqCnyKDHnBCfxMxwf80KD1gnI47Ko6z6FhR2NptuU-g_/s320/RS1.webp" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Rehya Stevens is a truly gifted musician, songwriter, and singer, and her decision to favor us with so many new Christmas songs is truly a blessing. Since her debut holiday album <i>Celebrate</i>, she has honed her craft, and, surrounded by top-tier musicians and producers, creates shining, glowing, tree-topper-worthy Christmas songs. Rehya explores many genres - pure pop, bluesy, upbeat rockers, sentimental, and spiritual.</p><p>The album opener "Christmas is Near" has the sound of a throwback to the golden age of Christmas music, superbly orchestrated and majestic. "Don't Be Late" has a whimsical feel, Christmas traditions and waiting for Santa through the eyes of a child. It brings back to me all those Christmas Eve feelings from when I was 7 years old.</p><p>"Santa's Takin' Over the Town" has a definite Chuck Berry vibe going on. Classic rock and roll beats and licks, awesome piano playing, and a whoopin' hoopin' song about Santa and Rudolph hittin' the town. (This is a Der Bingle fave...)</p><p>"Be My Baby by Christmas Night" is an ode to someone very special to Rehya. I won't give it away here, but if you visit Rehya's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/rehya.stevens">Facebook page</a> you'll find the whole story.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir51i2BeO70gKgxv5J5pZI2klAxDltNi_jwq2NjOEduDmomObDnW0ij6yYmcNjJplIll5RkfJKqHs8EUxOaIPGy9knGkvW8IJ1lnhqVOsTRWrf47iIFjvgVHXq-YFkGHapiXSKrONn_jvLZzosSfRi5l8BPTclRRKBKKA8-qJpSmBj2PEO1_mUH25rCNFR/s843/RS3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="843" data-original-width="843" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir51i2BeO70gKgxv5J5pZI2klAxDltNi_jwq2NjOEduDmomObDnW0ij6yYmcNjJplIll5RkfJKqHs8EUxOaIPGy9knGkvW8IJ1lnhqVOsTRWrf47iIFjvgVHXq-YFkGHapiXSKrONn_jvLZzosSfRi5l8BPTclRRKBKKA8-qJpSmBj2PEO1_mUH25rCNFR/s320/RS3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>"Early Winter" is a sentimental look at the passing of seasons, our relationships, our memories, and times happy and sad. It's an absolutely beautiful song.</p><p></p><p>In "Me, Myself & I", Rehya belts out the blues - whoa! </p><p>The album closes with "Spread a Little Love for Christmas", a tropical-sounding fun little ditty with a happy, party attitude. It's a dance celebration of a song, full of energy and positivity!</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXjEu-N1xZdeOENMsyCIW9YtJ4WKCRFi6cnJ08GEuyp4vOEgL8D2WCdrRR-qXw3jRRBtNDQqvRblYXQEPXAWHrW3KJtF_jTLARwNC6GZtCQkM9LTwg_2j8KkuqrgFojD09xeTLGC6IJxcXzdRUOHtqPPmtU_tIyzTFmTUBjOnCtw3_eJt-GJpUKGw9nwDt/s1600/RS2.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXjEu-N1xZdeOENMsyCIW9YtJ4WKCRFi6cnJ08GEuyp4vOEgL8D2WCdrRR-qXw3jRRBtNDQqvRblYXQEPXAWHrW3KJtF_jTLARwNC6GZtCQkM9LTwg_2j8KkuqrgFojD09xeTLGC6IJxcXzdRUOHtqPPmtU_tIyzTFmTUBjOnCtw3_eJt-GJpUKGw9nwDt/w266-h400/RS2.webp" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Katie Kennedy</td></tr></tbody></table></p>Rehya Stevens is one of the nicest, kindest, and positive people I know. She is a genuine, caring person, and has made friends with many of us in the Christmas music collector community. I think that everyone who has gotten to know Rehya, if not in person than via e-mail, Zoom, podcast recording, etc, will agree that she is a treasure as a human being, one who carries the spirit of Christmas with her always.<br /><p>Please follow Rehya on her Facebook page - you'll hear lots from her this season, as she shares stories about <i>Santa's Taking Over the Town, Tis the Season, </i>and more!</p><p>Oh - and you just might hear a bit from Rehya herself here at Merry & Bright, if you're all on the Nice List.</p><p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/rehya.stevens">Rehya Stevens Facebook</a></p><p><a href="https://www.rehyastevens.com/">Rehya Stevens website</a></p><p><br /></p>Der Binglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715110164755826620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209364737662874604.post-90301028819508854032023-11-07T17:02:00.003-08:002023-11-07T17:04:27.312-08:00New Music: Alicia Stockman "Recipe for a Merry Christmas Eve"<p>With "Recipe for a Merry Christmas Eve", Alicia Stockman wraps up all the comforts and warmth of the holiday season into a gorgeous song that will have you embracing the goodness of traditions and kindness, leaving behind the distractions and stress of the season. It is absolutely a recipe for happiness, bringing together in song the traditions that we sometimes believe have been left behind. "Recipe for a Merry Christmas Eve" is a big, warm hug of a song.</p><p>Alicia Stockman is a Utah-based singer songwriter, gifted with a comforting voice that still manages to penetrate to your soul. "Recipe..." is her first Christmas song, following her 2021 debut album <i>These Four Walls</i>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrqO9H6x3JGfap9_G2wRwDC600ScVt1ja1RaUEqleBJgXpzK4p1Pxy8MtQ7o8iQQVfMPd20_ogyMU61dM4Q2sbHeSE2pud1D58vARJdAQHLxaBRdr2w6XDzynX4lR4lFUct2wfHaDKvTqcm_wsuP1KzXHE73pLwVlwHcf7d10gks5EPvdgVuJaLONz8U3_/s3000/Recipe%20Cover%20Art.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrqO9H6x3JGfap9_G2wRwDC600ScVt1ja1RaUEqleBJgXpzK4p1Pxy8MtQ7o8iQQVfMPd20_ogyMU61dM4Q2sbHeSE2pud1D58vARJdAQHLxaBRdr2w6XDzynX4lR4lFUct2wfHaDKvTqcm_wsuP1KzXHE73pLwVlwHcf7d10gks5EPvdgVuJaLONz8U3_/s320/Recipe%20Cover%20Art.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Alicia captures the best of family holiday traditions, from baking holiday treats, to enjoying a cup of mulled wine, to connecting with distant family and sharing the spirit of the season with friends and neighbors. She shows that these long held traditions belong in our modern Christmases, if we take the time to let them happen. More heartfelt smiles happen when you are baking up a batch of Christmas cookies than in the checkout lines at your local big-box retailer. That's what "Recipe..." is all about - finding, nurturing, and sharing those moments.</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">Mix the magic of the moment </blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">With a dash of memories </blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">That’s the recipe for a </blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">Merry Christmas Eve</blockquote></blockquote><p>Musically, the song is beautiful. Nick Bullock's guitar work is outstanding, a perfect accompaniment to Alicia's vocals and her acoustic guitar. </p><p><a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/4X4zSY3o7erCc7Qdtk1GQN?si=3109463e7cc34079">Listen on Spotify</a><br /></p><p>"Recipe for a Merry Christmas Eve" is the first new song to be featured on Merry & Bright! this season, and if it's any indication, we are in store for a great year of new Christmas music. Please visit Alicia's website and socials, and hop over to Amazon or Bandcamp and add "Recipe for a Merry Christmas Eve" to your own Christmas music collection.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXB4s-lJaSWt4rqZbPV96CZfsy79qPFyXPI-WAI8atS5Gy0gFHxqNFvzlyq7KEiZkjP2HE4FRPAGWoKvjjnSSckSdY11fI4R6ac4FXOKj7h5fZgUtFXHA7mmwEibpaLjB0VLDRklfczbzh3Rb1aJpqLjO7T3eCmBRL0zp1y57dvk6Ibl2IcSdFfV5xwXL/s8256/Alicia%20Stockman%20Holiday%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="8256" data-original-width="5504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXB4s-lJaSWt4rqZbPV96CZfsy79qPFyXPI-WAI8atS5Gy0gFHxqNFvzlyq7KEiZkjP2HE4FRPAGWoKvjjnSSckSdY11fI4R6ac4FXOKj7h5fZgUtFXHA7mmwEibpaLjB0VLDRklfczbzh3Rb1aJpqLjO7T3eCmBRL0zp1y57dvk6Ibl2IcSdFfV5xwXL/s320/Alicia%20Stockman%20Holiday%201.jpg" width="213" /></a></div></div><p><br /></p><p>Purchase <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CKYBBVY6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=26RBYYYVU2WVZ&keywords=alicia+stockman&qid=1699404242&sprefix=alicia+stockman%2Caps%2C210&sr=8-1">"Recipe for a Merry Christmas Eve" on Amazon</a></p><p><a href="https://aliciastockman.com/">Alicia Stockman website</a></p><p>Bandcamp: <a href="https://aliciastockman.bandcamp.com/track/recipe-for-a-merry-christmas-eve">Alicia Stockman</a></p><p>Facebook: <a href="https://facebook.com/aliciastockmanmusic">@AliciaStockmanMusic</a> </p><p>Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/aliciastockmanmusic">@AliciaStockmanMusic</a> </p><p>Patreon: <a href="https://patreon.com/Aliciastockmanmusic">www.Patreon.com/AliciaStockmanMusic </a></p><p>YouTube: <a href="https://youtube.com/@aliciastockmanmusic">@AliciaStockmanMusic</a></p><br />Der Binglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715110164755826620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209364737662874604.post-53629941266698658752023-11-06T16:19:00.001-08:002023-11-06T16:19:32.037-08:00Snow is Falling! New Music and Artist Q&A with Sukey MolloyThe Christmas season is a time for joy, and Christmas music adds to the joy that this time of year brings. Sukey Molloy's <i>Snow is Falling! Songs for Christmas, Hannukah & Kwanzaa</i> is bursting with the Christmas spirit, so full of joy and energy that you can't help but smile when listening. Sukey Molloy is an award-winning artist, producing music focused on an audience of children. But, Sukey's music on <i>Snow is Falling!</i> isn't just for kids - it's here to be enjoyed by everyone, young and old.<div><br /></div><div>I love what Sukey has created with <i>Snow is Falling!</i> In addition to 12 Christmas songs, including the title track set to the classic melody of "Frere Jacques", there are four Hannukah songs and two Kwanzaa songs. In the past couple of years, I've searched for good Kwanzaa songs and have come up empty. So from the moment I saw the tracklist, I was excited about this new record.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn7je2QQoKL6kC3rjT2_XoJIePJyFT6qPb4wSsB_p4TCcaCQZm_wvkNcBUVCPhuBCufjRfq4YeHJ9Zc80L6R_e6zE3gdSlT4Wrq0Pa0P5HbgIp2p7GL4iDB9zcoOLQmtYZjndO7gdNbhUxmNPKor8lLpOogMbLi5SRNbD0a5Vb7FDarO9sNtnY9YGc0YAF/s425/Snow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="425" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn7je2QQoKL6kC3rjT2_XoJIePJyFT6qPb4wSsB_p4TCcaCQZm_wvkNcBUVCPhuBCufjRfq4YeHJ9Zc80L6R_e6zE3gdSlT4Wrq0Pa0P5HbgIp2p7GL4iDB9zcoOLQmtYZjndO7gdNbhUxmNPKor8lLpOogMbLi5SRNbD0a5Vb7FDarO9sNtnY9YGc0YAF/s320/Snow.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And I was not disappointed. Sukey's takes on classic carols such as "Jingle Bells", "Frosty the Snowman", "I Saw Three Ships", and "Up on the Housetop" are perfect for the youngsters. They are melodic, well-arranged, and, most importantly, easy to learn and ready for sing-alongs. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's the Hannukah and Kwanzaa songs that really make this album one to love. "I Have a Little Dreidel" and "Happy Joyous Hanuka" help bring this celebration to life. "Kwanzaa is Here" and "Kwanzaa" celebrate the seven principles in ways that everyone, young and old, can learn from and enjoy.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sukey Molloy graciously answered a few questions for Merry & Bright! All I can say to introduce the Q&A is that the world needs a few more Sukeys around 😀</div><div><br /></div><div>Following the Q&A, please visit the links to Sukey Molloy's website and to <i>Snow is Falling!</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>One last tidbit - one of Sukey's award winning albums is titled <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/music/player/albums/B0BXM5FWTP">The Adventures of Little Stubby</a>.</i> Perhaps a certain Christmas music collector buddy will have a special interest in that one...</div><div><i><br /></i></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Q&A with Sukey Molloy</h2><b><div><b><br /></b></div>Merry & Bright:</b> <i>Snow is Falling!</i> is the first album of holiday music that I’ve seen to include songs for Christmas, Hannukah, and Kwanzaa. What is your hope for this record, and how its songs will be enjoyed by children and their families this holiday season? <br /><br /><b>Sukey Molloy: </b> I am interested in helping to create a shared participation and celebration of life whenever possible which is one of the reasons my <i>Snow Is Falling!</i> album celebrates three different winter holidays together. I try in my performing and teaching to bring children and families together from all walks of life and cultures so we can open to one another and experience how much we share in common. What better way to share that message with children than through the holidays!<br /><br /><b>MB:</b> I am particularly pleased to see the two Kwanzaa songs, “Kwanzaa is Here” and “Kwanzaa”. What is the story of creating these two songs? <br /><br /><b>SM: </b>Initially I had in mind to write a Kwanzaa song or two myself since I had done so in the music and movement classes I teach, but when I researched Kwanzaa songs that have been released, I found two songs that I loved, and acquired permission to use them. Co-producer Larry Alexander and I set to work creating our own arrangements and are really excited with the special quality of both recordings! I also learned about the origin of the Kwanzaa celebration in the U.S. and how it is observed by children and families from Dec. 26 – Jan. 1. "Kwanzaa Is Here" is written by Christopher John D. Pennington, Sherry Segal and Wendy Wiseman (copyright Rident Royalties Inc.), and "Kwanzaa" is written by Donlad E. Monopoli and Laura E. Monopoli (copyright Kaladon Publishing).<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoYITViyvkCB6RkTpDPKyh1xZ_JPit9kh6nCwUAeLbGo7GB8xxIP_m8syCkLN2CNXOlRwA0Q0TZkPFOnBmgBgznZp7igDrWP4OdQYGGhaTliUHehY_qxtCOz0LByTt6gsj_i0odH8CKBvsC_PMmxdkx_DNT_mhUeVp8TPDR9lFQxG5qp9P3Al1qfL7Ddvo/s1200/Sukey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoYITViyvkCB6RkTpDPKyh1xZ_JPit9kh6nCwUAeLbGo7GB8xxIP_m8syCkLN2CNXOlRwA0Q0TZkPFOnBmgBgznZp7igDrWP4OdQYGGhaTliUHehY_qxtCOz0LByTt6gsj_i0odH8CKBvsC_PMmxdkx_DNT_mhUeVp8TPDR9lFQxG5qp9P3Al1qfL7Ddvo/s320/Sukey.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><div><b>MB:</b> There is so much joy in your singing! What’s your secret to making music for children that can be enjoyed by adults as well? <br /><br /><b>SM:</b> Well of course it is a challenge, but the centerpiece of my work is always to inspire everyone, young and old, to enjoy, participate, and experience a sense of their own personal listening. This holiday album brought an unexpected challenge since I was not writing the songs myself but bringing my own feeling to each well-known song throughout the process. Larry is the real reason I‘m able to connect with so much joy in the recording studio. He always makes sure I am having fun myself or we stop and take time to reconnect with the real reason we are making music. That is to help children feel good about themselves and the world they live in, and their parents as well! I receive so much happiness from the children and families I share music with every day and it’s important to me that that sense of joy and reassurance is shared by all of us when we’re listening.<br /><br /><b>MB: </b> Your Christmas song selection is just perfect for kids. They are the first songs so many of us learned when we were children ourselves. How much fun was it to record these traditional songs? <br /><b><br />SM: </b>It was great fun, and challenging! It was really very interesting to learn about the origin of many of these holiday songs. Some of them are traditional, as you say, and some turn out to still be current and not yet in the public domain. While others go back to the 1800’s and even back to the 1500’s, some are more current and first recorded in the 40’s and 50’s by famous artists like Burl Ives, Bing Crosby, Woody Guthrie, and Gene Autry.<br /><br /><b>MB:</b> The four Hannukah songs are happy, easy for kids to learn, and start to teach what the celebration Hannukah is all about. How did you settle on these four songs for your album? <br /><br /><b>SM:</b> I have been singing "I Have a Little Dreidel" with children for a number of years, as well as "Oh Chanukkah", and they are of course both very popular and in the public domain. They were a lot of fun to record! I wanted also to look for a few less well- known songs that could bring a new listening experience. In my search I discovered that Woody Guthrie had written and recorded several Hanukkah songs and I chose two of those with permission from Ludlow Music Inc/Woody Guthrie Publications: "Hanuka Dance" and "Happy Joyous Hanuka". They were a joy to arrange and record with a new sense of listening and appreciation.<br /><br /><b>MB:</b> Sukey, thanks for the Q&A time! You have a wonderful album, and I wish you the happiest of holiday seasons! <br /><br /><b>SM:</b> Thanks so much Aaron. I would like to wish every child and family a very special and peaceful holiday season with many warm moments of sharing, love, and celebration. Let’s hold each other close and give our hearts to healing and loving and receiving all the many blessings we share.<div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>-------------------------------------------------------------</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><a href="https://www.sukeymolloy.com/" target="_blank">Sukey Molloy website</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@SukeyMolloy" target="_blank">Sukey's YouTube Channel</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CFWG5FB3/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3P1HLSZ9RYE7R&keywords=sukey+molloy+snow+is+falling&qid=1699315243&sprefix=sukey+molloy+snow+is+falling%2Caps%2C309&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Snow is Falling Amazon MP3 link</a></div></div>Der Binglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715110164755826620noreply@blogger.com0