Tuesday, December 13, 2022

New Music Roundup Part II

More new music!  I've had so many great submissions this year, I had to create a New Music Roundup Part II.  As with the first Roundup, please listen to the artists and google them for more info. Many times you'll find fascinating stories about these musicians from your web search, much more than I can provide here.  For instance, Mackenna Swann has a truly inspiring backstory, worth your search time.  Enjoy these great artists and songs!

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Stereo Glow "River"

Ethereal melodic rock duo Stereo Glow are presenting fans with the gift of music this season as they unveil their new holiday single and video “River.” Available now on all DSPs the song is part of a charity initiative entitled Joy To The Burg, which raises money for the homeless population in Harrisburg, PA through an album of locally-produced seasonal songs.


“We were inspired to contribute something we love to help with this complex issue in an actionable way,” said Mark Burke of Stereo Glow. “it also helps keep the local arts community alive with a fresh collection of songs for everyone to enjoy during the holidays – all created from the power of many artists coming together.”

Stereo Glow’s track “River” was originally written by Joni Mitchell, and according to the artists, is one that they always held dear “as an homage to the darker side of the holidays.” However, to add their signature sound to the classic, Jessica Jellen and Burke of the duo decided to incorporate parts of "In the Bleak Mid-Winter," a poem from 1872, then a song in 1906, to further accentuate the moody atmosphere they wanted to create in their interpretation.


Anastasia Khomenko  "Magic Christmas Night" 


Anastasia Khomenko is a singer-songwriter from Ukraine. To date she has released 17 singles, and is hard at work on her debut album.  Anastasia has released "Magic Christmas Night" as a holiday offering this season.




Mackenna Swann  "Christmas Together"

Mackenna Swann is a new artist based in Nashville, TN. Mackenna has a newly released Christmas song called “Christmas Together” reflecting the themes of peace, hope, and restoration at Christmastime.  

In 2018, Mackenna attended Belmont University to further pursue her talents of singing & songwriting. She recorded and wrote songs in Los Angeles and collaborated in the vibrant community of Nashville. In 2019, Mackenna was asked to open for Kelly Clarkson in the CHOC Children’s Hospital of Orange County’s Annual Gala. Mackenna has performed in many gigs in Nashville, sharing her voice with the community around her. She has recently graduated as a songwriting major and has finished recording her first single, “Christmas Together.”



Bailey "Live From Graybox - A Very Merry Christmas"

Soulful songstress, Bailey, is ringing in the holiday season with a nostalgic Christmas EP "Live From Graybox - A Very Merry Christmas" featuring Bailey's own twist on classics such as "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" and "Someday at Christmas". Other tracks include "This Christmas" and previously released "Merry Christmas, Darling". 


Incorporating her own emotion and past experiences into these iconic Christmas classics, Bailey grasps the attention of listeners with her soulful twist and beautifully unique tone. Dedicating the EP to her late father, Bailey poured every bit of emotion and love into these special covers.


Bailey "Live from Graybox - A Very Merry Christmas" Spotify link

 
Corvair "I Believe in Christmas"

Corvair has released a new original Christmas single, “I Believe in Christmas” exclusively on Bandcamp and YouTube on December 2rd and on Apple Music and Spotify December 15th.

The song describes a holiday that comes at the end of (yet another!) difficult year, with a narrator who is torn between cynicism and surrendering to the Christmas spirit.


Corvair’s Heather Larimer says of the song: “Brian and I are both unabashed Christmas dorks. We love it. The rest of the year we are borderline misanthropes, but we just give ourselves over completely to hope and beauty at Christmastime. The song is about that internal tension. How you can be such a cynical adult, but it’s still impossible not to see Christmas with the eyes of a child.”

Larimer: “The song was inspired, like all of our Christmas songs so far, by Omaha where I grew up. In Omaha, you desperately need Christmas and all of its glowing lights by the time December rolls around. The landscape is frozen solid and everything’s colorless and harsh. But that just makes all the earnest un-ironic Christmas decorations so much more magical. They feel pretty miraculous among that bleakness.”



Alexis Cunningham "Let It Feel Like Christmas"

Hailing from Philadelphia, singer, songwriter and guitarist Alexis Cunningham, has released her retro-rock with a twist infused, original holiday song, “Let it Feel Like Christmas”. Co-written and produced by Eric Bazilian (The Hooters).


“I didn’t just want to make another Christmas cover song,” says Alexis. “This is a song about letting yourself believe in the magic of the holiday (like when you were a kid) and escaping the outside world, even if it’s just for one night.”



Maggie Cubillos  "A Colder Christmas (Live)"


21-year-old Colombian/Cuban/American vocalist Maggie Cubillos has released her live recording of "A Colder Christmas", recorded at Berklee's Valencia, Spain campus, where Maggie is currently completing a semester abroad.


Maggie grew up in Hermosa Beach, a small Southern California coastal town, with its own rich musical history steeped in both Jazz and Punk Rock. Her songwriting is influenced by artists like Adele, Phoebe Bridgers, Gracie Abrams, Sara Bareilles, and Coldplay, who have all helped shape the indie pop and singer-songwriter sound she performs.



Havanna Winter  "Daddy's Kissing Santa Claus"

Burgeoning viral modern pop star Havanna Winter’s newest single “Daddy’s Kissing Santa Claus!” is out, produced by Nevin Sastry (JoJo, Eurovision Song Contest Soundtrack, Phem) and written by Maya K, Havanna, Nevin Sastry, and Carlos Guevara (X Factor).

The single is accompanied by a fun 1980’s, ugly Christmas sweater, chaotic family Christmas-themed video starring Havanna, Marsha Molinari as the neurotic perfectionist Mom, Carlos Guevera as Santa, Vince Rossi as the Dad, Jordan Xidas as the Creepy Uncle, Jonnie Reinhart as the strict Grandma, Justin Love as vain Aunt Beth, Terrell Jones as the cookie eating Brother, and Niels van den Heuvel and Jonah Almanzar as Santa’s elves.


Winter says, “Daddy’s Kissing Santa Claus is such a fun song. It’s chaotic and catchy, and it gets stuck in your head. I feel like it’s very relatable, because most of us have experienced some Christmas gatherings that didn’t go as planned. I think that with all the serious things that have been going on in the world lately, people need a break from it, especially over the holidays, and to just be able to relax and have a laugh with some funny and happy vibes.”





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