Starting up the beloved annual feature Jingle Bells Friday is a bit like christmas shopping in reverse. When is too soon to start that shopping – or, and perhaps more meaningful and likely to be remembered in the future, making those special personalised gift items – in order to ensure that everyone will have something that they like but without making it feel that the Winterval is lasting all year? With Jingle Bells Friday it’s more a case of when are there enough songs contributed that the feature won’t run out of steam before the final posting week of the year, balanced with how to ensure late entries aren’t overlooked like naughty children but still get that seasonal spotlight without the need for too many Mince Pie Mondays or Solstice Songs Thursdays. The fact that you are currently reading this rather indicates that the “sweet spot” for starting seems to have arrived – rather like the glut of mince pies and turkey sandwiches currently filling all local food stores. And with this week having seen the first dustings of snow it really does seem to be a case of “if not now, then when?”. As if we really needed persuading. Solstice time, we love it – so on, on, on to dark nights, drunken revels, joyful meetings, sad partings, love, friendship, and, sure, why not, spiritual enlightenment. And probably a punch up or two – all Winterval life will be here, if there’s a new (or newly recorded at least) song about it anyway.
Belles, a rising Country musician who has been active since 2018, is equally enthused about the great Winterval ahead of us, and also notes that “with a name like Belles, it only seems fitting to release a holiday EP.” We couldn’t agree more, and since the EP features a version of ‘Jingle Bell Rock‘ what could be more fitting to get us underway? The song is taken from a new release called “Bells on Belles” which was recorded at East Music Row Records, Studio A, in East Nashville. The holiday EP was produced by Austin Luther and Johnny Gates.
Another seasonal EP, this time by husband-and-wife duo Drew & Ellie Holcomb , is released today. and we have the lyric video for the title track ‘I’ll Be Home For Christmas’ to share today. Ellie Holcomb shared that “‘I’ll Be Home For Christmas‘ is a song that has floated through the air of nearly every Christmas morning memory I have. It’s often been Amy Grant’s version, so getting to record this warm and nostalgic song as a duet with my husband was an absolute delight. I hope our version floats through your Christmas memories too, adding the warmth and light of home to your holiday season.”
The duo have a couple of “Neighborly Christmas” shows coming up in December – which is fine if you happen to be neighbours in Memphis or Nashville. Oh well.
If this is all getting a bit too cozy, we’re able to bring the mood right down with ‘Mistletoe Won’t‘, from Lauren Rismiller. It’s a song that doesn’t touch on the Druidic symbolism of mistletoe as a magical warding against evil, and a promise of rebirth beyond the darkest days of winter, and is more a reference to the bothering of other people with uninvited deposits of covid and flu polluted saliva. Or kissing, as some people call it. Lauren Rissmiller has shared that “This is the sequel to my song ‘I Miss Johnny.’ …and I love watching Hallmark movies during the holidays. ‘Mistletoe Won’t’ has a similar sentiment and that kind of theme. Christmas can be sad and lonely for some—especially after suffering the loss of a loved one or going through a breakup. I’m hoping that when people hear the song, it will serve as a reminder to hug those who are special to us just a little tighter.”
The Doohickeys are here to turn that nascent sad smile into a happy smile with their ‘Merry Happy Whatever‘ which addresses the thorny issue of what to say when some people are having Christmas and other people are having one of many other co-incident holidays. Or no holiday, as they observe “some poor folks can’t get the day off work.” The solution is to make the greeting generic – “Merry Happy Whatever, to you.” This could catch on.
The song is the title track of their festive EP which will be released on Dec 5th via Forty Below Records and which contains such seasonal sentiments as ‘Santa Needs a Beer‘ and ‘Santa is a Stoner‘ (we’re hoping they’re not pulling a double bluff and are actually body shaming the rotund Elf on that one) and for when the holiday bills start piling up they offer the advice to ‘Put It On Credit.’
The EP boasts an incredible assortment of Los Angeles musicians, including guitarist Jacob Brown (Jesse McCartney, Aly & AJ), multi-instrumentalist Jordan Bush (Hearty Har), bassist Adam Arcos (Whitey Morgan, Leroy From The North), drummer/sleighbell-handler Kevin Brown (Carter Vail), fiddler Eleanor Whitmore (Elvis Costello, Steve Earle), and Sasha Smith on organ (Ariana Grande, Tori Kelly). At the reins was multi-Grammy-nominated producer Eric Corne, who kept the reindeer in line and in time. We thank them one and all for their puns.
Now, this is the point where we would traditionally wax lyrical over the true meaning of Christmas – banjos. Well, we can’t. Not yet. Maybe later. Who knows. However ‘Snow in the Holler‘ from Troubadour Blue does feature Jonny Therrien (dobro), Rico Wallenda (mandolin), and Brenna Wheeler’s lonesome fiddle. That’s close enough for jazz – or even bluegrass. Troubadour Blue describe themselves as occupying a space where they are carving a path through the heart of American music, where dusty roads meet neon lights and heartbreak ballads collide with barn-burning jams. Elucidating on ‘Snow in the Holler‘ Troubadour Blue’s Daniel Ethridge has said “I co-wrote this song with Emily Earle and Lonnie Lee Fowler as a nod to the charm and heart of small-town Tennessee life. Though I didn’t grow up in a small town myself, I married into a Pulaski family and have fallen in love with the sense of community, tradition, and genuine connection that places like theirs hold. This song is my way of celebrating that spirit.””
And that’s it for this week, we sure do hope you’re in the mood for a Mince Pie, a glass of Eggnog and a stab at getting the Christmas Cards done. And if not, then we’ll try again next week.
