And now the sweating starts, the raised heartbeat rate, the stark all all-encompassing, totally overwhelming fear…yes, there are less than three weeks to go to the Big Day. How does this happen every single year? Or, maybe, it’s all going fine – the presents are purchased, the meal has been planned and budgeted for, all that remains is to get out and about and enjoy one, or two, or three or…however many…of the Yule themed gigs and tours that more and more spring up in this season. Often folk singers and bands out to have one last good score before a few weeks off – and if that sounds cynical then not at all, it’s just a modern form of carolling or wassailing or whatever local form of organised entertainments used to exist locally but taken out on a more national level. And it often involves mulled wine, so it can’t be all bad.
So, with that sorted out on to the music – and we start with an upbeat banjo mentioning (but not playing!) song from Amanda Shaw who has given Brenda Lee’s beloved Christmas classic ‘Papa Noel’ a full Cajun makeover. A fiddle player since childhood, she grew up in New Orleans with early years steeped in both fais do-dos and a vibrant mélange of jazz, blues, funk, and rock ‘n’ roll. By the time she was 15, Shaw had a record deal with Rounder Records.
Pauline Andres has a more contemplative take on the whole festive season – the commercialized Winterval and the somewhat conveniently placed festive day itself which just happens to fall suspiciously close to Saturnalia. ‘Sweet December‘ tries to persuade a friend to embrace the true meaning of the season singing: “And you and I know the reason for the season / Has hardly anything to do with anyone’s son / But turning the darkest night into the most fun.” Ah, here is a woman who knows all about eggnog and mince pies, unless – could she be trying to convey a different thought d’ya’ll think?
We can tie the next song back to the introductory paragraph as Jeffery Straker has honed his Christmas magic over years of seasonal shows. ‘Old Toy Trains‘ is taken from the new release ‘A Very Prairie Christmas‘ which the Saskatchewan-born singer-songwriter has produced in response to fan demand after years of fans asking at the merch table whether a Christmas album existed.
The entire album was recorded and produced in Saskatchewan with a cast of local musicians. Sessions took place in July and August, with summer heat outside and a Christmas tree set up inside his living room-turned-studio. “It was fascinating how the songs immediately transported us into full festive mode,” he says. “These songs were all I needed to virtually hang some holly and lights around my house.”
Another who visits the seasonal song with Glühwein regularity is the still appropriately named Sara Noelle who has another release this festive time. For her sixth annual Christmas release, Sara Noelle brings a wintry original ambient track, ‘I Am Falling Snow,’ paired with a warm saxophone-accented rendition of ‘Winter Wonderland.’ Sara worked with frequent collaborators this holiday season, producer Dan
Duszynski and artist/animator Kelsey Boncato. She says of the composition that “I felt drawn to creating a more ambient, contemplative track this Christmas. I liked the idea of imagining yourself as falling snow, weightless and one with the winter atmosphere. And for the cover, it’s always fun to reimagine a classic Christmas song. With “Winter Wonderland,” we slowed it down a bit and focused on the ‘walking’ and ‘wandering’ feelings of it, and the sax adds a smooth jazzy feeling. The two paired together are like taking a reflective walk after Christmas Eve dinner and then arriving back to a warm home, with the fireplace crackling.”
And whilst we’re thinking of the very popular – but sadly unlikely – seasonal weather phenomenon, let’s take a listen to Tom Houston‘s ‘Wishing For Snow‘ who is holding out a hope for a Christmas that will fulfil all the promises of the season, whatever they may be. “We all have our list” he sings on this downbeat song, which more than hints at all the good things like “smiling with strangers” or “dreams of a better life” or just “snowfall and sledges” not being things that will actually happen. We did promise you some inverse cheer.
And if that’s a bit of an inducement to less than jolly thoughts then we’ll finish with the seasonal offering from Wave of the Flood with the song ‘The Drunken Bell-Ringers’ which was inspired by a visit to Bath Cathedral and features just enough references to Christmas to qualify for Jingle Bells Friday. The presence of bells was also something of a bonus.
Lindsay Strachan, the creative force behind Wave Of The Flood, explains the background to the song: “I visited the belltower on a tour a few years ago and was struck by the beautiful sound of the bells, and the long history that bell ringing has across the land – chiming for weddings, Christmas, and community events. But, they were once a fun regular hobby too, until the bell ringers were asked to stop for being a health and safety hazard! The idea really tickled me, so I wrote a comical take on the characters I imagined.”
‘The Drunken Bell-Ringers’ is the seventh in a series of twelve monthly singles, each released in tribute to the golden era of the 45rpm record — and to mark Strachan’s own 45th birthday year.
And that’s it for another week, not so long to go now – so if you’re striving to be good then go at it, just twenty days more. We’ll be back next week, and if we had a little Yule time wish it would be that Father Christmas might make that delivery of banjo infused seasonal songs arrive just as soon as he can. Who knows, we’ll see.
