Well, you might think it’s too soon or you might think we’re starting a little bit late, but today we bring you the second Christmas song of the season (our esteemed Editor set the ball rolling last Friday). ‘Since It’s Christmas‘ is the title song of Amanda Stewart’s upcoming five-song Christmas-themed EP, which will be released tomorrow. It finds the Montana-based singer bringing the same sharp-eyed observation that was noted on her debut album ‘Venom‘ to bear on the festive season, capturing all it’s magic: “You used to love Eggnog from a grocery store carton but I couldn’t help myself / I used most the cash from my job at the station to drink from the bottom shelf” she sings, addressing an ex-boyfriend. The season of joy – and perhaps the cheap booze – inspires thoughts of a reconciliation of sorts: “since it’s Christmas and all of the lights are aglow / since it’s Christmas I hoped you might pick up the ‘phone.” Drunk, alone and heading for maudlin – if that doesn’t sound like a yuletide scene then we don’t know what does.
There’s a happier truth in Amanda’s recollections of growing up in Montana and spending much of her time on her grandparent’s ranch, being exposed to the acoustic instrumentation and simple yet honest songwriting of Americana, folk and country music styles. The influence took early Amanda explains “I can remember sitting at the old, slightly out of tune, piano at my grandparents ranch in Montana just plugging away at the keys and singing nonsense. I was always singing or humming as a kid.” Now, as a musician, she notes that “Montana is a hidden gem full of all sorts of genres of music. That, paired with the slower pace of life compared to other cities I’ve lived in like Seattle, gave me the figurative and literal space for self-reflection.”
And, by-the-by, if you’re starting to worry that the appearance of a single holiday themed song means we’ve decided to not run Jingle Bells Friday this year, then fear not – we’d never do that to you dear reader. You can expect to see the beloved traditional feature appearing soon… really quite soon…
