Jay Varner's Holiday Mix 2011

Did we need another holiday mix? No. However, that never deters us from going totally overboard! Our final holiday mix of 2011 is now available at Talus, Or Scree (that's our new home; if you haven't visited yet, we're there all year round!). A little background here: this is the holiday mix Jay will give a select group of family and friends. Now, given that it’s December 18, he will most likely never actually get this in the mail. I mean, let’s be honest about it. Still, his heart is in the right place and he certainly has the best of intentions. If you downloaded the earlier mixes, there might be a few repeats here but most of the songs are making their debut on 77 Santas. If you download all five mixes, you’ve got over six and a half hours of music. That should get you to your destinations this week and then some. We hope you’ve enjoyed these mixes and already look forward to 77 Santas’ 2012 season!


Head on over to the new 77 Santas to check it out.

2011 Holiday Mixes Are Up!

Head over to Talus, Or Scree to download and enjoy all four mixes with 112 songs (and maybe a few hidden tracks?). That's five and a half hours of holiday music!

We're moving! Come with us!

Faithful readers! You know how we usually only post here two months out of the year, at best? Well, we plan to continue with our love of Christmas songs mostly obscure and sometimes not, but we can't lie dormant during the other 10 or so months of the year!

So, a little announcement: PC and JV have crossed over to an all-podcast all the time format. We hope you will find a new slew of our obsessions to enjoy, in addition to Christmas music, at our new podcast, Talus, Or Scree.

We are about 8 episodes in and it's going quite well! We're having a blast! Go take a look at the new site and give a listen to the podcast. We will still offer bundles of songs during the holiday season, albeit in podcast form and through the new website. Keep your eyes and ears open, bookmark the new page, Like us on Facebook, and spread the word, please!

Ok. Onward to the next adventure! Please come along!

JV & PC

What marred the Christmas festivity was a New Year's double catastrophe

Just a couple Christmas songs about murder.

Lord Executor: Seven Skeletons Found in the Yard

The Felice Brothers: Murder By Mistletoe

Krampus. KRAMPUS!!!!!!!!!

PC

Gee Whiz, It's Christmas Break!

Loyal Underlings,

I officially finish my semester today. It's been a long one. I'm tired, I'm cold, I'm haunted by Krampus, but I'm going to do my best to drop musical wonder in this last week.

So, here goes:

I was shopping for JV's Xmas present yesterday, and I found myself a most wonderful treat: Christmas with The Louvin Brothers. I will post from this often, as they are one of my favorites:

The Louvin Brothers:

The Friendly Beasts

Good Christian Men Rejoice

And I'll keep the country flavor going with The Texas Troubador, Ernest Tubb. Ernest Tubb was originally cast to play Krampus in an epic movie starring Orson Welles called Get Off My Wife, Krampus! but the funding was pulled at the last minute. Also, both Tubb and Welles had gout at the same time, which was a first in Hollywood. Until The Expendables. Hey-O!

Ernest Tubb:

White Christmas

Merry Texas Christmas, You All!!

For JV, who loves "Ain't Gonna Bump No More (With No Big Fat Woman)", I offer:

Joe Tex:

I'll Make Every Day Christmas (For My Woman)

Man, that Joe Tex sure loves (parenthetical phrases).

And from the same hallowed Stax/Atlantic ground:

Carla Thomas:

Gee Whiz, It's Christmas

That's all for now. May Krampus haunt us all.

PC

Hardrock, Coco, and Joe

Snow!  Snow is on the way to Virginia.  Apparently it’s been snowing in PC’s neck of the woods for quite a while.  I know, I know—how are we supposed to glean that from an M.I.A. leader?  I think he’s putting together something special out there in the Windy City.  Word on the street is that it’s a time machine.

Xmas Twist – Twistin Kings

Really, this time of year, what better kind of twist is there?  Well, perhaps twisting the lid off a nice box of cookies.

Santa Claus Boogie – The Voices

Funky, groovy, bluesy, boogie.

And now, our annual feature on Hardrock, Coco, and Joe, an undisputable holiday classic. 

Every Christmas morning the short was played on Garfield Goose (and later Bozo’s Circus) on Chicago superstation WGN. Though once a Chicago-land classic, the short is now a cherished childhood memory for many people who watched it broadcast each year. Definitive info on Hardrock, Coco, and Joe is certainly hard to pin down. Though the film has copyright info, the video quality is so poor, it’s nearly impossible to read. IMDB dates the film to 1951 and Wikipedia credits it to a company called Centaur Prodictions. It’s certainly unlike anything you’ve ever seen and a definite pre-cursor to the Rankin-Bass style.

Originally called “The Three Little Dwarfs,” most remember this song as simply “Hardrock, Coco, and Joe.” Those three are Santa’s helpers and deliver an unforgettable chorus—and who doesn’t love Joe the best? Gene Autry recorded a version of the tune. But why do it? Nothing beats the original. Still, I’m shocked that some unoriginal (and striking) writer in Hollywood hasn’t revamped this into a full-blown computer animation film. It seems only a matter of time.

The Three Little Dwarfs (Hardrock, Coco, and Joe)

Make This a Book Christmas

Full disclosure here: PC and I are both writers.  Words and books are our lives—aside from Christmas music, of course.  It’s not just what we do, it’s who we are.  And, this Christmas, I’m going to try my best to keep the holiday presents exclusively to books.  I’m old-fashioned.  None of those touch-screens or electronic screens for me.  Give me a nice, thick book to hold in my hands. Sure, everyone knows Jonathan Franzen has a new book out—I mean, he was on the cover of Newsweek and I think they put his face on the moon even.  I’m not sure.  But there’s plenty of others you should check out.  And, in an effort to push my tastes on you before getting to the songs today, I’m offering up some suggestions.  Naturally, you can buy all of these on Amazon.  Or, you could visit IndieBound and find your local independent retailer.

Citrus County – John Brandon

Named after the Florida county where the novel is set, this book features some great and disturbed characters.  There’s a kidnapping, an apocalyptic uncle, and a depressed teacher.  If you like dark, offbeat humor, this is a great read.

Elliot Allagash – Simon Rich

This is the type of book I would have loved if I were in middle or high school.  Well, I’m nearly thirty and still loved it.  Rich skewers high society and high school.  Acerbic and witty.

Half A Life – Darin Strauss

A great memoir from Strauss dealing with the high school classmate he accidentally killed years ago.  It’s dark, powerful stuff that ultimately ends uplifting as well.  When tragedies happen, how do we let them define our life and continue?

The Girl Who Fell From the Sky – Heidi Durrow

This is a great story dealing with biracial identity.  Beautiful, moving, funny, and an amazing debut.  And, if you can get out to one of her readings, do so.  She’s a trip.

Safe from the Sea – Peter Geye

I’m a sucker for father-son tales.  Add in a great locale, lyrical beauty, and heart, and I’m an extra sucker.  Geye is a great writer, knocking it out of the park in his debut.

Exley – Brock Clarke

This is an ambitious, brain-teasing novel from Clark.  Any writers who takes on such heady subjects certainly deserves respect.  But pulling it off deserves praise.

The Canals of Mars – Gary Fincke

A memoir in essays.  I’m a huge fan of personal essays—and these are from one of the best writers of the genre.  A blue-collar upbringing in Pittsburgh.  Funny, touching, and thoughtful.

Skippy Dies – Paul Murray

Set in a Catholic boarding school in Ireland, this is a door-stopper at nearly 700 pages.  But it’s executed perfectly.  And is also side-splittingly funny.

Nothing Left to Burn – Jay Varner

Hey, what can I say?  I love to self-promote.  I won’t review myself, but I’ll tell you what USA Today said: “Unadorned but vivid, Varner's coming-of-age story unravels family secrets about firefighting and arson. It's painful and poignant ... [Varner] reminds us that few lives, even those we think we know best, are easily understood.”

On to the songs!  Onward, I say!

Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight) – The Ramones

A chunk of punk.

Welcome Christmas – Califone

Welcome it with open arms and a glorious collage of sound.

Daddy’s Drinking Up Our Christmas – Commander Cody

I can’t decide if this song is tongue-in-cheek or just truly depressing.  I’m leaning toward depressing.

Cold White Christmas – Casiotone for the Painfully Alone

There’s no debate on this one—it’s full-on depressing.  But it’s a stunner.  Beautifully realized lyrics.  Replace St. Paul with whatever town you lived in during your twenties and this one really hits home.  This one is getting heavy rotation this year.

Fairytale of New York – The Pogues

Another downer.  What’s Christmas without drug addiction and alcoholism?  But it’s The Pogues and deserves a listen—as usual, it gets pretty raucous.