Circleslide

Christmas Carols, Christmas Tunes, Holiday Music…like a magical switch that activates the ‘official’ beginning of the season…once I hear a really familiar Christmas Song on the radio…I realize that it’s that time of the year again.

More so than the decorations, fruitcake, or stores converted into Sacred Halls of Buying and Spending, or even the occasional Mall Santa…If I hear brenda lee singing ‘jingle bell rock’, or the ‘dance of the sugarplum fairy’ from the ‘nutcraker suite’, or ‘christmas wrapping’ by the waitresses…I’m immediately transported into the ‘christmas’ state of mind…snow or no snow…

So, my fellow bandmates and I thought we’d share what our favorite Christmas Tunes are…feel free to keep this going in the comments section…you never know when we’ll get the inkling to record some of these.

Eric: “Lib and I both like Seven Day Jesus’s version of “O Holy Night”.  It is an amazing arrangement that comes out like a passionate worship song more than a “Christmas” song.  I’ve done an arrangement of “the little drummer boy” that is really cool as well.  (pretty much play it with almost no drums, just focusing on the words.  If you get rid of the pa rump a pum pum’s the words are really powerful.”

Lee: ” I’d really have to say dave matthews band’s ‘christmas song’ just because of how unique it is… I just really, really like that. As far as christmas carols…“Silent Night” has always felt like the most reverent of them all to me. Not just that, but it  always just seems to strike that familiar chord as far as my childhood memories go,  here in Indiana, being with family, holding candles, and all of that…

Jonathan: “It’s always been a dream of mine to go visit Israel… walk where Jesus walked…see for myself all the places I’d read about.  I guess, for that reason, “O little Town of Bethlehem” really is my favorite…and no one sings it better than my man, Nat King Cole. Too bad we don’t need fireplaces down here in Corpus Christi…or else I’d roast some chestnuts and crank that thing up, right now.”

Gabe: “I love songs of good cheer…i’m a jolly person, usually, on the outside…but inside, it’s all melancholy and woeful blues. For me, my favorite is a true christmas ‘blues’ song…full of hope, theology, sadness and wonder: ‘O Come, O Come Emmanuel’…and Sufjan Stevens performs a haunting version on his Songs For Christmas Album.”

So there you go…those are our faves…let’s all get together and go caroling sometime.

-gabe