Happy New Year! (Welcome, 2018!)

It’s been a year, huh? Lots of terrible and lots of wonderful. I am going to focus on the latter, and remember to be grateful for all of the positive people that I’m certain will be here well into 2018 and beyond, holding me up, loving me, and making this world a truly delightful place. I am lucky to have such a wonderful family, so many deep friendships, and the previously unimaginable love of the perfect partner for me.

I’m going to dedicate this mix to two people who didn’t even exist when we rang in 2017 – my niece Penny and my goddaughter Emelyn. (As an atheist, that’s a title I sure never thought I’d get!) May they always feels so loved and able to look at each new year as being filled with opportunity, adventure, new connections, and surprises.

Hope you all have a wonderful 2018 and feel as lucky and loved as I do right now.

That’s it for the 2017 season. See you in a few months!

Tracklist (and where you can get these songs for yourselves):

1. The Head and the Heart – What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?
2. Allo’ Darlin’ – Will You Please Spend New Year’s Eve With Me?
3. Mac McCaughan – Happy New Year (Prince Can’t Die Again)
4. The Dismemberment Plan – The Ice of Boston
5. The Big Moon – Happy New Year
6. Casiotone for the Painfully Alone – New Year’s Kiss
7. Hey Rosetta – New Year Song
8. Bert Jansch – The Bright New Year
9. Chris Burkhardt – Dancing on New Year’s Day
10. The Zombies – This Will Be Our Year
11. Jimmy Jules & The Nuclear Soul System – The New Year
12. Bing Crosby – On The Very First Day of the Year
13. Edna Savage – Maybe This Year
14. Vera Lynn – The Happiest New Year of All
15. Roy Milton Solid Serenaders – New Year’s Resolution Blues
16. Mary Harris – Happy New Year Blues
17. Chris Farren – Happier New Year
18. Jo Anne Campbell – Happy New Year Baby
19. The Heartbeats – After New Year’s Eve
20. Mary Chapin Carpenter – New Year’s Day
21. Regina Spektor – New Year
22. Andrew Bird – Auld Lang Syne

IndieCan Christmas Episode!

This is just a quick mini-blog post to let you all know that I programmed the latest episode of IndieCan Radio, along with my dear friend and host Joe Chisholm! My partner Andy Yue also makes a guest appearance. He’s not as ridiculous about Christmas music as I am, but he’s an excellent sport, and has been a great help finding all of the images I’ve used to accompany my mixes.

The episode features a bunch of independent Canadian artists and several of my favourite new Christmas music discoveries!

Please listen here!

And let me know, in the comments, whose great tunes we missed!

Soul Noel

This *might* be my last Christmas mix of the season, as I’ve really got to start doing all of those non-music-related Christmas preparations like buying and wrapping gifts, making and eating food, and most importantly spending time with the people I love. But we’ll see. It’s just as likely that this won’t be the last.

I definitely do have a New Year’s Eve mix on deck and I’m excited to tell you all that I collaborated with a friend of mine for a special Christmas edition of IndieCan Radio, and you can hear it on Tuesday!

In any case, I think this is a good one. There are so many wonderful, soulful Christmas tunes that I had an especially hard time whittling down the playlist, so I’m sure there will be a sequel one of these years. This one is great for parties, so get your dancing shoes on. Have a merry, soulful Christmas!

Tracklist (and where you can get these soulful tunes for yourselves):

1. Detroit Junior – Christmas Day
2. Gary Walker – Santa’s Got a Brand New Bag
3. James Brown – Soulful Christmas
4. Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings – Ain’t No Chimneys in the Projects
5. Stevie Wonder – What Christmas Means to Me
6. The Jackson 5 – Up on the House Top
7. The Miracles – Christmas Everyday
8. Clarence Carter – Back Door Santa
9. Lee Rogers – You Don’t Have to Wait
10. Rose Graham – Black Christmas
11. Tina Roberts – Snow (Like the Snow)
12. Martin Mull – Santafly
13. J.D. McDonald – Boogaloo Santa Claus
14. Binky Griptite – Stone Soul Christmas
15. Soul-Saints Orchestra – Santa’s Got a Bag of Soul
16. Solomon Burke – Presents for Christmas
17. Fat Daddy – Holiday Baby
18. Jimmy Jones & His Versatiles – Christmas is a Drag
19. The Supremes – Children’s Christmas Song
20. Kim Weston – Wish You a Merry Christmas
21. Gary U.S. Bonds – Call Me for Christmas
22. Otis Redding – Merry Christmas, Baby
23. William Bell – Every Day Will Be Like a Holiday
24. Captain Elmo McKenzie & The Roosters – Home on Christmas Day
25. Booker T. & The MGs – Winter Wonderland

 

Drinking Up Christmas

If you’d like, you can consider this a companion to Christmas Feast, because what’s a great meal without something to wash it down? Some of these songs celebrate that kind of merriment, but just as many are cautionary tales. It’s been years since I’ve been drunk during the holidays, but I’ve definitely experienced both. I’m good with just listening to the songs these days. Merry Christmas! And drink responsibly, or if you can’t, don’t drink at all. I love a tragic Christmas song more than the next guy but I don’t want to hear one about you.

Tracklist (and where you can get these drunken songs for yourselves):

1. The Pogues with Kirsty MacColl – Fairytale of New York
2. The Minus 5 – Your Christmas Whiskey
3. The Gestalts – Cookies and Beer
4. Fear – Another Christmas Beer
5. Monkhouse – Guinness and Wine
6. Missile Toads – Santa’s a Boozer
7. Cucumbers – Ho Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum
8. Clyde Lassley & The Cadillac Baby Specials – Santa Came Home Drunk
9. Burl – Xmas Drink
10. Commander Cody – Daddy’s Drinking Up Our Christmas
11. The Decemberists – Please Daddy (Don’t Get Drunk This Christmas)
12. Roger Nichols Trio – St. Bernie the Sno-Dog
13. Steve Fifield – Bootlegger Christmas
14. The Burning Hell – Happy Hanukkah
15. Tim Minchin – White Wine in the Sun
16. Andrew Bird – So Much Wine, Merry Christmas

 

 

O Christmas Tree

It’s December! I think we can all agree that the holiday season is now upon us. I know a lot of you put up your Christmas trees on the first weekend of December, and you’re obviously in need of some tree trimming music, so here it is! For those of you who have yet to get your Christmas trees, perhaps this is the inspiration you need. Happy December!

 

 

Track list (and where you can get these songs for yourselves):

1. Tom Paxton – We’re Going to Get our Christmas Tree
2. Norman & Nancy Blake, Vassar Clements, Roy Huskey, Jr. and Friends – Trim the Tree Waltz
3. Loretta Lynn – I Won’t Decorate Your Christmas Tree
4. Boris Karloff – Trim Up the Tree
5. The McGuire Sisters – I’d Like to Trim a Tree With You
6. Kay Martin & Her Bodyguards – Hang Your Balls on the Christmas Tree
7. Line Material – Let’s Trim the Christmas Tree
8. Bing Crosby – When You Trim Your Christmas Tree
9. Sufjan Stevens – Put the Lights on the Tree
10. Jimmy Butler – Trim Your Tree
11. The Andrews Sisters – The Christmas Tree Angel
12. Stompin’ Tom Connors – Christmas Angel
13. Gene Autry – ‘Round ‘Round the Christmas Tree
14. Brenda Lee – Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree
15. The Supremes – My Christmas Tree
16. Stevie Wonder – One Little Christmas Tree
17. The Magnetic Fields – Everything is One Big Christmas Tree
18. Vince Guaraldi – O Tannenbaum
19. Willie John – Mommy What Happened to Our Christmas Tree
20. Low – Taking Down the Tree
21. Dr. Dog – Oh My Christmas Tree