We're in the home stretch of the look back at highlights from the first 100 episodes of Twelve Songs, with this episode getting into interviews during the pandemic when COVID affected everybody's plans. Guitarist and producer Chas Justus from Lafayette, Louisiana talks about how COVID made his collection of Cajun French versions of Chrlstmas classics--Joyeux Noel, Bon Chrismeusse--possible.
I really appreciated getting romantic pianist and composer Jim Brickman on the show because someone who has 10 albums of Christmas music has a more nuanced take on it than those who have only dipped their toes in the water. We talked in 2020 about how his Christmas music relates to the music he makes the rest of the year.
Many of my guests are indie musicians, in part because their music frequently lines up best with my aesthetics and ethics, but it's also important to me that we hear Christmas music as something people make today in a variety of forms and not simply nostalgia from our parents or grandparents' generations. Excerpts of conversations with retro soul artist Kelly Finnigan (who made the modern classic A Joyful Sound), Christian vocal group leader Ernie Haase, Jamie Hilsden of the Christmas punk band The Myrrhderers, and Amy Carlson of pop band Office Romance all come from that place, though the conversations are very different.
I hope after hearing this show and the other retrospective shows in this series, you'll want to subscribe to Twelve Songs (if you haven't already), listen to back episodes, and tell your friends. I hope these looks back make it clear that conversations about Christmas music aren't necessarily about Christmas or to be set aside until that time of year.
The Smithereens and ChristmasUnderground.com
Joss Stone
Steven Drozd of The Flaming Lips - An Encore Presentation
Children’s Music at Christmas with Laurie Berkner
Low and ”Just Like Christmas”- an Encore Presentation
”A Charlie Brown Christmas” with Derrick Bang
Bruce Cockburn
Peter Zaremba of The Fleshtones
José James
Julian Koster and His Singing Saws
Susan Cowsill of The Cowsills
Filmmaker Mitchell Kezin and ”Jingle Bell Rocks!”
Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel
A ”Molto Groovy Christmas” with Carlo Poddighe
”Last Christmas” with Annie Zalenski
Highlights of the First 100 Episodes, Pt. 5
Looking Back at the First 100, Pt. 3
Looking Back at the First 100, Pt. 2
Looking Back at the First 100, Pt. 1
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