Idolator: enter snowman

The Law Would Like To Hear About Your Haul From Santa

mjohnston — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 13:30:14 EST

In our final installment of Enter Snowman, holiday-music expert Jon Solomon—whose 20th annual 24-hour Christmas show kicks off at 6 p.m. ET!—shares a seasonal classic from the Boston-via-Iowa punk outfit The Law:

Growing up in central New Jersey, one of the first Christmas songs I remember hearing on WPRB that I couldn't find anywhere else was by a group of snotty punks from Iowa called The Law.

The Law moved east to Boston in search of fame and fortune when I was still in grade school, and one of their members, "Billy Disease," would later attend Princeton—which is how their songs ended up at WPRB. Their 1980 "King Sized Cigarette" single is one of those 45s that is just dying for Hyped2Death to give it the attention it deserved 25 years ago.

This holiday song—recorded live at Boston's The Rat in 1981—was for many years available only as a cart at the station, and hearing it appear on the airwaves always meant that the holidays were officially here. Now, as one of the three songs I close my 24-hour Xmas show with, it means that it is time to go home and get some rest and that I've hopefully done a good job this holiday season.

Wanting to share this song with people was the impetus for The My Pal God Holiday Record, and I still hope that someday The Law's "Instant Party" cassette can get a CD release.

Folks from The Law went on to join Scruffy The Cat, Young Fresh Fellows and The Minus Five.

Happy Holidays!

The Law - What Did Santa Claus Bring You For Christmas [MP3]
The Law [Iowa Underground Archives Network]

Light Up The Tree, Mister President (And Bring John Lennon With You)

mjohnston — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 17:15:55 EST

The efforts of Clear Channel's programmers have probably helped you already get sick of holiday music, but there are many fine celebratory songs that would never cross their airwaves out there. To help cut through the clutter we've asked Jon Solomon, whose 20th annual 24-Hour Holiday Radio Show on WPRB kicks off at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve, to offer up some seasonal cheer in MP3 form. Today's song brings together George W. Bush and John Lennon's Christmas wish for the world:

I am surprised with how thoughtful and well-crafted this "mash-up" is. The Lennon song isn't one of my favorite holiday tunes, but I think this is pretty remarkable.

Cal-TV and Waxaudio - G.W. Bush Happy Xmas (War is Over) [MP3]
Cal-Tv and Waxaudio: G.W. Bush Happy Xmas (War is Over) [YouTube]
Wax Audio [Official site]

Surefire Broadcast Gets Snowed In

mjohnston — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 13:00:45 EST

The efforts of Clear Channel's programmers have probably helped you already get sick of holiday music, but there are quite a few seasonally appropriate songs worthy of your time out there. To help cut through the clutter we've asked Jon Solomon, whose 20th annual 24-Hour Holiday Radio Show on WPRB kicks off at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve, to offer up some seasonal cheer in MP3 form. And you may be interested to know that he uses the phrase "early-'90s pop 45s" to describe the song he's brought our way today:

From the blueberry capital of the world, it is South Jersey's Surefire Broadcast. This song, and its male-female vocal interplay over simple instrumentation, makes me want to grab a stack of early-'90s pop 45s and get under a blanket. However, I am late for work. Previously unreleased, and provided kindly by the band for use as part of Enter Snowman.

Surefire Broadcast - Let It Snow [MP3]
Surefire Broadcast [MySpace]

Delaware Throws A Rainbow-Colored Christmas Party

mjohnston — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 13:00:00 EST

The efforts of Clear Channel's programmers have probably helped you already get sick of holiday music, but there are quite a few seasonally appropriate songs worthy of your time out there. To help cut through the clutter we've asked Jon Solomon, whose 20th annual 24-Hour Holiday Radio Show on WPRB kicks off at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve, to offer up some seasonal cheer in MP3 form. Today, he brings us a few Christmas tunes from the Delaware bands Walleye, Zen Guerrilla, and Bullette:

A good decade before she was half of The Sky Drops, Monika Bullette produced a record of 18 Delaware groups doing Christmas songs called Rainbow Covers The Holidays. The entire record—as well as two non-album Bullette mp3s—is free for download on Bullette's site.

Highlights:
• Jade Tree/Compulsiv recording artist Walleye's cover of "Deck The Halls."
• Zen Guerilla's sludgy take on "Little Drummer Boy."
• Bullette's "Christmas Blank" is also quite nice.

Walleye - Deck The Halls [MP3]
Zen Guerilla - Little Drummer Boy [MP3]
Bullette - Christmas Blank [MP3]
Rainbow Covers The Holidays [bullette.net]

Brian And Chris Bring Tidings Of Comfort And Joy

mjohnston — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 13:00:43 EST

The efforts of Clear Channel's programmers have probably helped you already get sick of holiday music, but there are quite a few seasonally appropriate songs worthy of your time out there. To help cut through the clutter we've asked Jon Solomon, whose 20th annual 24-Hour Holiday Radio Show on WPRB kicks off at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve, to offer up some seasonal cheer in MP3 form. Today, he brings us a new take on a 19th-century Christmas carol:

The Bay Area-based duo of Brian Frasier (Tractor Hips, Hudson Bell, White Pine, Thee More Shallows) and Chris Palmatier (Joby's Opinion) have been releasing blippy, textured and genuinely surprising records as a band since 2001. This version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" was, like the TW Walsh track before it, originally slated for the eventually-scrapped third volume of the My Pal God Holiday Record series.

Brian And Chris - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen [MP3]
Brian And Chris [Official site]
[Photo via MySpace]

Adam Arcuragi Takes A Gentle Approach

mjohnston — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 13:00:06 EST

The efforts of Clear Channel's programmers have probably helped you already get sick of holiday music, but there are quite a few seasonally appropriate songs worthy of your time out there. To help cut through the clutter we've asked Jon Solomon, whose 20th annual 24-Hour Holiday Radio Show on WPRB kicks off at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve, to offer up some seasonal cheer in MP3 form. Today, he brings us a track that eschews sentimentality for strumming:

Adam Arcuragi's untitled debut on High Two was one of my favorite records of 2006, and I would have the Jackin' Pop ballot to prove it if it hadn't been for that commenting "upgrade" earlier this year. The album concludes with "The Christmas Song," one of those songs of the season that thankfully doesn't beat you over the head with overt imagery.

Adam Arcuragi - The Christmas Song [MP3]
Adam Arcuragi [MySpace]
Holiday Show That's Rockin' Round the Clock [NYT]

Mojochronic Slaps A Santa Hat On Led Zeppelin

mjohnston — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 13:00:55 EST

The efforts of Clear Channel's programmers have probably helped you already get sick of "All I Want For Christmas Is You" and that damned Don Henley holiday track, but there are quite a few seasonally appropriate songs worthy of your time out there. To help cut through the clutter we've asked Jon Solomon, whose 20th annual 24-Hour Holiday Radio Show on WPRB kicks off at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve, to offer up some seasonal cheer in MP3 form. Today, he brings us a holiday-themed mash-up that incorporates music by this week's biggest classic-rock reunion:

DJ BC has recently unveiled his third Santasic mix of Christmas mashups. All three volumes in this incredibly entertaining series are available as free downloads on his web site. The following pairing of sounds is the sort of lowbrow genius I have a high appreciation for, and to say any more would spoil half the fun.

Mojochronic - Yuletide Zeppelin [MP3]
DJ BC [MySpace]

Danielson Gets Excited For Christmas

mjohnston — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 13:00:58 EST

While we've been counting down the days to Christmas, the record label Sounds Familyre has been running a concurrent free series featuring new holiday songs by its entire roster (Soul-Junk, Half-Handed Cloud, Lenny Smith). The best of the lot to date is Danielson's short and sweet "Christmas Eve Night," a song that captures the youthful anticipation before Santa arrives that is matched only by my pre-Mitchell Report release excitement. Hey Hurray!

Danielson - Christmas Eve Nite [MP3]
Sounds Familyre: Blog [soundsfamilyre.com]
Danielson [Official site]

Brown Recluse Sings Turn Purple For The Holidays

mjohnston — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 13:00:41 EST

The efforts of Clear Channel's programmers have probably helped you already get sick of "All I Want For Christmas Is You" and that damned Don Henley holiday track, but there are quite a few seasonally appropriate songs worthy of your time out there. To help cut through the clutter we've asked Jon Solomon, whose 20th annual 24-Hour Holiday Radio Show on WPRB kicks off at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve, to offer up some seasonal cheer in MP3 form. Today, he brings us a Marvin Gaye cover from a Philadelphia band who's been featured around these parts before:

The handsome lads of Brown Recluse Sings were mentioned on Idolator when a song of theirs appeared on Veronica Mars, but their strummy reworking of Marvin Gaye's "Purple Snowflakes" hasn't been available anywhere until this afternoon.

Brown Recluse Sings - Purple Snowflakes [MP3]
Brown Recluse Sings [MySpace]

TW Walsh Has A Silent Night

mjohnston — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 13:00:57 EST

This unreleased recording from 2001 was originally slated for inclusion on volume three of The My Pal God Holiday Record, which never completely came together. In addition to his outstanding solo work, TW Walsh has since formed a great group called The Soft Drugs and can be heard on the new charity holiday compilation Peace On Earth along with Rosie Thomas, Casiotone For The Painfully Alone and Great Lake Swimmers.

TW Walsh - Silent Night [MP3]
TW Walsh [Official site]
The Soft Drugs [MySpace]

The Swimmers Plunge Into The Egg Nog

mjohnston — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 13:00:33 EST

The efforts of Clear Channel's programmers have probably helped you already get sick of "All I Want For Christmas Is You" and that damned Don Henley holiday track, but there are quite a few seasonally appropriate songs worthy of your time out there. To help cut through the Christmas clutter we've asked Jon Solomon, whose 20th annual 24-Hour Holiday Radio Show on WPRB kicks off at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve, to offer up some seasonal cheer in MP3 form. (He also hopes that by supplying these songs, his myriad commenter-password reset e-mails will finally go answered.) Up first, we have a little bit of holiday jangle from Philadelphia popsters The Swimmers:

There are three types of Christmas songs I prefer: Horrible historical artifacts that must be shared with an unsuspecting public; takes on traditional source material done in a unique way by unexpected artists; and good songs that just happen to have a holiday theme. This track by Philadelphia's The Swimmers falls squarely in the last of these categories. It captures the band's jangle nicely (their debut full-length, Fighting Trees, will be released nationally on Mad Dragon Records next year, and it's streaming in full on their Web site) while also evoking the sentiments of the season.

The Swimmers - The Christmas Sound [MP3]
The Swimmers [Official site]
[Photo via MySpace]