Christmas is upon us, and we’ve been loving the roots-centric holiday music we’ve been able to share with our December BGS Wraps series thus far! This week we bring you some holly (yet not always jolly) holiday tunes to keep you warm through this weird season – on brand for 2020! – along with some new bluegrass and roots music to be enjoyed year-round. Remember to check back in every Monday for a new episode of the BGS Radio Hour!
This week on BGS we’ve got plenty of wraps. Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, one of the youngest blues players on the scene today, is here to start us off with a new Christmas-inspired blues number.
Australia-born and Colorado-based guitarist Mark Harris is one of few who have been able to redefine the six-string, flat-top guitar in roots music. His new album, Old Time Guitar, is a reconfiguration of old-time classics for solo guitar. This week, Harris brings us “Lost Girl.”
From her new Christmas Anyway EP, Heather Maloney brings us the message that what makes the holidays meaningful isn’t dependent on circumstance. Rather, our holidays are made much more special by our own choices, our gestures of kindness, and how we deal with said uncontrollable life circumstances.
December 2020 Artist of the Month Sister Sadie brings us another song this week from their 2018 release, Sister Sadie II. The all female, hard-driving bluegrass band racked up an impressive sampling of IBMA awards this year. We’re covering them all month long, so stay tuned! (You can read our #AOTM interview here!)
The Arcadian Wild – “Fall: War”
From their new album Principium, “Fall: War” is the most intense of The Arcadian Wild’s 4-song movement. Like it did for so many artists, 2020 provided the Nashville band with an opportunity to dust off some old songs. This week, they bring us the result.
There’s no doubt Christmas this year is going to be a difficult one for so many. Anthony D’Amato provides “a good cry” for us all this year, recognizing that we may not be able to see our loved ones this December – or any, for that matter.
Joey Burns of Calexico brings us an Arizona-inspired holiday theme this year, meditating on Dia de Los Muertos, the All Souls Procession, or perhaps even lovers or family members.
We all know some folks with an undying love for Christmas music – Noah Wall, of the Barefoot Movement, is one of them. Citing a 700-song playlist which she narrowed down to a mere 14, Wall and the rest of the band bring us their original contribution to the holiday repertoire.
In 2006, Bruce Molsky redefined a collection of old-time classics on his magnum opus, Soon Be Time. Still as important today as it was at the time of release, the autumnal track “Cider” is a favorite of BGS, and a recent feature on Tunesday Tuesday.
The Hello Darlins – “Do You Hear What I Hear”
Christmas, and the rest of the holiday season, is a time when many of us, whether purposefully or not, get in touch with our inner child. Through the season’s peace, comfort, and familiarity, the Hello Darlins bring their new Heart in the Snow EP to BGS.
New York’s Coco Reilly is one of our most recent 5+5 guests – that is, 5 songs, 5 questions. She chatted with BGS about the inspirations, songwriting, and the influences behind her new self-titled album.
Andrea von Kampen – “A Midwest Christmas”
The shopping sprees, mega light-displays, and commercialism haven’t been as important to many of us this holiday season. Instead, we’re clinging to those things we miss a little extra: family, peace, and the kindness of humanity. In this spirit, von Kampen brings us “A Midwest Christmas.”
Another recent 5+5 guest, Colorado-based Canyon City recently spoke with BGS about cherished memories from the stage, rituals, and a dream meal with a dream musician. This week, he brings us “Purple Horizon.”
Chandler Holt and Lauren Stovall – “Winter’s Night Waltz”
To close out this holiday packed Radio Hour, Chandler Holt and Lauren Stovall bring us this instant holiday country classic. The fact that it was left off of the Chatham County Line album it was originally recorded for gave Holt and Stovall the opportunity to sing a wonderful duet, and gift it to us this holiday season.
Photo credit: (L to R) Andrea von Kampen by Letura Idigma; Christone “Kingfish” Ingram by Rory Doyle; The Arcadian Wild by Shelby M’lynn Mick.
