Tag: Christmas Music
As 2021 Winds Down, Our Message of Thanks and a Moment of Rest
Another memorable year in acoustic music is drawing to a close. From our look back at O Brother, Where Art Thou?, to our exclusive interviews with Billy Strings, it’s been a pleasure to provide dozens of interviews and introduce hundreds of new songs. (We also picked our favorite albums of the year.) Our appreciation is endless … but the calendar is not. Indeed, we’re signing off for the remainder of 2021, but we have a whole lot up our sleeve in 2022, as the Bluegrass Situation turns 10! And in the meantime, please enjoy our BGS Wraps holiday playlist below! — The BGS staff
BGS Wraps: Ben Sollee and Jordon Ellis, “Breaking Up Christmas” (Live)
Artist: Ben Sollee and Jordon Ellis
Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
Song: “Breaking Up Christmas” (Live)
Editor’s Note: Kentuckians Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore teamed up to rally an all-star cast of authors, musicians, and storytellers for a 50+ track album to raise funds for Kentucky tornado relief. With contributions from internationally known artists to local treasures, the compilation is packed with new releases, b-sides, live recordings, and bedroom demos that will delight music fans and collectors. Happy Hollerdays 2021 is available exclusively on Bandcamp for purchase as a digital download with all proceeds benefiting the Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund.
In Their Words: “Happy Hollerdays 2021 was meant to be a few shows to begin an annual concert series celebrating and incorporating the very best of Kentucky’s and Appalachia’s music, literature, and dance, all while raising funds and awareness for important causes. This year, the beneficiary was set to be Kentucky Natural Lands Trust. But things changed on the night of the first show, December 10th. Horrific storms swept across the state and the region. Many lives were lost, communities devastated. We weren’t sure whether to go on or not. The lands trust, to their enormous credit, was first to suggest that we divert the funds from the shows to storm relief efforts. The idea grew from there. By the 15th we’d decided to release recordings from the shows as a further fundraiser. Then we started sending messages out to friends asking if they’d like to contribute. Within 48 hours we had a staggering 52 tracks ranging from home recordings to live performances to phone demos to studio records.” — Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore
Artist of the Month: Hiss Golden Messenger
Hiss Golden Messenger is wrapping up the year with an unexpected delight: O Come All Ye Faithful. Along with the familiar title track, the set gathers a few other hymns (“Joy to the World,” “Silent Night”) and three new songs written by Hiss Golden Messenger’s MC Taylor. The lead track, “Hung Fire,” echoes the feeling of the artist’s album from earlier this year, Quietly Blowing It. Meanwhile, it winds down with a warm cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “As Long as I Can See the Light.”
As for that album cover? It’s an homage to Emmylou Harris’ classic Christmas collection, Light of the Stable. Indeed, both projects provide a subtle (and often lovely) interpretation of seasonal music. On O Come All Ye Faithful, Taylor puts a different spin on “Shine a Light” by Spiritualized as well as “Hanukkah Dance” by Woody Guthrie. He also wrote three new songs for the album.
“Big, brash holiday music — the type that we hear in big-box stores in the middle of December — has never resonated with me, and this past year it felt absolutely dissonant. I wanted to make a seasonal record that felt more in step with the way that I, and so many others, experience this time of year: quiet, contemplative, searching and bittersweet,” Taylor says. “The intention was to make a seasonal record with vibe.”
Special guests on O Come All Ye Faithful include Erin Rae and Buddy Miller, along with members of Hiss Golden Messenger’s extended family. For example, speaking about one of the album’s new tracks, Taylor states, “‘Grace’ is about keeping a light for those that are struggling or lost or confused or grieving: the gone ones, our children, poets, teachers. My friends Nathaniel Rateliff, Aoife O’Donovan and Sonyia Turner help me on the choruses.”
At BGS, we’ve been a fan of Hiss Golden Messenger from the start, so we’ll be sharing some of our archived content on our site and socials, like this interview from June 2021. And in the coming weeks, we will present an exclusive interview with MC Taylor — along with plenty of other holiday content.
As we begin to say goodbye to the year, we’re grateful for the music we’ve received in 2021 and we look forward to more. Season’s greetings to all, and please enjoy this BGS Essentials playlist for Hiss Golden Messenger below.
Photo Credit: Chris Frasina
BGS Wraps: Pistol Annies, “Snow Globe”
Artist: Pistol Annies
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Snow Globe”
Album: Hell of a Holiday
Label: RCA Records Nashville
In Their Words: “We couldn’t be happier we got to make a Christmas album. Once we finally surrendered and let the Christmas songwriting spirit take over, we were so inspired and felt that magic on every single one of these songs. We hope to be a part of so many people’s Christmas memories for years to come.” — Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe, and Angaleena Presley
BGS Wraps: Nathaniel Rateliff with Elle King, “Xmas to Forget”
Artists: Nathaniel Rateliff with Elle King
Single: “Xmas to Forget”
Release Date: December 23, 2020
In Their Words: “Elle and I had been talking about working on a couple of tunes and doing a version of one of the Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers Christmas songs. But as we were working on it we decided it would be fun to write our own. Joseph (of the Night Sweats) said we should write a Christmas to forget in reference to how hard this year has been for everyone so we ran with the idea.” — Nathaniel Rateliff
“Well, considering it’s been a pretty tough year and the big ‘togetherness’ theme of the holidays is less than ideal, we thought the best way to communicate that was through song. And if we’re all ending out the year in flames, let’s do it laughing. Here’s to a Christmas to forget.” — Elle King
Editor’s Note: Proceeds generated by the single will benefit The Marigold Project, Rateliff’s foundation supporting community and nonprofit organizations working for economic and social justice. The Marigold Project is proud to support Food Research & Action Center, which is the leading national nonprofit organization working to eradicate poverty-related hunger and undernutrition in the United States.
BGS Wraps: Lydia Loveless, “Merry Christmas”
Artist: Lydia Loveless
Single: “Merry Christmas”
In Their Words: “I wanted to try my hand at a holiday song. Every year I intend to write one and give up. This year, the only thing I feel like I have any control over is my creativity — so it seemed like now or never. One of the things I have missed most is making music with others, so I asked my bandmates George (Hondroulis) and Todd (May) to add to it. It was a little spark of joy in a super bummer season.” — Lydia Loveless
Editor’s Note: “Merry Christmas” is available exclusively via Bandcamp, with all profits benefiting Mid-Ohio Food Bank.
BGS Wraps: The Lumineers, “Silent Night”
Artist: The Lumineers
Single: “Silent Night”
Release Date: December 18, 2020
In Their Words: “Venues have gone silent all across the country and world because of the pandemic. Hope is on the horizon, and we believe we’ll be playing again in 2021. But independent venues need our help to survive that long. Don’t let the venues remain silent forever – SAVE OUR STAGES. When you stream our song ‘Silent Night,’ all proceeds will go towards supporting the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA).” — The Lumineers
Editor’s Note: For an entire year, all proceeds from streaming “Silent Night” will benefit NIVA, helping save some of the music industry’s most important independent stages. The video aims to raise awareness of the severe challenges that venues across the nation are facing during COVID-19. “Silent Night” highlights the fact that venues across the country have gone completely silent due to the pandemic.
BGS Wraps: Lullanas, “Blue Christmas”
Artist: Lullanas
Album: Christmas Together (Wherever We Are)
Song: “Blue Christmas”
Release Date: December 4, 2020
In Their Words: “The lyrics to ‘Blue Christmas’ hit a little harder this year (2020). We know many people won’t be having their typical gatherings, and chances are, a lot of us will be feeling blue missing someone. We grew up on Elvis’s version of ‘Blue Christmas’ and couldn’t help but put our own spin on it. We also perform this song every year at the Christmas Village in Philadelphia, so recording this song brought back the warm feeling of live music to us.” — Atisha and Nishita Lulla, Lullanas
BGS Wraps: Brandy Clark, “Only Time of Year”
Artist: Brandy Clark
Album: Happiest Season (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Song: “Only Time of Year”
In Their Words: “‘Only Time of Year’ was such a fun and challenging song to sing. I didn’t write it, but I really loved it when I heard it. However I was unsure of whether or not I could sing it, because of the pop nature of the melody and phrasing. I am so thrilled that it worked out. I love the movie and am really proud to be a part of a soundtrack that is so inclusive of so many LGBTQ+ artists.” — Brandy Clark