BGS WRAPS: Keb’ Mo’, “Moonlight, Mistletoe & You”

Artist: Keb’ Mo’
Song: “Moonlight, Mistletoe & You”
Album: Moonlight, Mistletoe & You

In Their Words: “After 25 years of performing without releasing a Christmas album, I felt now was as good a time as any to spread some love and compassion. There’s something about Christmas time that makes everyone’s hearts a little lighter and I wanted to contribute to the movement of spreading a little joy. I feel like I was able to accomplish that through the making of Moonlight, Mistletoe & You.” — Keb’ Mo’

BGS WRAPS: The Christmas Jug Band, “Shoveling Snow”

Artist: The Christmas Jug Band
Song: “Shoveling Snow”
Album: Live from the West Pole!

In Their Words: “Being a member of the Christmas Jug Band for over 30 years has afforded me the opportunity to write A LOT of Christmas tunes, most of which have the name ‘Santa’ in the title. In 2016 I was determined my new Christmas Jug Band tune would NOT have ‘Santa’ in the title. So that set me thinking about other things that are going on during December and the holiday season.

“After considering decorating Christmas trees, shopping for presents, cooking the Christmas dinner, etc., I landed on shoveling snow. I liked the idea, but I knew writing a song about just shoveling snow wouldn’t be all that interesting. But what if I made ‘Shoveling Snow’ a euphemism for shoveling something else? You get the picture. That opened up all sorts of possibilities for humorous lines to fill in the storyline.

“Once I had the concept, the song pretty much wrote itself. When I sat down at the piano to set it to music, it immediately felt right as a New Orleans/ Professor Longhair groove. It’s become one my favorite CJB tunes to play live and I’m not just shoveling snow!” — Paul Rogers, The Christmas Jug Band

MIXTAPE: The Revelers’ Cajun Christmas

What can be said about Christmas music? It’s so ingrained in us as Americans, most of all during these two months of the year when music of the Great American Songbook and golden eras of popular music once again reign over the flavors of the week. In Southwest Louisiana, which is predominantly Catholic, Christmas is as intertwined with its history as Mardi Gras.

Many of these songs you’ll recognize. I think it’s revealing to hear songs we know well reinterpreted by Cajuns — it helps to make the idiosyncrasies of the genre stand out. Others are pretty generic-sounding Cajun songs (waltzes and two steps) that are tangentially about Christmas or take place with Christmas as a backdrop. You might not be able to translate “Christmas on the Bayou” but you probably have a pretty good idea what Vin Bruce is singing about. And “Christmas Blues” has many common Cajun tropes — the protagonist is imprisoned by a love of the past, he’s crying, the children are singing, and it’s Christmas Day… Cheery!

Some highlights:

We kick things off with Belton Richard, “the Cajun Elvis.” This cover might have helped to earn him that title. So, so good we had to include a few, spanning both Cajun and Swamp Pop (“Please Come Home for Christmas” is a great example of the latter).

Many of these tracks come from an album from the late ’80s called Merry Cajun Christmas. Check out that full record if you want a deep dive into Cajun culture and some of its enduring stereotypes (complete with spoken word Christmas poems!), but we selected some of the less cheesy numbers for this playlist.

We included a few classics that aren’t strictly Cajun, but fall under “Revelers influences” — Roy Orbison, Buck Owens. After all, Cajun and country have always borrowed from one another. And a shout out to honorary Cajun Dirk Powell (Balfa Toujours) and Bahamian guitarist Joseph Spence. — Chris Miller of The Revelers


Photo Credit: Sandlin Gaither

BGS WRAPS: Phoebe Hunt & The Gatherers, “December Again”

Artist: Phoebe Hunt & The Gatherers
Song: “December Again” (single)

In Their Words: “When we made the video for ‘December Again’, all I wanted to do was send it out the very next day. It’s so odd to know a piece of art exists and to not be able to share it. Alas, it was already almost January at that point and I figured it would come around again.

“To be completely honest, I never even thought this song would leave my journal. I love writing and have tons of nameless songs that just pop out and then never see the light of day. But, then something happens that sparks enough creative spirit to write out a chord chart and teach it to the band… Sometimes that part is the hardest because it takes a lot of vulnerability to open up your diary and share it.

“Felt like if we were gonna add to the shuffle of what is played in the airwaves at this time of year, it was important to include everyone, but still honor the profound spiritual connection that is brought out this time of year. Music is that thread. It’s what holds us all together.” — Phoebe Hunt

BGS WRAPS: The Oak Ridge Boys, “Down Home Christmas”

Artist: The Oak Ridge Boys
Song: “Down Home Christmas”
Album: Down Home Christmas

In Their Words:Down Home Christmas began much like the other seven Christmas albums we have recorded. But things changed. Most of the songs I had collected were put on the shelf, and we started looking for songs that addressed specific subjects related to Christmas. Dave Cobb was the producer/coach/motivator for this project. He encouraged us to dig a little deeper into our souls, to capture the magic of each song. With very simple instrumentation, the four Oak Ridge Boys’ voices are out front, and in your face, with the awesome, huge sound of RCA Studio A wrapped around, but not overpowering it.” — Duane Allen, The Oak Ridge Boys

BGS WRAPS: Dailey & Vincent, “Let It Snow”

Artist: Dailey & Vincent
Song: “Let It Snow”
Album: The Sounds of Christmas

In Their Words: “We wanted to include “Let It Snow” on The Sounds of Christmas because when you hear the song’s familiar lyrics and cheerful melody, you can’t help but get into the Christmas spirit.” — Dailey & Vincent

Enjoy more BGS Wraps music.

BGS WRAPS: The Mavericks, “Santa Does”

Artist: The Mavericks
Song: “Santa Does”
Album: Hey! Merry Christmas!

In Their Words: “‘Santa Does’ came to me in a dream. I woke and scribbled it down. Dreamed the whole thing from top to bottom. It became the genesis for the whole album and spawned a whole batch of new Christmas songs. In the spirit of giving, I let my friends Raul Malo and Allan Miller have writing credit, because you know…that’s what Santa Does!” — Jerry Dale McFadden, The Mavericks

 

Enjoy more BGS Wraps music.

BGS WRAPS: Bob Dylan, ‘Christmas in the Heart’

Every year, the winter season is filled with countless new Christmas albums from the latest cavalcade of pop artists. Meanwhile, some legacy acts recycle the holiday classics for an easy paycheck. Of course, there are those timeless records we revisit again and again, with songs so deeply ingrained in our brains they can take us back in just a few short notes — Kenny & Dolly’s Once Upon A Christmas, anyone??

But for me, there is one album that outpaces all of them: Bob Dylan’s Christmas in the Heart.  Maybe it’s the soft gravel of his voice that contrasts the downright cheery disposition of the songs — all supported by Bob’s super-tight backing band. Maybe it’s the fifteen tracks themselves, which range from the most traditional, like “O’ Little Town of Bethlehem” and “Silent Night,” to the absurd — you have not experienced glee until you’ve seen this video of “Must Be Santa.” More than anything, I think it’s the sheer joy that comes across in every note. It’s what Christmas should be all about: silliness and happiness and cheesiness mixed with solemnity and tradition and memory.

Naturally then, to kick off our first-ever BGS Wraps series, we present the album in its entirety. Hopefully it becomes a holiday tradition in your family too.

9 Bluegrass Songs to Whet Your Appetite

No one really needs any help gearing up for the beautiful gluttony of the holiday season, but in the spirit of gorging oneself on cookies, pie, turkey, ham, and all manner of seasonal treats, here are nine bluegrass songs to get your stomach growling.

Flatt & Scruggs — “Hot Corn, Cold Corn” 

Hot corn goes with your meal. Cold corn makes your meal (and your loud relatives) bearable. If the chickens all a-runnin’ and the toenails a flyin’, this is your best bet.

Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder — “Pig in a Pen”

Bake them biscuits! Raise a barrel of sorghum! We’re Alabamy-bound!

Reno & Smiley — “Dill Pickle Rag”

Have a pickle with your leftover turkey sandwich!

Doc Watson & Clarence Ashley — “Keep My Skillet Good and Greasy”

The importance of proper cast-iron care cannot be overstated. Do not use soap or any cleaning agents (scrub with salt on stubborn grime when needed), oil after rinsing and washing in warm water, and make sure to re-season regularly.

Lost and Found — “Leftover Biscuits”

Sure, this describes a pretty misogynistic scenario in which the kitchen is dirty because the singer’s wife left him, but maybe also it can just be the day after Christmas when no one wants to even acknowledge the tower of dishes in the sink and everyone’s content to eat cold ham on day-old rolls? Maybe?

Jim & Jesse — “Y’all Come!”

Eating everything from soup to hay! HAY!?

Bruce Molsky — “Shove the Pig’s Foot a Little Bit Further into the Fire”

No one wants an underdone pig’s foot.

David Grier — “Angeline the Baker”

Angeline, could you bake me up some cinnamon rolls, chocolate chip cookies, yeasty rolls, and a pie or three, a fruitcake, a pumpkin roll …

The Nashville Bluegrass Band — “Soppin’ the Gravy”

A clean plate does not count as a truly clean plate, until you’ve taken whatever bread you have on hand and have completely sopped up all that gravy. Soppin’ veterans will then move to the gravy pan and sop up all of that, too. Don’t think about your arteries. It’s the holidays!


Photo credit: Philip Clifford on Foter.com / CC BY-SA

Using Music to Blast Away Holiday Stress

Somewhere between going to your sixth holiday party, second school Christmas performance, 12th crowded mall, and 38th traffic jam, you realize you’ve come down with it yet again this year. Even though you vow every year you’re going to somehow escape it, organize your way out of it, downsize your experience of it, or simply consume wine by the case, at some point between Black Friday and Christmas morning, you realize you once again have come down with a nasty case of the Holiday Blues — an exhausting kind of stress that causes you to loathe the season which is supposed to be rooted in joy, love, and generosity.

Holiday stress is impossible to escape. It doesn’t matter if you’re the town Scrooge or a devout atheist, holiday stress and strain grabs everyone by the throat and doesn’t let go till we’re popping the Tylenol on January 1. There are too many people trying to accomplish too much in the same crowded spaces in too little time. And it’s not like work and family duties just evaporate at this time of year. Rather, like everything else, they multiply and magnify until we fantasize about becoming a contestant on Naked and Afraid … because wouldn’t covering up with oak leaves and eating berries for dinner just be so much easier than tackling that insane to-do list?

To make matters worse, health experts offer lots of facile advice around this time of year about how best to combat it: Slow down. Take a hot bath. Remember what’s important. Meditate.

As though anyone has time for any of that!

Here’s another, easier solution: Listen to your favorite music.

There’s an impressive amount of scientific research on how effective music is for changing our brain state and reducing the experience of stress.

It used to be thought that classical music held a monopoly on this, but more recent research suggests any music you find pleasurable will create positive brain changes — improved memory, improved mood, and improved immunity, to name just a few benefits.

Here are five easy ways you can use music to de-stress during the holidays:

Keep Your Favorite Playlist Handy

While all music provides neurological benefits (except for music that’s jarring or harsh), researchers have found that music which gives you pleasure has an even greater impact. So, as a Christmas present to yourself, go ahead and create that playlist with your crazy-favorite tracks — the songs you truly love and feel inspired by. Whether it’s a song you were recently turned onto, or something you’ve been belting along to for years, pull together your “A-Team” playlist of songs that make you feel really good.

Listen to Music While You’re Out and About

Thanks to technology, we’re in a time where — short of implanting music directly into our brains (which we assume is coming soon) — music could not be more accessible, more customizable, and more portable. Every cell phone and pair of earbuds can become your own personal stress-busting therapist.

Take advantage of this. Without sacrificing safety or tuning out your surroundings, listen to music while driving, walking through crowded sidewalks, picking up snacks for the holiday party, or waiting on line at the post office. The same situation that might previously have left you furious or fed up can have the opposite result if you’ve been listening to music you find physically energizing or spiritually uplifting. And feeling good is contagious. If you’re tapping your toes while dealing with that frazzled store clerk, your smile and positive mood might just rub off on her, as well.

Sing Along

Singing with emotion has been shown to release oxytocin, also known as the “love hormone.” Oxytocin is a natural human hormone associated with empathy, trust, and relationship-building. So, when you sing along to a song that makes your heart swell, you might just end up wanting to give a hug, as well as a dollar, to that Santa shaking his cup outside the department store.

Topping up your oxytocin reserves means it’s also more likely you’ll be loving and patient with family members, even as the proverbial holiday kaka hits the fan. There’s nothing worse than raging at your spouse or kids just because you’re trying to bake gingerbread cookies with one hand and wrap gifts with the other. Sing along to Mavis Staples as you’re baking, and you might be much more charitable when you’ve discovered your three-year old has just poured molasses all over the sofa. (Though, in truth, the fact that “You Are Not Alone” is a big part of the problem!)

Use Music in Emotionally Challenging Situations

Some research suggests that music which impacts you emotionally has the ability to help process old emotions. These are emotions which — though stored deep in the subconscious — nonetheless influence our present-day mood and behavior. Do you have one of those dreaded family dinners coming up, which inevitably serve up extra helpings of drama and tension alongside the mashed potatoes? Listen to your favorite “sad song” on the way home. Those tears you shed while listening will likely be linked to your old emotional wounds. The sense of clearing and release you feel will be beneficial, even if you aren’t clearing or releasing the original emotional hurt.

Give the Gift of Music

Most of us get financially stressed during the holidays. We live in a consumer culture that worships expensive high-tech offerings while downplaying simplicity. One of the great things about roots music is that it crosses genres and is universally appealing. That playlist you created to help you stay sane during the holidays? Consider burning a CD of it, spiffing it up with a pretty bow and attaching a heartfelt note for a quick, easy gift for multiple people on your list. Like cookies made from a cherished family recipe or a lovingly hand-knit sweater, receiving a “mix tape” consisting of a loved one’s hand-picked songs is like receiving a part of that person’s heart and psyche. People are moved by it. Rather than appearing cheap, it looks unique and thoughtful.

If you want to make it a little extra special, fill a mason jar with epsom salts from the drugstore and offer it alongside the CD with a note expressing your wish for them: peace, relaxation, and (if they’re lucky) maybe even a good cry.

No one has to know it’s the same ol’ playlist you’ve been listening to all season long as your own personal Xanax!


Heather Juergensen is a health and wellness consultant based in Los Angeles. Her company, The Strong Woman, devises natural, non-pharmaceutical solutions for clients dealing with myriad physical and mental health issues, including depression. Find more of her favorite ways to de-stress on her blog.

Lede photo credit: _spy_ on Foter.com / CC BY-SA