Sure, you love Christmas music as much as the next person. And the classics are classics for a reason. But I get it – your ears are ringing (and not in a festive way) every time you hear "Christmas Shoes.” Have no fear! Here are some alternative holiday tunes to keep you company this season.
Songs for Christmas – Sufjan Stevens
This box set alone could last you through the holidays & into the New Year. Never the type to half-ass something, Sufjan didn’t just record a Christmas album…he recorded five. This Christmas collection features a variety of originals and covers, all in the style of the musical wizard that is Sufjan Stevens. Recorded over a span of five years (and originally released only as gifts to family members), you can stream this entire symphonic Christmas catalog for free on his bandcamp here. Don’t miss the very Sufjan-esque original “That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!”
A Very She & Him Christmas - She & Him
Who knew that the classic scene in Elf where Zooey Deschanel sings “Baby It’s Cold Outside” would be the start of something? Fans of that sweet serenade will certainly enjoy Zooey’s music project, She & Him, and their new Christmas album. Released this fall, A Very She & Him Christmas features 12 classic Christmas covers. Listeners will enjoy the calm, retro-throwback style of She & Him’s sound – it’d make a great soundtrack for a cozy holiday evening near the fire.
This Warm December: A Brushfire Holiday, Volume 2 – Various Artists
This compilation of holiday songs from Brushfire Records features some artists that should be familiar to Triple M listeners – Rogue Wave, G. Love, and Jack Johnson to name a few. Don’t miss up-and-coming darling Zee Avi’s addition, “Frosty the Snowman.” And if you dig her sound, check out her song “The Book of Morris Johnson” as a next step.
Take a peak at the Fresh New Music Blog next week for more random holiday tunes to add to your Christmas playlist...
The Black Keys will be the musical guest this week on SNL with Steve Buscemi hosting. The band drop their new record December 6th.
El Camino was produced with Danger Mouse and recorded in the Black Keys' shiny new studio in Nashville. Ahead of the release date the duo have decided to stream five songs including the single Lonely Boy. Check them out at the band's official website.
Bruce Springsteen announced via his website Sunday he and the E Street Band will be hitting the road in 2012. The tour will be in support of an upcoming release.
Springsteen wrote, "We want you to know that the music is almost done (but still untitled), we have almost settled on the release date (but not quite yet), and that we are all incredibly excited about everything that we're planning for 2012. That's all the info we have for right now, but we'll get back to you - real soon."
This will be the first tour for the E Street Band since the loss of Clarence Clemons. Although if you remember Springsteen's eulogy for the Big Man, "Clarence doesn't leave the E Street Band when he dies. He leaves when we die."
Singer-songwriter Jamie Scott and songwriter-producer Tommy Danvers are Graffiti6. Danvers has worked with Bjork, Kanye West, and Adele in the past. Scott fell in love with music when he heard Joni Mitchell's Blue for the first time at age seven.
Scott hooked up with Tommy D in 2009 after working with members of Travis and Toby Smith from Jamiroquai on previous projects.
"I was already a fan of Jamie's music", Danver says. "He was playing in this intricate style with amazing lyrics, and I just said, 'Look you've got to let it rip on this mate.' We both love a lot of the same music, so I think I awakened the Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye in him. He has a truly unique voice. It doesn't sound like anyone else and that's what I like about it."
Check out the video for their single Free here. Look for the Graffiti6 debut full-length to drop early next year. Learn more about Jamie below.
Our newest fresh music find comes to us from a Project M alum, Charlie Kim! Fans of Charlie Kim, from season three of Project M, will remember his mellow sound, incorporating a soulful fusion of acoustic & hip-hop. Charlie is a renaissance man, producing his own jams, and he recently released his first album, Songs for Women Pt. 1.
Songs for Women Pt. 1 features seven tracks aimed to keep you company while you’re getting high and getting down with that special lady. Tracks like “We Ain’t Gotta Do Much” don’t sugarcoat Charlie’s intentions for the women this album is titled for – Charlie loves the ladies, and he’s crafted this album of serenades to prove it. This self-described “indie-soul-electro-swag” is ripe for some maxin’ and relaxin, and features a couple special guests – local rappers Phonetic ONE (on “Time Again”) and K. Raydio (on “Prayin”). Settle down with a few choice friends, grab your favorite questionable substances, and let Songs for Women Pt. 1 soundtrack your evening.
Madisonians will appreciate the scenery for his self-produced video for the first single (below), “Redbull&Vodka,” which largely takes place on a bench on State Street. We haven’t even gotten to the best part yet – Charlie’s new album is available for you to download for FREE. You can snag it here.
Charlie Kim can also be seen hosting Open Mic at Der Rathskeller.
Grow Your Mo! by Jenny Herritz,posted Nov 16 2011 9:40AM
Call it No Shave November, Novembeard, whatever. But dudes – I got love for you if you’re participating in Movember. If you’re not in the know, get familiar. Movember encourages males to celebrate their power to grow facial hair towards a good cause. While you're embracing your ability to grow, you'll earn money as a team while spreading awareness (& fundraising) for prostrate cancer. Most importantly, you'll look totally badass with that mustache.
Not sure how to cultivate your freshly-sprouting hairs? Maybe you can take some inspiration from a mustache-lovin’ musician. John Oates or Freddie Mercury, perhaps? Check out Prefix Magazine's article on the "Greatest Living Mustaches in Rock" for more inspiration. Who do you think they’re missing? Wisconsin's beloved Justin Vernon certainly sports the Northwoods look.
And fellas, it's only the 16th -- there's still time to join your comrades and sprout some charitable facial hairs. Grow your mo!
Lana Del Ray is the female artist everyone is talking about. The video for her single Video Games hit over two million views on youtube in just over two weeks. She describes her sound as "Hollywood Sadcore".
Born Lizzy Grant the singer moved to New York City when she was 18 and started playing clubs in Brooklyn, the audiences made up mostly of friends and other underground musicians. She tried to make it as a mainstream artist releasing an ep a couple years ago but failed.
So Grant went back to the drawing board, wrote some new songs and transformed herself.
The 24 year old explains, "I wanted a name I could shape the music towards. I was going to Miami quite a lot at the time, speaking a lot of Spanish with my friends from Cuba - Lana Del Rey reminded us of the glamour of the seaside. It sounded gorgeous coming off the tip of the tongue."
Former model Lissy Trullie will release a self-titled album on March 6, 2012. After two years of honing the songs live and a collaborative hook-up with producer John Hill (MIA, Santagold) Trullie says, “I write so I can find something new and hopefully keep growing. This was the first time I got into a real studio with real producers and by the end of the recording process I wound up with what I wanted from the very start – to make music that has evolved.”
If this first song is any indication, she could be onto something. Grab a free download of Madeleinehere.
Oasis were the biggest band in the UK for over a decade. The band split after a backstage punch up between brothers Liam and Noel minutes before a headlining gig in Paris two years ago. According to Liam, "I don't regret having an argument with our kid [Noel], I don't regret the break up, it had to happen."
Noel just dropped his first solo record in the U.S. since the split. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds debuted at number one in the UK last month. You can stream the full-length here. Noel says, “The only thing I was certain of with this album was that ‘The Death of You and Me’ be the first single. I just thought now wasn’t the time for grandstanding. I thought it was time to be a little more cool and calm.”
Who knew football fans were so passionate about their halftime entertainment? In case you haven't heard, Detroit fans are not pleased with having Nickelback as the halftime performer for their annual Thanksgiving Classic game, this year against our own Packers. Seems that they’re so concerned about having their city’s reputation tainted by being associated with the unfortunate crapfest Canadian band, they decided to start a petition to have Nickelback replaced -- 44,977 signatures & counting.
But if not Nickelback, who? Lucky for us, Detroit native Mayer Hawthorne has offered to step in and replace Nickelback for the big gig. If Detroit fans are looking for a musical act that exemplifies their city, then they’ve stumbled upon the perfect guy – Mayer Hawthorne represents the hometown he so adores with a fresh Motown sound that’s reminiscent of the Motor City’s former days of glory. He has even created a video as part of his campaign for halftime (see below).
Maybe we should throw some Wisconsin artists into the ring? I mean, regardless of who performs at halftime, Detroit will be embarrassed of their city that night…after the Packers KICK THEIR AS$.
Have you heard the song "Rumble and Sway" yet on Triple M?
The singer sounds like a raspy blues dude who's definitely been around the block a few times....but surprisingly, Jamie N. Commons is only 23 years old!
He was born in England, but...
Last week, I decided I would try one new, healthy food a week, and asked my facebook friends to make some suggestions.
The first thing I tried was mango. I'm sure I've had other mango flavored things, and mango as part of something else, but...
There's only one thing that might be worse than the Neil Diamond/Barbra Streisand duet "You Don't Bring Me Flowers." And that's Jonathan Suttin doing his best crooning...doing both parts. Most unpleasant.
A lot of people liked this song...
Artist: Alchemilla
Hail From: Boston
Song: 'The Wheel'
Album: Diamonds From The Penny Arcade
Sounds Like: Hole, Pearl Jam
In Their Words: "Alchemilla had been trying to write a ballad for a little while but it wasn't happening. There...
Last weeks challenge we thought went excellent! Of course we are a little biased.
The drinking song couldn't have been any better, or any less fun. We had a blast through out the whole process, and our performance rocked.
This week is an easy...
So the story goes Michael Jackson completed this song while watching cartoons with Paul McCartney. We'll just let that sink in for a moment.
Not sure what cartoons they were watching, but it must have worked because this song made it to number 2...
The Dalai Lama is back in town, sharing his message of peace and kindness with likeminded individuals, and the Wisconsin legislature. He also held a private meeting with Gov. Walker, who said he mostly listened to what His Holiness had to say (wise...
This duet by Ol' Blue Eyes and his daughter went all the way to number 1 back in 1967. It seems a little creepy that Frank and Nancy Sinatra are singing a love song. However, a lot of Triple M listeners were in the mood for it.
Here's...
Have you heard the song "Rumble and Sway" yet on Triple M?
The singer sounds like a raspy blues dude who's definitely been around the block a few times....but surprisingly, Jamie N. Commons is only 23 years old!
He was born in England, but...
Last week, I decided I would try one new, healthy food a week, and asked my facebook friends to make some suggestions.
The first thing I tried was mango. I'm sure I've had other mango flavored things, and mango as part of something else, but...
There's only one thing that might be worse than the Neil Diamond/Barbra Streisand duet "You Don't Bring Me Flowers." And that's Jonathan Suttin doing his best crooning...doing both parts. Most unpleasant.
A lot of people liked this song...
Artist: Alchemilla
Hail From: Boston
Song: 'The Wheel'
Album: Diamonds From The Penny Arcade
Sounds Like: Hole, Pearl Jam
In Their Words: "Alchemilla had been trying to write a ballad for a little while but it wasn't happening. There...
Last weeks challenge we thought went excellent! Of course we are a little biased.
The drinking song couldn't have been any better, or any less fun. We had a blast through out the whole process, and our performance rocked.
This week is an easy...
So the story goes Michael Jackson completed this song while watching cartoons with Paul McCartney. We'll just let that sink in for a moment.
Not sure what cartoons they were watching, but it must have worked because this song made it to number 2...
The Dalai Lama is back in town, sharing his message of peace and kindness with likeminded individuals, and the Wisconsin legislature. He also held a private meeting with Gov. Walker, who said he mostly listened to what His Holiness had to say (wise...
This duet by Ol' Blue Eyes and his daughter went all the way to number 1 back in 1967. It seems a little creepy that Frank and Nancy Sinatra are singing a love song. However, a lot of Triple M listeners were in the mood for it.
Here's...
Call it No Shave November, Novembeard, whatever. But dudes – I got love for you if you’re participating in Movember. If you’re not in the know, 
Who knew football fans were so passionate about their halftime entertainment? In case you haven't heard, Detroit fans are not pleased with having Nickelback as the halftime performer for their annual Thanksgiving Classic game, this year against our own Packers. Seems that they’re so concerned about having their city’s reputation tainted by being associated with the unfortunate crapfest Canadian band, 
