Christmas music

The Grapes & Friends: “Christmas With My Baby”

Thanksgiving and Black Friday are behind us and Cyber Monday is here. And in terms of the latter two, most of the shopping does happen online these days. But if you did pop into a store or two since last Thursday, you’ll agree: if it wasn’t already by the moment Halloween ended, Christmas music is king for the next three weeks. So as much as we crave some quality Klezmer, we gotta hop on the Yuletide bandwagon and toss y’all a few fresh seasonal originals to stuff your stocking.

And there’s not really a better way to kick off that holiday spirit than with The Grapes & Friends. The genre-spanning Austin supergroup septet has become a cherished live Christmas staple over the past decade and a half, and for the last ten of those years The Grapes & Friends have only enriched that reputation with a release regimen of one new tune each December. One glance at today’s date tells you all you need to know; The Grapes & Friends have officially entered Holiday mode.

Yes, ahead of their 12th annual Christmas Extravaganza at Hole in the Wall this Saturday, The Grapes & Friends have gotten into a clinch with their inner Grinch on “Christmas With My Baby”. With a big cheerful opening (that sports sleigh-bells from the jump), there’s a surface level similarity to what you’d hear on those dime-a-dozen corporate major-key inoffensive Christmas rock playlists. But by the time you get to the first chorus it’s like hearing St. Nick up on the housetop; Christmas is real, and there’s some real soul, passion, and ingenuity to The Grapes & Friends’ songwriting, even if the lyrical protagonist of this latest one is somewhat of a soured, romantic Scrooge. And especially if you’re spending the upcoming holidays solo, you won’t feel so alone with this Huey Lewis-inspired piece of seasonal solidarity that glistens with killer production, outstanding performances, and an arrangement that only a Grinch could scoff at.

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Jeremy Lister: “Christmas in Rio”

Like so many others before him, blue-eyed, Mississippi-born vocalist Jeremy Lister first fell in love with singing in his childhood church. Fast forward to 2003 when Lister relocated to Nasvhille and released his debut EP Shooting Star and jump ahead again to 2010, when he joined acclaimed a cappella outfit Street Corner Symphony, who landed second place on NBC’s The Sing Off and earned the group a touring spot alongside Ben Folds.

In the decade that’s passed since then, Lister’s chops as a crooner have only improved, scoring the jazz singer a duet with Allison Krauss, a family record alongside The Lister Brothers, and several high-level commercial and television spots. The latest from Lister is Happy Holidays, Everyone (though we would’ve also accepted Meremy Listmas), a big-band full-length featuring ten outstanding originals. But if brassy mid-century swing isn’t your cup of hot chocolate, bask instead in the sunny Southern-Hemispheric swagger of “Christmas in Rio”!

Amanda Shires: “Gone For Christmas” (feat. The McCrary Sisters)

Even if you haven’t tied the voice to the name, you’ve likely heard Amanda Shires, be it with Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, supporting the late John Prine on tour, or as one quarter of country supergroup The Highwomen. But it may surprise some of you to learn that this Lubbock-born/Nashville-based singer-fiddler’s just released her own Holiday album, simply titled For Christmas. For Christmas features the Grammy winner performing nine originals and two covers alongside an impressive cast of collaborators and a healthy balance of genuine joy and irreverent humor, heard best on “Gone For Christmas” featuring The McCrary Sisters.

Patricia Vonne: “Cumbia Navidad”

Like it or not, Christmastime is officially upon us. And with no apologies to the Scrooges, Song of the Day‘s final week of 2021 is dedicated strictly to the seasonal stuff. First up is Austin’s Patricia Vonne, an actress who’s not only had a fruitful relationship with Robert Rodriguez, but is also an award-winning filmmaker, animator, and singer.

Patricia Vonne recently released her LP My Favorite Holiday, featuring ten original tunes and one cover, all recorded with an impressive cast of collaborators and produced by fellow Austinite Rick Del Castillo. It’s a genuinely enthusiastic take on what’s historically been a polarizing genre, and Vonne’s vocal fervor is infectious throughout, especially on the Latin-leaning, Spanish-language “Cumbia Navidad”!