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Everyone has a favorite Christmas carol
Journal photo by Bruce Chapman
Caleb Caudle, a singer and guitarist from Winston-Salem, N.C., performs during his concert at The Garage in Winston-Salem.
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Published: December 18, 2008
"Zat You, Santa Claus?"
Now that's one righteous Christmas song. It's by Louis Armstrong, so it automatically swings, it's hip, and it has a whiff of a certain … higher state of consciousness about it -- pure "Satchmo."
Equally splendid is the 1968 "Christmas Boogie" in which the real Alvin & The Chipmunks (not those new cute, cuddly computer-animated imposters) get involved in questionable Yuletide hijinks, retooling their 1958 hit, "The Chipmunk Song," into a ferocious boogie-blues duet with the late Bob "The Bear" Hite and Canned Heat, his blues-rock band. The already misbehaving and animated (ADHD) Alvin is taken aside by The Bear, who, in the true Christmas spirit, says, "Here, Alvin. Try some of this," at which point Alvin goes completely schizo. Priceless!
Questionable behavior, granted, but the kids seem to like it.
Christmas music can reach an annual cornball crescendo worthy of Grinchy behavior. But even the Grinch had a Yule song -- "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch," proving that everyone has a cool carol tucked in their closet of favorites.
So in that spirit, many of Winston-Salem's prominent musicians have offered to share their fave Christmas songs with you, the public, the people who ostensibly help keep them alive.
So Merry Christmas, from them, and all of us at relish, to you.
Caleb Caudle, Caleb Caudle & The Bayonets: "Uhhhh, what's this one? (Sings melody of almost identifiable carol.) I'm gonna go with ‘White Christmas,' the Bing Crosby version. It sounds like Christmas is going to be classy."
Lauren Myers, Easybake: "The entire soundtrack for the Charlie Brown Christmas special, because, no matter how much you hear it, or when you hear it, it's not the usual, worn-out Christmas junk. I'm not big on Christmas music, but this music by the Vince Guaraldi Trio is incredible."
Peter Holsapple, singer/songwriter, The dB's: "Gosh, my favorite would still have to be ‘Christmas Wrapping' by The Waitresses. It makes me cry. The story. The delivery by the late, great Patty Donahue -- it's a lot of elements that interconnect for me. And I like the fact that the Spice Girls covered it. Nothing like a big pile of money under the Christmas tree."
Doug Davis, Doug Davis & The Solid Citizens: "No question -- ‘Fairytale of New York,' by The Pogues. It's a duet between Shane McGowan and Kirsty MacColl, and it's just brilliant. It's sweet, it's sad, and MacColl just walks up to McGowan and stands her own, and not many people can do that. It's got everything."
Ken Rhodes, jazz pianist, composer: "It's not really a Christmas song, but ‘Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring,' by Bach. There's something about that song that reminds of Christmas. Also Judy Garland's ‘Have Yourself a Very Merry Christmas.' It's got some nice chords."
Jeffrey Dean Foster, Jeffrey Dean Foster & The Birds of Prey: ‘Someday at Christmas,' by Stevie Wonder captures the bittersweet feeling of the season, the sweetness of family and friends and the bitter realization that another year has passed. My band has been performing Slade's ‘Merry Christmas Everybody,' Big Star's ‘Jesus Christ,' and The Band's ‘Christmas Must Be Tonight.' ‘Christmas Moon,' by Regina Hexaphone is pretty right, too."
Greg Bell, the-bo-stevens: "This time of year, I tend to sit around and play ‘Little Drummer Boy' and ‘Silent Night' on my guitar, but I guess I'll go with ‘Silent Night.' It's slow. I love the melody."
Mitch Easter, producer, solo artist (Let's Active): "For a pop one, you just really can't beat ‘Sleigh Ride.' Years ago, The H-Bombs tried to figure it out, and we found that it was really complicated, which was kind of exciting. As for a traditional one -- ‘We Three Kings' has a nice, kind of creepy vibe, probably because they were trying for some Middle-Eastern thing."
Bill Stevens, Solos: "I like ‘Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming.' It's from the 15th century, and most people have never heard it sung, unless in church. It's not the typical cheesy, or cheeky, Christmas thing. It's really dark, with cool harmonies. And the lyric is Old Testament. It's about Jesus as something to happen in the future. It's been translated so many times and ways that it's really great poetry."
Andy "Freakin'" Mabe, bassist, one-man band, bon vivant: "My choice is ‘O Holy Night.' I like any version where it's arranged the old way, with the strings and the horns, and where the singer hits that high note at the end, where it doesn't seem like you can go any higher, but she does, and it just fades away, gently, like mist."
Chris Stamey, producer, solo artist (The dB's): "There's nothing like ‘The Only Law That Santa Claus Understood' by Ted Lyons to take the edge off the eggnog and put the foam back on the hot chocolate."
Lee Terry, singer, songwriter: "John Lennon's ‘(Happy Xmas) War Is Over.' It's the most soulful, heartfelt and uplifting Christmas song ever, certainly one of his best post-Beatles songs. The addition of The Harlem Children's Choir completes a powerful message of hope. We need it now, more than ever.
Brent Naylor, Wafer Thin: "My favorite Christmas song is ‘O Holy Night.' For me the song represents the pure essence of Jesus -- hope, joy, salvation, peace. Any time I hear the song I am humbled at the immense love God has given us with the most incredible gift of all, his son Jesus Christ."
Shalini Chatterjee, Shalini: "I am going to go with ‘The Holly and the Ivy.' It's sort of a nature song, and it's like a madrigal, but with a lead vocal. It's really kind of stylish."
Matt Kendrick, jazz bassist and composer: "‘Blue Xmas' by Miles Davis. The arrangement is killer. All solos are great -- it was one of his best bands. It really calls attention to the reason for the season."
Mike Wesolowski, Blues World Order: "I'm not big on the jingly Christmas (songs) that have been shoved at us our whole lives -- that (stuff) really contributes to this, the Year of Christmas Negativity. (laughs) I really dig the Christmas stuff on the outside, so my fave has to be ‘Cool Yule,' a hip, big-band thing that really swings. It was written by Steve Allen, and I first heard it by Louis Armstrong."
Jerry Chapman, singer, songwriter: "I love ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,' specifically the version by Aimee Mann. It has this beauty, tenderness and melancholy that really touches the heart."
Ken Mohan, Kavish: "I'd have to say ‘What Child Is This?' is probably my very favorite, simply by virtue of the beauty of the melody."
Michael Slawter, The Saving Graces: "My fave Christmas song is The Spongetones' ‘Christmasland,' from the album Mersey Christmas. It's written by all the songwriters in the band, and it's by far the standout track."
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