Out the Other

Xmas Radio: Lenny Dee - "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"

I've developed an affinity for what one might call the "space age pop" genre of Christmas music in recent years - or really anything that sounds suitably lounge-y enough to be played at a cocktail party.  Not that I throw many cocktail parties (my sister and I traditionally do an ugly sweater party, but I think we're skipping it this year), but I find this kind of Christmas music doesn't get as grating as quickly, and it's as perfect as background music at work as it is while sipping spiced gimlets or cinnamon martinis or something minty and lime green in a stylish glass.

Lenny Dee's 1961 Christmas album Happy Holi-Dee definitely falls into this genre - and I promise it's a hell of a lot cooler than you'd believe after seeing the album cover above.  Sure, it sounds like music that might be played in an elevator, but even if it's an elevator, it's like a SIXTIES ELEVATOR TO SPACE.  And that's an elevator ride anyone would be happy to take, while listening to twinkly organ notes like sugar-coated gumdrops adorning the stale gingerbread house of Christmas songs you've heard a bajillion times.

Lenny Dee - "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"

*bonus!* - "Parade of the Wooden Soliders"

Xmas Radio: The Drifters - "White Christmas"

I went on an insane movie-watching binge over Thanksgiving weekend (it really should have been a movie-watching and scarf-knitting binge so I could get a jump on Christmas gifts, but ah well, once in a while a girl's gotta lay around and do nothing more challenging than locate the remote or that leftover piece of pecan pie. I swear mental health days can dissolve several months worth of stress.), and ended up watching a good chunk of Home Alone at one point when I discovered it on TV before venturing out to actually do something social.  As far as Christmas movies, it's not one of my absolute favorites - I've seen it or parts of it at least a dozen times, cause it's kinda ubiquitous this time of year, but I never intentionally think - "I'm going to watch Home Alone now." 

But the best thing about the movie, next to the insane cuteness of tiny Macaulay Culkin, has to be the prominent placement of The Drifters doing "White Christmas."  In my opinion, it is THE best version of "White Christmas" that will ever exist, and the fact that it's complemented by little Kevin singing into a comb - well, that's just the icing on the cake.

Recorded in 1954, it's hard to believe The Drifters' take on the Christmas standard (which Irving Berlin wrote poolside at the Biltmore in Phoenix, Arizona in 1940) wasn't very widely played until it appeared in Home Alone.  While it hit #2 on the Billboard R&B chart and was the first Drifters hit to crack the Hot 100, it was only really played on R&B radio stations for decades, until the littlest aftershave-stung McCallister gave its popularity a massive boost in 1990.

The Drifters - "White Christmas"

Also, I'm a total sucker for a reindeer singing earnestly:

Xmas Radio: Brenda Lee - "I'm Gonna Lasso Santa Claus"

Shockingly enough, I'm in a holiday-ish mood early this year, which means I'm digging out my extensive collection of Christmas tunes to listen to and share.  Monday night I peppered the most recent show's playlist with a handful of my recent festive faves, including this gem, which I only recently discovered (two years ago?). 

Recorded in 1956 by a twelve-year-old Brenda Lee (pictured above looking like she's like to lasso the King), "I'm Gonna Lasso Santa Claus" is so fantastically good I'm shocked it isn't more of a Christmas standard.  Seriously, "squirt squirt!" has to be one of the greatest moments in a Christmas song, ever.  It's like a novelty song that somehow doesn't even come close to wearing out its welcome.

Brenda Lee - "I'm Gonna Lasso Santa Claus"

Happy 86th, Grandpa!

I'm sure I've already spoken many times about the influence my parents had on my music taste growing up, but I'd be remiss if I didn't discuss the impact my grandparents had on how much I love music as well. 

Growing up, I was fortunate enough to have an incredibly close extended family that I spent a great deal of time with (aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents), and most of that time was spent together at my father's parents' house, which was as cool as any kid could hope for.  The summers were spent in the backyard, where they had a huge in-ground pool with a diving board, and the rest of the time was either spent in the family room (I can still vividly imagine the sound the toy cupboard under the television makes) or down in the basement, which featured a bar (our only interest was the bar stools and little straws - I don't think they even kept booze down there), a pool table, and the absolute greatest thing in the world - a jukebox.  My sister, my twin cousins and I spent hour upon hour taking turns dropping in nickels and punching in the numbers of our favorite songs - occasionally stopping to holler for someone to come unlock the change door to fish out the nickels we had spent so we could spend them all again.

So incredibly early on, I learned my grandpa's favorite song - Glenn Miller's "In the Mood," my grandma's favorite song - Bobby Darin's "Splish Splash," and spent hours twisting in the basement to Chubby Checker or "Hot Diggity." Oldies were my absolute favorite when I was a kid, and I have a sneaking suspicion that the jukebox sparked that love, or at least fueled it.  And that love certainly led to the way I feel about music now.

Today is my grandpa's 86th birthday, and talking to him this morning made me want to listen to a little Glenn Miller.  About thirty seconds into "In the Mood," I could close my eyes and swear I was back in that basement, dancing around the pool table in slippered feet with my sister and cousins (one of whom would insist on playing "The Chipmunk Song" next - regardless of the time of year).

So happy birthday, Grandpa, and thanks for introducing me to your favorite song. And thanks for helping me love music so much.

Glenn Miller - "In the Mood"

Playlist - November 16

Now that we're coasting towards the end of the year, and good new releases are pretty few and far between, I'm going to be spending the last few Monday nights of 2009 focusing on bands coming through Nashville, as well as bringing guests onto the show.  Last Monday, I was delighted to bring Thomas and Dabney of Tallest Trees on the show, to chat about what they're up to and listen to some of the tunes I've been falling in love with for the past couple of months.

Stream the November 16 edition of Out the Other

A while back, I caught a Tallest Trees show at Mercy Lounge and had my figurative socks knocked off - not only can I not remember the last time a band impressed me THAT much with a live show, but I certainly can't remember the last time a local band pulled it off.  They're doing something no one else in Nashville is doing right now, which is exciting and interesting and 100% the reason I wanted to have them on the show.  Hopefully we'll be hearing a lot more from them in 2010 (they're finishing up a full-length album right now), and stay tuned right here on OtO, because I'll certainly be letting you know what they're up to.

1.  Tallest Trees - All My Fears (Hey There Little Nebula)
2.  White Denim - I Start to Run (Fits)
3.  White Denim - Mirrored and Reverse (Fits)
4.  Brazos - Tell (Phosphorescent Blues)
5.  And the Relatives - Animals (Animals)
6.  Slowmotions - 1000 Hurts (Potions)
7.  Slowmotions - Birthing a Stone (Potions)
8.  Sonny and the Sunsets - Too Young to Burn (Tomorrow Is Alright) (mp3)
9.  Elvis Perkins - 123 Goodbye (Elvis Perkins In Dearland)
10.  A.A. Bondy - I'm On Fire (unreleased) (mp3)
11.  Bowerbirds - Northern Lights (Upper Air)
12.  Mountain Goats - Dance Music (The Sunset Tree)
13.  Final Fantasy - Song Song Song (He Poos Clouds) (mp3)
14.  The Black Hollies - Paisley Pattern Ground (Casting Shadows)
15.  Tallest Trees - Learn (Hey There Little Nebula) (mp3)
16.  White Flight - Death Hands (White Flight)
17.  Blur - Good Song (Think Tank)
18.  Le Loup - Beach Town (Family)
19.  Tallest Trees - Alouette (Hey There Little Nebula) (mp3)
20.  Kate Bush - Cloudbusting (Hounds of Love)
21.  Ruby Suns - Tane Mahuta (Sea Lion)
22.  Tallest Trees - Skinny Little Wrists (Hey There Little Nebula) (mp3)

White Denim, Brazos and And the Relatives @ The Basement TONIGHT!

Back in August, I got a super exciting message from Mike Grimes over at the Basement - "you heard of White Denim?"  YES, I replied - because not only had I heard of White Denim, over the course of several trips to SXSW, they had become one of my recurring Texas favorites.  From the first Wild Turkey-fueled St. Patrick's Day set I saw them play in 2007, I knew the Austin band was something special - they were like this three-piece ball of frenetic energy, teetering on a balance beam of awesomeness that they somehow managed to never topple off of into certain disaster.  I've seen them several times since then (not hard, since they play like a gagillion shows at SXSW), and I've been hoping that their increasing success and popularity would one day bring them on a tour through Nashville. Today happens to be that day.

It's hard to put into words just how freaking fantastic White Denim is live, so I'm just going to give you some tunes and the promise of greatness tonight at the Basement.  The greatness is further cemented by the phenomenal additions to the bill - Brazos, another Austin band, who I've been falling madly in love with for the past two weeks via their new album Phosphorescent Blues, and Out the Other local favorites And the Relatives, who are working on a new album and sounding absolutely incredible these days.  Tonight's cover is $10, which is a bargain when you realize it's three dollars and change per each kick-ass band.

Me? I'll be there for sure, most likely shake-shake-shaking it since I had the foresight to take tomorrow off from work.  A show like this is certainly going to require a day of recovery.

White Denim - "I Start To Run"
White Denim - "Shake Shake Shake"
Brazos - "My Buddy"
And the Relatives -"Dixie Cups"

Playlist - November 9

Have you listened to last week's show yet? You still have until tonight's show airs, so do it:

Stream the November 9 edition of Out the Other

And here's the playlis:

1.  Local Natives - Shape Shifter (Gorilla Manor)
2.  Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - 40 Day Dream (Up From Below)
3.  Generationals - Nobody Could Change Your Mind (Con Law)
4.  The Nobility - Halleluiah Chorus (The Mezzanine)
5.  King Khan and BBQ Show - Invisible Girl (Invisible Girl)
6.  And the Relatives - Be Here To Love Me (Townes Van Zandt cover)
7.  Brazos - Day Glo (Phosphorescent Blues)
8.  White Denim - Shake Shake Shake (Workout Holiday)
9.  White Denim - Darksided Computer Mouth (Workout Holiday)
10.  Local Natives - World News (Gorilla Manor)
11.  Tallest Trees - Learn (Hey There Little Nebula)
12.  Sleep Whale - We Were Dripping (Houseboat)
13.  Ola Podrida - Sink or Swim (Belly of the Lion)
14.  Wilco - Forget the Flowers (Being There)
15.  Wilco - I Got You (At the End of the Century) (Being There)
16.  Bobby Birdman - Only For a While (New Moods)
17.  Vampire Weekend - Horchata (Contra)
18.  Little Girls - Growing (Concepts)
19.  Eureka Gold - I Go To Sleep (Kinks cover)
20.  Local Natives - Airplanes (Gorilla Manor)
21.  Langhorne Slim - Be Set Free (Be Set Free)
22.  Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes - Home (Up From Below)
23.  Cheap Time - Woodland Drive (Woodland Drive 7")
24.  Shoot the Mountain - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (Neutral Milk Hotel cover)
25.  Local Natives - Warning Sign (Gorilla Manor)