Ah yes, go ahead and inhale the fecund ether of the season. Lit Up Like A Christmas celebrates the, er, other side of seasonal tidings — holiday esoterica from the far corners of vintage jazz, twang, fuzz, scuzz, r&b, blues, country, garage, lounge and beyond. And by beyond, I mean Sun Ra doing a Christmas […]

Yuletide in Jamaica glides in each December on what the locals call the Christmas Breeze, a slightly crisper air that tends to waft through the island this time of year. The other seasonal harbinger is one common to most places: the sound of Christmas songs on the radio. Except that Christmas music in Jamaica is, […]

Lucy Van Pelt loves the beautiful sound of clinking nickels. She wants real estate for Christmas. Snoopy challenges passersby to find the true meaning of Christmas by winning “money, money, money” in his “spectacular super colossal neighborhood Christmas lights and display contest.” For her part, Sally Brown forgoes her lengthy list of gifts, asking Santa […]

Damien Jurado takes on Vince Guaraldi’s yuletide classic, “Christmas Time Is Here.” Culled from 90% of your social circle’s favorite Christmas album, it’s a brave choice met with spirited results. Damien Jurado :: Christmas Time Is Here Related: Do not miss our interview with drummer Jerry Granelli discussing his work with the Vince Guaraldi trio laying […]

For many listeners, the Vince Guaraldi Trio’s music for 1965’s A Charlie Brown Christmas represents the best of the season, its sounds patient, relaxed, and warm. For drummer Jerry Granelli, it’s all those things, but it’s also something else: a beginning. Since that fateful start, he hasn’t wasted any time. Over the course of his […]

(Volume 27 of Clifton’s Corner. Clifton Weaver, aka DJ Soft Touch, shares some of his favorite spins, old and new, in the worlds of soul, r&b, funk, psych and beyond.) The long, strange year that has been 2016 is finally coming to an end. The holiday season is upon us and we’re all probably looking […]

If you have a window near, go ahead and look outside. Chances are, there are some Christmas lights up somewhere within view. In the coming weeks, you’ll probably frantically brave mall crowds and horrific parking lot jams for last-minute gifts, wondering why it is that you avoid the mall for an entire year only to […]