Keeping with the uber-cheesy Christmas theme...When I was a music teacher, I had the kids learn this one, & it was a blast.  I thought it would be fun to take a shot at performing it in a less comical tone, like a Ballad of Mr. Grinch, & it gave me an excuse to clean years of dust off my violin.  Maybe it works...maybe it doesn't.  It's my try at some Dr. Seuss Christmas.

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Xmas 2019

You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch

Christmas can be a little tough sometimes.  As much as I love a sad song, I considered trying my hand at Joni Mitchell's River, but it's 100% depressing & hopeless.  Sleeping At Last's Ryan O'Neal has become one of my favorite singer-songwriters, & he has magically mastered the art of melancholy.  Snow highlights some of the hard parts of holiday seasons but with an overarching message of hope, which is the Christmas spirit I'd like to end with.  I think this one's somber tone and his references to It's a Wonderful Life are impressively poignant.  This is my attempt at the pensive & hopeful.

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Snow

Last year, I started messing around with combining Silent Night with a Jack Garratt riff from his song Weathered.  It seemed to work well & was fun figuring out how to use the chord shapes.  When I started recording, I kept hearing a shift into Away in a Manger, so I hashed it out to mix in as well.  Coming back to Silent Night, I felt it needed a little something more, so I added some oohs & hums for fun.  This is a little instrumental Xmas medley for the quiet nights.

Interlude

This one was probably the most challenging one for me: Style, vocals, instruments, mixing...all were a stretch to work out in my limited home studio.  To be honest, I think most Christmas songs are cheesy as hell; that's especially true with the upbeat pop ones.  I went through a Stevie Wonder phase at some point in my young-adult life & wore out Songs in the Key of Life while pretending I could sing like him.  As a pseudo-adult, I know that's not true whatsoever.  Around the same time, I was attempting to learn some Stevie Ray Vaughan which might explain why I felt the need to take it to church for the end.  I'm no SRV, but that's what friends are for; special thanks to Aaron Pierce for the shreds.  This is my attempt at a little Stevie Christmas.

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What Christmas Means To Me

Oklahoma born singer-songwriter Will Stucky began his love for music when he was 5.  After pursuing a music degree, Stucky spent some post-grad time touring with bands including Up From Under & Arlis Moon, writing & performing with The Songwriters Co, & teaching before stumbling into a day-job of breaking computers & wandering westward to CA.  Music has continued to be the main source for experiencing joy, expressing grief, & connecting with good people.  Influenced by The Beatles, Ben Folds, Radiohead, & others, Will is ending a public musical hiatus with a few Christmas tunes for fun while he writes original songs as the Inspiration comes to share with anyone who is willing to listen & engage.