Green Monkey Records has put out a lot of indie Christmas rock over the years, and label stalwarts The True Olympians were responsible for a lot of those songs. For 2021, they decided to stage a big Christmas music show at a Tacoma, WA venue and to promote it they pulled together a greatest holiday hits compilation, The True Olympians Holiday Collection. They also snuck a couple of new tunes onto it, so if you haven't been on this particular Northwest Christmas train, click the cover and grab a copy.
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This is where marketing overtakes music making, as most of these tunes are previously released. Still, like Rhino's Bummed Out Christmas, you have to admit it's a great idea. It couldn't hurt that there's an actual band called Trailer Trash from Minneapolis-St. Paul with two cuts on this 1999 album, "Don't Believe in Xmas," the Sonics classic that borrows heavily from "Too Much Monkey Business," and "Daddy's Drinkin' Up Our Christmas," a suitably country lament. The New Duncan Imperials provide us with "Santa Claus Is a Lie," complete with a children's chorus, and The Blue Moon Boys do "Santabilly Boogie," which is, not surprisingly, rockabilly. "Christ, It's Christmas Again" comes courtesy of the Geisels, a drum-less rocker. From the previously released pile, there are a couple of cuts by Leroy and Big People from Yuletunes, Mack Rice's "Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin'," John Prine's "Christmas in Prison" and Mojo Nixon's "Trim Yo' Tree." UPDATE: An interesting pair of digressions popped up when I moved this over from the old site. This album, same cover, was also released as Redneck Christmas Party in 1999. Also, the band Trailer Trash had an album of their own in 2005, All Lit-Up For Christmas, although it appears, based on an Amazon listener review, that it's erroneously listed as a various artists compendium. It has a variation of the same cover as the other two, tinted a greenish yellow instead of blue. There's 11 songs, including the two from Trailer Trash Christmas. Trailer Trash apparently have a Twin Cities reputation for rowdy Christmas parties, and this latter album is a souvenir of that. Of the three albums mentioned, Lit-Up is the only one actually available new; the other two show up only via 3rd parties at Amazon.
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Once again, Olympia, WA's leading record label compiles 22 holiday tunes from their artist roster into this 2020 compilation of indie rock future classics. Yes, there's a title cut, provided by label chief Tom Dyer and his band the True Olympians, and it's a satisfying rock shuffle about the biggest issue of the current year. Tom comes back by himself later in the album with "Gonna Sing a Christmas Song," a primitive little number that owes just a bit to Wild Man Fischer. "How I Know" by Toxic Socket is a perky little rocker about the telltale tips pointing to the holiday, Frankly, My Deer is a female duo performing a lilting ukulele arrangement of Sammy Kahn's "Christmas Waltz," Jon Davis breaks out the synths and vocoder for the original "Techno Christmas," which sounds exactly like you imagine it would, and the Elf-Tones' original "On Christmas Day" is a mid-tempo piano number about holiday goings-on. Jeff & Ed do their own shambolic version of the Bing & Bowie duet "Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth," 20-Twin/Twin go synth-pop for their version of "Up On the Rooftop," Zelda Starfire strums out her ode to kids on the holiday, "Mothers Little Christmas Helpers," and INFRA eD performs an original drum-based chant, "A Christmas Wish." Utterance Tongue covers John & Yoko's "Happy Xmas (War is Over)," Richard Stuverud offers his ballad "By Christmas Time," and Chris Newman Deluxe Combo performs the hippie-rock anthem "Xmas." The Freewheelin' Joe Ross covers Big Star's "Jesus Christ," Walt Perry writes and strums his folkie ballad "Born in a Stall," and Jeff Kelly provided a non-Christmas number "Change is Gonna Come" that he believes is nevertheless a good album closer. I think he's onto something. There's a bumper crop of instrumentals on here too, starting with Yes Masters' "I Hope," Dante & Eros Faulk's "Christmas Eve," Toiling Midgets' "It Ain't Sleazey Being Green," Lisa King's "Carol of the Bells, Approximately," Richard Peterson's "Silent Night," and Dan Tecucianu's "Cinnamon Stars Painted Blue." Another solid holiday collection from the Northwest. You can get it from Bandcamp or click the cover to visit Amazon.
This Northwest indie record label unveils its 10th Christmas label compilation for 2019, and they've even backstopped it with another collection that collects the best tracks from the previous nine compilations. Like the previous nine, the new one paints a holiday mood from a wide variety of styles, though mostly in the rock 'n roll realm. Things kick off promisingly with Ben London's "Vinyl Christmas," a rollicking boogie shuffle about record fans' holiday wishes, and Duane Hibbard cues up a pretty faithful cover of "Wonderful Christmastime." Cabeza takes a 70s hard rock turn on "It's a Hard Time," Jon Davis takes a few cues from "Strawberry Fields Forever" on the trippy "Psychedelic Christmas," Levi Fuller goes folk-rock on the anti-consumer "Enough Stuff," Olivia Bloch offers a nicely poppy "I'm Going Back Home For Christmastime," and label honcho Tom Dyer combines with Joe Cason for the quirky "The Geese." Richard Stuverud offers "Snowing In Frisco" as a Part One-Part Two in the fashion of those extra-long songs cut to fit on vinyl singles going back to "What'd I Say." In this case Part One is a dolorous piano ballad and Part Two is an upbeat rocker. Steve Fisk breaks out his Pro Tools setup to do a hip-hop deconstruction of "The Little Drummer Boy," and Rendition stumps my high school Latin with the folky-classical "Verbum Caro Factum Est" (The Word Made Flesh), which as it turns out actually is an antique carol; I learn something new every day. The Elftones perform a midtempo rocker called "Christmas Without You," Utterance Tongue goes long with "Cheznuts," a semi-industrial sounding instrumental based on "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts)," and Wendi Dunlap goes power pop on "Christmas Eve." Ed Portnow and Jeff Kelly do "Baby It's Cold Outside," yeah it's two guys, not that there's anything wrong with that, and Jim of Seattle, who previously offered humorous novelties in previous volumes of this series, plays it straight with a jazz piano solo version of "Silent Night" that sneaks in a phrase or two of "Christmastime Is Here." The collection wraps up with "The Brand New Christmas," a funky rocker by Who's This Mystery Band? They're serious -- the label doesn't know who submitted this tape that has been laying around the office for a few years.
This is Number Nine of this Seattle record label's annual Christmas compilations, which have been responsible for some fine rocking holiday songs over the years, and as usual they bring the goods for 2018. The album is bracketed by competing versions of "T'was the Night Before Christmas," opening with Tom Dyer's driving garage-rock rendition and ending with The Free Wheelin' Joe Ross' Dylanesque acoustic strum-and-preach version. Dyer and the True Olympians' single of "(I'm a) Lonely Little Christmas Tree" and "Christmas Train" is here as well, as is Kat Dyer's "O Come O Come Emmanuel." Super Z Attack Team bring the jazz to an obliquely rendered version of "We 3 Super Kings," The Holiday Bloch-Busters hammer out a distorted "War On Christmas" that calls out the perpetrators of this tired annual meme, Emily Bishton offers a solo guitar and voice version of "Toyland," and Donovan's Brain go 60s folk-psych on "Gray Whiskers (Winter Cats)." To mark the end of the year, Kline's 57 gives us a piss-and-vinegar rocker, "Happy New Year," and the Elf-tones offer a song of the same title that's more moderate in tone and strangely reminiscent of Gordon Lightfoot. Toiling Midgets give us a post-punk instrumental, "Snowshoe and Weasel," Richard Stuverud offers "Empty Branches, a holiday breakup ballad, Kaz Murphey drags the kids into the despair with "Christmas Was Yesterday," The Swaggerlies get your heads nodding with the shuffle "All I Want For Christmas (Is To Be Left Alone)," Duane Hibbard invokes that all-purpose holiday excuse "Blame It On the Nog," and Jeff Kelly offers the pensive "Wintertime Is Christmas Time." As usual, Green Monkey brings the variety to your Christmas playlists, and you won't go wrong making this album its own playlist.
Seattle's Green Monkey Records, helmed by Tom Dyer, has been a regular fountain of independent rock Christmas records over a fairly lengthy period of time. For 2018, the major domo and his daughter put out this holiday album, stealing from Bill & Ted for their title. Warning up front for Green Monkey followers: many of these songs were on past years of the annual Green Monkey various artists collections, credited to either Tom or Kat, or to some other artist name altogether, and the remainders are on this year's collection, about which more later. You'll find that Tom's stuff is mostly band-oriented rock-outs and Kat is more indie-folk-pop, but it all hangs together pretty well. Highlights from this collection are "(I'm a) Lonely Little Christmas Tree" and "Christmas Train," which just to put the maraschino on the sundae are both sides of a 2018 single by Tom and the True Olympians. "Tree" is a nice organ-led strut and "Train" is a bluesy stomp. "Christmas Is Love" makes a solid album opener, "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" is mellow, a nicely strummed and sung version, and "O Come O Come Emmanuel" is suitably portentous. And the lengthy garage-band stomp through "T'was the Night Before Christmas" is good fun too. If you haven't been a rabid follower of the Green Monkey compilations, you should check this out.
We've been impressed with the musical fecundity of this particular corner of the Pacific Northwest indie rock scene, particularly in regard to Christmas music. This 2017 entry is Green Monkey's eighth holiday compilation, as always a combination of individual artists and bands plus whoever label maestro Tom Dyer can con into bashing out some jingle-jangle with their rock 'n roll. I'll lead with Tom Dyer and the True Olympians, whose two original tunes, "Christmas in Olympia" and "Christmas Is Love," are the class of this group; they've even been issued separately as a single. The former is a rocking holiday tour through the Washington city of the title, and the latter is a set of holiday verities set to a solid garage rock beat. Dyer comes back solo with an accordion-led version of "What Child Is This," the Elf-Tones offer "Wish You Well This Christmas," on which the vocals remind one of early Frank Zappa but the song itself is a nice mid-60s midtempo rocker, and the Krampus Quartet knock out the novelty "Fruitcake." Instrumentals get their due as the REDS go all antique on the public domain "Breakin' Up Christmas," a slightly rocked-up hoedown from the Virginia-North Carolina mountains, while Pleasure Island grunges up a heavily Duane Eddy-influenced "Hark the Herald Angels." The Randy Hicks Band brings the rockabilly with "Car Parts," which is all the singer wants for Christmas, and she throws a few puns at you for kicks. The Green Pajamas go for the backhanded holiday anthem in "Let's Get Together at Christmas (It's Better Than Drinking Alone)," Jim of Seattle gives us "A Christmas Song" that is a parody of the "Star Trek (TOS)" theme, along with a brief goof called "Have a Merry Christmas," and Ed Portnow's "Christmas Time is Here" is what you'd get if you crossed Wild Man Fischer with the "Peanuts" song of the same name. More rockabilly emanates from Duane Hibbard in "A Child's Christmas Wish," Burnseer gives us some of their home region's grunge with "Search Party," which is about homelessness, and The Fresh Prince of Brain Wizard (honest) offers a dour piano ballad about lost children, "Santa Won't Be Here." Elves Bells (great name) give us the primitive sounding "Orphan's Christmas," Saint John and the Revelations rock out with cello on "Christmas Fire," in which the singer burns the tree because "Santa's a liar," Space Band contribute their rocker "@santaclaus," Kelly Kristjanson go almost power pop with "Follow the Angels," and Earle Thunders/Mike Shuppe completely deconstruct the Disney chestnut "Toyland." This is a fine collection of indie-rock with attitude. Get it from Bandcamp or Amazon.
This Portland, Oregon band (actually just Lane Muller) isn't on Green Monkey Records, but maybe he should be, as he claims to have recorded this EP in November 2016. Four originals of nice lo-fi alt-pop-rock for the holiday, with the title song proclaiming the coming of Santa, "A Whale's Christmas in Childress, TX" noting that everything's bigger there, including apparently holidays, "Manger Scene" creating a pensive soundscape for the virgin birth, and "the Meaning (Of Christmas)" offering upbeat music with downbeat thoughts. Check him out on Bandcamp, and keep in mind that your $1 will go to his local Salvation Army.
Seattle may be the home office of rainfall, but it's also where Green Monkey Records is located, ground zero for a lot of fun lo-fi indie rock music-making. And the label is down with Christmas, as the multiple releases of holiday compilations over the years would indicate. Spontaneity is not in short supply here, as the producer's notes state he put a call out for contributions only at the start of October. For 2016, we get more of what made Green Monkey famous, with your contributions to the cause being donated to MusiCares. The Green Pajamas offer their version of a Mexican carol, "El Rorro," Captain Christmas and the Winter Solstice Singers take on "Christmas Boogie Woogie," originally found on the Anthology of American Folk Music Vol. 5, the Fastbacks punk up "Oh Come All Ye Faithful," Pleasure Island does a surf-oriented instrumental of "Winter Wonderland," and compilation producer Tom Dyer (who pops up on several of these songs) does a fairly straight reading of "Joy to the World." That's it for the covers. Cain Morehead and the Elves Bells rock out to "All Those Christmas Songs," Zelda Starfire breaks out the ukelele to proclaim in a deceptively upbeat way that "I Hate Christmas," Uncle Tiki puts in his holiday menu selections on the punky "The Potato Song," and Three Ninjas salutes their "Black Dog Family," which appears to be better than their real ones. Ed Portnow offers a shambling folkish "(Peace Can Happen) On Christmas," Free Creature puts original lyrics over a Fats Waller tune on the good-timey "Youse a Humbug," whose horn solo is simply "The Dreidel Song," the producer appears again with The Tom & Jim Yuletide Contraption on "(All I Want For Christmas Is a) Big Black Eye," and his family, The Dyer Spawn, offer the holiday nature strum "Wild Christmas." Steve Martinelli offers an ode to a "Pretty Cute Christmas Kitty," Guns of Nevada rocks out with their one-item Christmas list, "Liquor in my Stocking," The Fresh Prince of Brain Wizard offers us a spacey "Christmas In This Modern Age," the Write Brothers Sonic Soul Consortium give us a mournful ballad with the mouthful of a title "A Misspent Mercury Tear and a Cold Obsidian Heart," and Eric Padget wraps things up in a neat little package with "12 Drummers Drumming," which is nearly 12 minutes of exactly that. Run over to Bandcamp and grab this.
This Seattle indie label has been on the Christmas tip for years, as the number in the album title indicates. It's also where the fabulous "No Lou This Christmas" by Tom Dyer originated a couple years ago, so expectations are a little higher for this label's compilations. Burnseer gets the prize for political awareness with their "The Little Refugee Boy," who in other Christmas seasons would be the drummer. "Here He Comes" by Cassandra Sky manages to evoke the middle-period Beach Boys even without the choral harmonies, Fur For Fairies goes all antique music on us with "Cherry Tree Carol," Glamourpuss breaks out the toy piano to accent their lo-fi poppy "Christmas For Everyone," Jeff Kelly digs out an ode for two teenage girlfriends circa "Christmas 1995," Kat Dyer solos on "I Heard the Bells," Pleasure Island features the surf guitar sound on the instrumental of "Merry Gentlemen," God rest them, and Sheila Powers confesses "Santa Left Me (On Our Last Date)" in an original ballad. The Elf-Tones throw the garage door open so everyone can hear "I See Reindeer in the Clouds," and then the Navins grab the instruments to rock out on "Jesus Under My Tree." Tom Nook's "Best Darn Christmas Ever" is fun, amateur thrash rock, Tom's New Pagan Choraliers tell the story of "Little Blair's Unpleasant Christmas," Toxic Socket hammers out the bluesy "Santy Claws," Zelda Starfire breaks out the ukelele to promise she'll be home for Christmas "Next Year," and 3 Ninjas get all profane about the holiday in "It's an Agonizingly Slow Death," retelling the "Wonderful Life" story in more depressing terms. Couldn't get behind "A Saucy Holiday Indeed!" by The GMR Chamber Ensemble, though I predict somebody might roll this out during a wintertime Renaissance Faire. All told, another great collection from the rainy city. Get it from Bandcamp.
The creator of last year's drop-the-mic classic "No Lou This Christmas" rolled up all of the Christmas tunes he's recorded over the years since 1983 (hence the title) for a formal album in 2014 that yes, includes "Lou" and 14 other tunes from his fine, fine, supafine career. And Tom, who doubles as major domo of the Green Monkey label, is donating profits from this to MusicCares to boot. You've already been introduced to "Lou," so we'll move on to album opener "It's Christmas (And I'm Jolly), a fun tune that manages to sound like music hall music and Wild Man Fischer at the same time. "Jingle Bell Ska" is exactly as advertised, "It's a White Mule Christmas" is a folk blues stomp, "Christmas (It's Around the Corner)" is a mellow piano-and-organ ode to anticipation, and "Propane Santa" is a slice-of-life story song about Santa buying, well, propane, performed as a duet with an unidentified female singer. "Christmas Time For Sailors" is an excellent holiday excuse to sing (talk) like a pirate, "Hot Dog! It's Christmas" is another duet, this one celebrating the holiday to a bit of fake jazz backing, Dyer goes busking with "Because It's Christmas" and "It's Snowing in Seattle" liberates a few lines from the old favorite "Visit From St. Nicholas" for a localized tribute to the singer's hometown. A bit of cracked country music, old school variety, is the setting for "The Christmas Rosie Came To Town," and Dyer makes his own song called "Christmas Time Is Here," with a strong harmonized chorus and hand claps carrying the rhythm. All the songs are originals except for Dyer's own takes on "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "Angels We Have Heard On High." As you might expect from a 30-year spread of recordings, some things sound a bit more polished than others, and the whole thing has an indie rock vibe, but there's plenty of rock and roll attitude here, a strong sense of humor and an affinity for the holiday that makes it a down-to-earth pleasure to listen to.
This Seattle-based record label rounded up an elpee's worth of toonz from its label artists and friends to benefit the charity MusiCares for 2013. This is the album that contains that fabulous tune "No Lou For Christmas" by Tom Dyer and His Queen's Pajamas that I posted several days ago, a lovely tribute to the late Lou Reed that affectionately pilfers several Lou/Velvets riffs as well as "The Night Before Christmas." Dyer returns later with "Christmas (It's Just Around the Corner)," a poppier bit with female backing vocals. The OF goes kind of low-budget free-jazzy with its double cover of "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus/Snow Miser," and AAIIEE provides the semi-title song, "Krampus Is an Evil Man," in which the story of the malevolent Christmas being gets told in a garage-inspired manner. Opening tune "Here We Are (On Christmas Day)" is by the Elf-Tones, a shambling folk-pop performance with ensemble vocals. Henry Boy Jenkins goes semi-Beatlesque with the piano-led "Love For Christmas," The Goblin Market breaks out the harmonium for "In the Bleak Midwinter," Tom Nook goes all 1977 lo-fi for "One Last Christmas Eve," Toxic Socket do a metal take on "The Greatest Toy in the World," and the Deadlies go more 70s hard rock on "Winter Wonderland." Three Ninjas & The Weird Old Tricks do a kind of Tom Waits arrangement on "Joy and Good Will," Richard & Xander Stuverud break out the toy piano on the ballad "Christmas Tree," Jason Rubin's "Out On Your Motorcycle" is a nice way to see the Christmas lights, assuming it's not too cold and you've got your leathers on, the Queen Annes do a slapdash "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday," the Green Monkey Christmas Chorale do a slapdash-snarky choral arrangement of "It's Christmas (And I'm Jolly)," and the King County Queens go all the way back to late 60s psychedelia to present "Drop the Silver Ball," a slice-of-life tribute to New Year's Day. Lots of good stuff on this album, grab it from Bandcamp.
This is where marketing overtakes music making, as most of these tunes are previously released. Still, like Rhino's Bummed Out Christmas, you have to admit it's a great idea. It couldn't hurt that there's an actual band called Trailer Trash from Minneapolis-St. Paul with two cuts on this 1999 album, "Don't Believe in Xmas," the Sonics classic that borrows heavily from "Too Much Monkey Business," and "Daddy's Drinkin' Up Our Christmas," a suitably country lament. The New Duncan Imperials provide us with "Santa Claus Is a Lie," complete with a children's chorus, and The Blue Moon Boys do "Santabilly Boogie," which is, not surprisingly, rockabilly. "Christ, It's Christmas Again" comes courtesy of the Geisels, a drum-less rocker. From the previously released pile, there are a couple of cuts by Leroy and Big People from Yuletunes, Mack Rice's "Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin'," John Prine's "Christmas in Prison" and Mojo Nixon's "Trim Yo' Tree." UPDATE: An interesting pair of digressions popped up when I moved this over from the old site. This album, same cover, was also released as Redneck Christmas Party in 1999. Also, the band Trailer Trash had an album of their own in 2005, All Lit-Up For Christmas, although it appears, based on an Amazon listener review, that it's erroneously listed as a various artists compendium. It has a variation of the same cover as the other two, tinted a greenish yellow instead of blue. There's 11 songs, including the two from Trailer Trash Christmas. Trailer Trash apparently have a Twin Cities reputation for rowdy Christmas parties, and this latter album is a souvenir of that. Of the three albums mentioned, Lit-Up is the only one actually available new; the other two show up only via 3rd parties at Amazon.
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