X Back In Xmas

Too much egg nog last nite, so we're not feelin' particularly wordy this round.  But the giving mood never ebbs! 

So, for yr listening enjoyment, we're gonna head to the garage, clear out the cobwebs and dig through the trash for some Holiday cheer of a more tribal nature.  

We've got chestnuts from some essential garage rawkers The Chesterfield Kings, The Fleshtones, and the mighty El Vez.  It's a wholly greasy affair, like last year's turkey. 

But first, a ribald little Christmas duet from Candye Kane and Country Dick Montana (of the Beat Farmers).  The song really is as good as it's title.

For our Re-Post Special, we're gonna continue the theme with a couple of  garbage-sleaze jolly old saint junkers from The Mono Men and The Honeymoon Killers! 

Saturday's gonna be a day of rest, but we'll be back on Sunday with another swell Xmas mix surprise.

Rawk-it Santa!

Candye Kane and Country Dick Montana: Let's Put The X Back In Xmas (mp3)

The Fleshtones: Christmas With Bazooka Joe (mp3) 

Chesterfield Kings: Hey Santa Claus (mp3)

El Vez: Poncho Claus (mp3)

Re-Post Specials

The Mono Men: Christmastime Is For Sinners (mp3)

The Honeymoon Killers: Back Door Santa (mp3)


Thanks for stopping by.  Please consider giving to yr local food pantry, soup kitchen, or toys for tots drives.  If you can, of course.  Things are pretty bleak out there...

Santa's Drinkin'

Is that damn Charlie Brown special on yet?

Anyhow, we'd like to believe that most of what we post during the Holiday season isn't mere "novelty", but legitimate kick-ass Xmas tunes that add to the season in a way that the usual fare can't any longer.  Do we really need another version of a traditional song as "interpreted" by Mariah Carey?  We think not.

That said, we've got a bit of a soft spot for some grand Christmas weepers, the kind of tunes that are both painful to sit through, yet revelatory in their sogginess.  We've done at least one of this each year.  What's the Yuletide without a little whine and cheese? 

Smiley Bates knows what we mean.  On his tune "Daddy's Drinking Up Our Christmas" (most assuredly NOT the Commander Cody tune), he's got a young lad's take on what it means for daddy to spend too much time at the bar during the Holiday season (with his girlfriend(s), no less).  Great stuff, and perfect listening during yr late-nite cocktail. 

Bill and Boyd, on the other hand, have more to worry about on Christmas day.  Apparently Santa aint coming due to natural disaster.  Yes, indeed.  This 'un will make you wish you had that drink that "daddy" loves so much in the previous song.

For our Re-Post Special, we're goin' barefoot for Christmas, courtesy of Sonny James and Little Jimmy Dickens.   Well, why not keep with a theme?  Barefoot?  In the winter?  Well, hell, you'd think Santa had better sense.

Santa's an emo little feller.

Smiley Bates: Daddy's Drinking Up Our Christmas (mp3)

Bill and Boyd: Santa Never Made It Into Darwin (mp3)

Re-Post Specials

Sonny James: Barefoot Santa Claus (mp3)

Little Jimmy Dickins:  Barefooted Little Cowboy (mp3)

Please support yr local kleenex manufacturer and emergency response technician this Holiday season.

Christmas Toy

Ho.  Ho Ho.  Ho, Ho Ho.

That felt good.

Just a reminder, to folks who are new 'round these festive parts.  Tunes will be active for 10 days only, then down they come.  It sucks, we know.  Sorry.

To make it up to you, we've got some deep soul Santa today.  Tasty treats even better than those cookies we all spend hours icing up, only to down in a single night's Yuletide depravity.  

First up is Chocolate Snow with "Let Me Be Your Christmas Toy".  It's a nifty little bit o' Xmas soul burner courtesy of the amazing re-issue gods, Numero Group. 

Ramping things up after that is a deep down gospel groove from Pastor T.L. Barrett and the Youth For Christ Choir.  Hoo, boy.  The song says it's Jingle Bells, but this aint no Jingle Bells you've ever heard.   In excelcis deo, indeed.

For our Re-Post Special, we've some stompin' Boogaloo Santa Claus from J.D. McDonald, and we've got Isaac Hayes.  Yep, we said Isaac Hayes, baby.    Do we need to say more?

All the ladies love a Soul Santa. 

Chocolate Snow: Let Me Be Your Christmas Toy (mp3)

Pastor T.L. Barrett: Jingle Bells Part 2 (mp3)

Re-Post Special

J.D. McDonald: Boogaloo Santa Claus (mp3)


Isaac Hayes: The Mistletoe and Me (mp3)

Please support yr local, independent go-go gospel choir this Holiday season.  

Squat

Just put the damn tree up.  It's an aluminum Christmas tree, dontcha know.  Everyone should own an aluminum tree, dontcha know.  It's a party in a box.

But y'all aint here to hear about the damn tree.  Ya got yr own tree to worry about, and you want some swell tunes to play for the hangin' of the ornaments.  And we've got some musical ornaments for y'all today.

Country's what we're known for, and that's what yr gonna get today.  A little contemporary, we must say, but these folks prove that contemporary aint necessarily bad.   Followin' in the footsteps of their ancestors, and all is well.

Mike Ireland is one of our favorite current Country practitioners,  pure Bakersfield meets Owen Bradley honky tonk. Here, he sings about all that's good and bad about the high life, tavern life during the Holidays.  And Shelby Lynne  tells us exactly what's what when it comes to Xmas expectations.

For our re-post special,  we're going back to Mike Ireland, with a song that may be near the top of our weepy Xmas fave raves.  And if that aint good enough for y'all, how about a little Dave Dudley givin' off a swell boom chicka chicka for yr stocking hanging?

Christmas in a bar!  Indeed.

Mike Ireland: Christmas In A Bar (mp3)

Shelby Lynne: Squat (mp3)

Re-Post Special

Mike Ireland: Christmas Past (mp3)

Dave Dudley: Can I Sing A Christmas Song For You (mp3)

Please support yr local, cheap light strewn, pub this Holiday Season.

Cool Yule

Finger-poppin', beat-boppin'  elves and elvettes, this one's for you.

Tony Rodelle Larson and the Saints' "Cool Yule"  is essential Beatnik Christmas listening in the same vein as classics by Babs Gonzalez, Patsy Raye and Edd Kookie Byrnes.  It's daddy-o delicious.

Louis Armstrong may not be an obvious choice for our Yuletide bust-up, since he's a pretty ubiquitous this time of the year, but he does his own "Cool Yule" (which is a completely different song than the Larson tune), which we think is pretty damn fruitcake-worthy, so we're gonna post it anyway.  Besides, it kinda fits the theme, don't it? 

We've got one more beatnik Christmas post coming up down the line, which y'all are gonna really appreciate, so stay tuned. 

For our re-post special, we've got a request for Wanda Jackson.  We aim to please, and we love Wanda, so there you are.

Christmas is for hep cats.


Tony Rodelle Larson and the Saints: Cool Yule (mp3)

Louis Armstrong and the Commanders: Cool Yule (mp3)

Re-Post Special (By Request)

Wanda Jackson: Rockabilly Santa Claus (mp3)

Wanda Jackson:  Blues For Christmas (mp3)

Please support yr local, independent coffee house this holiday season.

Tinsel Ticklers

Howdy.  Welcome back to the Big Rock Holiday insanity.

On the weekends, we're gonna have a special treat for y'all.  A few years ago we posted some Xmas mixes featuring previously posted tunes.  Those proved to pretty popular with all y'all, so we're gonna keep it up this year.  Every weekend we'll have a fresh new shiny package under the tree. 

We think, modestly, that this first one's pretty swell.  Perfect for yr swingin' Yuletide party.  Just slap this sucker on the hi-fi and git to cuttin' some Christmas rug, nog in hand and mistletoe looming!

A Big Rock Candy Mountain Tinsel Tickler (download link follows track listing)

1. Don't All the Girls Get Prettier Around Christmas Time (Mickey Gilley)
2. All I Want For Christmas Is A Go Go Girl (Bey Ireland)
3. Merry Christmas Loopy Lu (The Kaisers)
4. Hee Haw Honey (Boxcar Willie)
5. Christmas In The Hills (Hylo Brown)
6. Fuck Christmas, I Got the Blues (The Legendary Tiger Man)
7. Your Christmas Whiskey (The Minus 5)
8. Daddy's Drinking Up Our Christmas (Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen)
9. Drinking Up Christmas (Dwarves)
10. The Wrong Way To Celebrate Christmas (Rev. Edward W. Clayborn)
11. Christmas In Prison (John Prine)
12. Soul Santa (Brooke Benton)
13. Boogaloo Santa Claus (J.D. McDonald)
14. Christmas Spirit (Julia Lee)
15. It's Christmas Time (Qualities/Sun Ra)
16. Santa Claus Shuffle (Tommy Scott)
17. Santa's Gonna Come In A Stagecoach (Buck Owens)
18. Honky Tonk Christmas (Dale Watson)
19. Santa's Gonna Shut 'Em Down (The Untamed Youth)
20. Momma Look, Santa Claus Is Crying (Stonewall Jackson)
21. I'm Waiting Up For Santa Claus (Nervous Norvous)
22. If Christmas Can't Bring You Home (Reigning Sound)
23. Christmas Stomp (The Stompers)

Big Rock Candy Mountain Tinsel Tickler (mp3)

Please support yr local, independent fir tree dealer this Holiday season.

Hung Stockings

All right!  Here we go.  Daily posts from here on out, reflecting our obsessive need to survey the whole wide world of Holiday/Xmas/Seasonal/Yuletide joy!  We're still gonna do some regular-type posts as well, but those will be supplements to yr daily fix.

We've got some great tunes on tap, so if you don't like one day's selection, the next day will be sure to tickle yr tinsel.

Like last year, we're also gonna offer up a special re-post section, where we feature tunes from previous years' madness.   So, if you've got a request, let us know.

To kick us off this year we've got a nifty, rootin' tootin', doo-woppin' little tune from Bill Lacey and the Ebonaires (not the tune of the same name by The Prairie Ramblers from a few years ago). Get out yr toy pistols!   Following that, it's the ubiquitous Brenda Lee, with a boppin' little ditty about loneliness at Christmas. 

For our re-post special, it's one of the greatest Xmas songs ever, courtesy of The Sonics, with a swell cover by Santa's favorite trash banger,  and perennial Mountain fave,  Billy Childish.  Tasty!

Trim my tree baby!

Bill Lacey and the Ebonaires: Cowboy Santa Claus (mp3)

Brenda Lee: Christmas Will Be Just Another Lonely Day (mp3)

Re-Post Special

The Sonics: Santa Claus (mp3)

Wild Billy Childish and the Musicians of the British Empire: Santa Claus (mp3)

Please support yr local, independent merchants, when possible,  this Holiday Season.

Turkey Shoot

We're taking tomorrow off, of course, and then diving headlong into our Holiday presents the day after.  We're gonna do regular non-holiday posts coinciding with the Xmas madness, so y'all should leave the season feeling well-gifted.

To our friends in the U.S.A., happy Thanksgiving.  To our non-U.S. friends, please indulge us.

To celebrate, here's a couple of nifty ditties to help you through  those special times with the extended family (we've heard a cocktail or so helps as well). 

One's pretty obvious, and the other is an old favorite (and reminiscent of an actual Thanksgiving weekend, but we tell no tales).  So, there you are.

Mmmmm....turkey.

Too Much Joy: Thanksgiving In Reno (mp3)

William Burroughs: A Thanksgiving Prayer (mp3)

Please support yr local, independent turkey shoot. 

Wheels On Fire

Holiday blowout is coming.  Hang on to yr stockings.

Now then.

We've been meaning to chat about one of favorite bands for awhile now, but random things keep getting in the way.   With the release of a couple of 7"'s and a new long-player this year, seems about right to pick yr eardrums about the super-snazzy Wheels On Fire. 

Burning rubber outta Athens, Ohio, Wheels On Fire are rawk'n'roll baby, in the tradition of The Fleshtones, The Stones, The Replacements, and the Oblivians (and do we detect some Faces, as well?).  Yep, pretty heady company, but Wheels On Fire manage to sound like all of those and none of those at the same time. 

Organ-soaked, and greasy, greasy, greasy, like yr street corner desperate Romeo, tight pants cock hangin' low and ready, gonna take you to the dangerous side of town, where the drinks are hard and the ladies shimmer and shake, smarter than you, and who they go home with is a matter of opinion. 

Gad.  Tasty shit, and you're gonna bop yr socks of to these mighty sounds.  Don't take our word for it.  Listen for yr self, and get yr world blown out.  Seriously...crank it, and let yr speakers be damned.

They've got a new full length on Alien Snatch, called "Liar Liar".   And they've got a killer new 4-song 7" on Kind Turkey Records, called "Cherry Bomb" (oh yes indeed).

If you don't check these cats out, then why are you here?  'Cuz this is what we're all about.

From Liar, Liar

Wheels On Fire: Losin' (mp3)

Wheels On Fire: Looking At You (mp3)

From the "Cherry Bomb" 7"

Wheels On Fire: Black Wave (mp3)

From the Trouble In Mind 7"

Wheels On Fire: Come On Judy (mp3)

From  the Get Famous! Lp

Wheels On Fire: Can't Get A Line (mp3)

From Wheels On Fire Lp

Wheels On Fire:  Rock Bottom (mp3)

Oh, hell, buy 'em all.  Have we ever steered you wrong?

Country and Eastern

Screw it, let's go daily starting right now.  The day after Thanksgiving starts in with our Holiday insanity, but we've ignored too many great records over the past year with our glacial pace, so let's see what we can fit in over the next month and a half in addition to our Xmas blowout.

Gonna kick it off with a new disc by the wonderfully named Girl Haggard (get it?).   The record's called Country And Eastern, and it's exactly the kind of booze-fueled hootch'n'hayride hootenanny we love so dearly here at the 'Mountain.

According to their bio Girl Haggard were "formed in December 2008, in order to give its members something to do while drinking, other than stand around in barrooms. Girl Haggard’s goals were simple, and easily attained; play rock n roll and country music, loud and fast (while drinking beer and whiskey)."

The band reminds us of early Bloodshot, when the label featured the go-for-broke punkass hillbilly that paid it's dues in hardscrabble shit-kickin' and honky hangovers.  And that's a goddam compliment.

The songs on "Country And Eastern" are full of alcohol, regret, and defiance, at once sly winkin' and pickup-truck ready, full throttle  tavern-smoked vintage,  loaded and brawlin'.  Lead singer Mandy Allen is the Loretta Lynn of the trailerpark, full of kiss-offs and fuck-ups, a yowling yodel of a voice.  Guitarist Adam Theroux slings off greasy fried chunks of country-seared chug-a-lug. The whole damn mess is the best diner skillet you ever had, flavored, of course, with a hearty dose of bourbon.

The song titles say it all:  "Drunk, Broke and In Love (The Hank Shuffle)", "Early and Often", "Pick Up Lines", and "Thinkin' About Drinkin'", to name a few.  On the song "Modern Lovers", the band give their best "(We're Not The ) Jet Set",  with Mandy Allen intoning:

"Drunk enough to wake up next to you
Listen to your tired lies of always being true 
Wish I could be stronger and find a love that's new
Instead of being drunk enough, to wake up next to you."

It's a great song, on an album full of 'em.

This is the kind of band we wanna hear every damn night we're out at the bar, downing tall boys and long necks.  Hell, this may be the best drinkin' record you'll hear all year.  


Girl Haggard: Modern Lovers (mp3)

Please support yr local, independent honky tonks.  Whatever's left of 'em.