Pithy Title Here

For the past three years, I have worked to compile a mix of Christmas/holiday music that celebrates the season, but is performed by current indie bands. It's not because I dislike the old standards of the season... I just choose to not take the holidays quite as seriously as my local all-Christmas-all-the-time radio station might. In 2007, the mix kicked off with The Dandy Warhols ' psychedelic take on "The Little Drummer Boy," segued right into Save Ferris' Judaic send-up of "Christmas Wrapping" and, if I can say so myself, killed for 30+ minutes. It included the modern classic Barenaked Ladies/Sarah McLachlan "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and more. Last year, I felt I upped the ante with 40 minutes of spirited tunes. Ringing in with The Raveonette's "Christmas Song" and rolling right through to Coldplay's lovely cover of "2,000 Miles." This year, it was a harder task. The simple fact of the matter is that t...

Or, I should say, it seems like it. There's an ad on TV right now during the Steelers game using "Carol of the Bells." At target today, it was a Christmas wonderland - lights! cards! trees! And if you turn on K104.7 in Charlotte (this is the "great to listen to in the office" station in town), they have flipped the switch to "Christmas K104.7." I imagine I'll see a semi on the Interstate with reindeer horns soon enough. I bitch about this every year - as those who followed the old blog are well aware - but that's because it never ceases to be ridiculous. I realize life isn't all that great for some folks right now, but... really? We have so little to give thanks for that we're skipping any Thanksgiving promotion in favor of skipping right to Christmas? I'm sure in a few weeks, we'll start hearing the local churchgoers imploring everyone to "keep Christ in Christmas." Can I start my own lobby to have Christmas kept...