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A Holly Jolly Christmas

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Mele Kalikimaka by Ax and the Hatchetmen Read More Ax and the Hatchetmen The bright, sprightly indie rock of Ax and the Hatchetmen is bolstered by catchy songwriting and a small horn section. Formed in 2018 around lead vocalist and singer Axel Ellis, the Chicago-based group ...

Ax and the Hatchetmen
axandthehatchetmen.com

Chicago-based indie rock sextet Ax and the Hatchetmen released their cover of Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters’ “Mele Kalikimaka,” available now on Arista Records.

Frontman, Axel (the “Ax” in Ax and the Hatchetmen) explains “It was probably about time for us to do a holiday song anyway, but when Hunter (our bass man extraordinaire) suggested “Mele Kalikimaka,” we were sold. When I was about thirteen or so I spent a month during the holidays in Kauai house-sitting for a friend with my parents, which to this day is probably the most beautiful place I’ve been to in my life. Anyway, about the cover art, on Christmas Eve while taking out the garbage in town, we stumbled upon a fake palm tree in the dumpster. It was pretty beat & sad-looking, drooping like a tropical version of that Charlie Brown tree, but seeing as we didn’t have a Christmas tree yet, it was perfect. We threw some string lights on it that night and unwrapped gifts under it on Christmas morning. We loved our little dumpster tree. Love to Hawaii, happy holidays from the land where palm trees sway.”

The band will be headlining the 7th Street Entry on February 22, 2025, with Easy Honey as opener.

Tour dates:

January 30th, 2025 - Saturn - Birmingham, AL

January 31st, 2025 - The Wooly - Gainesville, FL

February 1st, 2025 - Crowbar - Tampa, FL

February 2nd, 2025 - The Abbey - Orlando, FL

February 4th, 2025 - Charlotte, NC - Amos Southend

February 5th, 2025 - Vinyl - Atlanta, GA

February 6th, 2025 - The End - Nashville, TN

February 7th, 2025 - Radio Room - Greenville, SC

February 8th, 2025 - Motorco Music Hall - Durham, NC

February 11th, 2025 - The Atlantis - Washington, DC

February 12th, 2025 - The Foundry - Philadelphia, PA

February 13th, 2025 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY

February 14th, 2025 - Brighton Music Hall - Boston, MA

February 15th, 2025 - Space Ballroom - Hamden, CT

February 17th, 2025 - Mahall’s - Lakewood, OH

February 18th, 2025 - Longboat Hall - Toronto,ON Canada

February 19th, 2025 - Blind Pig - Ann Arbor, MI

February 20th, 2025 - HI-FI Indianapolis - Indianapolis, IN

February 21st, 2025 - High Noon Saloon - Madison, WI

February 22nd, 2025 - 7th St Entry - Minneapolis, MN

Save A Little Christmas by Willow Avalon Read More Willow Avalon The multi-genre evening began with a brief half-hour set from Georgia native, Willow Avalon, in support of her debut EP, “Stranger”. Her music leaned towards very traditional Country, with a cool and personable ...

Willow Avalon
willowavalonmusic.com

Breakout singer, songwriter and musician Willow Avalon recently shared “Save A Little Christmas.”

On the song, Avalon shares, “For me, Christmas is all about spending time with the people you love. We’ve all known what it feels like when you can’t be with that one person you really want to be with on Christmas. This is a song about that feeling.”

Avalon will head out on her first-ever headline tour the U.S., U.K. and Ireland, in 2025. Check out her show to find out why Holler named her as one of “Upcoming Country and Americana Artists You Need to Know.”

Willow Avalon at Starlight Theatre (14 Sep 2024)

We saw Avalon in Sep 2024 and wrote, “The multi-genre evening began with a brief half-hour set from Georgia native, Willow Avalon, in support of her debut EP, “Stranger”. Her music leaned towards very traditional Country, with a cool and personable demeanor, three-piece band and mic stands decorated with lavish songs. A clever transition between songs was sound clips of her great-aunt and grandmother talking about music. For her first time in the area, she briefly embarrassed herself thinking she was on the Kansas side of the state line (acts seem to confuse KC frequently), blushing and admitting, “My brain is mashed potatoes, ya’ll” and the set ended with recent anthem, “Homewrecker” about a recent relationship she discovered (via social media) was with a married man (classic Country subject matter!).”

Tour Dates

January 31—Washington, D.C.—The Atlantis

February 1—Richmond, VA—Richmond Music Hall

February 3—Charlotte, NC—Neighborhood Theatre

February 4—Durham, NC—Motorco Music Hall

February 6—Athens, GA—40 Watt

February 7—Nashville, TN—Exit/In

February 8—St. Louis, MO—Off Broadway

February 10—Indianapolis, IN—Hi-Fi

February 11—Columbus, OH—A&R Bar

February 12—Cleveland, OH—Grog Shop

February 14—Detroit, MI—El Club

February 15—Toronto, ON—Horseshoe Tavern

February 16—Montreal, QB—Bar La Ritz

February 18—Hamden, CT—Space Ballroom

February 19—Boston, MA—The Sinclair

February 20—New York, NY—Bowery Ballroom

March 10— Manchester, U.K.— YES

March 11— Birmingham, U.K.— O2 Institute3

March 12— London, U.K.— Colours

March 14— London, U.K.— Country to Country

March 16— Glasgow, U.K.— Country to Country

March 18— Glasgow, U.K.—Oran Mor

March 20— Belfast, U.K.— The Limelight 2

March 21— Dublin, IE— The Ambassador

April 6—Georgetown, TX—Two Step Inn

May 10—Knoxville, TN—Southern Skies*

July 20—Whitefish, Montana—Under the Big Sky Festival

*with Charley Crockett

Christmas III by Sunturns Read More Sufjan Stevens Wednesday, December 12, 2012 brought Sufjan Stevens' sold-out Christmess Sing-A-Long show to Mill City Nights. The stage was set up like a crazy fun game show, complete with a huge "Wheel of Christmas," spun …

Sunturns
fikarecordings.com

Norwegian indiepop supergroup Sunturns have recently released Christmas III.

The third Christmas album is described as an alt-Christmas album, taking inspiration from Sufjan Stevens’ epic indie Christmas compendium and Phil Spector’s wall of sound classic A Christmas Gift From You.

Sunturns was formed as a Christmas super group by members of Oslo indiepop bands Monzano, My Little Pony and Einar Stray Orchestra. While those bands broke up, the original band members remain in Sunturns. So, every year, around this time, they come together like Voltron and write and record a new Xmas album. Can’t wait to hear about Christmas IV next year!

Sunturns are:

Ola Innset – vocals, guitars, banjo etc.

Sjur Lyseid – vocals, guitars etc.

Einar Stray – vocals, keyboards, guitars etc.

Eivind Almhjell – guitars, bass, etc.

Simen Herning – guitar

Jørgen Nordby – drums

Favourite Time by The Cords Read More Tiger Trap Tiger Trap was a short-lived band, formed in Sacramento, California, in 1992 and split in 1993, releasing only a self-titled LP, Words and Smiles (split single, 1992), Supercrush (1992), and Sour Grass EP (1993).…

The Cords
instagram.com

Scottish band The Cords (sisters Eva and Grace) have released their holiday song “Favorite Time” on Flexi Disc and Digital via Slumberland and Heavenly Creature.

This year was a big highlight for the duo, having been on stage for Belle and Sebastian's Glasgow Weekender and Glas-Goes Pop!

Look for the Cords’ debut album soon. The album was recorded in the course of two days with Jonny Scott (CHVRCHES).

In the meantime, there’s a surprise pop-up online streaming with the Cords today (December 22). The event by H.I. Art on the Edge is called Sunday Surprises and will features Meltway, Callière , The Cords, and Ryli, and described as “Enjoy great music and conversation from the dreampop, shoegaze, and indie musicians.”

“Favourite Time” sample lyrics

I put on my favourite scarf to wear under the snowy stars
Sing a Christmas lullaby and drink up your ginger chai
Yes it’s true, there’s mush in my shoes
Always my favourite time
Always my favourite time

I Renounce Verdukianism! by The Boy Detective

The Boy Detective
facebook.com

Michigan’s The Boy Detective (not to be confused with the comic book Boy Detective or Dead Boy Detectives or Kid Detective) is a ska punk band and they just released their festive holiday single “I Renounce Verdukianism!”

Lead vocalist Benny Capaul describes the song as “our nod to the holidays gone wrong, packed with all the regrets and frosty mishaps one could hope for.”

“So you might not believe this is a Christmas song, but nobody is going to argue with John Williams,” says Geridan St Peter, who plays trombone for The Boy Detective.

Tour dates:

DEC 26 Magic Stick Detroit, MI

Christmas Chills by The Shindellas

The Shindellas
theshindellas.com

Nashville-based trio The Shindellas (Kasi, Tam, and Stacy) have a new holiday song, “Christmas Chills”.

“This song is our love letter to the holiday season,” shared The Shindellas. “When we first created ‘Chills,’ it was about the feeling of love that takes over your soul. For ‘Christmas Chills,’ we wanted to capture that same energy but amplify it with the wonder and warmth of the holidays—family, togetherness, and the magic of this time of year.”

What Christmas means to the Shindellas:

Kasi: The sound of my father's laugh, the spiced mulled wine, "Kasi should I get a ham?" Matching onesies, "No I don't think we need it."

Tam: Growing up, Christmas was always about celebrating the birth of the Savior by coming together with family/friends and showing love and compassion for all through giving.

Stacy: A story from a long time ago about a baby that was born. This baby would grow, live, and die to save our souls. He became a legend and his name lives on forever. Christmas is the celebration of his story, the birth of Jesus Christ.

If you have a 2024 Christmas/Holiday song, please provide as much detail as possible to [email protected] before Christmas Day (December 25, 2024). Thank you.

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Cage the Elephant w/ Young the Giant, Bakar, Willow Avalon at Starlight Theatre, Kansas City MO (2024-09-14)

Cage The Elephant Setlist Broken Boy Cry Baby Spiderhead Too Late to Say Goodbye Good Time Cold Cold Cold Ready to Let Go Neon Pill Social Cues Halo Mess Around Trouble Ain't No Rest for the Wicked Skin and Bones Rainbow Telescope House of Glass Back Against the Wall In One Ear Sabertooth Tiger -- Encore -- Shake Me Down Cigarette Daydreams Come a Little Closer Young the Giant Setlist Jungle Youth The Walk Home Cough Syrup Waves Wake Up Dollar $tore It's About Time Call Me Back Superposition Mind Over Matter Tightrope Silvertongue My Body Bakar Setlist All In 1st Time (w/King Harvest cover snippet) Right Here, for Now > 3 Nights (Dominic Fike cover) NW3 Alive! Small Town Girl Hell 'n Back Willow Avalon Setlist Something We Regret Gettin' Rich, Goin' Broke Honey Ain't No Sweeter Yodelayheewho Tequila or Whiskey Homewrecker Read More Cage the Elephant Cage the Elephant – Come a Little Closer Apparently, there’s no rest for the wicked, as the KY band is back on tour. They’ll be stopping by the U.S. Bank Theater at Target Center on June 10th … Young the Giant Irvine’s Young the Giant recently returned to Jimmy Kimmel Live! to perform “The Walk Home,” from their new album American Bollywood. …

Forget the red pill or the blue pill, Neo, we’ll happily take the Neon Pill--

Kentucky rock group Cage the Elephant is back with their newest full-length, Neon Pill (via RCA Records) still touring en force despite a recent mishap to singer Matt Schulz, bringing with them three other very different acts, for a full evening of music at a sold out warm outdoor evening at Starlight Theatre in Kansas City (a show we also took in a bit earlier in the tour in Minneapolis).

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The multi-genre evening began with a brief half-hour set from Georgia native, Willow Avalon, in support of her debut EP, “Stranger”. Her music leaned towards very traditional Country, with a cool and personable demeanor, three-piece band and mic stands decorated with lavish songs. A clever transition between songs was sound clips of her great-aunt and grandmother talking about music.

For her first time in the area, she briefly embarrassed herself thinking she was on the Kansas side of the state line (acts seem to confuse KC frequently), blushing and admitting, “My brain is mashed potatoes, ya’ll” and the set ended with recent anthem, “Homewrecker” about a recent relationship she discovered (via social media) was with a married man (classic Country subject matter!).

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The music shifted to UK neo-soul/hip-pop as smoke billowed out from side stage and Camden Town London artist Bakar stood atop a speaker pedestal for most of his half-hour set, singing along to tracks in support of last year’s full-length, “Halo”. For “1^st Time”, he managed to work in an end snippet of King Harvest’s “Dancing in the Moonlight” and “Right Here, for Now” segued into a recent Dominic Fike radio single, proving the UK singer has some musical savvy.

His “NW3” was autobiographical about his Camden upbringing, he gave deserved props to the two ladies on stage left interpreting the lyrics into sign language, and he got the entire audience to stand (“you look so much better on your two feet!”) for 2019 mega-hit, “Hell n’ Back”, a song now over five years old (but still on radio rotation), given new life in a version with Summer Walker.

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Irvine, CA indie rockers Young the Giant have been in existence an amazing twenty years already, with latest album being 2022’s American Bollywood (via AWAL) which we’ve previously seen them live, in support of and for which, they headlined at this same venue last year.

Singer Sameer Gadhia was in fine and soaring voice, remarking between songs, that the band had been feeling retrospective of late- getting in touch with the elements that made them form a band in the first place- playing to intimate groups of people, examining their older music (particularly their sophomore album, “Mind over Matter”, which took some time to age and fully sink in, for fans and critics to fully appreciate it), and playing lesser known songs like 2014’s “Waves”.

Their blend of alternative rock with a worldly influence has always been unique and the band plans two special LA shows next month at the tiny Troubadour, where they’ll play two early albums in their entirety. On this night, their hour-long set chiefly featured higher tempo songs and familiar hits (though we missed early radio single, “Apartment” which hasn’t been a part of their setlists in some time).

The best song we can think of about quantum physics, 2018’s “Superposition” was both musically powerful and ethereally trippy at the same time, and the title track to 2014’s “Mind over Matter” was played with the satisfaction that the song and album are now getting their proper critical due, also celebrated with an expanded deluxe edition of the album.

2018’s “Tightrope” was a funky, percussion-filled jam and closing hit (and the song that put the band on the mainstream map), “My Body” found both band and crowd jumping in place during its choruses.

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After a short set break, Cage the Elephant was on fire (almost literally, as pyro shot up from several stations near the front of the stage) from the beginning of their 85-minute set, opening up with the perfect song for their current situation, 2019’s “Broken Boy”.

Singer Schultz scampered and raced about the stage with the aid of a leg scooter, the result of a broken foot sustained while on stage in Georgia, in early August. He’s been unable to put any weight on it since, but has acclimated to his condition nicely, whipping about from end to end, while still keeping in good vocal form and swaying in place like a young Mick Jagger or Axl Rose.

We’ve seen the band live several times, and the restless Schultz looks like he misses his full mobility more than the likes of Rose and Dave Grohl (who played sitting on the Game of Thrones chair) when they were both injured, but his older brother, guitarist Brad Schultz helped make up for some of it, by going into the crowd early on.

The band never says too much between songs, preferring their music and live energy to carry the show, but Schultz did briefly mention his foot, and his insistence that the tour carry on. The large lighting rigs behind them, the aforementioned pyro (first live fire we’ve ever seen at Starlight), and even lasers helped to visually embellish the songs as well.

With six studio albums and eighteen years as a band under their belt, CTE likely has even more familiar radio hits than you remember, and newest songs like the Neon Pill’s title track and “Good Time” each neatly fit into their still-expanding musical cache.’

Lasers slashed into the sky on 2019’s “Social Cues” and again on 2015’s “Mess Around”, the latter radio hit helping to froth up the crowd into crazed cheering and dancing in the aisles, which continued with the familiar “Trouble” and their 2008 breakout hit, “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked”.

An excited “In One Ear” led into the main set’s closing song, the dark and rocking “Sabretooth Tiger” that brought out not only more fire, but the lasers as well, for a show-stopping end to things. The three-sing encore was all singalongs, starting with “Shake Me Down,”, then slowing things momentarily for “Cigarette Daydreams,” and ending the evening with their most successful song-to-date, “Come a Little Closer” in a heat-filled blaze with guitarist Schultz firnly spiking his guitar into pieces before the band waved good night.

In “The Matrix”, Morpheus states, "You take the blue pill... the story ends… You take the red pill... you stay in wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.” On this night, with a varied four-act night headed up by Cage the Elephant, we chose the Neon Pill, and happily immersed ourselves in their musical reality for a few hours.

CAGE THE ELEPHANT TOUR DATES Sep 16 Omaha, NE CHI Health Center Sep 18 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre Sep 19 Colorado Springs, CO Ford Amphitheater Sep 27 Ocean City, MD Ocean City Inlet Nov 8 Las Vegas NV Sema Fest Nov 15 Mexico City, MX Corona Capital

YOUNG THE GIANT TOUR DATES Sep 16 CHI Health Center Omaha, NE Sep 21 Bourbon & Beyond Louisville, KY Sep 28 Oceans Calling Festival Ocean City, MD Oct 13 Troubadour Los Angeles, CA Oct 14 Troubadour Los Angeles, CA

PHOTOS BELOW BY BRANDON CLASEN

(click on any image to enlarge and see in full)

CAGE THE ELEPHANT at Starlight Theatre, Kansas City MO (2024-09-14)

CAGE THE ELEPHANT at Starlight Theatre, Kansas City MO (2024-09-14)

YOUNG THE GIANT at Starlight Theatre, Kansas City MO (2024-09-14)

BAKAR at Starlight Theatre, Kansas City MO (2024-09-14)

WILLOW AVALON at Starlight Theatre, Kansas City MO (2024-09-14)