It is, indeed, beginning to look a lot like Christmas, so it’s time to sound like it as well, as we continue to roll out some holiday music that doesn’t suck. We’ve also got some musical gift-giving options as we listen to some of the best albums of the year, and somehow, I got off on a tangent and listened to a whole pile of amazing songs by some super talented women.
Ever year, it’s my goal to prove that not all Christmas music is cheesy and terrible. Some of it is even pretty great. We present some strong evidence to prove the point today. We’ve also got new additions to the amazing Willie P Bennett Legacy Project and a few upcoming shows to preview.
Tonight marks the return of Barney Bentall & The Grand Cariboo Opry, and that’s a great reason to celebrate. We’ve even got an interview with Barney to tell us all about the magic. Plus, there are more great upcoming shows, and we’re slowly and carefully easing into holiday music mode.
playlist
part 1
part 2
part 3 (Barney Bentall/Grand Cariboo Opry)
Christmas has come and gone, but there are still some great holiday-related songs that we haven’t played yet, so just like the turkey taking up space in your fridge, it’s time to clear out these leftovers and do something with them! This is also one of our annual holiday marathon episodes, where everyone sensible stays home and takes a break from radio, but I’ve never been accused of being sensible, so instead of the usual 2 hours, this show runs for 5! That gives us plenty of time to look back at the year that was, and play a whole bunch of the best music, concerts, and live guests of 2014!
Artist – Song title – Album Title – CDN=Canadian – WPG=Winnipeg artist
2:00 – 2:30 pm
Shannon Lyon – X-Mas in Korea – X-Mas in Korea – CDN
Robert Earl Keen – Happy Holiday Y’all – A Truer Christmas
Matthew Ryan – It’s Christmas Time – By Matthew Ryan and The Christmas Toddies – single
John Prine – If You Were the Woman and I Was the Man [Live] (w/Cowboy Junkies) – A John Prine Christmas
Wyckham Porteous – Christmas Day Song (feat. Sam Parton) – single – CDN
Lynn Miles – Christmas Makes Me Miss You More – Songs for the Darkest Night – CDN
2:30 – 3:00 pm
T. Nile – The Ballad of Jack Pine – single – CDN
Rilo Kiley – Xmas Cake – Maybe This Christmas
The Rocky Fortune – Merry Boxing Day – single – CDN
The New Pornographers – Arms Of Mary/Looking At A Baby – Spirit Of Giving EP – CDN
Merle Haggard – If We Make It Through December – A Truer Xmas 2
Jim Cuddy – What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve? – Holiday Songs – CDN
Jim Bryson – Mary New Year’s Eve – Instant Holiday Album – CDN
3:00 – 3:30 pm
Stan Rogers – First Christmas – Between the Breaks… Live! – CDN
Brandi Carlile – The Heartache Can Wait – single
Jim White – Christmas Day – No Such Place
Turnpike Troubadours – Blue Star – Goodbye Normal Street
John Moreland & The Dust Bowl Souls – Christmas Lights – Everything The Hard Way
3:30 – 4:00 pm
Martin Sexton – Freedom Of The Road – Black Sheep
Martin Sexton – Happy – Seeds
Martin Sexton – Diggin’ Me – recorded live on UMFM
Shannon Lyon – I Crossed the Ocean – The Lights Behind – CDN
Shannon Lyon – Dirty Old South – The Lights Behind – CDN
Shannon Lyon – Nobody Else – The Lights Behind – CDN
Shannon Lyon – Suddenly – The Lights Behind – CDN
4:00 – 4:30 pm
Del Barber – Farewell, God Bless You, Goodbye – Prairieography – CDN – WPG
Del Barber – Big Smoke – Prairieography – CDN – WPG
Del Barber – Walking in a Straight Line – Prairieography – CDN – WPG
Easton Stagger Phillips – Always Came Back to You – Resolution Road
Easton Stagger Phillips – Traveller – Resolution Road
Easton Stagger Phillips – So Much in Tune – Resolution Road
Sunparlour Players – For this I can’t Be Sure – The Living Proof – CDN
Sunparlour Players – How to Build a Fort with Nothing – The Living Proof – CDN
4:30 – 5:00 pm
The 24th Street Wailers – Aim to Please – Wicked – CDN
The 24th Street Wailers – Chin Wagger – recorded live on UMFM – CDN
The Secret Sisters – Good Luck, Good Night, Goodbye – Put Your Needle Down
The Secret Sisters – Rattle my Bones – Put Your Needle Down
Sean Rowe – The Real Thing – Madman
Sean Rowe – My Little Man – Madman
5:00 – 5:30 pm
Ryan Adams – Gimme Something Good – Ryan Adams
The Hold Steady – Spinners – Teeth Dreams
Lucero – Tears Don’t Matter Much – Live from Atlanta
James McMurtry – Choctaw Bingo – Live in Aught-Three
Buck 65 – Super Pretty Naughty – Neverlove – CDN
Farm Fresh – My Ex-Girl – Time Is Running Out – CDN
5:30 – 6:00 pm
Jonathan Byrd – Poor Johnny – You can’t Outrun the Radio
Jonathan Byrd – Slip Away – You can’t Outrun the Radio
Blackie & The Rodeo Kings – Summertime’s Over – South – CDN
Jimmer – Satellite – The Would-Be Plans
Lynne Hanson – River of Sand – River of Sand – CDN
Lake Street Dive – Use Me Up – Bad Self Portraits
Lydia Loveless – Head – Somewhere Else
6:00 – 6:30 pm
Hard Working Americans – Down to the Well – Hard Working Americans
Doug Seegers – Going Down To The River – Going Down To The River
Parker Millsap – Truck Stop Gospel – Parker Millsap
Chuck Prophet – Countrified Inner City Technological Man – Night Surfer
Jess Klein – If There’s A God – Learning Faith
John Fullbright – Happy – Songs
6:30 – 7:00 pm
Martyn Joseph – Kiss the World Beautiful – Kiss the World Beautiful
Martyn Joseph – Luxury of Despair – recorded live on UMFM
Mike June – Let It Go – recorded live on UMFM
Jon Dee Graham – E. 11th Street – recorded live on UMFM
Lynn Miles – Black Flowers – recorded live on UMFM – CDN
Slow Leaves – Enough About Me – recorded live on UMFM – CDN – WPG
Jaxon Haldane – Skinny Mona – recorded live on UMFM – CDN – WPG
The Other Brothers – Hard to Know a Killer – recorded live on UMFM – CDN – WPG
It’s just about Christmas, and although I try to resist the temptation to play a bunch of Christmas music, there’s one show where I just give in and go with it, and this is it. Here are some songs about and for the holiday season, and they won’t even give you heart burn! The worst music in the world is bad Christmas music, but there is plenty of great stuff out there, and here are some of the good ones. Merry Christmas, everyone!
Artist – Song title – Album Title – CDN=Canadian – WPG=Winnipeg artist
2:00 – 2:30 pm
Oh Susanna – Silver Bells – Christmas Is for Boys & Girls – CDN
Oh Susanna – It Came Upon a Midnight Clear – CMT Christmas – CDN
Fred Eaglesmith – Go Tell It on the Mountain – CMT Christmas – CDN
Russell deCarle – Away in a Manger – CMT Christmas – CDN
Oliver Schroer – Beneath the Ice, They Heard Bells – Stuck on a Cold Steel Pole – CDN
Carlos del Junco & Rich Greenspoon – Jingle Bells – Stuck on a Cold Steel Pole – CDN
Russell deCarle – Blues for Christmas – live recording – CDN
Clarence Carter – Back Door Santa – Soul Christmas
2:30 – 3:00 pm
Bob & Doug Mackenzie – The Twelve Days of Christmas – Great White North – CDN
Wendell Ferguson – Why Does Every Christmas Song Have So Many Chords? – Wendell’s Cranky Christmas – CDN
Asylum Street Spankers – Red Nosed Reindeer Blues – A Truer Christmas
Mojo Nixon – Christmas, Christmas – Christmas, Christmas
Swank! – Santa Claus Is Out On Bail – Christmas Album – CDN
Teddy Thompson – Boycotting Christmas – single
NQ Arbuckle – Christmas in Hell – single – CDN
Deer Tick – Holy Shit, It’s Christmas! – Holy Shit, It’s Christmas!
Erin McKeown – Santa Is An A**hole – F*ck That! Erin McKeown’s Anti-Holiday Album
3:00 – 3:30 pm
Melissa McClelland – O Holy Night (with Lisa Winn) – single – CDN
Paper Moon – Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas – single – CDN
Vince Guaraldi Trio – Skating – A Charlie Brown Christmas
Shawn Colvin – Love Came Down at Christmas – Holiday Songs and Lullabies
Good Lovelies – Maybe this Time – Under the Mistletoe – CDN
Vanessa Peters – All That I Want – The Christmas We Hoped For
Skydiggers – Good King Wenceslas – Still Restless The Lost Tapes – CDN
3:30 – 4:00 pm
Boreal – Shovelling Snow – Winter’s Welcome – CDN
Louvin Brothers – The Friendly Beasts – Christmas With Louvin Brothers
Kasey Chambers, Poppa Bill And The Little Hillbillies – Christmas Time – Little Kasey Chambers and The Lost Music
Buck Owens & Susan Raye – Santa Looked A Lot Like Daddy – A Truer Christmas
John McCauley III – Christmas In A Chinese Restaurant – live recording
Mary Gauthier – Christmas In Paradise – Filth & Fire
John Prine – Christmas In Prison – Sweet Revenge
Hayes Carll – Grateful for Christmas – single
November is the month of non-stop live shows in Winnipeg, so we’ve got a bunch more to preview this week! Get on out there and enjoy some of the best live music in the world as it’s passing through our city! One of the most exciting is the return of Oh Susanna and her Namedropper collaborator Jim Bryson! A chat with Suzie, tonight.