Month: July 2025

Xmas Instrumenting: Yodeling (special Santa edition)

AI musters up “Jingle Jangle Yodel” for a Santa salute from Mimi Music.

The cowboys are backing pointing out “The Santa Yodel.” Plucky jump blues country from E Roper.

St James Infirmary presents “santa came a yodelling” with echo effects and nasal lisping. Alt polka.

A Santa who can’t HoHoHo might be a “Yodeling Santa.” Mark Yamanaka and Kupaoa fiddle some slide guitar for a Hawaiian taste of down home country.

“The Santa Claus Yodelling Song” spares some slide guitar a la ’70s CW, but Sharon Whitcroft is all up in her yodel-craft. That’s really something.

Joanna Allen adds much needed rockabilly sensibility to “Santa’s Yodeling Song.” Just the edge this country polka easy listening needs.

Noisy old time R’n’R, “The Yodeling Santa Claus” from The Keystoners featuring Dick Dorn tests one’s patience for warbling.

I’m Dan He’s Dave would like to introduce you to “The Yodeling Santa Claus.” Swiss folk rock this side of polka. Slightly more fun than you thought it’d be.

Xmas Instrumenting: Yodeling

Repeated and rapid changes of pitch between ‘chest voice’ and falsetto may mark you as mad, or an artist. Or both.

Some classics have been previously covered on the blog for a cowboy section.

But that lacked Chris Sand’s “Yodelin’ Night Before Christmas Hitchhike Blues.” This country polka swings in the cold with a thumb out.

The Vipers celebrate “The Yodeler’s Christmas” with lots of vocal play (and a trombone)!

The Hainings know there’s no yodel like “The Christmas Yodel.” It’s for Christ. And tonsils. Traces of folk.

Bucko & Champs rise up from Down Under to ululate “Father Christmas Showed Me How to Yodel.” Knock knock! Who’s there? Yodel-A-hee….

“A Yodel for Christmas” is a wish from Joe Newberry & April Verch to have a greater range to sing. Dandy country. Suddenly he’s gifted.

AI associates “Yodel Christmas Cream” (??) with reverence, as presented by His Little Helpers. Perhaps this jazz band romp would suit a cartoon special.

More AI wants you to “Yodel Your Way to the Christmas Tree,” pop music from Good Christmas Songs.

David Higginbotham booms out kidsong in the twisty form of “Chris the Yodeling Cat.” It’s synthed polka, but i’d recommend getting the feline out of that room full of rocking chairs.

Paul Yanchar finally gives us the real McCoy, a Swiss-Austrian accented “Christmas Yodeler” with oompah polka throughout. He gets around, but he the girls. From far away.

Xmas Instruments: Xylophone

From the Greek for ‘wood sound’ this percussive plaything is many a new parents’ nightmare.

Speaking of ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas,’ Danny Elfman’s “Closing” has Santa revisiting Jack and Jack’s children playing strange little tunes in their xylophone band. Spoken.

Speaking of wee one’s toys… Jorden Milnes sets the backbeat to heavy to describe what’s coming out of “Santa’s Workshop.” Xylophones! (and tiaras and trains and on and on). Kidsong.

The Pizza Carolers invite all the other kids with holiday instruments to band together, especially since they got a “Xylophone for Xmas.” Childlike indie fun.

Recently let go, Levi Dobson also puts together his own band, including the xylophone he got as a Christmas gift. Pseudo rap to the electronica erects a billboard “You are Welcome to My World.” Every album should come with that warning.

Xmas Instruments: Windchimes

Tintinnabula make music out of chaos, just like real artists do.

Darlingside tries the beat poetry approach with “Can’t Help Falling Apart,” an existential cry for help sometime after Christmas (calendrically, not according to their heart. New age indie.

In a metal world, “Aurora Borealis” takes us to task for our shallowly material ways. Lemon Demon pauses over the wind chimes chiming with the screams. Electronic metal for the rest of us.

Xmas Instruments: Whistle

We’re limiting ourselves to the fipple flute here, the tin or plastic or wooden toy head-splitter from in the stocking. So, no boats, trains, taxis, or killer winds at this time.

Let’s get all those metaphoric bells and whistles out of way at the outset. Pseudo-country from Shelley Lynch asks us to “Rock it Out This Christmas.” With all the trimmings. No holds barred. To the max. Like that. Sorta.

Tori V.’s “Pink Christmas” notes how bells and whistles are chimed. Cheesy pop with little grasp on reality. All the makings of the best Christmas ever!

Johnny Cash’s sermon “Christmas as I Knew It” portrays himself as whittling a whistle for her brother in the poverty of the holidays. Pretty damn sad. Spoken.

A whistle is just one more li’l toy children might get, as mentioned in “Up on the Rooftop.” But, for novelty’s sake, lets spin Sufjan Stevens’s version–quite a electronic/tribal beat experience.

There are whistles to be blown in SteSy’s “Metalcore Christmas.” Minds, too in this headbanging meltdown.

Tom Hench plucks the untuned strings and lays into the Celtic poverty where the “Whistle Made of Tin” is the best Xmas gift a Da’ could give his young’un.

Xmas Instruments: Vocoder

The voice encoder doesn’t get much play, except for that guy who never talks to anyone. but it does exist.

I’m going out on a limb and suggesting that Nã©nuphar’s “Vocoder Christmas” is not simply Merry Xmas encoded. I’m hoping it’s all about the joys of sounding like you’re asking for ransom for the holidays.

Xmas Instruments: Violin

Gitch’er fiddle and screech out a carol or two!

Niboyeang, Atsadakorn Kapookkham bring the mood way down with their bummer of a “Christmas Violin Elegy.” This AI crankyfest isn’t just somber and reverent, it’s a pop crying jag.

Nancy Williams is sick for “Home,” especially when her alt pop wends her past a street busker on violin for the holidays. Better music. More seasonal depression.

More AI from Harmonix Synthesis applies a klezmer-like aura over the folk pop of “Shine This Christmas.” Nearly a waltz, who can resist?

Faylin, Pasoed Saichaem pair strings with percussion in their “Jingle Bell Christmas Bell Ring.” It’s soaring pop so stand back.

Melanie Anne Padernal & Sheena Santamaria play with rap at their “Filipino Christmas Party.” One of the standout traditions is… Talent Show for the whole ding dong group (someone’s gonna play a violin! you just know it!)! That was fun.

“Processional: ‘A Christmas Roundelay’” is a hoe down in chorale coating. Alternating verses honor the angels and tune the violin–for dancin’! Baptist College of Ministry Concert Chorale makes a mountain out of this morsel.

Rock returns with “Winter of Our Discontent,” Sanford’s poison penned plaintive to the pain and pestilence of Papa Noel’s perturbations. (…carols are screeched out on that old violin.)

“I Want A Violin For Christmas” is Steven John Tillotson (feat. Isabelle Glenn) mashing country and pop into disharmony and headache inducing high notes. Enjoy!

Xmas Instruments: Ukulele (pt. 2)

The toy stringed thing madness continues!

“I Want a Ukulele for Christmas” whistles out Steven Curtis Chapman, spawning a dozen tutorials on line with his showtune folk.

Jumping on the bandwagon John Meola Lindhorst strums out easy listening Island “I Want a Ukulele for Christmas.” He wants it the whole alphabet!

Carly Jamison ladles Island over blues when she declares “I’m Getting a Ukulele for Christmas.” Dixieland bridge!

Flying Tadpole recounts being saved from a life of ‘geetar’ playing woes when his wife bestows upon him “My Christmas Ukulele.” Island folk of the vaudeville kind.

Johnny Setlist (feat. Mcmilk) wrestles with his Xmas list… peace or power? Then his fast-talking jazz lounge patter reveals He Really WANTS A “Christmas Ukulele.” On repeat. It’s like a car alarm on Santa’s lap.

Tyrone and Lesely definitely want a “Ukulele Christmas.” You can tell because they say it over and over in their music hall folk beggary. Hah!

AZ McInnis posts his hit song “All I Want for Christmas is Another Ukulele” from outdoors. But his folk jazz is damn upbeat. I feel the power.

Creamed Corn mash up Elvis and bluegrass washboard with jazz and a wisp of pirate pop for the stunning “Hoping to Find a Ukulele Underneath the Christmas Tree.” Help me, i’ve caught the tiny bubbles!

Xmas Instruments: Ukulele (pt. 1)

Uses are so handy and portable they’ll infect your holiday party before you can furrow your brow. Look out, he’s got one over there!

Jeremy Lister combines poinsettias, wassail, cookie dough, and ukuleles for the ultimate strummer “Holiday Party.” A bit of the ol’ ragtime in that jug band, you ask me.

Owl City has the shopping stress of the holidays and kicks pop down the street of choices (a bike, or like a ukulele?). This indecisiveness sends him over the edge and into a “Humbug” frame of mind. Cute.

Is it racist to cast the Hawaiian Islands’ holidays in the key of use? “Christmas in Texas, Aloha in my Heart” from Nova Sly (feat. The Flores Sisters, Sky Flores & Waipuilani) is slow country two step with only a tiny dab of S.Pacific. Different.

The Radish Friends revive “Ukulele (Christmas) Anthem” as a folk manifesto, poorly written but serious as fruitcake.

No, we still soundly disapprove of 12s around the blog, but Hawaiianfreak’s “12 Days Of Christmas” not only includes ukes (8), it gets metal on your asses. Wha–?

Well, that opened the door, di’ntit? “A Ukulele in a Pear Tree” by Emma and Charlie’s Radio Podcast combines all our instruments (‘Tubular Bells’ style!), but landing back on that first stringed box each round.

“All I Want for Chanukah Is a Ukulele” pits Alison Faith (feat. Karla Kane)’s light folk against the juggernaut of Chanukah music. And, the uke wins.

Parody break: “Ukulele Xmas” from Joel Kopischke is gentle and merry. Ahhh.

Ukulele Lee raises the bar with the namedropping little girl who–through folk pop–asks Santa for “A Ukulele for Christmas.” Awesome sauce.

Xmast Instruments: Trumpet (pt. 2)

Toot your own horn. For the holidays.

Winter Sage takes a break from referencing saxophones to remember that plastic trumpet you got in ’82. “Midnight’s Apology” puts a somber spin onto this alt-folk nostalgia. [In their “Whiskey & Mistletoe” the trumpet from old records sounds like memories of Dad’s absence. Damn. Syncopated jazz.]

Brandon Diaz likes to point out “This Year Sucks (At Least We Got Christmas)” with some chiming indie pop. Let the trumpets sing he invokes when he’s really into it.

The Wiggles’ “Wiggly Wiggly Christmas” is a kidsong swing from Santa and his reindeer band (Rudolph on trumpet–cool, daddio). Not Safe for Work.

In the party of The Snowfall Swing, Chris Waits highlights “Frosty Jive” bringing the whole town to its feet for his thumping pop. The trumpets glow, dear.

Frosty learned the trumpet in “Once a Snowflake” from the musical ‘Searching for the Spirit of Christmas’ and sung by Noah Flores & Alisha Nordquist. Showtune merriment.

The Wailers (w/Bob Marley) want you up and at ’em as they “Sound the Trumpet” for Christmas. Reggae with a side of jazz.

The Action! swing with more jazzy reggae wanting “A Trumpet for Christmas.” Apparently it will bring them cheer. Boss.