Category: folk

Consume-mas Quantities: does this taste funny?

Some holiday food songs are easy to digest comedy. Many of those would be Jewish.

The Maccabeats make parody of Walk the Moon’s ‘Shut up and Dance’ with “The Latke Recipe.” Take note: you can make them too (the latkes, not the parodies).

Sam Glaser also goes parody with Otis Redding’s ‘My Girl’ fried into “Latkes.” Nice rock homage.

Kids’ songs are funny without meaning to be. In re: The Kiboomers’ “I Like to Eat Latkes.” What a song! Maybe that’s delight scrubbing away my cynicism…  Wait, ketchup? Naw, that’s ironic! right? Shira Kline also shouts with the kids for “Lots of Latkes.” In Hebrew. More showtune style, Danna Banana plays “La-La-La-Latkes” with a grand klezmer backing. Maybe not for kids.

JocJar’s Mom has a little ditty about latkes. “The Latke Song” is sung from the point of view of the potato pancake, however, and the hilarity ensues from its existential crisis.

Lauren Mayer (the “Psyco Super Mom”) bemoans the mess or making the perfect Chanukah grease bomb in “Latkes, Shmatkes,” complete with cartoon dancing fritters. She’s a hoot and her klezmer is enabled by kazoo.

Mo’Sho has found a new rhyme with latke and celebrates with “The Latke Song.” It may be modern schtick, but it’s strictly Catskills. (Psst–the new rhyming word starts with ‘v.’)

MC Flow has also added a little sumpin sumpin to the latkes. “Pot in the Latkes” features sirens, in-jokes, and hip hop. Dreidel responsibly.

The LeeVees pretend to be serious with their crack-up “Applesauce vs. Sour Cream.” Fun folk food fusion.

Now, don’t call foul, but i’m going to finish up the comedy section with a Christmas song. Paul and Storm are a bit local for me. And cool nerds. Their “Grandma’s Christmas Dinner” is millennial fun with irreverent and horrifying humor. Roll over and play dead.

Consume-mas Quantities: tying on the old feed sack

Did i say folk music went with home cooked meals? Did I? And did i mention plain folks love a good larf? I didn’t?

Tony Blanchard of Karukuleles soothes our souls with his menacing tale of overeating  in “Christmas Dinner Song.” Delightfully, amusingly monotone.

The New Planets Band also solemnizes a somnolent song, “Christmas Dinner“–that is, until GRAMPA HIT THE SLIDING DOOR! A rockin’ coda if ever there was one after such a festive fest. Play that again!

Knock off all that fooling around! Here’s a cut with somber reverence for the family food-time: Carrie Newcomer makes the gathering of old time family members quite the religious experience in “A Long Christmas Dinner.” Suffering, redemption, holy rolls. Call Garrison Keillor!

No really, one more joshing jollity of a folk song. “The Christmas Dinner Eating Contest Down in Yelvertoft” hearkens back to the Emerald Isles and Paddy Wex wends and weaves through a tall tale suitable for a foreign light comedy film by Bill Forsyth in the ’80s. I’d go see this grueling, dueling showdown, but i’d stand off to the side a ways.

Consume-mas Quantities: ‘sup supper?

Dinner is as down home as family, and about the most family-ish music is folk.

The cleaned-up version of folk sounds like the pretty young people sync-ing and storytelling of The New Christy Minstrels with their moralizing  “Parson Brown.” It’s a skit! It’s a song! It’s a swell Christmas dinner!

Pop folk sounds like little minister Dustin Donovan with his “Christmas Dinner 2011.” It’s a parable about a peeping poor boy and the shut-in he shares with. And it’s beautifully sung (if not filmed). Think about the homeless while ye be stuffing yer face! Retaining an Old World twinkle, Peter Paul and Mary strum out the original to this instructional tale: “Christmas Dinner.” This looks hard at the poor and the suffering… no comic reprisals. That’s more Christ-like, more honest folk. This is largely Noel Paul Stookey, so here’s his solo of the same:

Consume-mas Quantities: for the birds

Turkey is the traditional Christmas meal for the English. Songs celebrate the healthy carnivorous choice, and also cry the warnings for the fowl.

Sometimes we just say “Big Dead Bird” for dinner without mentioning the type. Be suspicious of this melodious easy-listening comedy (with accordion) from Lou and Peter Berryman. It may not be the bird you’re thinking of. The whole meal stinks, in point of fact.

Riddim fun from Echo recommending “Run, Turkey, Run” away from Christmas men with their cleavers. Turkey trot might be the appropriate step.

Of course ‘turkey’ means more than bird. Jenny T posts the “Xmas Turkey Song” reminding us losers we are what we eat.

Turkeys at time get revenge on us as with Learn English Kids’ “Turkey Trouble Song.” It’s a bit plodding (teaching reading), but wicked fun for the childrens.

Antsy McClain and the Trailer Park Troubadours make a bit more merry with “Frank the Christmas Turkey,” a pop-alt folk stew of charming, chanting fun. Deadly though.

 

Consume-mas Quantities: sandwichery

For those of you easily bored, bread becomes a vehicle for meat and cheese delivery, a la the sandwich. Christmas sandwiches may not have much of a following… yet.

The Chris Gethard Show has celebrated ‘Sandwich Night’ for many years, and even goes so far as to compare it to the Yuletide. BLUE ALERT their “F*@k Christmas, I Wish It was Sandwich Night” is bellicose, but uses condiments. It’s a bit like ADHD filk singing.

Angry head banging from Metal Lunch celebrating in their own “Christmas Sandwich” way. It chokes me out.

A bit off topic, The Beacon Baptist Bahamanians mounted a holiday musical A Peanut Butter Christmas, featuring wishful Christmas targets like “A Peanut Butter Sandwich.” Kid fun–happy and in tune. Kudos.

Christopher Dennis is a bit more reverent with “The Christmas Sandwich Song,” a tale of the old world and this family’s labor of love. My, that’s tasty balladeering!

Consume-mas Quantities: breaking bread

We tend to fill up with simple starches earlier in the day. (One of my beefs is that breakfast is usually flour or egg-related, it’s so limiting! Find me a restaurant that plates up cold pizza for breakfast and i’m there!) We’re not talking stollen or yulekage, friends, this is the staff of life, ‘kay?

Bread, naturement, is a metaphor for the Christ-baby (he will rise again). Chris Brunelle intones Bernadette Farrell’s “Bread of Life” in an empty church, making it less holy and more rehearsally.

Annie Moses Band sings more mournfully yet professionally with “Bethlehem, House of Bread.” It’s an angelic epic, but not actually bready.

Can’t find any bread in “Christmas Biscuits” by Mark Geary with Glen Hansard (he of the ‘Once’ motion picture academy award song) either. Just a reminder of peace and love.

John Wright gets creepy with his impression of a five-year-old in “Bread for Christmas.”  His falsetto does the Birtha Da Blessed no favors here. I can’t tell if this is a cruel children’s sermon, or misguided ministry for the feeble. But i can’t stop listening.

The Oyl Miller Band of Portland OR have taken bread to a whole ‘nother symbolic level with “Happy Christmas Bread.” It seems to be some kind of odd family tradition here. The boys are in fine form and sing from the diaphragm, so God help them.

Consume-mas Quantities: most important meal of the day

Wake up Christmas, whaddya eat? Who cares–let’s have presents!

No, now, you know the rules, first a nutritious yet merry breakfast….

Ohh—-kay.

Nathan Puts is quite pleased with himself for his seven seconds of comedy in “Christmas Breakfast Song Ideas.” Okay fine bye.

Xmas morning eats are so underplayed, however, some of us crave breakfast when it’s all over. Merrym’n dolefully shake up the traditions with “I Want Oatcakes for My Christmas Dinner.” ‘Course that may be only because they’re Brits, and the only decent meal in the UK (the only meal not boiled) would be breakfast. A lugubrious rock ballad.

When you don’t have breakfast before presents, the repercussions may be dire. “Breakfast with Santa” by Fortress of Attitude foretells the cautionary tale of trouble by which may we all profit. I know it’s talky, but it’s worth it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr74mrf7I40

Sweet Christmas! diabetes

After feasting on sweet stuff for a month, we have to deal with the consequences.

HPU nursing has an informational talent show (no winners, sorry) in “The Diabetes Song (The Christmas Song)” set to ‘Chestnuts Roasting.’ It’s a real downer, but full of helpful info about how not to die in this condition.

Stuckey and Murray have an angrier song “Santa Gave Me Diabetes,” which while fun folk rock AND based on a true story, still poops on your corn flakes with its cautionary tale of profligate sweet-eating. Take that, fun.

Sweet Christmas! fruitcake 2

A mixed beginning, but let us accentuate the positive. Some songs refer to the fruitcake as a good thing all told… at least as good as holly, and rooftop reindeer, and caroling–the standbys we expect.

Disney stands for the traditional: “Toot Suite, Christmas Treats” recites a Goofy-sized list of goodies (including corn flakes) to eat this time of year. Fruitcake is in there too.

Mannheim Steamroller also orchestrates a menu of expected activities for Christmas, including fruitcake with “The Fruitcake Song.” It tags in wacky then runs back to harmony.

Many a high school choir cracks up their audience (parents) with a winter performance of “The Fruitcake Song” which applauds the messy melange. Despite years of the TV show Glee, most of these affairs are clumsy and embarrassing. One Madrigals‘ team styling seems to mock the sincere formula of the song. The kids here are having fun and don’t look stoned at all.

Dead serious, are Eraserheads, ‘The Beatles of the Philippines.’ Their “Fruitcake” is Invasion-tastic, but hardly about the dessert or the December day. And their video is a hard day’s night.

Let’s Devo it up with The Superions. “Fruitcake,” like the most appreciative songs here, lists the ingredients. Done.

Fergha and Robyn are just trying to get a song recorded. It could be about anything. It’s about a suitcase full of fruitcake. “Fruitcake” uplifts. Leave it at that.

On the other hand, fruitcake is where you can get your extra rations of alcohol. Michael Lusk partakes of “Grandma’s Loaded Fruitcake” in a harmless boot-scooting country style. Cheers!

James J. ‘Jimmy’ Wisner aka Kokomo doesn’t care who knows what he loves from gramma in “The Fruitcake Song.” This reggae/folk-style sing-a-long echoes rap styling and I almost feel like contributing a verse when it comes around to me.

 

Sweet Christmas! cake 1

When it comes to Christmas, i say CAKE and you say something about produce that hangs off a tree.

Cake is fine any time, though.

And so is reggae. I know we just had a slice, but Jamaica Jam bakes up “Christmas Cake (In the Oven Baking)” as a dance party for the holidays and for the children and for the holiest of holies having a birthday. This beats out Adu Deme & Dave Azi just a dred with their more solemn “Christmas Cake.” (No cake in the song, mon.)

Punk pokery takes place under the auspices of The Yobs with “Who Had All the Christmas Cake?” BLUE ALERT These boys are unhappy about the cake eaters who may or may not have come down the chimney. While we’re down and dirty, Swaggy G white-child-raps “Christmas Cake” in which this seasonal treat somehow represents his ass.

Hey, did that cake come from home–or did it come from Christmas? Red State Update has a brief reminder about how your eating habits affect your holiday bliss with their “Christmas Cake.” Miss you boys!