Category: rock

“I’m Going Surfing for Christmas” by James and Ellen Samaha for Cherry Grove Pier Surf Club mocks ‘Gettin’ Nuttin” in a mild, reverent way. Nicely done, fellas.

Emmy the Great & Tim Wheeler bring the house down with “Christmas Day (I Wish I was Surfing).” Retro surf pop-rock amps up the beach blanket party to the max. Totally tubular.

Some songs tribute Christmas and then get around to surfing.

I recall Brave Combo’s wild zydeco “Christmas in July.” Santa wants to rethink the whole cold weather thing. And, plus which, if the Son of Man was born then, You’d see the Lord could surf Without a surfboard. Convinced?

The Kinks go travel agent with their rocking “Australia.” We’ll surf like they do in the U.S.A.; We’ll fly down to Sydney for our holiday On sunny Christmas Day. Not a surfing song, per se. Nor carol. But… The Kinks!

Another day for Santa surfing.

Darrin Mazzilli and The Alpha Waves return and get the sound down cold on their “Surf’s Up, Santa!” Points for jargon, too. But the nasal vocals make me pause.

“Santa’s Gonna Come on a Surfboard” is twangy western music, oddly enough. But Adam Brand slings it, swings it, and brings it.

The Hollyberries top the crest with “(I Wanna Go) Surfin’ with Santa,” wild and wet surf rock with all the right guitar riffs. I’m on the edge of my board to find out if they got to go.

A day for “Surfin’ Santa.” Let’s start with a reprise of Lord Douglas Byron’s odd-rhythm tribute from 1964. Cool cool cool.

The Olds play “Surf’s Up Santa!” like a boogie woogie dance number. Falsetto city.

Youth on Track deliver with “Surf’s Up, Santa Claus” for my money. Less clever, perhaps, but on point. It’s surf rock.

The Bad Detectives encourage “Go Go Surfin’ Santa“–but he’s not on an island interlude; he’s riding his board through the sky to deliver toys. Or is that Norrin Radd? Boss rock, mostly surf.

The Beach Boys definitely surf up the rock with their “Melekalikimaka.” Almost not racist.

Wenatchee Valley Boys (NightHeart) bring it in for a smooth landing with the surf-rocking “Surfside Somerset Sunwavz.” Then it gets angry. White privileged angry.

Surf music is inescapable whether you’re a hodad or a monndoggie, and i’ve dropped a few curls before now. It’s refresh time for the great ones, so I’ll re-introduce as needed for each of these days. F’rexample, Soupy Sales rocks out of his comfort zone with “Santa Claus is Surfin’ to Town.” Dig it.

The Click Five got a surfboard as a gift, but “My Girlfriend (Forgot Me This Christmas)” in a kooky retro rock powerhouse. So, no waves?

The Barbary Coasters add surf rock to most of their Christmas caroling, but the tune that addresses the milieu is “Frosty’s Beach Party.” Crazy guitar solo seals the deal.

Grab your baggies, fire up the Woody, pack your blade, and head for the waves–they’re mackin’. It may be Xmastide, but the surfing is great in Fiji and Morocco about now. So let’s show those Barneys (that’d be me) how it’s done with some tubular tunes, and music that makes the drop. Shaka!

Album alert! We visited with Malibooz last year, A Malibu Kind of Christmas even got a shout out for an album of the year. These New Yorkers hit the chunder running in the ’60s, so they got the original sound.

Some of the album is wallpaper, or what i call the instrumental update on traditional Christmas carols.

More of the original songs (what i haven’t already featured), though, bear featuring, like the laconic “A Quiet Little Christmas,” the party sing-along “When Santa Comes to Santa Cruz,” the psychedelic “Seashells and Coral,” and the rocking parody “Rudy.”

Since i’m posting this one New Years Day, howevs, let’s back out with “And a Happy New Year.” Soft, soothing, like the afterglow by the bonfire.

Are you celebrating Christmas too early? You won’t find today on your advent calendar Because “Christmas Doesn’t Start in November.” Or ever for the punking Pablum. Cool song, tho.

Angry folk rock from Well Kept hates all civilization and Christmas, too. In “Advent Calendar” our pantomime of peace and love gets a beating.

Buy me an advent calendar, begins Camera Obscura’s “Footloose and Fancy Free,” a weird pop experiment with hockey organ and slide guitar. It’s about counting down to getting away, but not.

Not exactly cheering me, Cassie McMullin calls on how “Traditions Vary.” Plonking piano pop points out Our routines that give us cheer–Advent calendars or 25 movie nights. Almost accepting through the snidely whiplash.

Perking us up, Mark Fryars’s “(You Put the) Jingle in My Bell.” It’s a list of what you do for me (all Xmas related). It includes putting the advent in my calendar. Corny pop.

“December, Wherever Are You?” is a knockabout on both Xmas and Chanukah: Well I don’t get the advent calendar And eight straight nights is just crazy. Rocking pop (with a touch of Dylan) irony from Austin Weber.

Manger mammals didn’t go two-by-two, but other critters appear paired here.

[Plant sidebar: Federico Ramplona has happy electronica to spread out: Plenty room to spare A Christmas tree or two will be enough to “Decorate.” Salsa backbeat, humph.]

Look out! a saccharine sweet love song slipped in right here! Gemma Nicole does the plain piano lounge-bar pop to get across “Our First Christmas” in which was just us two turtle doves. Aww!

More? Like two turtle doves We’ll sit perfect together, judges Meeks in the steady beat of R+B in “Mistletoe for You.” Lots of mmmms in the lyrics.

Yeah, this is a thing. Two turtle doves, they call us, according to Ziki Hexum with some Motown pop in the swinging “This Christmas Kiss.”

Shantel Sole’ is waiting on her sweetie, wondering what you’re bringing–A turtle dove or two? Tangled R+B dreams of “Holidays with You.”

E8 Profilensemble warn about “Drunk Drivin’ Christmas.” See, leaving Chicago they hit and run a deer… Then the second deer appeared. Howling garage pop that gets you to Idaho, but Santa knows when you’re naughty…

Brandi Ediss was alone last Christmas, but “This Christmas Day” is different:
I’ve got a couch now! I’ve got two cats now! Except, maybe that’s not entirely true. Oh well, sprightly alt-pop.

In “A Gothic Christmas” Santa’s gonna wear a black vest… and slay a dragon or two. Lite metal rock sure is purdy. Within Temptation scores.

One theory during the pandemic was to “Cancel Christmas,” We could have two in 2021, at last so says Averi Quinn with some dandy rock riffs.

Jolly in his BLUE ALERT Young Respect enjoys his parents’ divorce: Two Christmas’ cuz I have split parents. But “Mommy Milk ‘n’ Cookies” is more about the sex than the swag. That’s a rap.

I know what you’re thinking, it’s just two days How bored can you really be? reasons the Jewish chanteuse Jordana Lilly (somehow calculating Xmas as Eve+Day) in the hilariously ironic “Xmas FOMO.” She swivels from murderous Santa to hunky Hasidic, so it all winds up just fine.

Singing about two holidays (okay, nine days total), Starry Mossbridge gets nearly bluesy with his pop “A Jewish Christmas.” With the right connections, the protagonist made bank, though he does admit these two will always collide. A sad but satisfying salute.

OneRepublic is coming home, finally … I missed Thanksgiving, missed a birthday or two. But one can only stand so many “Christmas Without You.” Blues pop.

Ever mindful of the countdown, Willie Dinardo & The Corporates begin “Piffmas Eve” Christmas Eve is two days away. But this silly dance/pop is all about the blunt, the bong, the smoke. Under the influence.

Also counting, Barnaby Bright wants to extinguish that “Star-Crossed Christmas.” Just a night or two until You’re sleeping next to me, they hope via pop music.

Such proximity can lead to panic. In the two days until then I don’t know what the hell I′m supposed to do, admits Sad House Guest with groovy mandolin rock/pop in their angsty “Moscow Mules.” They’re drinking to live, not living to drink.

Terri Clark forbears the rough holiday times [A two day drive, stuck inside with you singing in my car], but she aw-shucks countrifies her sentiment in the rollicking “Merry Christmas (Wherever in the World You Are).”

My family is two time zones away, groans Harvey Danger in the masterful psychedelic rock “Sometimes You Have to Work on Christmas.” You need to hear this one.

“Christmas is Coming (They Say),” but can you really wait/sleep ’til then? You wake up at midnight, then one, then you wake up and it′s only quarter to 2 a.m.Bouncy pop from Becca Steiner is more than kidsong, but can be served to all ages.

Get up now, time to go, No we don’t leave until two begins the misty rap of No More Saul in the scary “Christmas Nostalgia.” Childhood was the worst, right?

Fralphie Jenkins paints you a picture in the electronic slow dance of “2 A.M. Christmas Eve.” It’s a gutter-level family portrait of modern-age depravity. Dude, you’re drowning out the mouse-stirring.

That early can be a scary moment. Especially with the garage rock contrast of holiday and loss. Two A.M. on Christmas Eve You rejoice with angels as I grieve, moans Manic Drive in “December Mourning.” Harsh, though melodic.

What makes a Xmas presenter an “Indian Giver“? (yeah, that’s racist) According to Squirrel Nut Zippers Two hours later he wants it back! Rockabilly blues of the festive variety.

The Lost Connection tell a fabulous tale of a mysterious visitor and mysterious gift on Christmas Eve. How mysterious? I stood in silence for a minute or two, in response to it. “If Only (Pigs Could Fly at Christmas)” is prog rock, though with a bit too much sinister harmony. Still, props.

The Bingle Jells (feat. Andrew LLoyd Baughman) tune up the brass to jazz up the lite rock of “Latchkey Kid at Christmas.” How tough did that get? Mom left a note on the fridge It says ‘Dinner′s on the top shelf, heat it for 2 minutes I’ll see you later, working late tonight’. Sigh.