A Very Micah Christmas 2017

Rejoice! A Very Micah Christmas 2017 is *finally* here! Sorry it took me a little while to get this out to y'all. Work's been kicking this elf's butt. (The end is in sight, though!) Without further ado, this year Bing Crosby will be tap dancing with Danny Effin' Kaye to:

1. "Wintertime (The Snow Is Coming Down)" - Josh Ritter
2. "Going to Get the Tree" - Maxwell, Miranda, Parsley
3. "Christmas Is All Around" - Sleeping at Last
4. "I'm Not Ready For Christmas" - Chris Farren with Mae Whitman (Her?)
5. "Blue Christmas" - The Lumineers
6. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" - Little Hurricane
7. "Christmas Party" - The Dead Milkmen
8. "Christmas Don't Be Late" - Kacey Musgraves
9. "I Wouldn't Trade Christmas" - Frank Sinatra
10. "Christ Was Born on Christmas Morn" - Found Wandering
11. "Here Come Krampus!" - Dead Music Capital Band
12. "The Cookie Song" - Amanda Duncan
13. "That Spirit of Christmas" - Stacey Randol
14. "Glory" - Gungor
15. "Everything Is Cool" - John Prine
16. "Yule Tide Me Over" - The Minus 5
17. "I'll Be Your Santa Baby" - Rufus Thomas
18. "Whoa" - Matt Pond PA
19. "Angels We Have Heard on High" - Sarah McLachlan
20. "God Rest Ye" - Kaskade featuring Debra Fotheringham
21. "Silent Night" - Sugar & The Hi-Lows
22. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" - Coldplay
23. "Christmas Auld Lang Syne" - Bobby Darin
24. "New Year's Day" - Taylor Swift
25. "Jingle in the Jungle" - Bob's Burgers

Snag it here.

Streaming! It's the present and future. So here's the obligatory Spotify playlist...



However, not all songs I used are licensed for the service, so the only way to get the full AVMC experience is to download it. But this will do in a pinch.

The kids these days love their YouTubes, what with their hippin' and their hoppin' and their bippin' and their boppin', so new this year I created a YouTube playlist:



Watch it above or go here. Again, some songs are missing. *sigh*

Whew! Now that this is finally out in the world it's time for me to knock back a beer - preferably one that's appropriately seasonally spiced - and watch some Christmas episodes of The Office. I hope you enjoy this year's mix.

A Very Micah Christmas 2016

Shepherds, why this jubilee? Because I *finally* finished my annual Christmas mix! It's been an especially physically, emotionally, and spiritually draining season working at the Monolithic Online Retailer, but I still managed to put together some songs for your Yuletide enjoyment. At least I got it out there before Festivus.

This year you'll be grooving to:
1. "I Walk So Slow Under the Mistletoe" - Walter Martin & Kat Edmonson
2. "Christmas Sweaters" - Noah Glenn
3. "Holiday Road" - Tennis
4. "All I Want Is Truth (For Christmas)" - The Mynabirds
5. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" - Savoir Adore
6. "O Come All Ye Faithful" - Weezer
7. "Silver Bells" - She & Him
8. "A Willie Nice Christmas" - Kacey Musgraves with Willie Nelson
9. "Stay In" - Army Navy
10. "Christmas Clown" - The Rosebuds
11. "I'll Be Home on Christmas Day" - Elvis Presley
12. "The 12 Days of Christmas" - Straight No Chaser
13. "Fairytale of New York" - Clive Murray
14. "Christmas Is Holy" - John Wesley Harding
15. "O Holy Night" - Katie Melua
16. "White Winter Hymnal" - Birdy
17. "O Little Town of Bethlehem" - Kyle Cox
18. "A Snowflake Fell (And It Felt Like a Kiss)" - Glasvegas
19. "Stille Nache, Heilige Nacht" - Vienna Boys' Choir
20. "Joy to the World" - Eef Barzelay

You can snag it here.

However, I realize that streaming is the cool, hip thing to do, so I give to you the mix in Spotify playlist form:



Note: the playlist is missing three or four songs from the downloadable version, so you won't be getting the full AVMC experience. Such is life.

Okay, this worker elf is off to bed. I hope you like the mix. Merry Christmas!

A Very Micah Christmas 2015

It's been a different, much busier Christmas season for me this year. As such, I didn't have much time to devote to A Very Micah Christmas (or this blog, for that matter), but it's done! While I didn't put the usual blood, sweat, and eggnog into it that I normally do, I didn't half ass it either. I'll have you know I used *at least* three quarters of my ass.

So what's on tap for this year's edition? I'm glad you asked:

1. "This Year" - Tony Thaxton
2. "All I Want For Christmas Is You" - Samson Trinh & The Upper East Side Big Band with Laura Ann Singh
3. "Holiday P.D.A. (Underneath the Mistletoe)" - Matty Ride
4. "O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree" - Brooke Waggoner
5. "I Pray on Christmas" - Harry Connick, Jr.
6. "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" - The Brian Setzer Orchestra
7. "Holiday in L.A." - Band of Merrymakers
8. "Christmas Is Coming" - The Muppets
9. "Christmas Pics" - Barenaked Ladies
10. "Like a Gift From God or Whatever" - Chris Farren with Jenny Owen Youngs
11. "Mistletoe" - American Youth
12. "Hanukkah Dance" - Woody Guthrie
13. "Christmas TV" - Slow Club
14. "Last Month of the Year" - The Blind Boys of Alabama
15. "My Favorite Things" - Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra
16. "New Year's Resolution" - Otis Redding & Carla Thomas
17. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" - Bill Murray & Jenny Lewis
18. "Winter Weather" - Joe Williams & Harry "Sweets" Edison
19. "Ding Dong! Merrily on High" - The George Shearing Quintet
20. "Boots" - The Killers
21. "The Song the Season Brings" - Beta Radio
22. "Mvmt IV, 'Every Bell on Earth Will Ring'" - The Oh Hellos
23. "Silent Night" - Odessa

You can snag it here.

But that's not all! If you act now you can stream (most of) it on Spotify:

Per usual, you're not getting the full experience there, what with it leaving out seven songs. But sometimes convenience trumps completeness.

And that's that about that. I hope you enjoy this year's mix. Merry Christmas! I'm going to take a nap now.

A Very Micah Christmas 2014

Finally ready for public consumption is my Christmas mix for this year. It’s got grooves! It’s got reverence! It’s got Rachael Ray forever linked to a crushing sensation of holiday melancholy!

For your streaming convenience, I put my mix into Spotify, but they don't have licenses to all of the songs. What you see is what you get:



The full A Very Micah Christmas 2014 experience goes a little like this:

1. "Christmas in the City" - Nick D' & The Believers
2. "Angels We Have Heard on High" - Quiet Company
3. "I Know What You're Doing for Christmas" - Nerina Pallot
4. "Snow Falls Down" - Good Old War
5. "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" - Citizens & Saints
6. "Every Day's a Holiday" - Piney Gir
7. "A Wonderful Christmas Time" - Jon Windle
8. "Countdown to Christmas" - Glam Chops
9. "Must Be Santa" - Bob Dylan
10. "Up on the Housetop" - The Gospel Whiskey Runners
11. "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" - Scott Bradlee & Postmodern Jukebox
12. "I Don't Need No Santa Claus" - Fiction Family
13. "Jingle Bells" - Ben Rector
14. "Christmas Threw Up All Over You" - April Smith & The Great Picture Show
15. "Best Kind of Friend" - Christabel and The Jons
16. "Santa Have Mercy" - CALICO the Band
17. "Lumberjack Christmas/No One Can Save You From Christmases Past" - Sufjan Stevens
18. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" - 8mm
19. "Joy to the World" - Andrew Ripp
20. "Christmas Party" - Dr. Dog
21. "Christmas at the Airport" - Nick Lowe
22. "The Smile of Rachael Ray" - David Mead
23. "Daniela Andrade - "Santa Baby"
24. "Away in a Manger" - The Innocence Mission
25. "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)" - matt pond PA
26. "Silent Night" - Branches
27. "Last Day of the Year" - Loudon Wainwright III
28. Surprise!

I have not yet uploaded the entire mix yet. If you want it, give me a gentle prod!

Do they know it's still Christmas?

Well, we're winding down 2013 and I'm *finally* putting this year's edition of A Very Micah Christmas up. Too late? Maybe. But Epiphany isn't until January 6th, so you still have a few days of guilt-free enjoyment.

I put all of the songs into a Spotify playlist - well, all that were available on the service - and you can stream it below:



But that's only part of the story. The full experience includes the following songs:

1. "Flannel Sheets" - Good Night, States
2. "Silent Night" - Nick Lowe
3. "Twinkle (Little Christmas Lights)" - JD McPherson
4. "(Don't Call Me) Mrs. Christmas" - Emmy the Great & Tim Wheeler
5. "Underneath the Tree" - Kelly Clarkson
6. "She Wants It All" - Jumbled
7. "Deck the Halls" - 11 Acorn Lane
8. "Christmas at the Ale House" - The Irish Rovers
9. "You'll Never Find My Christmas" - Bishop Allen
10. "Breaking the Ice" - Samantha Crain
11. "Krampus" - Houndmouth
12. "Go Tell It on the Mountain" - Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors
13. "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" - Colorfair
14. "We Three Kings" - Mark Lanegan
15. "Sugar Cookie" - Sugar & The Hi-Lows
16. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" - Lyle Lovett with Kat Edmonson
17. "Blink Before Christmas" - Phil Moore & The Phil Moore Four
18. "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" - Leigh-Ann Eshleman
19. "Angels We Have Heard on High" - Beta Radio
20. "Can I Interest You in Hanukkah?" - Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart
21. "A Winter Romance" - Dean Martin
22. "Winter Wonderland" - Louis Armstrong
23. "The Christmas Song" - Frank Sinatra
24. "Merry Christmas from Scotland (Lulled with a Stiff Drink)" - Laurie Cameron
25. "Joy" - Tracey Thorn
26. "That Leaf Sure Is Heavy, But You Have to Turn It Over" - Listener & Dust
27. Surprise!

You can snag them all here. Happy listening!

O Holy NighTunes

Well, my merry little friends, Christmas is nigh and that means it's time for me to shove some Yuletide music deep into your earholes. This is the thirteenth edition of my mix, so most of the old chestnuts that you hear year in and year out have already been included at one point or another. If these songs are new to you, hopefully you'll dig them. And if you don't, then just wait until next year, you ingrate.

1. "Home for the Holidays" - Emmy the Great & Tim Wheeler
2. "Santa Stole My Lady" - Fitz & the Tantrums
3. "Party Hard" - Zach Gill
4. "The Christmas Song Song" - Rocky and Balls
5. "Winter Night" - Little & Ashley
6. "Angels We Have Heard on High" - Sufjan Stevens
7. "Get Down for the Holidays" - Jenny O.
8. "Beautiful Star of the East" - How to Throw a Christmas Party
9. "I'll Be Home for Christmas" - Dean Martin & Scarlett Johansson
10. "What the Hell (It's the Holidays)" - Joey + Rory
11. "Who Needs Mistletoe" - Julie Roberts
12. "Silver Bells" - Raul Malo
13. "What Will Santa Claus Say?" - Christabel and the Jons
14. "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow" - Regis Philbin
15. "Zat You, Santa Claus?" - Buster Poindexter
16. "Christmas Smorgasbord" - The Swedish Chef
17. "The Christmas Goose" - The Oxford Waits with the Mellstock Band
18. "Ring of Hannukah" - Paul F. Tompkins
19. "All I Want For Christmas Is You" - Mike Viola and the Candy Butchers
20. "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" - Butch Walker
21. "Toy Jackpot" - Blackalicious
22. "Christmas All Over This Town" - The Plimptons
23. "George Bailey" - Carolyn Sills
24. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" - The Avalanches
25. "Sleigh Ride" - She & Him
26. "White Christmas" - Otis Redding
27. "Adeste Fideles" - Frank Sinatra
28. "Always in the Season" - Pomplamoose
29. surprise!

Grab a .rar file of all of these songs here. Enjoy!

(And if you're jonesin' for more Christmas goodness - including past editions of A Very Micah Christmas - do check out my other blog, creatively titled A Very Micah Christmas.)

Silent nighTunes

As we rush headlong into Christmas week, I figured it was the right time to unleash this year's A Very Micah Christmas mix upon your precious, little ears. This being my twelfth year of making these mixes, I've pretty much exhausted all of the Lite 98 December staples, so enjoy some less familiar takes on your old favorites, as well as some great Yuletide originals.

Without further ado, here is the soundtrack to your seasonal anxiety disorder:

1. "Everybody Wants to See the Lights" - Kevin McKinney
2. "Darlin' (Christmas Is Coming)" - Over the Rhine
3. "Winter Wonderland" - Dean Martin
4. "O Tannenbaum/We Wish You a Merry Christmas" - Liberace
5. "It Snowed" - Meaghan Smith
6. "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" - Big Al Carson with Lars Edegran and His Santa Claus Revelers
7. "Believe in Me" - fun.
8. "I Wish It Was Christmas Today" - Julian Casablancas
9. "Christmas Party" - The Sweptaways
10. "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" - C.W. Morris
11. "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" - Frank Sinatra
12. "When the Leaves" - Ingrid Michaelson
13. "There Are Worse Things to Believe In" - Stephen Colbert and Elvis Costello
14. "Grateful For Christmas" - Hayes Carll
15. "White Christmas" - Jamie Randolph
16. "In the Bleak Midwinter" - Paper Route
17. "Away in a Manger" - Hyperbubble
18. "Fruitcake" - The Superions
19. "Up on the House Top" - The Jackson 5
20. "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" - Wizzard
21. "Party Hard" - Little Isadore
22. "Pour Another Ounce of Rum in the Eggnog" - Heather Blush and the Uppercuts
23. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" - Jo Stafford
24. "I Yust Go Nuts at Christmas" - Yogi Yorgesson
25. "Year End Letter" - Garfunkel & Oates
26. "Auld Lang Syne" - Pink Martini
27. You'll see

Grab an .rar file of the mix here.

Jonesin' for more festive goodness from Christmas past? The last few AVMCs can be found here, here, and here. My goal for 2011 is to put digital copies of all of my previous ones up on their own blog. I won't get to it right away, but keep checking throughout the year.

Merry Christmas to all! And to all, RAWK!

Angels we have heard on highTunes

Just in time for you to be snowed in this weekend*, I've lovingly tucked your favorite aural Christmas tradition into your virtual stocking. This is the eleventh edition of A Very Micah Christmas that I've compiled and by now most of the tried and true classics have been used. But hopefully you'll find some new favorites among the older chestnuts.

Presenting the soundtrack to your holiday enchantment:

1. "Your Christmas Whiskey" - The Minus 5
2. "Let It Snow" - Luscious Jackson
3. "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" - Weezer
4. "(Let's Have a) Patrick Swayze Christmas" - Joel and the Bots
5. "Frosty the Snowman" - Ella Fitzgerald
6. "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" - Barry Manilow
7. "Christmas Night in Harlem" - Louis Armstrong
8. "Blue Christmas" - Dean Martin
9. "Hard Candy Christmas" - Leigh Nash
10. "Fairytale of New York" - The Priestess and the Fool
11. "Santa Can't Stay" - Dwight Yoakam
12. "Christmas All Over Again" - Butch Walker and Taryn Manning
13. "Santa Baby" - The Hot Toddies
14. "Christmas Medley" - Pee-wee Herman
15. "Christmas with the Jews" - Elizabeth & the Catapult
16. "The Chanukah Song" - Neil Diamond
17. "Dreidl-Bells" - DJ Flack
18. "Come All Ye Faithful" - Halford
19. "The Christmas Song" - Redd Foxx
20. "Maybe This Christmas" - Ron Sexsmith
21. "Jolly Old St. Nicholas" - Eddy Arnold
22. "Christmas Don't Be Late" - Jessie Torrisi
23. "Present Face" - Garfunkel & Oates
24. "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth" - C.W. Morris
25. "We Three Kings" - Spinal Tap
26. "Luau in December" - King Kukulele & the Friki Tikis
27. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" - Carmen McRae & Sammy Davis, Jr.
28. "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" - Julie London
29. "White Christmas" - Frank Sinatra
30. "Oíche Chiúin" - Enya
31. "Auld Lang Syne" - Billy Idol
32. For me to know and you to find out!

Grab an .rar file of the mix here.

Some thanks: my brother for track #24 (an older recording had to be used because his Mac/recording studio was broken), my nephew Hunter for help with a secret related project, and the fine folks at Patrick Henry Pub for the CD release party

Want more Yuletide audio goodness? The past couple of years of mixes can be found here and here.

*For those in Richmond, at least.

mistleTunes and Holly

I've strung the last bit of tinsel on this year's edition of A Very Micah Christmas and now a big, warm mugful of Christmas music is ready for download. Like usual, it was a lot of fun to put together. Since I've been doing this for nine years now, a lot of the seasonal standards have already been used, but luckily new classics seem to come out every year.

Songs that you'll (hopefully) be enjoying this Yule:

1. "White Winter Hymnal" - Fleet Foxes
2. "It's Beginning To Look Like Christmas" - Shane & Shane
3. "All My Bells Are Ringing" - Lenka
4. "Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer" - Dean Martin
5. "Let It Snow" - A Fine Frenzy
6. "The Christmas Song" - The Raveonettes
7. "Wake Up! It's Christmas!" - C.W. Morris
8. "It's Christmas So We'll Stop" - Frightened Rabbit
9. "Why Can't It Be Christmastime All Year" - Rosie Thomas
10. "Jingle Bells" - Rev. Horton Heat
11. "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" - Dustin Kensrue
12. "Toy Packaging" - Sara Groves
13. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" - C.W. & Laura Morris
14. "Holly Jolly Christmas" - Bon Voyage
15. "A Cold, Cold Christmas" - Stephen Colbert
16. "River" - Sixpence None The Richer
17. "Home For The Holidays" - Perry Como
18. "It Really Is (A Wonderful Life)" - Mindy Smith
19. "Are You Coming Over For Christmas?" - Belle and Sebastian
20. "Winter Wonderland" - Ella Fitzgerald
21. "I'll Be Home For Christmas" - Tony Bennett
22. "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm (Psapp's Lady Remix)" - Les Brown And His Band Of Renown
23. "We Three Kings Of Orient Are" - Stan Kenton
24. "O Come All Ye Faithful" - Faith Hill
25. "Silent Night" - Frank Sinatra
26. "My Dear Acquaintance (A Happy New Year)" - Regina Spektor
27. a surprise!

Conveniently grab a .zip file of the whole shebang here.

I'd love to hear what you think of this Christmas mix. Go ahead...leave a comment.

Unlike last year, I got off of my duff and actually tagged the songs correctly so that they will appear as one album when loaded into your iTunes, iPod, or what have you. Also, all songs are in mp3 format (you're welcome, Zune owners), but the volume level varies from track to track. Sorry 'bout that.

I'd like to thank my nephew Hunter for his invaluable assistance in helping me with the CD artwork and my brother and sister-in-law for their contributions (tracks 7 & 13). Friends and locals should recognize some of the imagery in the former song.

Unfortunately, my contacts - or I should say spydrz's contacts - at the Corner Cafe have dried up, so there currently aren't any plans for the usual "CD release party." But if you have access to a bar or restaurant's PA system, hook me up and I'll give you a CD and my gratitude.

ding dong merrily on highTunes

This years's "A Very Micah Christmas" mix is finished and mailed out, but a couple of people on my "Nice List" have not yet received it. In order for those unlucky souls to enjoy these songs on Christmas, I figured that I'd put the whole album up online. So, without further ado, here is the tracklisting:

1. "Holiday Road" - Matt Pond PA
2. "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" - Aimee Mann
3. "Mr. Heatmiser" - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
4. "Christmas Tree on Fire" - Holly Golightly
5. "A New Baby For Christmas" - George Jones
6. "Please, Daddy (Don't Get Drunk This Christmas)" - John Denver
7. "Little Donkey" - The Boy Least Likely To
8. "O Little Town of Bethlehem" - Nat King Cole
9. "Mele Kalikimaka" - Chris Isaak
10. "Jingle Bell Rock" - Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass
11. "Christmas Is Going to the Dogs" - Eels
12. "Christmas in Killarney" - Bing Crosby
13. "Fairytale of New York" - Stars
14. "This Christmas I Spend With You" - Robert Goulet
15. "Christmas Is All Around" - Billy Mack
16. "The Christmas Massacre of Charlie Brown" - DJ John
17. "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town" - Eddy Arnold
18. "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" - Dean Martin
19. "Hibernation Day" - Jars of Clay
20. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" - Leon Redbone & Zooey Deschanel
21. "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" - Mindy Smith
22. "The Christmas Waltz" - Frank Sinatra
23. "Wonderful Christmastime" - Tom McRae
24. "Silent Night" - Sinead O'Connor
25. "Auld Lang Syne (December 24th)" - C.W. Morris
26. "Christmas Commercial" - John Baker

You can download them all in one compressed file here.

Keep in mind that the mp3 and AAC files are not tagged to play in the correct order (or even grouped in the same "album"), so you'll have to arrange them yourself if you burn them to disc or put them in a playlist.