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!

My Autumn Mix 2010

Okay, so I wanted to get this up quite a while back, but real life got in the way. So think of it as sort of an appetizer for next month's A Very Micah Christmas.

Not everything on this year's Autumn Mix is available for streaming, so the rest are here (YouTube links where available):

The Mysteries of Life - "I Need To Know Where I Stand"
Eels - "I Like the Way This Is Going"
John Doe & the Sadies - "(Now and Then There's) A Fool Such As I"
Devon Sproule - "Don't Hurry For Heaven"
Cotton Jones - "Somehow To Keep It Going"
Dave Van Ronk - Cocaine Blues"
Elvis Costello - "The Comedians (Demo)"
John Wesley Harding - "Be With Him"
Karen Kilgariff - "Look At Your Phone/Jesus (Live)"
Sara Schiralli - "Bang Bang"
Belle & Sebastian with Norah Jones - Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John"
Katie Melua - "A Moment of Madness"
Crowded House - "Even If"
Odds - "The Last Drink"

Other seasonal mixes of mine can be found here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and Doctor.

My Summer Mix 2010

Man, it's hot out there. Who's up for some cool tunes?

Some songs on this year's summer mix aren't available for streaming above, so the rest are here (YouTube links provided when available):

Mates of State - "Second Hand News"
The Sundays - "Summertime"
Brenda Kahn - "Mint Juleps and Needles"
Kate Nash - "Kiss That Grrrl"
Lucky Soul - "Love3"
Madeleine Peyroux - "Was I?"
Dwight Yoakam - "Train in Vain"
Elizabeth Cook - "El Camino"
Merle Haggard - "Mexican Bands"

Other seasonal mixes of mine can be found here, here, here, here, here, here, and Doctor.

My Spring Mix 2010

Last weekend I mowed the lawn for the first time this year, so that must mean it's also time for my Spring Mix.

Not all of the songs on this spring's mix are available for streaming above, so the rest are here (YouTube links provided when available):

The Innocence Mission - "And Hiding Away"
King Missile - "My Heart Is a Flower"
Jason Lytle - "Ghost of My Old Dog"
Caedmon's Call - "Bus Driver"
This Picture - "Naked Rain"
Discovery - "I Want You Back (In Discovery)"
The RiffTones - "Sparkly Vampires"
Clem Snide - "Denver"
Frightened Rabbit - "Fun Stuff"

Other seasonal mixes of mine can be found here, here, here, here, here, and Doctor.

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.

My Spring Mix 2009

Spring: a time of rebirth, renewal, and another mix tape from me!

It appears that imeem is now limiting it's songs to 30 seconds each, so I decided to move on to playlist.com. (You can check out some of my other seasonal mixes here, here, and here.)

Unfortunately, I couldn't find all of the songs that I put on the CD on playlist.com. The following (with YouTube links, when available) are the missing songs:

John Wesley Harding - "Top of the Bottom"
Butch Walker - "Going Back/Going Home"
Sondre Lerche - "Human Hands"
Delta Spirit - "Tomorrow Goes Away"
Flight of the Conchords - "Carol Brown"
Anya Marina - "Waters of March (Aguas de Marco)"
Fascinoma - "I'm Walking This Road Because You Stole My Car (Don't Go)"
Harrod & Funck - "Moment Before the Last"
Jude - "Cuba"
John Prine - "Day Is Done"
Tim Easton - "I Would Have Married You"

Enjoy!

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.