I've wanted to do this for a long time, and I've decided this is the year I actually do it. I'm putting out a Christmas compilation, and I want all my friends to be on it.
Let me back up a little. I know it's kind of weird, but I like Christmas music. A lot of it, anyways. It might be because from a young age I associated it with things like making decorations out of construction paper, being out of school, eating cookies, drinking hot chocolate out of a santa mug, and getting presents. It might have more to do with them feeling fleetingly special, like that big warm coat you only get to wear when it's really cold.
Of course, if you've ever worked in retail, or any business open to the public during the Holiday season, you've probably grown sick of the same old songs. I've been there too. So let's make a bunch of music that no one is sick of yet.
So here's the deal. Hans from Pleasant Screams has agreed to work with me to put out a cassette. It seems important to me to put it out in some kind of physical form, not just a download. Probably because I want to be able to gift wrap it and give it everyone as a present. Vinyl is too expensive and takes too long. And I'll be honest and say I just don't want to put out a CD. We'll figure out a way to make it downloadable too.
Now, on to the fun stuff/important stuff:
1. Pretty much anything goes. Originals are strongly encouraged. Putting out a comp with all original songs would be amazing. But, time is limited, and there's a billion good songs out there already, so traditional and cover songs will also be great. Oh and of course! You don't have to do a song about the "Christian" Christmas. Winter, Hanukkah, Solstice, Kwanzaa - if it takes place in December, it's probably good. Sing about Santa. Sing about a snowman or a reindeer. Sing about Krampus. Maybe don't sing about Black Peter, though.
2. This is a tape that will be cheap or free (see below) so fidelity does not need to be your number one concern. We will try and level everything out so it all sounds good together on the tape. But don't be a nerd about it. Record on your computer, record on a boom box, or I guess go ahead and book some studio time and turn in something totally pro. The point is, this is for fun so have fun with it. We all know more than a few folks who are pretty good at home recording, so if you can't manage it yourself, ask a pal. Or if you're one of those folks who likes recording others, and you have some time, maybe volunteer.
3. Back to the free thing. Tapes seems to be pretty cheap to put out. Unless there's some hidden fees I'm missing, I'll probably pay for this whole thing myself and give them out for free. I'm not in any bands, and putting out physical copies of things is something I've always wanted to do, so I'm willing to pay for it just to say I did it. If I'm wrong and it ends up costing more than I thought, I might accept donations. If it really gets out of hand I guess I might sell some to cover the cost. I don't think that will happen. I also have to work this out with Hans. Basically what I'm saying is I don't think the bands are getting any money, but they will get at least one copy per member, or maybe more depending on how many songs we get and how many tapes we end up making. It won't be a lot.
4. If you're planning on doing a traditional song or a cover, let me know, so bands don't end up doubling up. Though I guess if there's more than one band/person that really want to do the same song I'll let whoever submits the song first have it. I don't want someone to call it and then not follow through. If for some reason there's more than one version of a song, I guess I'll hold onto it and hope for a volume 2.
5. You don't have to be in an existing band to record and submit. I'd love to have songs from all my favorite bands in town, but I know it can be hard to figure out schedules to write and record sometimes. So record something yourself under your own name, or put together a band just for one song, or whatever. The more the merrier.
6. I want to fill this thing with good music, but try and keep it to one song per band. That doesn't neccesarily mean one song per person, though.
6. I want to fill this thing with good music, but try and keep it to one song per band. That doesn't neccesarily mean one song per person, though.
7. In order to make sure we have enough time for duplication by the holiday season, all songs have to be complete and SUBMITTED by October 31st, 2014. I know it's probably hard to get in the winter frame of mind when it's 100 degrees out. Just pump the AC and burn a pine-scented candle and you should be good to go.
