It’s been said that Christmas and Punk Rock go together like sunshine and darkness. There is something downright appealing about opposites attracting… and about the musical spirit of rebellion embracing timeless traditions, even if it is to parody, satirize, and spit in their eyes.
Check out this playlist of alternative artists covering heartfelt holiday classics. You will probably smile, you might laugh and… perhaps even get a tear in your eye… or some spit…
When you think about it, slam dancing, moshing and crowd surfing are A LOT like holiday gift shopping. They both involve bodies slamming together, abandonment of personal boundaries and throwing safety to the wind.
Tracklisting:
Blue Christmas (Ho-Ho Let’s Go!)- Ethan Luck
Merry Christmas, Baby (Please Don’t Die)- Crocodiles & Dum Dum Girls
Run Run Rudolph – The Dollyrots
Away in a Manger- Hyperbubble
Jingle Bells- X
Silver Bells- The Yobs
Little Drummer Boy- The Tumbleweed Pimps
I Won’t Be Home For Xmas- Blink 182
Feliz Navidad- Billy Ruffian with Mike Chavez Dawson
All I Want for Christmas Is You- The Dollyrots
O Come All Ye Faithful- Weezer
Its A Holiday- Love Crushed Velvet
Loveable local heroes, The Dollyrots, make two appearances with the raucous, “Run, Run Rudolph”, and “All I Want For Christmas Is You”. Billy Ruffian channels Johnny Rotten on “Feliz Navidad” and the legendary X sounds so surprisingly homey with their rendition of “Jingle Bells” that you might want to sing along. Blink 182 laments the stress and hustle of “the happiest time of the year”, Weezer turns “O Come All Ye Faithful” into a Ska infused Punk sendup and The Yobs put lots of attitude on “Silver Bells”– the only holiday song I can think of that has the “C” word in it. What can I say- these ain’t your mothers Christmas carols.