Lo-Fi Christmas

So things are on schedule for a November release of the 2x the Mono Christmas CD entitled: "Lo-Fi Christmas"

I began writing 2x the Mono Christmas songs six years ago in response to what I saw as a general humbug attitude towards Christmas.

Here is my humbug Christmas List:

1. People complaining that Christmas music all sounds the same and that the same old songs get sung over and over again.
2. People complaining that the season is too commercialized.
3. People complaining that Christmas is too expensive.
4. People complaining that the season is too religious.
5. People complaining that Christmas isn't religious enough.
6. People complaining that Christmas is too busy.
7. People complain, complain, complain...

I love Christmas time! It sounds cliche but it is my favourite time of the whole year. I'm like a little kid when it comes to Christmas presents. The feasting almost brings tears of joy to my eyes (in my family growing up not only did we have turkey with all the fixings, we would have traditional Ukrainian and Mennonite dishes as well). My tree is up for a good month and a half of every year. Spending time with family is an exciting marathon spread over an entire week. And all this is used to mark the birth of Jesus, a little taste of the heavenly celebration on Earth.

So how does one more Christmas CD answer the Humbug's complaints?:

1. Lo-Fi Christmas contains no covers or traditional songs. That's right I am adding to the Christmas Canon of Songs, giving you some new words and melodies to play in your iPod. I'm helping you fight off the mall's Christmas loop of jingle bells.
2. As for commercialization... I know my heart is in the right place making this album, but CDs aren't free to make so I'll be selling them for around $10 each (quite a deal I think).
3. Don't let Christmas be too expensive. If $10 is too much for a present, download one of my free songs on Myspace (along with all your other favourite indie bands) and make a mix CD with a hand made cover as a present. 2x the Mono will even have one Christmas song posted for you to download for free.
4. Christmas isn't religious it is irreligious, it has all the taboos in it and so does Lo-Fi Christmas. Take for example the slaughter of the innocents, a little talked about Christmas Story that is left out of the manger scene. Well never fear 2x the Mono doesn't leave such perplexing details out of the mix.
5. For those of you who think Christmas isn't religious enough, I don't quite know what to say? Christmas means "Messiah Church Service", that sounds pretty religious to me. I even kept the work Christmas in the album title.
6. To help not add to the busyness of Christmas, the Lo-Fi Christmas CD will be released in November.
7. If you feel the need to complain about something, don't take it out on Christmas, rather take it out on 2x the Mono. I would rather people said bad things about my music then nothing at all.

Like my father before me I am a Christmas Nut, and I hope that even if you are a humbug at heart that a little of my excitement about Christmas would spill out into your experience of the Holidays. If you are a music fan I hope you are able to appreciate the tunes all year round. My intent was to create music about Christmas in a way that wasn't just tied to December.