Trans-Siberian strives to outdo itself
»

Last year, the guitarist and singer Greg Lake - of the pioneering prog-rock act Emerson Lake & Palmer - came out to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s visually spectacular Christmas show.
Afterward, Lake had one simple question for TSO founder Paul O’Neill: “How are you going to beat this next year?”
O’Neill, in a late October interview, recalled […]

Christmas Music


XM starts Xmas channels
»

Satellite radio network XM has begun transmitting six channels for Christmas music, ready for the festive season. XM’s first station, named Holly, will play contemporary holiday hits till New Years Day. Additional channels will launch later this month..
The extra channels include XM’s Radio Hanukkah, the first-ever national broadcast channel devoted exclusively to Jewish Culture, which […]

Christmas Music


American Idol’s Mandisa Rings In The Holiday With Christmas EP
»

After a highly successful label debut with “True Beauty,” American Idol’s own MANDISA will be celebrating the season with her Christmas EP featuring four tracks available digitally today and in stores nationwide November 20th just in time for the holidays. “Christmas Joy EP” will feature classics “Joy to the World” and “O Holy Night” […]

Christmas Music

Mannheim Steamroller breaks out the ‘Christmas Song’
»

New Age composer Chip Davis has mapped out plans for Mannheim Steamroller [ tickets ]’s 23rd annual holiday tour.
The multi-media concert extravaganza will visit a dozen cities in the West and Midwest beginning Nov. 20 in Boise, ID, and is scheduled to wrap Dec. 26 in Davis’ hometown of Omaha, NE. Details are listed below.
Fans […]

Christmas Music


Novelty Christmas song, zoo linked for 50 years
»

Certainly in the 100 years of Oklahoma’s past, there have been events in which citizens demonstrated character and heroism that propelled them to a place in history. In other circumstances it was the event itself that mattered, carving a niche into which a prominent Oklahoman slipped. Whether through design or chance, those individuals and those […]

Christmas Music


Christ Church Goes Christmas Caroling by Julie Straehle
»

Last month, Christ Episcopal Church in Garden City revived the custom of neighborhood Christmas caroling. In the late afternoon of Sunday, December 17th, a merry group of 15 parishioners went forth from the church. They sang and strolled along the streets, bringing holiday happiness as they serenaded their parish neighbors in the true spirit […]

Christmas Music

Handbells are ringing when church choir performs
»

Think of handbells and often Christmas music comes to mind, most likely the popular “Carol of the Bells.”
Emmanuel Lutheran Church, in Murrysville, supports a handbell program that not only performs for Christmas services, but also throughout the year during services. In addition, handbell choir members also like to perform outside the church setting in formats […]

Christmas Music


On Radio: All-Christmas format is a ratings gift for KRWM-FM, boosting it to first
»

Why do stations resort to stunts like playing nothing but Christmas music from Thanksgiving to the big day?
Because they often work.
Just ask KRWM-FM (106.9), which rode its all-Christmas format to first place in the fall quarter ratings book for Seattle-Tacoma, according to Arbitron Inc. It had been fourth in the summer-quarter book.
Interestingly, the all-Christmas format […]

Christmas Music


Chichon conducts Vienna’s most famous Christmas concert
»

Local conductor Karel Mark Chichon recently conducted the “Christmas in Vienna” concert to great acclaim, which was held on 22 December 2006 at the 2,500 capacity Vienna Konzerthaus.
“Christmas in Vienna” is considered the most important and famous concert in Vienna during Christmas. In recent past concerts it has featured some of the world’s greatest artists, […]

Christmas Music, Christmas News


Christmas music fills airwaves
»

If you’re a fan of the Harry Simeon Chorale, Burl Ives or Bing Crosby - or just a faithful listener of “O Come All Ye Faithful” - you’ve got to be excited about all the Christmas music now available on Peoria radio.
This year we’ve got stations at both ends of the dial that have been […]

Christmas Music, Christmas News


McFly set their sights on Christmas Number One
»

THE boys of McFly are captured above as they film scenes for the video of their new single.
The rock band, which includes Bolton-born Danny Jones, are still celebrating the success of their Top 10 album, Motion In the Ocean, and most recent chart-topping single, Star Girl.
But they are now looking towards the coveted Christmas Number […]

Christmas Music, Christmas News


Rock band has become Christmas tradition
»

In 1996, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra created the closest thing to a Christmas music phenomenon that the post-baby-boomer generation has ever seen.
“Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24,” a nearly bombastic reworking of “Carol of the Bells” with symphony, synthesizer and heavy-metal guitar, became a hit and has since become a perennial favorite.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra guitarist Al Pitrelli says that one […]

Christmas Music, Christmas News


WRRM’s holiday delay pays off
»

Christmas came four weeks late for WRRM-FM (98.5), but folks there aren’t complaining.
The soft rock station - which held off playing Christmas music until after Thanksgiving, at the listeners’ request - jumped to third place in fall Arbitron ratings released last week.
WVMX-FM (MIX 94.1), which launched holiday tunes on Nov. 7, saw its audience share […]

Christmas Music, Christmas News


Downloads hit Christmas peak
»

Christmas 2005 saw a new record set for downloaded music - with the last week of the year seeing more than 20m music tracks downloaded and paid for by US customers - three-times higher than the 2004 figure.
This compares to the previous record set the week before Christmas of 9.5m downloads - suggesting a lot […]

Christmas Music, Christmas News, Christmas Shopping


The Greatest Christmas Songs of All Time
»

During this holiday season many of you will be attending gatherings or shopping at malls where in the background will be the continuous drone of holiday music. I myself recently attended a Christmas party where everyone was subjected to the continuous repeat of a holiday compilation album being played in the stereo (that is until […]

Christmas Music, Christmas News

Turn a deaf ear to those auditory assaults
»

It’s a couple of weeks after Christmas, but the auditory assault, courtesy of Britney Spears, is still fresh in Emily Marchino ’s mind.
Marchino, who works at clothing store New York & Company at Merle Hay Mall, had to listen to one music tape (sent from headquarters) during every eight-hour shift she worked — for about […]

Christmas Music, Christmas News


Holiday tunes set mood
»

My mother is one of those mothers who begins playing Christmas music on Thanks giving and that is all she will let enter the stereo for the next month. Buy a new CD on Dec. 6 and want to listen to it in her car? Forgettaboutit.
Nothing enters her CD player save Reader’s Digest Christmas, Mannheim […]

Christmas Music, Christmas News


Christmas trees, a seasonal affair
»

It’s probably fair to say that Christmas tree farming is a pretty seasonal business. It’s also an industry where the existence of small independents is under threat.
“I’m psychic — let me guess — you want to buy a Christmas tree,” says Robert Mandry, owner of the tree farm set up by his father Maurice in […]

Christmas Music, Christmas News

The greatest Christmas songs of all time
»

During this holiday season many of you will be attending gatherings or shopping at malls where in the background will be the continuous drone of holiday music. I myself recently attended a Christmas party where everyone was subjected to the continuous repeat of a holiday compilation album being played in the stereo (that is until […]

Christmas Music, Christmas News

Setzer rocks this town, Christmas style
»

New Christmas tradition: Buy tree before all the ones on the lot have turned to mulch. Second new tradition: See Brian Setzer’s annual holiday show and revel in ensuing joyful spirit.
What an awesome way to usher in the holidays. Last night’s Brian Setzer Orchestra Christmas show at the House of Blues would have annihilated anyone’s […]

Christmas Music, Christmas News


Christmas music blitzkrieg hits
»

Let’s see.
There’s Dasher and Dancer.
And Prancer and Vixen.
Comet and Cupid.
And Donner and a Christmas-music blitzkrieg.
But do you recall, the last time you heard a non-Christmas song at all?
Ask Jim Herring, program director at WGRQ 95.9 FM radio in Fredericksburg, when it’s too early to start playing Christmas music on the air, and he’ll tell […]

Christmas Music, Christmas News


Emmylou Harris makes Christmas connection in L.A
»

Greeting cards sell in abundance during December, as many use the holiday as a means to reconnect with people from their past.
In that spirit, Emmylou Harris reconnected with a seasonal album from her own past Monday at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, but the show touched on deeper connections at multiple levels.
Her “Light of the […]

Christmas Music, Christmas News


The most annoying Christmas music of all time
»

Holiday music of the past few decades generally falls into two categories: remakes of classics and novelty tunes. The latter of which, played in proper sequence by CIA interrogators, would in all likelihood end the war on terror.
So don’t say we didn’t warn you. If you don’t want these “Oh Holy Nightmares” dancing around in […]

Christmas Music, Christmas News

Snowball effect for Christmas music, radio stations
»

Ears and cash registers are ringing non-stop to Silver Bells, Jingle Bells and other sounds of the season now that the annual flurry of Christmas albums has grown into a blizzard.
One reason is the expanding trend of radio-format flips to all-Christmas music. As of Friday, 275 stations nationwide had made the swap, according to 1000watts.com, […]

Christmas Music, Christmas News


And the Christmas No 1 is … a part-time Mansfield girls’ choir?
»

They are up against multi-million pound campaigns from world-famous acts including Robbie Williams, Crazy Frog and the eventual winner of ITV’s talent show The X Factor.
On the face of it, a part-time girls’ choir from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, should stand no chance of snatching the coveted Christmas No. 1 slot in two weeks’ time.
But Cantamus - […]

Christmas Music, Christmas News