Songs of the season with a local flavor
With the financial hit small businesses are taking due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people are being encouraged to shop local even more than usual this holiday season.
Here’s a chance to listen local.
As a sequel to the quarantine playlists I made back in March when this whole coronavirus thing started, I created “An Ohio Christmas,” 26 holiday songs that all have ties to the Buckeye State. The overwhelming majority features musicians who currently or once called the Mahoning Valley home.
The playlist is shared publicly on Spotify though my agray-ticket account.
There should be something here for everyone to love, from rock to R&B to country to standards. That also means that not everyone will love everything. That’s the risk of creating a playlist driven by geography over genre.
The song selections are limited a bit by what’s available on Spotify. The opening track, John Koury’s “Christmastime in Painesville,” is one of my favorite Christmas songs period, no “local” qualifier needed. It originally appeared as a hidden bonus track on Slack Jaw’s 1995 CD “Father Misery,” and that’s the version I prefer (mainly because it’s the one I knew first).
However, it’s not on Spotify, so the playlist kicks off with the version Koury recorded as a member of Deadbeat Poets.
One of the most successful vocalists to emerge from the area, Grammy nominee and Broadway star Maureen McGovern, put out a whole album of Christmas songs in 1990, but it’s not on Spotify either. If the Human Beinz, the Edsels or some other older acts with local ties recorded Christmas tunes, I couldn’t find them there.
I decided to keep the emphasis here on holiday songs rather than gospel tunes, and I also decided to avoid instrumentals, with one exception. Gil Mantera’s Party Dream had a large local following in the 2000s and the band’s synth-driven instrumental “Brave New Christmas” paired perfectly with Devo’s “Merry Something to You.” It also might pair well with a Penguin City Winter Warmer Ale, because the Youngstown brewery’s co-founder, Richard Elmsworth, was a member of Gil Mantera’s Party Dream.
For those looking for traditional, instrumental Christmas fare, check out Howland jazz pianist Joe Augustine’s “Christmas Is …” or Youngstown guitar wizard Phil Keaggy’s “Majesty & Wonder — An Instrumental Christmas.”
But I couldn’t leave Keaggy out entirely. I included Glass Harp’s rendition of “Do Lord,” which isn’t really a Christmas song, but it’s close enough. And it’s the live version recorded at Powers Auditorium, so it doesn’t get anymore Youngstown than that.
Some of these songs are more than 40 years old, like The Ohio Players’ “Happy Holidays,” featuring Youngstown / Warren keyboard player Billy Beck.
Others are brand new. Canfield’s singer Leanne Binder released the single “Tis the Reason” last month, and another Canfield talent, A.C. Jones, released the album “Different Kind of Christmas” last week.
Several acts that play out locally (or at least did back when the good old days when we were allowed to have concerts) are represented, including The Vindys, Radio Lark, JD Eicher, Red Wanting Blue and Anthony LaMarca of The War on Drugs and The Building.
Admittedly, a few of the acts included have only tenuous connections to the Valley. Akron’s The Shootouts played Federal Frenzy in 2019. I’m pretty sure I saw Cleveland’s The Modern Electric at the old Cedars Lounge, and I know I saw Colin Gawel’s band Watershed there. “Still Love Christmas” by Gawel, who lives in Columbus, is another personal favorite.
As for The Waitresses, The Pretenders, Devo and The O’Jays, the Akron / Canton area isn’t that far away, and their presence is a present in this musical lineup.
I’m sure there are songs I’ve missed. Feel free to email agray@tribtoday.com with any holiday tunes that should be included. I probably won’t write another story, but I always can expand the playlist.
An Ohio Christmas
1. “Christmastime in Painesville” — Deadbeat Poets
2. “It’s Christmastime” — Radio Lark
3. “Christmas All Over Again” — Red Wanting Blue
4. “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” — The Vindys
5. “Christmas Wrapping” — The Waitresses
6. “Brave New Christmas” — Gil Mantera’s Party Dream
7. “Merry Something to You” — Devo
8. “12 Days of Christmas” — Relient K
9. “The Man in Red” — Anthony LaMarca
10. “Tis the Reason” — Leanne Binder
11. “Let It Snow” — Ms. Waskin and the Radio
12. “2000 Miles” — The Pretenders
13. “Still Love Christmas” — Colin Gawel
14. “Jingle Bell Mash” — JD Eicher
15. “Home for the Holidays” — Kool & the Gang
16. “Happy Holidays” — Ohio Players
17. “Cause It’s Christmas” — The O’Jays
18. “Do Lord” — Glass Harp
19. “Little Toy Trains” — Jessica Lea Mayfield
20. “They Shined Up Rudolph’s Nose” — The David Mayfield Parade
21. “Look Out the Window (The Winter Song)” — The Shootouts
22. “Jingle Bells” — A.C. Jones
23. “Northcoast Christmas” — The Modern Electric
24. “Christmas in Bed” — Hey Monea
25. “You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch” — Red Wanting Blue
26. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” — The Pretenders