Kramies – That’s A Midwest Christmas
There are plenty of things that you can ignore if you’re strong and stubborn enough. You can tune off to any of the world’s sporting events, including the World Cup and the Olympics. You may even ignore the elections and all of the propaganda. And, if you try really hard, you can earnestly answer “Who?” when somebody asks you about what you think of whichever actor has been most recently tasked with playing James Bond.
But I am afraid that you’re stuck with Christmas. Ignoring it successfully would verge on the delusional. It would take a maddening effort to avoid all of the songs, the decorations, the discounts on unhealthy sugar-filled treats. But most importantly, you won’t be able to block all of the people around you celebrating Christmas. Like the few great certainties in life, holidays are something that happens to us all, whether we like it or not.
Kramies welcome you to the holidays and admit openly it’s not all going to be smiles and hood cheer. “That’s A Midwest Christmas” isn’t so much about laying pounds and pounds of decorations on the tree as it is about being stuck with everyone for Christmas, with all their hopes and all of their anxieties. It’s a well-written song, a nice snapshot of a family holiday that’s not quite like the ones shown in the movies, and not quite bad enough that you’d refuse to attend if anybody would ask you.
Brent Amaker and the Rodeo – You’re No Good
Cultural appropriation is a bunch of rubbish. Where would we all be if neighbors didn’t peak over each other’s fence, if that didn’t get them to communicate, and, ultimately, if this didn’t make them want to trade? It’s not just commerce that this encourages but the passing of ideas. The Ancient Romans themselves took their ideas for roads, laws, and literature from Persia or Greece.
In a time of relative peace, as it is now, the Anglo-Americans are free to acknowledge their admiration for Latin countries. And how could they not? It’s the music, the religion, and the spirit of it all. And all of these things are reflected brilliantly in the music of the place. It is not just one rhythm, one topic discussed in songs, or one style.
Brent Amaker and the Rodeo traveled down South for some of that good time, spirited Mexican sounds. Instead of a blues, “You’re No Good” turned into musica de la fiesta para la tristeza. Amaker knows he is facing trouble that he’ll be unable to run across or circumvent. But there’s joy and humor in the cruel ways of love as well. The mariachi band and Amaker’s dry vocal delivery perfectly capture that. If the band had stayed home, they’d been, maybe, left only with the blues.
