Let’s be honest. At this point, we’re all just trying to run out the clock. The weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s tend to blur into a delirious wash of indistinguishable days with approximately four and a half hours of sunlight and 40-degree temperature swings. We trudge along, fueled on high-calorie potluck casseroles and gingerbread-flavored beers as we’re ushered, seemingly on autopilot, between ceaseless work parties, school performances, and trips to shopping malls on the climb toward the Big Day. If you can make room around Mariah Carey’s ubiquitous holiday war cry in your ear holes, there’s plenty of great tuneage around to soundtrack the malaise. There’s nothing like music to help you get through that last onerous page on the calendar. Here’s some new holiday-themed tunes we’re adding to our playlists and shows that we’re hoping Santa brings tickets for.
Reindeer Tracks
Though he released it before Halloween, singer-songwriter Cameron Smith was the first to set the tone for the season with his latest single. “By Next Christmas” is a tender lament about children growing up and moving on with their own lives and the desire to have them home for the holidays, and its plaintive longing is an appropriately homey feeling for the holidays.
Conversely, if the season wears you out, you need to hear Jessi England’s new single. In the rolling, synth-driven pop number “Christmas Eyes,” a character living in Boulder dismissively refers to Christmas as just “the end of summer in a ski town.” With the way England sings the hook, you’ll feel seen whenever your exasperation with Christmas cheer flickers hot like an old string of lights. It’s another great earworm from a great singer-songwriter. We’ll have “Christmas Eyes” in your head well into June.
Kendi Jean & The Velvet Smokeshow has a new single out. “Broken Stars” is a throwback country waltz with dreamy vibes. The feel is as approachable as the innocence of a children’s book. Jean asks, “What if the stars in the sky were all broken? / How will my wishes come true?” The secondary melodies that come in with the guitar solos and the “oohs” and “aahs” that pad the bridge section create an orchestral mood that builds the dream-state and buttresses the imagery in the lyrics with the feeling of hope. While it isn’t directly a Christmas song, Jean said that maybe the broken stars are like a string of Christmas lights, “one just needs twistin’, then they’ll all come back on.”
Courtesy Cameron Smith
Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree
The Fort has many opportunities for folks who like to experience music in three-dimensional reality as much as they like it beamed directly into their cerebral cortex through tinny, wax-encrusted EarPods. Festivities kick off this weekend when progressive indie-rockers Spring Palace headline a show at The Cicada (1002 S Main St, Fort Worth, 817-882-9504) on Saturday. Though not an official release show, they’ll be performing songs from their recently released full-length Rodeo Fortune. They’ll be joined by the dreamy folk of Sleepy Atlantis and the haunting twang of The Cush’s Burette Douglas’ new classic country group Ghost Roper.
Roots rocker Matthew McNeal is headlining a party at Tulips FTW (112 St. Louis Av, Fort Worth, 817-367-9798) on Fri, Dec 13, which also features soulful singer-songwriter Brandon Marcel, plus DJ Asa Ace and a tattoo pop-up — if you want to get someone an early Christmas present, a flash tattoo at local show is pretty rad. The classic panther-with-claws-in-skin might make for a particularly fun city-centric design.
While not exactly holiday-themed, the next weekend at The Cicada, Fort Worth Rock Assembly 8 goes down. A two-day concert of local bands covering national greats, FWRA is also one of the best seasonal parties you’ll run across. Starting at 6pm Fri, Dec 13, Hotel Satellite will tackle Radiohead, The Bikini Whales will (naturally) do the B-52s, and The Nancys have Travis, plus Royal Sons’ Blake Parish will front a Black Sabbath set (#BlakeSabbath), Flickerstick’s Brandin Lea will lead a Smashing Pumpkins tribute, Black Market Garden will handle Tears for Fears, and a supergroup of North Texas faves like Jordan Richardson, Mike Doty, and “Big Mike” Richardson, plus the great Ginny Mac, will bring the sweet, sweet yacht-rocking heat of Steely Dan and more. The best part? You don’t need to bring a dish, just yo’self!
However, for a show you might actually need to dust off Grandma’s fruitcake recipe for, Fort Worth Roots podcast presents A Very Itchy Christmas 3: Shitter’s Full at Fort Worth’s newest beer lab Hoppin’ (2616 Wiesenberger St, Fort Worth, 682-224-0621). From 2 to 6pm on Sat, Dec 14, the free event includes a community potluck. Punk band Itchy Richie & The Burnin’ Sensations will be using the occasion as a release show for the new 100 Monkeys and a Broken Clock and will be performing songs from the album. Indie singer-songwriter Jeff Zero & His Own Private Universe will also play at an after-party at McFly’s Pub (6104 LTjg Barnett Rd, Fort Worth, 817-744-8272).
The following week, rising country superstar Cody Jinks returns home to headline Billy Bob’s Texas (2520 Rodeo Plz, Fort Worth, 817-624-7117) on Thu, Dec 19. Now one of the largest independent country artists in the world, Jinks is supporting his latest single, a duet with Ward Davis called “Same Kind of Crazy as Me.” Speaking of homegrown artists that hit it big nationally returning to Billy Bob’s, beloved rubberneckers The Toadies make their push to the end of the year on Sat, Dec 28.
Courtesy The Toadies
What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?
To help put the nail in 2024, pretty much every local stage will be filled with performances on New Year’s Eve (Tue, Dec 31), and we’ll be challenged to choose which one(s) to grace with our presence. The shindig at Magnolia Motor Lounge (3803 Southwest Blvd, Fort Worth, 817-332-3344) sounds pretty cool. Texarkana-born troubadour David Tribble is hosting a songwriters night, and, better yet, there’s no cover.
Over at Tannahill’s Tavern and Music Hall (122 E Exchange Av, Fort Worth, 817-900-9300), The Wilder Blue headline with their country-leaning rock songs and rock-leaning country tunes. Their signature five-part harmonies will remind you of the Eagles, and they’ll send you into 2025 with a peaceful, easy feeling.
If you’re looking for more of a rager, psychedelic garage rockers Mean Motor Scooter are the main event at the Boiled Owl Tavern’s bash, with punk ’n’ roll stalwarts Joe Gorgeous opening at 10pm. Don your best pearl snap, throw your yellow American Spirits in the front pocket, and shove some TP in your ears. This one will get loud.
