Turn it Down: Michigan-made Christmas Mix Vol. II

Ariel Rogers (Journalist, musician)

SONG: Iggy Pop “White Christmas”

Nothing gets me more in the mood for the holiday season than Iggy Pop’s cover of “White Christmas” on 2009’s “An All Star Salute to Christmas” compilation. His gravelly crooning paired with the slow, dissonant piano and industrial sounding percussion gives the Irving Berlin classic a more somber tone, which I enjoy as a Scrooge. My favorite part is Pop’s half-hearted “Ho Ho Ho” at the beginning.

Pop released a groovy, psychedelic version of the song in 2013 on Cleopatra Records’ “Psych-Out Christmas” compilation. He also recorded a rendition of “The Little Drummer Boy” with Michael Legrand back in 2011.

Pop, aka “The Godfather of Punk,” is best known for his wild self-destructive onstage antics—like cutting himself with glass and smearing himself and the crowd with peanut butter, which makes his affinity for Christmas covers even more amusing. I can’t help but wonder if he wears festive holiday sweaters.

Joel Kuiper (Drummer, Scary Women, The Stick Arounds)

SONG: trash180 “Carol of the Bells”

Lansing has such a rich musical history. To the casual observer, the formerly named Biddle City may appear to be just another sleepy midwestern rustbelt relic, but when one peels back the layers, there are many tales to tell. Over the past two decades, many of those stories have involved trash180, aka Jason Lantrip. Jason grew up in the area, playing in a number of bands including Six With Violet before he helped found one of the seminal space rock bands, Calliope. In the 2000s, Jason also ran a basement studio in his house, located directly behind the Speedway on the corner of Michigan and Clemens. It was torn down a decade or so ago — its name: trash180. Oodles of local bands took advantage of this great space and its talented producer/engineer during its heyday.

In 2004, the hit TV show “Veronica Mars,” starring Michigan native Kristen Bell, put out a call for music for a Christmas-themed episode. Under the trash180 moniker, Jason submitted his amazing take on the haunting holiday classic “Carol of The Bells.” Lantrip said he wanted to make the song a bit “spookier,” and his adventurous version achieves just that. However, in a bittersweet (but cool) outcome, the great Ann Arbor band Starling Electric, friends of Jason’s, had their song chosen for the hit show.

Jordyn Davis (Bassist, composer, singer-songwriter)

SONG: Etienne Charles “This Christmas” (ft. Mykal Kilgore)

One of my favorite songs to revisit during the holiday season is the timeless classic “This Christmas,” originally written and performed by Donny Hathaway. The particular arrangement of this song that has a special place in my heart was recorded in 2015 by Michigan State University Jazz Studies faculty member Etienne Charles on his jazzy holiday record “Creole Christmas.” A few years back, I had the opportunity to perform it in East Lansing with him as a member of MSU Jazz Orchestra II. While this isn’t technically a “Michigan song,” the arrangement and professor Charles’ record really helped me find the joy and beauty in both performing and recording holiday music.

Steve Butts (Local music buff)

SONG: “A Christmas Eve Get-Together With Goober & The Peas” EP

Goober & The Peas are now likely most remembered for being a band that featured Jack “Doc Gillis” White as a member before he was a world-famous rock star. That’s a shame, because Goober’s raucous cowpunk and humorous take on the most morbid and gothic overtones of country music were always very entertaining. The Detroit band’s 1992 three-song Christmas EP (now a rarity) presents brilliant holiday tunes, with tongue planted firmly in cheek.

First, there is a cover of The Royal Guardsmen’s 1967 “Snoopy’s Christmas,” a blatant cash-in of an earlier Guardsmen “Snoopy” hit. That’s the thing about good Christmas music — most of it is a blatant and transparent cash grab, appealing to our most treacly seasonal sentiments.  Goober hit the money shot by convincing Tigers radio announcer Ernie Harwell to contribute the voice of “The Red Baron” on this holiday classic.

Next, is the twisted “My Love for Her,” a dark song of lost holiday love that reveals a morbid and unhealthy fixation on what once was but will likely never happen again. The EP closes with “Tell the Lord What Santa Has Done,” a metaphysical song confronting the sacred and secular aspects of the meaning of Christmas. It lampoons, yet also seems strangely earnest about, the “War on Christmas” and our ever-changing cultural values.

Steve Butts

SONG: Detroit Junior “Christmas Day”

We often reach a relatively stress-free moment in time, which offers an overwhelming climactic joy as a result. That’s what I thought about when I heard Detroit Junior’s “Christmas Day.”

Junior has finally reached a point where all of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season is over. Junior, a Detroit-to-Chicago bluesman, best known for playing behind top blues stars, offers a loose take here on the urbane soul of Ray Charles, but with a bit more Mississippi grit. While holiday music is often wistful and full of nostalgic longing, Junior’s 1961 track playfully suggests we surrender to the moment — as tomorrow is never guaranteed.