Merry Christmas Radio

These days, actor turned drummer Billy Bob Thornton is busy with his new band the Boxmasters, touring in support of their debut double album. The actor is nothing if not prolific as a songwriter, as his three-man group’s 2009 follow-up is already essentially done and a separate Christmas album is in the works. The Yuletide CD will mix seasonal classics with three original Boxmasters compositions that take a cynical view of the holiday.

“One of the songs is called “Slower Than Christmas,”” he tells Flagstaff Live!. “It’s about this guy talking about how Christmas is the slowest day of the year ‘cause he’s in this horrible dysfunctional family. It’s kind of like a Bad Santa Christmas song I guess you’d say.”

“Then there’s another one we have called “I Won’t Be Home for Christmas” that’s about a guy in jail,” he continues. “The other one’s about a kid who wonders why every year at Christmas it just so happens that all these things happen with his parents and Santa doesn’t show up either. And then by the end of the song, you realize he’s figured it out… He knows that mom and dad’s troubles are the reason that he doesn’t get anything, that they are Santa. So they’re all sad, basically.”

In cinema parlance, Thornton’s current tour with band mates J.D. Andrew (guitar, bass) and Mike Butler (guitar, other instruments) is generating mixed reviews. After a July 11th concert in Santa Rosa, CA, the Press-Democrat’s John Beck opined that when the actor took the stage, he was ‘stiff and wooden, with all the stage presence of a Hollywood cardboard cutout.’ Meanwhile, in setting the stage for last night’s Boxmasters concert in New Mexico, Santa Fe Reporter writer Gabe Gomez was full of praise. ‘Rather than crumble to the pre-existing stigmas of actor-turned-rock star,’ he raved, ‘the Boxmasters’ release of a double album of 1960s-era country music puts Thornton on par with [Johnny] Cash as a rebellious musician.’

(HearitFirst) - The CD showcases a wide variety of Christmas classics done “pureNRG style” and features such favorites as “All I Want For Christmas,” “Jingle Bell Rock,” and “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree.” The group once again teams up with producers Rob Hawkins and Mark Hammond, who produced their self-titled debut and the latest top-selling and critically acclaimed album, “Here We Go Again.”

“It was so much fun to sing Christmas songs earlier this summer when we were in the studio,” says pureNRG. “Christmas is our favorite holiday so we can sing these songs anytime of the year and we hope they bring a strong message of hope to everyone’s Christmas season.”

In support of A pureNRG Christmas, the group will join Casting Crowns’ Christmas tour that kicks-off in Houston, TX on November 28 and ends December 13 in Reading, PA. Also joining the tour are Natalie Grant, Avalon, Michael English, and Denver and the Mile High Orchestra.

pureNRG recently treated fans in Nashville, TN to a full live concert that was taped for JCTV and will air on July 4th, at 5:00 pm. There will be two additional airings on July 4th at 10:30 pm CST and again on July 5 at 10:00 pm CST. The concert has also been made into a DVD, “Live & More,” that features exclusive backstage interviews and will be available at all Christian retail outlets on July 22nd.

Also on July 22nd, pureNRG will be releasing an interactive devotional, “The Message Behind Our Music.” It offers fans an inside look at all twenty-four of pureNRG’s songs. Each devotional is based on a scripture and has a “call to action” where they are able to do an activity, journal, and interact with each entry. It’s a wonderful way to bring the Bible to life through the lyrics of music.

pureNRG has a busy summer of tour dates that include performances at Creation East and Creation West. This fall, pureNRG will hit the stage at Disney’s World Resort in Orlando, FL for an appearance at “Night of Joy, on Saturday, September 6th. For more updates on pureNRG and their tour dates please visit their website, www.purenrgonline.com.

Song Listing For A pureNRG Christmas:
1. All I Want For Christmas
2. 12 Days Of Christmas
3. Hark The Herald Angels Sing
4. Jingle Bell Rock
5. Joyful Joyful
6. Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree
7. Away In A Manger
8. Joy To The World
9. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
10. Silent Night

I know it’s only June, but December will be here before you know it, and thank goodness for that because Ledisi has a musical treat on the horizon to bring us all good tidings of joy. Sunday evening on the final night of the three-day Capital Jazz Festival, Ledisi headlined the secondary stage and announced during her show-stopping performance that she is going to release a Christmas album later this year. Hearing this news was like Christmas in and of itself! Ledisi shared that she had recorded nine songs in a mere three days for the project and to look out for it this holiday season. The Grammy-nominated singer didn’t give any indication about whether she would sing all holiday standards, new material or a mixture of both, but just the thought of Ledisi wrapping her rich, jazzy soul vocals around Christmas music makes me want to start celebrating the season from now.

In 2008, Tommy James’ long awaited Christmas album “I Love Christmas” will be released. The title track is already on thousands of radio Christmas playlists and a new single from the album; IT’S CHRISTMAS AGAIN, featuring the original Shondells: Mike Vale, Eddie Gray, and Ronnie Rossman, will be released to radio this Christmas season. Also in production is a 40-year retrospective CD package, which is certain to become the crown jewel in any Tommy James collection.