Tag: christmas
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Vinyl Video: Power 96.1 Jingle Ball 2016
What better way to send off 2016 than with a star-studded mega concert? iHeartRadio’s Jingle Ball series delivered this year, with a lineup that changed in every city and featured just about every Top 40 artist currently on the charts. We got in on the action at the Atlanta show – hosted by Power 96.1 – and hung out with some of the biggest names in music.
We showed you the artists’ red carpet looks, but most of the noteworthy moments happened onstage and in between sets. We saw Fifth Harmony perform one of their last shows as a five-piece and witnessed Joe Jonas feed someone a hardboiled egg backstage. We also almost physically ran into Ariana Grande, who is stunningly beautiful and moves quietly and quickly, trailing behind her a cloud of Chanel No. 5. The strange environment was a fitting place to close out a strange year.
Check out our video recap featuring clips from the concert, as well as interviews with Jingle Ball artists Lukas Graham and Daya.
Amsterdam Station: “Stories from the Subtext”
It’s been about a year since the boys of Amsterdam Station released their seven song EP, Stories from the Subtext. The EP came to initiate the band’s plan for a full-length album in the coming new year. Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, the band consists of Greg Jarvis, Andy Potash, Schafer Gray, and Chris Connelly.
With an alternative rock style, Amsterdam Station opens their EP with “Warden.” “Warden” exhibits a catchy, sonorous bass melody, balanced with a fluid vocals and stark guitar riffs, “City of the Dead” follows with a classic violin sound and a haunting chorus. Slower songs like, “White Dove” and “Love is a Martyr,” exemplify the band’s flexibility. While they produce heavy hitting rock ballads, AS also knows how to serenade their listeners. Furthermore, Stories from the Subtext offers cohesiveness among the tracks. The EP begins with a post-apocalyptic feel and ends on an optimistic note with “Sons and Daughters of the Revolution.”
Although the band is still developing, and will inevitably make a few changes in the future, they’ve started off on the right foot. Their sound comes together with meaningful lyrics. AS essentially encourages their listeners to hear the story behind the sound.
Don’t be fooled by these guys’ rock style, they have a soft side. In light of the holiday season, Amsterdam Station has graced us with their harmonic rendition of “Happy Xmas (War is Over).
Find more of Amsterdam Station on Soundcloud. Stick around for new material in May 2016.
5 Best Christmas Movies on Netflix
December has thus far proved a good one to be a Netflix subscriber, with the arrivals of American Horror Story: Coven, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, and Almost Famous. Sadly, there were a couple of anxiously awaited titles missing from the list, and they all revolve around the most important part of December: the holidays!
No Home Alone, no Christmas Vacation, not even Will Ferrell dressed as an Elf! Disappointment would be an understatement, but never fear, they haven’t completely let us down. From the classics to the wildly inappropriate, the top picks of Netflix’s slim holiday pickings are here:
5. Bad Santa
Billy Bob Thornton becomes drunk Santa to tell the most raunchy Christmas tale of all time. Definitely not one to watch with the family, but this anti-“feel good” film is sure to keep you laughing.
We’ll forgive Netflix this time, but hopefully next holiday season we’ll be seeing The Grinch, a non-computerized Frosty the Snowman, and at the very least, Tim Allen as The Santa Clause.
4. I’ll Be Home For Christmas
Holy Jonathan Taylor Thomas! A Disney throwback of epic proportions. What do you get when you combine a cheesy Disney movie with a cheesy Christmas movie mixed? The cheesiest holiday movie ever. Complete with a 1998 Jessica Biel as the love interest, this one is certain to bring back memories you didn’t know you had.
3. Love Actually
Speaking of love story, Love Actually is (actually) a great romcom for the holiday season. With actors like Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, and Keira Knightley, this predictable love story is sure to warm you up inside no matter what the weather is like outside.
2. Nightmare Before Christmas
“Is it a Christmas movie or a Halloween movie?” is one of the first questions asked about this movie, and the answer is that it doubles as both. Who doesn’t love a creepy Tim Burton love story?
1. Irving Berlin’s White Christmas
While there’s a good chance you might find this movie just about as interesting as watching laundry dry, this is the most classic Netflix pick and most appropriate to watch with the family. If you want that good, ol’ fashioned Christmas time feeling, this is a great choice. Maybe even bring some notes to get in to the Christmas spirit during finals, or something to keep you entertained.
5 Best Christmas Albums
Since it’s now the time for holiday music to be socially acceptable (after Thanksgiving), it only makes sense to comprise a list of the best albums to bring about that joyful holiday spirit. There have been hundreds of Christmas albums made over the years, so it’s pertinent to weed out the less than satisfactory ones. When listening to these albums, don’t forget the wise words of Will Ferrell “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.” Not everyone has to have the voice of an angel, just make sure you have good taste in music.
5. A Very She & Him Christmas
A more recent Christmas album is by up-and-coming duo She & Him. They released A Very She & Him Christmas in 2011 and was one of the best-selling albums during the holiday season of that year. Anyone binge-watching New Girl knows Zooey Deschanel has a unique voice, which makes for an interesting take on the usual hits heard during the holiday rush. Combined with a guitar, piano, and even a ukulele at times, the duo recreates the classics with a more simplistic feel, rather than the over-the-top orchestra-fueled powerhouse listeners are more accustomed to.
4. White Christmas
Bing Crosby is the source for many holiday hits. The biggest song of his career was his recording of “White Christmas,” which was originally written by Irving Berlin, and is still the best-selling single of all time. Though it was released in 1945, the songs still filter through the holiday radio stations today. Following Elvis’ album, White Christmas is the second best-selling Christmas album of all time.
3. A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra
The fifties were the prime of music, especially for the holidays. While many have obsessed over Michael Buble’s Christmas album in 2011, some forget where his style originated. Frank Sinatra released his first holiday album A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra in 1957, the same year as Elvis Presley’s album. It serves as a more conservative album for those opposed to the idea of a hip-shaking sex symbol singing about Jesus. The album combines Sinatra’s smooth, confident voice with an orchestra that only amplifies it and tugs at heart strings across the country.
2. Christmas With Johnny Cash
While Johnny Cash recorded the collection of songs between 1962 and 1980, Christmas With Johnny Cash wasn’t released until after his death in 2003, making it all the more powerful. All but one song on the album are covers of traditional Christmas songs. The last song on the album is an original called “Life as We Knew It,” a song about gratitude and growing up poor in rural Arkansas. Be sure to play it around those spoiled brats we all have in our families. You know the ones.
1. Elvis’ Christmas Album
The best-selling Christmas album of all time belongs to none other than Elvis Presley. It goes without saying his career was huge in the ‘50s and still continues to hold influence in music today. The iconic “Blue Christmas” topped the Billboard charts and made it possible for holiday singles to be ranked in the pop charts. Elvis’ Christmas Album reached the No. 1 spot on the U.S. charts and is considered an essential album for the holidays today.