Blood Oranges in the Snow was the third holiday-themed release from prolific Ohio-based indie folk group Over the Rhine.
As so-called “Christmas music” goes, their homespun, thoughtful Americana–touching as it does only lightly at times on holiday themes–is as far from the Mariah Carey scene as one can get.
Refreshingly honest. Devastatingly real.
My father’s body lies beneath the snow High on a hill in Holmes County, Ohio From there you can look out across the fields A farmer guides his horses home as day to darkness bends And finally yields
Dad’s gravestone holds the words Be Still My Soul A song we sang together long ago And there were times we even shared one hymnbook His right hand and my left hand side-by-side holding pages Of music
But now his hands hold nothing but the earth Hands that held me moments after my birth And so we must all finally surrender As we release our grip upon whatever we hold dear And call familiar
My father’s body lies beneath the snow And I’m still learning how to let him go I’ve come to know him better since he’s gone And often wondered if or how I could’ve been a different Better son
My father’s body lies beneath the snow Sometimes on Christmas Eve that’s where I go I hear faint Christmas bells from far away Ring out all the unspoken words I’ve never found within myself To say
How can one describe LA-based Latin rock band Ozomatli to the uninitiated?
Not in a word or two.
They blend traditional Latin styles with modern rock, funk, jazz, hip-hop, reggae, salsa and, on this their third full-length album, North African and Middle Eastern sounds.
Oh, and the Prague Symphony.
It’s a lot. But it all amalgamates surprisingly well into a multicultural mix that really catches fire in a live setting.
This band can put across an anthemic English-language rock song, croon a hermosa balada en español, and throw a great dance party.
Randy Baumann & the DVE Morning Show recount past Grateful Dead/Pittsburgh confluences, including two 1989 shows marred by violent clashes between deadheads and police outside the venue.
In a remarkable moment fortuitously caught on film, Paul McCartney, feeling the pressure of an approaching deadline on the Beatles eventual Let it Be project, makes productive use of time waiting for John Lennon, who is late to arrive.
It’s a breathtaking glimpse of songwriting genius–the birth of a hit song, verse and chorus, takes place in less than four minutes as Paul strums a bass guitar.
I can’t say it any better than the YouTube comments, so I’ll paste them here:
It’s just mind blowing, they’re sitting around waiting for John and this whole new song just falls out of Paul’s head. George is giving positive feedback, Ringo’s already working out the percussion… then John walks in, sits down and immediately picks up on it and joins in. The Beatles fully deserve to have their music listened to until the last human dies. To never be forgotten.
This is one of Paul’s most legendary songs and it was composed strumming his bass while waiting for John to show up. The guy was such a genius it’s not even funny.
The fact that this wasnt in the original Let It Be is baffling. What a moment. “We need another million selling hit single, lads” “Right, give me about 4 minutes”
My favorite song from the album and watching Paul just pull it out of his ass is pretty damn amazing. I’ve never understood how people can just create a song out of thin air like that.
This is a writer’s dream on how to create a song you’re proud of. You’re just noodling around the guitar or piano and suddenly magic happens. I’m sure there were times when Paul couldn’t come up with an idea to save his life, then something like that happens as if it’s always this easy. lol I love it.
“Hi guys, what have you been doing so far?” “…well, no big deal. In the meantime Paul has composed a new hit that will go down in music history, but stay humble!”
Every Moment Has A Song 