Thanks to all of the people following this blog. I appreciate the feedback and look forward to see what comes in 2018.
Normally I put this blog to rest until July. Then I peek at what is supposed to be released for the upcoming holiday season, bookmark a few interesting things and start assembling December’s posts in November. Basically the site stays dormant until Thanksgiving. However, leaving the facebook page dormant all of that time makes the folks at facebook think I have left the site to die. Consequently, it stops getting any attention in search engines.
So in 2018 to keep the facebook page alive, I will post on occasion.
Tonight I’m featuring violinist and songwriter, Andrew Bird.
Bird was born in Illinois, attended Lake Forest High School and Northwestern University. As a child he was trained with the Suzuki Method at the age of four. He was a member of the Squirrel Nut Zippers, wrote the music for The Muppets skit, The Whistling Caruso and theme for the TV program, Baskets.
In 2012 Starbucks released Holidays Rule, a compilation record featuring 17 artists covering mostly Christmas tunes. And one New Year’s Eve song, Andrew Bird’s version of Auld Lang Syne. Billboard.com had this to say:
“Andrew Bird’s bouncy, happy-go-lucky version of “Auld Lang Syne” unsurprisingly closes out the new “Holidays Rule” compilation, and the indie-folk star says it was curiosity that drove him to pick the New Year’s Eve staple.
“I’ve been determined for years to learn all the verses of this Scottish classic,” he tells Billboard. “It’s almost in the category of ‘happy birthday’ in that it’s second nature in our society to sing this song at a particular moment yet we have only a vague notion of what it’s about. ‘A right guid willie-waught’?’ Begging the question: what is a ‘willie-waught”?”
[The line roughly means to have a goodwill or friendly drink.]
Bird’s warm reading of the traditional song (set to a Robert Burns poem) is punctuated by his bright, jazz violin solos plus the strum of a mandolin and thoughtful background vocals.”
That’s a wrap for Tom’s Christmas Music Blog for 2017.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I hope your 2018 is fantastic.
AndrewBird.net
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