Bing Crosby is perhaps the most iconic voice of the holidays. Hell, he even has an album entitled “The Voice of Christmas.” The deep baritone quality of his sound warms the soul any listener.

With several seasonal albums, it’s hard to find a Christmas song that Crosby didn’t record a cover of. Frequently paired with the Andrews Sisters, one of my favorites is their combined cover of “Mele Kalikimaka,” an upbeat song about Christmas in Hawaii.

Crosby was a famous singer is his own right but his legacy and lasting musical fame is brought chiefly by his connection to “White Christmas.” Irving Berlin’s classic tune will forever be immortalized with Crosby in both sound and screen, remaining a holiday classic for hundreds of families.  

Frank Sinatra will forever be one of the greatest singers of all time and that signature voice lends itself perfectly to Christmastime. Though known better for his larger body of work, he is a figure of the season all the same. 

Adept at playing with emphasis, Sinatra’s easygoing tenor makes holiday classics even more heartfelt, shown masterfully in “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” Mainly jazz-inspired, the feel of his covers are similar to his other well known songs, albeit less brass. Sinatra truly shines by bringing his style to lesser known tunes like “Mistletoe and Holly.” The character of Sinatra’s singing has inspired countless artists in and outside of the Christmas genre, the closest modern comparison being Michael Bublé.

An equally as memorable but less known voice comes from Perry Como. Como’s name hasn’t maintained the same status as Crosby or Sinatra yet his cover of “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” is likely the version of the song most frequently played.

Hypnotizing to listen to, he slides effortlessly between notes and is adaptable to ballads and faster-paced pieces. Unlike the slower Christmas albums of other famed singers, Como’s songs feature bouncy orchestrations and background vocals that capture the season’s spirit of togetherness.  

A jazz pianist as well as vocalist, Nat King Cole brought new life to holiday sound. The covers meld together the worlds of gospel and jazz music with Cole’s vibrato filled voice over the top.

He exudes musicality to every extent, using drawn out syllables to create an incomparable rendition of “The Christmas Song.” Not just recreating American classics, Cole covered the Italian “Buon Natale” and “O Tannebaum” in the original German. A voice like a warm hug, Cole injects soul into all his work, a splendid soundtrack for the wintertime.

The post Old Soul: Christmas Classics appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The advent of winter and the Christmas season makes me think about what sorts of music I inevitably return to around this time of year, other than the classic holiday jams. It’s part of an inner seasonal clock I faithfully follow in my music-listening life. This applies to classical music in particular. With the change of the seasons I shift from breezy Debussy in the spring, to steamy Vivaldi in the summer, and then to Bach in the fall.

Now winter, especially the early winter months, is a particularly unique situation. At least for many of us, early winter music has become rather synonymous with Christmas music. Particularly where the Nutcracker Suite and Swan Lake, both by Tchaikovsky, choral music in general, and Greensleeves. And unfortunately these pieces have become starkly branded by this association—I can’t listen to The Waltz of the Flowers in mid-June; it feels about as wrong as listening to Jingle Bells when I’m sweating in shorts and a t shirt.

But for those who are sensitive to seasons and music, what makes a piece of music particularly evocative of a specific season? I don’t know. But I would like to introduce a piece that I always listen to about this time of year. And in the process, we might approach something of an answer to this question.

The piece in question is Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor. It’s a vibrant and emotionally saturated piece, strongly flavored with music from Grieg’s homeland, Norway. You are probably familiar with this short little dude, most likely through two pieces: “Morning Mood” and “In the Hall of the Mountain King,” which have become commercial favorites. Grieg was one of the early composers to actively incorporate elements from his native culture

into his music, producing works with a mythical, and almost narrative quality that could only be the product of himself and his beloved country. Some have called this concerto his “love letter” to Norway. Grieg composed this concerto in Italy when he was still a green 25 years old, not intending it to be any sort of a hit. And yet it wrested its immense popularity from its premiere to its performances today.

It’s one of the most beautiful relationships between the concert piano and the orchestra. Against the arboreal, evergreen background that the orchestra constructs, the piano introduces a crisp and delicious breeze that brings the entire setting to life. With a dramatic beginning, the concerto hops into a jaunty second movement. The third movement begins with a stormy introduction; but about a few minutes in, a flute pierces the sudden silence, introducing a majestic theme that lingers with you for the rest of the movement.

As I mentioned before, this concerto is very wintery to me. It could be because of its Norwegian (and thus “Northern”) qualities. It could also be because I first heard this concerto in the winter. Nevertheless, it never ceases to feel like an icy and stoic façade broken through by emotional tremors from beneath.

I have no idea if anybody would share a remotely similar response to Grieg’s music as I have. And this brings us back to the question from before: what makes music seasonal to us? Is it purely circumstantial, a mere result of the context in which we listen to it? Or is it something much deeper, speaking to our individual interpretations and experiences of time and the seasons?

The post Bach Is Back: What to Add to Your Seasonal Playlist appeared first on KRUI Radio.

I discussed another one of Mathis’ albums, “Heavenly,” a couple articles ago for Variety Show. I mention in this article that the orchestras behind Mathis’ voice are strong, but I don’t focus too much on the vocals themselves. I do remember that his voice had a way of complexifying the lyrics he was singing, even if the song had been sung a million times before (and most of them had been). He is by far not my favorite jazz singer, but he is definitely something special.

Based on the sound of the rest of the albums I’ve discussed from the 1950’s, I’m not expecting anything to be unique. I’m assuming that this Christmas album is going to blend pretty well with the rest of the songs repeated on the radio for the duration of December. I’m also expecting to enjoy them more now than I would around the holidays since I haven’t heard all of the classics for a couple months.

At the same time, I am really, really hoping for original Christmas music. Not only for the sake of an interesting article but because I think that brand new Christmas songs can be refreshing. Every time I see a new Christmas album, I hope that there is something original on it, or at the very least, a fresh perspective on a classic.

When I began listening to “Winter Wonderland,” the first track on the album, I couldn’t help but immediately think “Wow, I really could do without hearing this right now! I’m not a huge fan of this at all!”

Then I got just over a minute into the song and fell in love with it because there was something added to this classic Christmas jam that I had never heard before. Mathis adds a verse to “Winter Wonderland” that makes it much more romantic and precious than it already was. I already see his voice making the lyrics deeper like I did in my last review.

By the second track, “Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire,” it’s undeniable that I’ve been thrust into the most full-blown Christmas spirit possibly ever! I’m two months too late, but that keeps me consistent with how behind I am this semester, so I suppose it isn’t terribly inconvenient.

“Blue Christmas,” as always, has my heart soaring because what a banger. The orchestral/musical arrangements for this song are always stunning, in every single recording I’ve ever heard of it (Michael Bublé’s, The Beach Boys’, Dean Martin’s especially, and of course Elvis Presley’s).

Next come an assortment of songs that feature Percy Faith & His Orchestra, including “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “White Christmas,” “O Holy Night,” “What Child is This?” and “Silent Night, Holy Night.” This musical addition is amazing and does a great job of making these songs more enjoyable to me because of the full string orchestra.

“O Holy Night” is my second favorite Christmas song ever behind only “Hallejullah”. I wouldn’t say that this is the best recording of the song I’ve ever heard, but I do think that it’s alright. It isn’t anything particularly spectacular, but I’m not angry at it since it’s still one of my favorites.

If I’m being honest, “What Child is This?” sounds extremely creepy. Mathis sometimes uses a subtle vibrato in his voice, especially when he’s singing more quietly. In this song, he’s singing just softly enough in the first verse to make me super uncomfortable! Perhaps if he weren’t singing about an infant I would be less unsettled. However, the last twenty seconds are absolute bliss because wow can Mathis belt those notes into the heavens.

The last song on the album, “Silent Night, Holy Night” has some fantastic harmonies in the background vocals from beginning to end. There is something to be said about a voice that works with a chorus behind it, instead of drowning it out. This just reinforces my thought that Mathis’ best vocal attribute is adding meaning and significance to the things around it, such as the orchestra and other vocals.

This album does stick out from the others I have listened to from this decade, but only because Christmas music could easily be considered its own realm, separate from any other genre. There’s a specific mood and feeling that Christmas music is meant to evoke, a feeling of happiness that the holiday season can create in people. This album reaches that goal for me. While I would’ve liked to see more originality in these songs like you can see in “Winter Wonderland,” I’m still happy because of how timeless the album is.

Finally, even though this album literally couldn’t be any more irrelevant because it’s mid-February, I’m in the Christmas spirit again. Kudos to Johnny!

Listen to “Merry Christmas!” by Johnny Mathis here or below!

Variety Show is a bi-weekly column in the midst of analyzing the best-selling albums from the 1950’s to the 1990’s. One of the top 10-20 albums from each decade will be reviewed, discussed and/or analyzed each week in chronological order. The column aims to draw cultural, musical, and other contextual connections between artists and albums over time, as well as go on a broad but refined journey. Next week we’ll be talking about The Oklahoma! Motion Picture Soundtrack, the fourth best-selling album from the 1950’s.

The post Variety Show: “Merry Christmas!” by Johnny Mathis appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Ahh yes, ’tis the season! If you’ve been out and about shopping at pretty much any retail store this holiday season, then you’ll know that Christmas music has been playing since November 1st. I love Christmas, don’t get me wrong. However, it gets very monotonous by the time Christmas actually arrives. This year, l’ll provide you with some Christmas songs that will get you in the Christmas spirit and not make you want to rip your hair out. Without further ado, lets dive into the 12 Days of Pop Punk Christmas.

1.) Jingle Bell Rock by Hot Chelle Rae

Let’s start with a classic Christmas song with a pop punk twist. With a rockin’ guitar rift added to the jingle bells, it makes for a great listen if you want to keep things classic.

2.) All I Want For Christmas Is You by My Chemical Romance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8rjrPIGZ5U

While many people opt for the Mariah Carey version, many of us will settle for the MCR version. If you like My Chem’s raspy, emo, pop punk/post hardcore sound, then you will probably like this version a lot better than others.

3.) White Christmas by Panic! At The Disco

Okay, seriously, Brendon Urie’s voice on this track is stunning. It’s low enough to compare to Bing Crosby’s version, but it still has it’s own distinct sound. If you’re a fan of anything Panic!, you’ll surely love this.

4.) Yule Shoot Your Eye Out by Fall Out Boy

This one is probably my favorite of this list. It’s basically just a break up song with a Christmas twist on it. Some of the lyrics are remnant of their first album, Take This To Your Grave, with lyrics like “All I want this year / is for you to dedicate your last breath to me / before you bury yourself alive”, “You’re the last thing I wanna see / underneath the tree.” I mean, that’s kind of implied when you look at the title.

5.) Fool’s Holiday by All Time Low

Fool’s Holiday is another favorite of mine. It’s catchy, and also kind of cheesy. The song follows a boy who wronged a girl, and he’s waiting for her to return to him. “I swear that I’m more than just broken promises / decorations can change like tinsel and ribbon so / do not open til you’ve got forever to spend / with me on a fool’s holiday.”

6.) Nothing For Christmas by New Found Glory

This solemn sounding tune isn’t actually a depressing Christmas song. NFG sings about falling in love, and how they already have everything they want. “And Christmas is coming / so don’t buy me anything / I got what I wanted / I got what I needed / it’s you, it’s you, it’s you.”

7.) I Don’t Wanna Spend Another Christmas Without You by The Ready Set

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bHfYzXRUnc

This catchy tune is about two lovers spending Christmas apart. “Oh, if I could choose / I would never spend another Christmas without ya / and if the fat guy in the chimney comes through / he’ll give me the opportunity to unwrap ya”. While it lies on more of the pop side of pop punk, it still features some catchy guitars and clapping in there, mixed with (you guessed it) jingle bells.

8.) This Christmas by The Summer Set

The Summer Set put a really nice spin on this song, with the high pitched vocals, drums, and electronic beats. It’s a nice break from your average cover of “This Christmas,” plus it has modern day electronic elements thrown into it, making it a great listen.

9.) Alone This Holiday by The Used

This break-up Christmas song is the opposite of what we think it would be. The lyrics go, “Make Christmas your own / you throw the thought of us away / you’ll be alone this holiday.” This song is perfect for that bitter friend that hates everything related to Christmas.

10.) Last Christmas by The Maine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE8BiThO1Ok

While this version doesn’t have many differences from the version by Wham!, it still serves as an updated pop punk version that we all asked Santa for.

11.) Merry Christmas, Kiss My Ass by All Time Low

This song is perfect for anybody who is going through heartbreak during the holiday season. The song itself is upbeat sounding, with lyrics that essentially curse a girl that did them wrong. “Don’t ya think, it’s kind of crappy / what you did this holiday? / when I gave you my heart / you ripped it apart / like the wrapping paper trash.”

12.) Happy Holidays, You Bastard by Blink-182

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oqcju1Tw_c

This song is definitely not for the faint of heart. You probably don’t want to play this on Christmas in front of your grandma, unless she is a die-hard Blink fan. To say that this song is pretty vulgar would be an understatement. It has a lot of repeating lyrics such as “It’s Christmas Eve and I’ve only wrapped two fuckin’ presents,” “I hate, hate, hate your guts / and I’ll never talk to you again / unless your dad will suck me off.”

Happy Holidays!!

Feel free to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr where I upload concert pictures and you can be up-to-date on where I’ll be next.

The post 12 Days of Pop Punk Christmas appeared first on KRUI Radio.

So what happens when the season rolls around and you actually do have someone in your life? And especially what do you do when you’re actually taking them home for the first time?? Well, lucky for you, I’ve found myself in that exact predicament this year, so I’ve had a bit of time to reflect on the situation and have compiled my checklist for surviving the season.

First order of business: Get your story straight.

I can guarantee every person you introduce your significant other to will want to know the lovey-dovey story about how you met. Every. Single. One. If you have some cute or mundane story about how you met, this really isn’t an issue. But what if you met while the two of you were both drunk off your ass downtown, or what if you don’t remember the first time you met, or even more scandalously, what if you met on Tinder? (*Cough, cough.*) This virtual girlfriend app can offer a level of privacy and control if you’re concerned about privacy or reluctant to share personal information or feelings with real people.

While your family members are staring at you with that starry look in their eyes waiting for every little gory detail, you can’t panic. Like I said before: they can smell fear. On the car ride or plane ride home the two of you have to nail down exactly what story you’re going to tell, and you have to be on the same page for every single detail. Leaving it at a vague “oh, we met through friends” isn’t going to cut it. TRUST ME.

Next: Establish your territory.

Even if you’re a *genuine adult* with your own apartment that your significant other sleeps over at on the regular, chances are your parents will be wary about you staying in the same bedroom, let alone the same bed (especially if they’re Catholic.) It’s just a parent thing; you can’t hold it against them, they truly mean well.

You’re their baby after all, and all your parents are probably going to hear when you say “hey, is it okay if (insert bae’s name here) stays in my room with me?” is that their baby is going to be getting freaky with the dude or lady they just welcomed into their home for the first time. When in actuality, it’s more of a case of “yo it gets really cold in the basement and I rather not make them sleep alone on a couch when there’s a high chance they’ll wake up with our cat sniffing their face in the middle of the night.”

You might have to be firm with them, and remind them that since your baby brother’s room is DIRECTLY above your room nothing other than sleep will be happening, but hopefully they’ll cave.

Final step: Prepare them.

If you’re a better girlfriend/boyfriend than I am, you probably won’t find the entertainment value in throwing your love into the family fray unprepared just to see how they handle it. (I know, I’m the worst, but honestly it might be kind of funny). My family is what I would describe as aggressively nice, you know the type of people who will smother you with hugs, food, booze, and leave your cheeks sore from all the photo ops, so I’m really not too concerned for my boyfriend’s wellbeing.

However, if you don’t completely want to throw your love to the wolves, it would probably be crucial to the health of your relationship to prepare them for the next few days. Let them know who not to get into politics with, which sports teams not to talk shit about, and other sort of topics that usually lead to family rifts. “Babe, no matter what my uncle says, DO NOT pull his finger. Don’t fall for it. I beg you.”

Hopefully this helps at least a little bit. Good luck to all you love birds out there, I wish you the best.

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The post The Walking Contradiction’s How-to Guide: Bringing Someone Home for the Holidays appeared first on KRUI Radio.

However, in Asia, Christmas and the New Year celebrations seem much less religious. In this article, we will talk about how people in China celebrate Christmas and the New Year.

Christmas: The day of sale

Christmas is not a legal holiday and is not recognized as an official holiday by the Chinese government. However, this does not stop people in China from celebrating this Western holiday. Besides a small amount of Chinese who are Christians actually celebrating the religious holiday, many companies and retailers in China see this as a new reason and a new way to sell their products and to boost their sales.

For example, tmall.com, one of the biggest online retailer in China, did a Christmas sale from Dec. 14^th to Dec. 25^th, featuring huge discounts on all kinds of different “imported” goods as well as all kinds of products from food to electronics.

Christmas is not the only time of the year that is used as the day for the sale. The “double eleven” holiday, which is also known as single day, is also used as the day for the sale. The “double eleven” holiday, which is as same as Christmas, is not a legal holiday in China. The holiday gets its name because the date Nov. 11 has four ones in it (it’s okay if you didn’t figure this out, just remember that this holiday was basically “created” recently without any history origin). The annually “double eleven” sale, which is also provided by tmall.com, reportedly sold more than 57.1 billion RMB (about 8.84 billion dollars) in that single day in 2014, and about 91.3 billion RMB (About 14.14 billion dollars) in 2015.

New Year in China: the “less popular” new year

China is famous for its Chinese New Year celebrations that take place sometime between January or February every year. Because the Chinese New Year has a deeper history and cultural context of Chinese culture, people in China often see the Chinese New Year as the “real” new year, and treat the Gregorian calendar’s New Year as the dateto celebrate with the rest of the world.

Both Chinese New Year and the Gregorian calendar’s New Year were recognized as legal holidays by the Chinese government. However, there is only one day off for Gregorian calendar’s New Year, and there are three days off for the Chinese New Year.

Extra: 2015: the conclusion:

2015 has left and we have entered a new year. We have experienced happiness, hope, and surprise, as well as fear, and horror. 2016 will be a whole new year for everyone, and I will keep giving you all kinds of information about Asia, the US, and everything around the world.

Happy holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year.

Yihao is also the host of the show “Global Perspective” at KRUI every Wednesday from 3-4 pm. The show focuses on international students’ issues in Iowa City, as well as introducing different cultures around the world.

The post Global Perspective: Happy New Year! The Chinese Style appeared first on KRUI Radio.

What is “Holiday Hounding” you ask? Maybe we should begin with that. Holiday Hounding is a little term I made up (or maybe it already exists, who knows? Not me, obviously) to describe the bombardment of the questions you really don’t want to answer while attempting to reach food-coma paradise and pretending your responsibilities don’t exist.

(I really wanted to see how many Nick Miller quotes I could fit into this.)

I don’t know about the rest of you, but the only questions I like to be asked while at home for the holidays are:

1. What television series should we binge watch next? (New Girl. Yes, again.)
2. Can the cat sleep in your room? (Yes, I’ve kept her hostage with my love all day anyways.)
3. Do you seriously want more pumpkin bread? (How dare you disrespect me like that. YES OF COURSE I WANT MORE PUMPKIN BREAD.)

As most college students know, the most emotionally crippling exam questions don’t happen during midterms and finals; they happen when your family decides to turn the dinnertime conversation towards the current events of your life they haven’t been privy to in the last few months. The exam is “life,” and the curve is not going to be in your favor.

With that said, I have deliberated over the best way to cheat your way through the inevitable, and I think I have come up with a solid defensive strategy to help get you through until New Year’s Eve. Just remember the 3 D’s, ladies and gentlemen: Deny, Divert, Devour.

Deny

This obvious strategy is a classic and is pretty commonly used. It’s also extremely easy to implement, literally just deny anything they throw at you that you can’t/don’t want to answer.

“How’s school going? Are you doing okay?”

“Hahaha yeah everything’s great! My stress level has been super low lately.”

Now before you read this and say “Well duh,” there are some key details you have to get right. For one, you have to be smooth about it. Do NOT answer too quickly, just ease into the denial. Remember, they can sense fear. The second challenge to this is that, like I mentioned, this is the oldest trick when it comes to interrogations and therefore easy to spot. That means if you’re going to rely solely on the denial tactic, you better start practicing your responses in the mirror, learn how to monitor your heart rate, and perfect your poker face. You have to really commit.

On its own, the Deny strategy is pretty weak, but paired with other tactics it can be a helpful tool. Which brings us to our next point.

Divert

This is another dodging tactic, but instead of taking the full blow yourself, as with the deny strategy, you can divert that force onto someone else, allowing you to slip away and recede back towards your quiet corner.

Example:

“So, you have any boys in your life these days?”

“Hahaha no, grandma. It’s been like three years now, you start sensing a pattern…BUT did you know Jake said the F word for the first time the other day? I know, so scandalous! He’s almost 15 so it’s about time right?!”

Thus grandma would then be sufficiently shocked; thoughts about your relationship life completely slipping her mind as she goes to hound said little brother instead about his new-found potty mouth. (Sorry, Jake.)

The key detail to make sure this tactic works is that the diversion you bring up has to be highly more attention grabbing that the current question being posed to you. Start your research early, get to know the family gossip ahead of time so you are prepared for any level of question that might come at you.

The third and final tactic is a last resort, “Sugar, we’re going down” kind of defense. If denial and diversions are not working in your favor and you feel the end closing in there is one last thing you can do.

Devour

Literally shove whatever food you have closest to into your mouth. All of it, as much as you can fit. DISCLAIMER: DO NOT CHOKE. That would be tragic. (Although choking effects would be extra convincing.)

Having a fistful of cranberry sauce in your mouth should effectively slow down any questioner, if not, instill a little bit of fear in their soul. This strategy is probably the single most effective in avoiding questions because you literally cannot answer, but due to the choking hazard it should definitely be left as a last resort.

So, that about sums up your new game plan for the holidays. Take some notes, start practicing now, really commit and have holiday cookies delivered to get through the holidays unscathed. Just remember the 3 D’s: Deny, Divert, and Devour.

Happy Holidays everyone. Best of luck.

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The post The Walking Contradiction’s How-To Guide: Holiday Hounding appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The theatre filled with a variety of students, families, and community members, who all took their seats just in time for the orchestra to play at 2:00 PM. When the curtain rose, it was certainly a sight to behold. The actors, adorned in brilliant, sparkly costumes, used fabulous facial expressions as they danced their way across the stage.

The feeling was ethereal — the music swelled when moments were tense and lulled when the mood was calm; Tchaikovsky’s genius was made evident from the start. The synchronization was phenomenal, as were the special effects. Three life-sized toys were pulled out of a box, a nutcracker came to life, and a Christmas tree magically doubled in size.

Throughout the course of her journey, Clara encountered people from all over the world. Children, snowflakes, and angels danced with her, but eventually it was time for her to go. In the mesmerizing and touching final scene, Clara waved goodbye to her newfound friends and held her toy nutcracker. She then fell asleep, dreaming of her spellbinding adventure.

Christmas is now only twenty-two days away, readers — get excited and find a chance to see The Nutcracker. It truly is a captivating and unforgettable experience.

The post “The Nutcracker” Brings Christmas Cheer @ Englert Theatre — 12/1/12 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Leslie & the LY’s, perhaps the most enigmatic band out of the bunch, features frontwoman Leslie Hall and backup girls Dr. Laura and Classy K. Leslie & the LY’s is theatric and poppy hip hop that skirts the line between obnoxious and fantastic. Her live shows are not to be missed.  Otherwise known as “Mother Gem,” Leslie is always decked out in fantastic shiny leggings and ostentatious blinged-out Goodwill sweaters at her shows, and spends time on stage christening the new sweaters that fans give her. She is, after all, the self-proclaimed “founding father” of gem sweater history.

Pennyhawk was started by singer/songwriter/mulch-instrumentalist Kate Kennedy but has grown to include as many as seven other Ames musicians. Pennyhawk has a quirky, gypsy-folk feel that sounds homegrown and smart, and their latest EP, Another Layer, is a must-listen.

Jordan Mayland has been active in the Ames music scene for years as part of Keepers of the Carpet, Nuclear Rodeo, Electronidoll, Tires, Mantis Pincers, Volcano Boys, and The Thermal Detonators.  Though some of those bands are taking a break, his solo debut, Jordan Mayland and the Thermal Detonators, released a low-key, melodic, and emotional EP in 2009 and played at Maximum Ames Music Festival. Nuclear Rodeo recently released a Christmas EP and the Volcano Boys have been playing shows in central Iowa this winter.

Mumford’s is a crazy folk/punk/dance/rock band that was formed in 2008 after the death of Don Mumford, a jazz musician that helped to revive the Ames music scene. The band is known for their songs that feature elaborate storytelling as well as their shows that feature equally as awesome dancing. Their most recent release, Triple Trinities, is religiously-themed and creates an intriguingly dark drama for the listener to follow. The band occasionally tours with Fairfield’s Utopia Park and always reps their home state—as their blog says, “Seriously, what is life? What isn’t life? Where are we? Oh yeah, I remember now: IOWA.”

The post KRUI’s Hometown Holiday Series: Ames, Iowa appeared first on KRUI Radio.