Welcome to the 2020 Radar Christmas Spectacular brought to you by WFDU, 89.1 FM and The Vinyl District! Prepare to earn some frequent flyer miles, because we will be trotting all across the globe to speak with some of the brightest musical stars this holiday season.
Of course, we begin our journey from the great Garden State, then it’s on to Nashville, Tennessee, where Nicole Atkins joins us to talk about the creation of her latest rowdy holiday single, “Every Single Christmas.” From there it’s a day’s long road trip down to Plant City, Florida where actress and musician Charleene Closshey joins us to discuss her holiday film An Evergreen Christmas and her involvement in the soundtrack.
Then, make yourself comfortable, because it’s a long-haul flight all the way to New Zealand to speak with Tami Neilson about the current state of performing affairs in NZ and her recently released—and breathtaking—Willie approved version of Willie Nelson’s “Pretty Paper.” After that, it’s on to sunny Los Angeles, California where we chat with Johnny Rzeznik from the Goo Goo Dolls about his favorite Christmas song, what’s on his Christmas list and, of course, the band’s fun new album, Christmas All Over.
Finally, we close with a trip back to the mountains of Colorado to speak with Anthony D’Amato about his brand new holiday song, “Merry Christmas, I Guess.” It’s a little somber and wistful, but doesn’t that feel appropriate this year? Throughout our entire journey, the sleigh’s dashboard stereo will be sharing music from Philadelphia’s fantastic steel guitar fronted jazz group, Slowey and the Boats who also have a new album out this year titled, Merry Christmas from Slowey and the Boats.
It’s great to speak with these musicians about their newest releases, but there is a common thread running through these discussions. It’s how—just like the rest of us—they are carefully navigating the holidays and wondering what comes next. This show is an opportunity to learn that no matter where we are located, we’re all closer than we think; even though we’ve grown accustomed to feeling that we’re all connected, we’re realizing that humans share a deeper bond than just clicks and likes. There’s another layer there that we’re all yearning to explore.
And ORG Records is offering us a special giveaway so you vinyl lovers can put something beneath your tree! ORG and Brunswick have recently joined forces for a reissue series of titles from Brunswick’s back catalog. Using Brunswick’s original analog tapes, the releases were remastered for vinyl from by Dave Gardner at Infrasonic Mastering, in coordination with frequent Brunswick collaborator Dennis Drake at his Music Lab studio.
You can win a copy of a recently reissued copy of Jackie Wilson’s, Merry Christmas From Jackie Wilson! Previously out of print for decades, the album is finally coming back to vinyl, just in time for the holiday season. The release was mastered from original analog tapes and pressed on audiophile-grade vinyl for an unmatched listening experience.
To win, just go to www.evantoth.com, reach out and write me an email telling me what Nicole Atkins’ favorite holiday snack product is (you’ll have to listen to the show to learn the answer!). A winner will be chosen totally at random. Best of luck.
Evan Toth is a songwriter, professional musician, educator, radio host, avid record collector and hi-fi aficionado. Toth hosts and produces The Sharp Notes each Saturday evening at 6pm and TVD Radar on Sundays at 5AM on WFDU, 89.1 FM. Follow him at the usual social media places and visit his website.
