Beckstrom Holiday Extravaganza Volume VII

released December 1, 2015

FEATURING
Brandon Thompson – vocals ("He Fills Us Up")
Garrett McGinn – bass ("He Fills Us Up," "The Chipmunk Song", "The First Noel")
Ryan Andrews – acoustic guitar ("He Fills Us Up"), percussion ("The First Noel")
Chris Beckstrom – upright piano, keyboards, homemade synthesizer, other synthesizers, electric bass, electric guitar, drums, percussion, melodica, accordion, vocoder, saxophones, Fender Rhodes, Hammond organ, vocals, clapping, sampling, Peavey mixer, production, jingle bells

Recorded in Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, and Alto, Michigan

"He Fills Us Up"
music and lyrics by Chris Beckstrom

Album art features Walter the Dog

BECKSTROM HOLIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA VOLUME 7 LINER NOTES
The Chipmunk Song – A funky, old-fashioned reggae romp of the classic tune. Featuring Garrett McGinn on bass, as well as a whole lot of lasers. Influenced by King Tubby, Augustus Pablo, and Bob Marley

He Fills Us Up – A praise and worship song about the Flying Spaghetti Monster and how his/her/their goodness fills us all up. Features Brandon Thompson on lead vocals, Ryan Andrews on acoustic guitars, and Garrett McGinn on bass. Influenced by Jars of Clay, Casting Crowns, and all the praise and worship bands I played with in college.

What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? – Earth, Wind, and Fire get turned into robots and shot into space on a giant rocket filled only with vocoders and modular synthesizers. In space they meet Daft Punk, who are actually robot aliens. To get back to Earth, they have to put on the greatest galactic dance party the universe has ever seen, and for some reason they cover "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" Heavily influenced by the aforementioned artists, plus the unusual music of William Onyeabor.

Go Tell It On The Mountain – Over the top dubstep in the vein of Skrillex. Samples, sound effects, explosions, lasers– everything you could want in a holiday dubstep song.

The First Noel – a mashup of contemporary R&B and renaissance music. Harpsichord, synths, drums, rhodes, and lute combine to create something new. Garrett McGinn's bass and Ryan Andrews' percussion make appearances here as well. Influenced by various Spanish renaissance composers and Robert Glasper.

Here Comes Santa Claus – A minor-key version of the classic, this is an Astor Piazzolla-inspired arrangement. It sounds a bit different than the original; perhaps this song is really about Krampus! Influenced by Astor Piazzolla and his distinctive brand of tango.

Ave Maria – I love this piece of music. I tried about 5 different styles until I settled on this African-influenced marimba plus synth approach. I like the combination of marimbas and weird synthesizer sounds. Influenced by the music of West and Central Africa, as well as the grandfather of synthesizers and electronic music, Raymond Scott.

Here We Come A-Wassailing – A sort of jazz trio arrangement of the normally upbeat tune. Heavily influenced by Robert Glasper and Brad Mehldau (especially his album "Largo").

Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer – An electro-cumbia performed almost exclusively on my DIY modular synthesizer, The Alligator ("Gator" for short). All sounds generated by homemade, hand-soldered, analog circuits, except the Hammond organ, a splash of digital bass, and real live jingle bells. Influenced by King Tubby, Raymond Scott, and Wendy Carlos.

SPECIAL THANKS
Special thanks to the fabulous musicians who collaborated with me on this cross-country project! Thanks Brandon Thompson, Ryan Andrews, and Garrett McGinn for your musicianship, creativity, and willingness to record stuff at home and send it to me through the internet. We live in wondrous times!

Also, thanks to my wife Claire for putting up with listening to the same 8 bars over and over again for hours on end... And to Walter the Dog, for braving the cold and a terrible sweater for the album cover.

And to you, the listener, for supporting independent music!

Recorded mostly in Bitwig Studio on Linux