JD McPherson, Joel Paterson

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Alysse Gafkjen

JD McPherson and band.

Fans of vintage American roots music should have this excellent bill on their radar, featuring a pair of excellent Midwestern artists with recent holiday albums on their resumes. Socks, from 2018, featured a set of original tunes by JD McPherson and his band; see a brand new video for album track "Holly, Carol, Candy & Joy" on YouTube. And Madison native Joel Paterson tackled holiday classics on the 2017 release Hi-Fi Christmas Guitar. It's a night guaranteed to make your Christmas season 100 percent more swinging.

$25.

media release:

JD McPherson has shared the new video for “Holly, Carol, Candy & Joy” as featured on his acclaimed 2018 Christmas album SOCKS via Magnet Magazine. McPherson’s fourth album, has quickly become a perennial favorite since its release and was written, produced, and arranged by the frontman and his longtime bandmates. SOCKS is a record rooted in the same timeless influences — from 1950s rock & roll to old-school rhythm & blues — that inspired his breakthrough release, Signs and Signifiers, back in 2010. The result was a return to McPherson’s musical wheelhouse, mixing new songs and classic tones with his band’s sharpest performances to date. The Los Angeles Times called it “Irresistible,” saying “It’s an utter joy, a vintage jump-blues/R&B/rockabilly workout devoid of treacly sentiment, but brimming over with child-like spirit” while Newsweek said “It’s perfect for folks looking to celebrate...with some rocking and rolling holiday cheer.” Like all of JD McPherson’s best work, SOCKS is a wonderful collection of opposites: new compositions inspired by old influences; familiar themes explored with fresh angles; classic sounds reinterpreted by a modern band. It’s the rare kind of holiday album that packs a punch at any time of year.

Upon its original release, McPherson said of SOCKS, “I’ve always loved Christmas music, especially popular Christmas music from the 1940s and ‘50s. There’s something classic about that sound. Something that keeps you coming back, year after year.” Speaking to Magnet Magazine, he said “I’ve been wanting to make a video for the SOCKS album for a good long while, and a couple of attempts were made, but nothing ever seemed to match the spark of the album. My long time friend and film school cohort Sean Dejecacion and I had a conversation about turning ‘Holly, Carol, Candy & Joy’ into a love letter to French New Wave Cinema... and I'm sure somebody said, "ET VOILA!." It was just snobby enough to make me feel satisfied. Sean wore an Anna Karina pinback during the shoot. I called a few pals together to play the roles of the titular characters, and I think everyone did such an amazing job. AJ Haynes from Seratones agreed to come in right off tour to shoot her part... I couldn't believe it. I know she was exhausted. It was a flippin' blast. My pal Ava who played Candy had to eat 5lbs of sugar for her role, she deserves at least a Brit award or something. Legendary photographer Jim Herrington played the role of... well, himself.  Jim looks like a character from one of those films anyway, and he actually had all the period correct cameras.  It was also the easiest video I've ever shot, because I just had to sit around like a slug. Very low impact.”

McPherson will also launch his first tour in two years this Wednesday in Indianapolis. The SOCKS: A Rock N’ Roll Christmas Tour will feature favorites from the album and McPherson says of the tour, “it looks like it’ll be a yearly tradition, pandemics notwithstanding. I can’t wait, I’ve missed it.”  See all tour dates below. 

JD McPherson’s SOCKS is available via NEW WEST RECORDS.