American History + Rock 'N' Roll = Deedle Deedle Dees + Contest

(or, therefore, Contest = American History + Rock 'N' Roll - Deedle Deedle Dees.) A couple years back, I ran a contest for The Deedle Deedle Dees' latest album, the excellent Freedom in a Box. To enter, folks had to suggest a historical personage the history buffs in the band might want to write a song about. The randomly selected reader was longtime reader Katy, whose family offered 4 different personages, including Amelia Earhardt, Benny Benson (who came up with the idea for the Alaskan state flag), and Eleanor Roosevelt. Now, although my contest idea was just a goof, chief songwriter Lloyd Miller offered to write one song from the winning entry, and the band actually created songs for those 3 real-life figures, along with other more famous and less famous folks, on their rocking new album American History + Rock & Roll = The Deedle Deedle Dees. So, since my last Deedle Deedle Dees contest worked out so well, let's do it again. By 11 PM East Coast time on ~~Wednesday, December 30~~ ed: contest deadline extended to Wednesday, January 6, enter below by suggesting another historical figure the Dees could write a song about. In addition, write the name of a school system or library system you think would be happy to receive a bunch of excellent songs from both the historical and rocking perspective. No promises that the Dees will write a song for the randomly-selected winner, but I do promise that the randomly-selected winner will receive 2 copies of the album -- one for their own family, and one to give to that school system or library system that they offer up. Thanks, good luck, and if you want to see the track listing, here it is...

Video: "Dreidel Bird" - The Macaroons

This was either the last kids music video for Hanukkah 2009, or it's the first kids music video for Hanukkah 2010. It's "Dreidel Bird" from The Macaroons, and the video for the fanciful alt-country tune is the finest use of backwards video since Coldplay's "The Scientist." (Or maybe not.) The Macaroons - "Dreidel Bird" [YouTube]

Listen To This: "Waiting For My Man (The Santa Claus Mix)

You know, if Bob Dylan can record a Christmas album, why can't Lou Reed? What's that? He hasn't released a Christmas album? But I swear, this sounds just like Lou Reed! Oh, it's just the Bay Area's Sippy Cups, returning to their song-parody roots by reworking "I'm Waiting For the Man" into "Waiting For My Man (The Santa Claus Mix)." And it's free for the downloading or streaming here. (What, "The Gift" wasn't appropriate enough?) Photo credit: Peter Ellenby

Video: "They All Ask'd For You" (Live) - Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem

I've been starting to listen to Ranky Tanky, the first and forthcoming family album from Connecticut's Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem, so I was glad to see that Bill had captured them (not literally, just on video) recording an in-studio performance for a future show. They're making their way out west this spring; I'm looking forward to hearing them do a few tracks off the album here in Arizona in May. But here they are doing their cover of the Meters' "They All Ask'd For You" and making the N'Awlins classic song very much their own... Dig the fiddle. I always dig the fiddle. Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem - "They All Ask'd For You" (Live) [YouTube]

Ranky Tanky track listing after the jump...

Even More Free Holiday Music From Jitterbug.tv

In the midst of Hanukkah, and only a week or so before the solstice, Christmas, and Kwanzaa, it's prime time for holiday music. No sooner do I post about a free track than the folks at Jitterbug's let me know about their holiday playlist. It's a good one and even better, it's a free one, available for downloading or streaming. Music from The Hipwaders, Brady Rymer, Didi Pop, Gustafer Yellowgold, Princess Katie & Racer Steve, Rock Daddy Rock, and David Tobocman. Good stuff (I've already talked about a few songs on the list), downloadable here and in a few cases, nowhere else.

Listen To This: "How Many Sleeps 'til Christmas?"

A lot of the Christmas songs I've been posting or mentioning have tended toward the silly, goofy, and light. This song is not any of those. But I like it nonetheless. It's from the Irish band The Speks, a band whose debut album Sing-Along Songs from Glasses Island I like and really should've mentioned here by now and don't really have a reason for not doing so. Perhaps I'd heard waaay too much Irish music on a "Prairie Home Companion" episode about the time I got their disk. Anyway, they typically do traditional kids songs with an Irish music twist (that's the cover to their debut Sing-Along Songs from Glasses Island at top), but this song is a little different from most of their music. It's a modern take on a Christmas song that features a children's choir from County Clare in Ireland. It teeters on the edge of sappy, but doesn't fall over the edge. Download the song here. A video and more free songs after the jump.