Happy Holidays, Everyone
Kind of wild that it's already holiday season once again. What's wilder is that this marks my 35th mixtape of this fun project, and I want to thank you for coming along for the ride. To all of you who listen, write back, share with friends, share tunes you're listening to, and throw a little dough my way with the BuyMeACoffee link... thank you from the bottom of my heart. It's a true passion project for me, and it only exists because I have people to share it with.
This December, I decided to do something a little different than my normal Christmas mixtape. More on that below. I hope you'll like it. (And if you're in the Christmas listening mood, I've linked my THREE other Christmas mixes... and I'm already formulating ideas for next year.)
Like the mixtapes? Help me spread the love by throwing a few bucks my way via BuyMeACoffee. Thanks to everyone who has already supported me there. I've covered my Apple Music subscription costs and now I'm working towards upgrading my cassette recording tech so they don't sound like garbage.
And hey, if you like it, why not share the mix or this newsletter with a friend?
Kāneʻohe
Created for Casey and Junel.
My younger brother Casey is marrying Junel this December 30th in Kāneʻohe, Hawaii. I'm so happy for them. I love them. I can't wait to celebrate with them.
All this means... I'm going to Hawaii at the end of the month. I've never been, and of course I'm so excited about the trip. I'm going to ring in the new year in Honolulu. A dream come true.
I'm wary, though, of being a tourist in a place where the native people and those who have called it home for decades have been displaced both by colonizers centuries ago and by modern day AirBnB/remote work settlers/absurd surge of tourists. I figured that the least I could do is try to understand the place and culture that I'm visiting, the home of my future sister-in-law's family. Music helps me do that.
It's no secret that I look to music to help me learn about cultures (Brazil most specifically), so I looked to Hawaii's rich history of musical tradition and their interpretations of pop, jazz, country, and soul to give me a baseline reference for their cultural landscape. It is such a simple perspective, but one I find necessary.
Anywhere I travel, I look for a record store. I look for the music I can buy only there to help me remember this place, to understand it better. I'll be visiting the record store Aloha Got Soul and picking up records by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, kalapana, The Sunday Manoa, Marlene Sai, The Brothers Cazimero, Don Ho, and any others featured on this mixtape that I can find.
This mixtape is full of my favorites from my journey discovering Hawaiian music. It's a thank you to Casey and Junel for giving me the opportunity. It's a really wonderful selection of music that I know you'll love.
Love you all. Hope you enjoy!
Join Me: Watch Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas
I love Bing Crosby so much. He's my Christmas king, for sure, but I'd listen to him any time.
If you've never had the pleasure of viewing his 1977 family Christmas special, I recommend it, if only for the David Bowie cameo and duet. It's really remarkable. Kristin bought me the 7" vinyl single of that song a few years ago, and it's one of my favorite Christmas gifts I've ever received.
Bing passed away something like a month after filming this special, so it's one of the last documents we have of his immensely wonderful voice and charm.
RIYL: Christmas, classic crooners, holiday specials, wild and wonderful young David Bowie cameos
Check out Bing Crosby & David Bowie's "Peace on Earth / Little Drummer Boy".
Some Other Christmas Music That Brady Loves
(that you might love too!)
A Christmas Mix For You - From 2018, a mixtape a created for Christmas music enthusiast Maicy Jo Schwartz! This one is fun and wild and weird. All over the place. Heartwarming mix of classic joy and pure novelty schmaltz. Not on Spotify or Apple Music because of some deep cuts and rarities.
Peace on Earth - From 2020, a mixtape created for this project for late Christmas Eve. I think Christmas Eve is the most romantic night of the year. There's magic in it. I tried my best to capture that with this.
Have A Holler Jolly Christmas - From 2021, a mixtape created in collaboration with Caitlin Bitzegaio for a down home family holiday. This is the 80s/90s country Christmas mix of your dreams and my childhood. Pure nostalgia.
Christmas With The Believers - Not a mixtape! A long kept secret Christmas jazz record by an unknown group that is, no joke, one of the best Christmas albums I've ever heard. Dying for this one to get a vinyl pressing or a CD pressing or published in any way other than a free download on archive.org.