Sleeping at Last's Christmas Collection Is Now Available for Free Download

Sleeping at Last's Ryan O'Neal

It's the traditions that make the holiday season special for so many of us, and each year around this time, the indie band Sleeping at Last marks the season by releasing a new cover of a familiar holiday song. Over the years, of course, these individual songs add up, and this year the accumulated total was enough to fill an entire album, which the band is now giving away as a free download under the name The Christmas Collection (see download box below). It's a bargain at ten times the price, and definitely worth checking out.

Founded as a three-piece band in 1999 in Wheaton, Illinois, Sleeping at Last now consists of a single musician, Ryan O'Neal, who plays guitar and keyboards, and sings. The band released four albums of original material and toured nationally before it was winnowed down to O'Neal, but Sleeping at Last is perhaps best known for contributing songs to various film and TV projects, including Gray's Anatomy, Private Practice and The Twilight Saga. In 2011, the band launched a project called Yearbook, which involved releasing three new songs on the first day of each month for a year. These monthly releases were later collected and released as an album.

If you live in the Los Angeles or Glen Elyn, Illinois areas, you will have an opportunity to see Sleeping at Last perform live this December. Information on their upcoming performances is available on the group's Songkick page. In the meantime, download and enjoy The Christmas Collection (below). While the download is free as the band's holiday gift to you, any donations made through the group's Noisetrade page will be paid to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.

I've really been taken this year by the traditional hymn Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel, as you will hear first-hand on my upcoming new mix. The version that kicks-off The Christmas Collection is simply stunning.