"Sleigh Bells and Mistletoe" Podcast Pays Tribute to Fabled Collector Mitchell Kezin

I've written several times before about "Jingle Bell Rocks," the wonderful documentary by the late Mitchell Kezin about some of the various collectors of oddball holiday music who serve as my role models in this seasonal obsession of mine. Chief among these spirited folk is Mitchell himself, who, until his untimely death this past January, was one of the world's most dedicated and knowledgeable non-traditional holiday music enthusiasts. Mitchell's the guy on the left in the picture above. He's standing next to the late Bob Dorough, who's perhaps best known for his work on ABC's Schoolhouse Rock but was also a successful jazz musician, producer and arranger. Bob was responsible for the piano and vocals on the Miles Davis classic "Blue Xmas (To Whom It May Concern)." Bob's one of the many fascinating musicians and creators featured in "Jingle Bell Rocks," along with Run DMC, John Waters, El Vez, The Flaming Lips and more. But the real focus is on collectors like Mitchell, whose passion for tracking down unusual holiday tunes lights up this special holiday film 

I was pleased to learn recently that the terrific "Sleigh Bells and Mistletoe" podcast did an affectionate profile of Mitchell and his work this past August, and it's well worth checking out. 

I enjoy listening to "Sleigh Bells and Mistletoe." Hosts Rikki Meece and Mary Richards (no, not the one who works with Ted Baxter at WJM-TV in Minneapolis) promote their own brand of holiday spirit throughout the year in what's been described as the original  "all-things Christmas" podcast. The  August 26 episode opens, as most of their shows do, with a summary of "Xmas News," followed by the feature on Kezin. It includes Rikki's interview with Hugh McNally, another fan of offbeat Christmas tunes who's been making his own holiday mixes under the "Bootleg Xmas" brand for the past 25 years. (I've never been on Facebook so unfortunately I can't give you a link to Hugh's work, which seems to be exclusively promoted there.) You can hear Hugh and lots more in this excellent interview via the link below:

"Jingle Bell Rocks" helped me to learn that there's a whole community of other offbeat holiday music collectors like me out there. But you don't have to share this crazy interest to enjoy the movie. It's currently available for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime. You can even watch it for nothing by signing up for a free 7-day trial subscription on Fandor. 

Here's a small taste of what you're in for:

There's no better way to kick-off your holiday season than listening to the "Sleigh Bells and Mistletoe" feature on Mitchell Kezin and following it up with the classic film "Jingle Bell Rocks." After that, you can listen to my latest mix. Hugh McNally's been at it with "Bootleg Xmas" for five years longer than I have, but 20 years is nothing to sneeze at!

Andy Cirzan's 2015 Christmas Comp Is Here

Andy Cirzan

As longtime readers of this blog can attest, one of the things I look forward to every holiday season is the annual appearance of Andy Cirzan on Sound Opinions, the weekly radio talk show about rock and roll produced by WBEZ Chicago and hosted by by Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot. You see, Andy is one of the patron saints of the genuine holiday music aficionados. He's been making and circulating holiday music mixes for 27 years now – a full dozen years more than me. And it's always a treat to hear what he's selected for his annual "Christmas comp" ("comp" in the vernacular of the holiday music collector, is short for is short for compilation). It's also fun to hear him talk about his choices on Sound Opinions, which we can all do this week thanks to the magic of the internet. Andy's latest Christmas comp is titled Holiday Hangout at Hillbilly Holler, which features an assortment of little-known holiday tunes from the world of country and bluegrass. Be sure to check it out.

Incidentally, Andy is one of the many collectors and performers featured in Jingle Bell Rocks, the amazingly wonderful 2014 film by holiday music collector Mitchell Kezin. It's been described as an

exclusive backstage pass into a fascinating underground world of alternative Christmas music. Starring an eclectic cast of characters – The Flaming Lips, Run DMC, John Waters – plus two dozen amazing & original songs, JINGLE BELL ROCKS! is a cinematic sleight ride into the strange and sublime universe of alternative Christmas music.

For me, it's a touching and spirited look at the beauty and fun to be had from the world of offbeat holiday music. It will certainly resonate with other holiday music enthusiasts, and it might serve as a kind of explanation to friends and family of the obsessive collectors – or at the very least a welcome piece of evidence that there are others out there with this same addiction. Here's a trailer for the film, which is now available on iTunes or through amazon.com: 





Hear the Sound Opinions s Year's Holiday Spectacular for 2015, with Andy Cirzan

Download Andy Cirzan's 2015 Christmas Comp, Holiday Hangout at Hillbilly Holler (available through 1/1/16 only)

Purchase Mitchell Kezin's 2014 Film, "Jingle Bell Rocks"

Jingle Bell Rocks Now in Theaters; Available on DVD December 8

It's the event holiday music enthusiasts have been looking forward to like restless children on Christmas Eve, but it's finally here -- Mitchell Kezin's documentary Jingle Bell Rocks is now showing in theaters around the United States and will be available on DVD starting December 8.

Jingle Bell Rocks explores the colorful and often curious world of the committed holiday music collector. It also features interviews with some of the artists who have created many of our most unusual holiday favorites. You'll meet Bill Adler, former publicity director of Def Jam Records, who helped launch some of rap's biggest stars including Run DMC, whose "Christmas in Hollis" remains a classic today. You'll also meet legendary film director John Waters, whose 2004 album A John Waters Christmas contains some of the most bizarre holiday tunes ever recorded. Also featured are Chris Dedrick of The Free Design, whose music anchors my 2013 special bonus holiday mix The NOW Sound of Christmas; and Andy Cirzan, whose annual appearances on NPR's Sound Opinions radio show are regularly promoted here.

This is a wonderfully rich movie, and it serves as a great introduction to the underground world of the holiday music enthusiast. It's also a lot of fun! Be sure to see it when it plays in your town, or order your own copy on DVD.

See where Jingle Bell Rocks is playing this December

Order your own copy of Jingle Bell Rocks on DVD

Premiere Screening of "Jingle Bell Rocks" Set for November 24 in Amsterdam

I posted an item last year about Jingle Bell Rocks, a film project conceived by Mitchell Kezin about Christmas music collectors like himself and the people responsible for some of his favorite holiday tunes. Well, the movie is now complete, and the world premiere screening is scheduled for Sunday, November 24 at the International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam. Here's the trailer:



Further screenings will be held this season in Canada, but those of us in the United States will have to wait until 2014 before we can see the film in this country. Nonetheless, it looks like a lot of fun, and we are confident the final product will be well worth the wait.

Help Support Jingle Bell Rocks, The Movie

Filmmaker and admitted Christmas music fanatic Mitchell Kezin has spent a good portion of the past few years working on his latest project, a film called Jingle Bell Rocks. It is, in his words, "a trippy, cinematic sleigh ride into the strange and sublime universe of alternative and underground Christmas music." Mitchell's been a Christmas music enthusiast ever since he discovered a copy of the all-but-forgotten Miles Davis classic Blue Xmas in the cut-out bin of a nearby used records store. That led him on a search for similarly off-beat and overlooked seasonal songs, and the more he discovered, the more curious he became about the meaning and background of each individual track. Jingle Bell Rocks aims to look behind the curtain at the collectors, critics, artists and producers of this very special type of music. It features interviews with a wide range of players, including Andy Cirzan, John Waters, Dr. Demento, Clarence Carter and more. The following preview helps give you a better idea of what the film is all about: 



As you might imagine, making such a film is not only an ambitious undertaking, but a costly one as well. Kezin is nearly done with filming, but he needs additional seed money to finish the production and pay the fees associated with using many of the key tracks. If you're in a position to consider providing even a small amount of financial support, please check out the filmmaker's fundraising campaign appeal. It's not every day you get a chance to get a piece of a major motion picture and help spread the holiday spirit at the same time!