Bobzilla

Since the coming weekend will be filled with parties and their attendant hammerings, here are some suggestions for your trip to the liquor store in case you find yourself allergic to nog. (Warning, the bottom three selections are probably not safe to crank up at work, unless you work for LAist. In that case, consider these five songs an assignment.) CLYDE LASLEY - Santa Got Drunk On Christmas Clyde's just full of ideas, use him...

In order to inspire you to get those last-minute cards in the mail today, here are four very personal holiday messages to and from your favorite musicians. WILD BILLY CHILDISH AND THE MUSICIANS OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE - A Quick One (Pete Townshend's Christmas) The garage-spawned Childish remains up to no good in his latest venture, the quite fab Christmas 1979. For this one, he reimagines the final third or so of The Who's...

For this evening, a selection of gentle acoustic guitars to assist in warming your bones by the fire. Acoustic instruments made of wood just fit the theme - the yule log, the Christmas tree, toy horses, and now, the wood stove where Sufjan Stevens' presents end up - oops! JOHN RENBOURN - I Saw Three Ships Renbourn, one half of the formidable guitar section for British psychedelic-folk pioneers Pentangle, gives his take on the...

OOOwww! Good evening Los Angeles! Wooo! How you all fee-ull? People. You know! I don't believe the LA Forum has a chimney... so if y'all want Santa Claus to come pay us a visit you're gonna need to raise the roof off this mother!! And I think if all twenty thousand of you flick your lighters in time with the beat we can turn this place into the biggest Christmas tree in the world!...

While I deeply love many different kinds of Christmas music, this is one form that tugs hard at the heartstrings. Soul music is just a perfect vehicle for the kind of unironic SINCERITY that I want from a good Christmas song, that makes their heartwarming messages hit home completely. Here's a few to put your mind at ease. BIG DEE IRWIN & LITTLE EVA - I Wish You A Merry Christmas An oldie but goodie...

Why do all these songs about frostbite conditions sound so wonderful in sun-drenched shirtless reverb? Ever try pushing a sled through sand? I don't recommend it. But I heartily recommend each of the following experiences. Don't worry, we'll get to more Beach Boys later on, today (with the exception of track four) it's all about those chiming guitars. THE VENTURES - Sleigh Ride This comes from their fantastic Christmas album, one of the greats...

If you've attempted shopping this weekend, you have our sincerest sympathies. At this point in the holiday season, it's a good idea to take a moment, try to let the yule-rage subside, and remember the true meaning of Christmas: giddy little kids. GAYLA PEEVEY - I Want A Hippotamus For Christmas Truly childlike in its all-consuming greed, this song is a testament to the power of possibility in a child's mind. There is no...

Snow. It's great when you're watching it from inside a heated room, like magic dust bunnies dropping from the celestial ceiling. It's much less magical when you're trying to strategically pee inside your car door to defrost the locks. Call it lifestyle differences, we Angelenos prefer our holidays merry and BRIGHT with a high of 72. The following local heroes offer proof positive that a white Christmas is not a requirement for high spirits....

A long time ago, but right around this time of year, I was sitting in a living room with a record collector pal, poring through the bins of seasonal vinyl from the likes of Jethro Tull, Merle Haggard and Fear. My friend looked up from his fourth or so glass of nog and remarked, "What am I listening to all this Jesus stuff for? I should put on the Blue Oyster Cult Hanukkah album."...

During the six years relocated Clevelanders Biblical Proof of UFOs haunted the dives of Los Angeles, they made my world a better place. This one band brought so many of my favorite things in the same package. They had a simply colossal sound, shape-shifting between glacial-pace Black Sabbath grind and Who-like momentum, powered by memorable tunes and sweetened with angelic vocal harmonies. They could step on any stage, in any room, with lousy acoustics...