Explore every episode of the podcast The Sounds of Christmas
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halloween Perils and Christmas Carols with Fans Of Jimmy Century | 14 Oct 2024 | 00:42:29 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talks to Alicia and Victor from Fans Of Jimmy Century about Halloween music and Christmas music, and their new album "A Coupla Holiday Spirits (Halloween Perils and Christmas Carols)"! | |||
| Monster Mash | 01 Oct 2024 | 00:09:38 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talks about the history of "Monster Mash" and the variety of music featured on the Sounds of Halloween! | |||
| Return Of A To Z | 18 Jun 2024 | 00:08:40 | |
Ken from the Sounds of Christmas shares details about his upcoming Christmas In July event - the Return of the Sounds of Christmas From A to Z! | |||
| Sarah Partridge (In A Pear Tree) | 05 Dec 2022 | 00:39:15 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talks to jazz singer and actress Sarah Partridge about her role in Risky Business (with Tom Cruise), her karaoke performance that launched her music career and her album with Janis Ian. She also talks about her Beautiful Minds album, which celebrated amazing women in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. And, of course, they talked about her Christmas album, and her approach to recording Christmas standards alongside a couple of contemporary songs that are on their way to becoming standards. | |||
| Matt Molnar On Buzzards And Some Christmas Songs | 01 Dec 2022 | 00:37:30 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talks to singer/songwriter Matt Molnar about a bunch of his projects, including his children's books (one about buzzards and one about a bear), his other music projects and his album "Some Christmas Songs". Matt talks about the process he went through to come up with fresh takes on some classic Christmas songs, while staying true to the iconic performers who originally recorded them. He also talks about the plans he has for a follow-up Christmas collection, which we could see next year. | |||
| Cliff Beach On Jingle Bells And Lots More | 28 Nov 2022 | 00:41:57 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talks to R&B singer/songwriter Cliff Beach about his new Christmas single, an a cappella version of "Jingle Bells". They also talk about last year's Christmas album, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and the possibility of even more new Christmas music in the future. And they talked about the amazing year Cliff has had with his podcast, his tour, his other music releases, his book and his work on Josh Gates Tonight! | |||
| Muppet Christmas Carol At 30 | 23 Nov 2022 | 00:44:14 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talks to Anthony and Ryan from the Movin' Right Along podcast (from ToughPigs.com). They talk about "The Muppet Christmas Carol" which turns 30 this year! They talk about the music, and the song from Martina McBride that should have been a hit. They also talk about what the Movin' Right Along podcast has learned by talking about this movie two minutes at a time. They also talk about Michael Caine, who was the perfect Ebeneezer Scrooge for this film. And they touch on Emmett Otter and some other Muppet Christmas projects. | |||
| Rhonda Burchmore and Jack Earle Invite You To A Red Hot Swingin' Christmas | 21 Nov 2022 | 00:31:44 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talks to Australian entertainer Rhonda Burchmore and big band leader Jack Earle about their latest collaboration - "A Red Hot Swingin' Christmas"! They talk about some of the songs they chose to record, including a song Dean Martin recorded almost seventy years ago that almost no one has covered since! Plus, they also recorded a big band version of Slade's "Merry Xmas Everybody"! Rhonda and Jack also talk about the tour they're currently on, their next projects and plans, and the possibility of "A Red Hot Swining' Christmas 2"! | |||
| Kevin McGrath Wishes You A Merry Indie Christmas! | 17 Nov 2022 | 00:36:04 | |
Ken Kessler talks to Kevin McGrath about the pair of collections he's put together to benefit the homeless charity Crisis UK. "Have Yourself A Merry Indie Christmas" is in two volumes, and each one contains fifty-four original songs! Kevin talks about what it took to get all these songs from so many artists and the guidelines he used. He also invites you click the Bandcamp links below and listen to some (or all) of the songs yourself. And while he'd like to take a break, he hints that a third volume is not out of the question (and he invites indie artists to reach out to him for details)! | |||
| Grant Maloy Smith on Roots Music, Possums and the Christmas Heart! | 14 Nov 2022 | 00:35:14 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talks to singer-songwriter Grant Maloy Smith about his new album "The Christmas Heart" - how he picked the songs that are on it, and how he made them his own. They also talk about his American Stories albums, including the one he's currently working on. And they talked about his previous Christmas release, which was about a possum! | |||
| Trans-Siberian Orchestra Guitarist Al Pitrelli On Upcoming Tour And More | 10 Nov 2022 | 00:25:42 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talks to Trans-Siberian Orchestra guitarist Al Pitrelli about TSO's upcoming tour. They also talk about the history of the band, as Al was there from the very beginning (actually, before the very beginning). They talk about Paul O'Neill's legacy, and some of the unfinished projects Paul was working on, which the band is working on completing (including new Christmas music)! | |||
| Jane Monheit Wishes You The Merriest | 07 Nov 2022 | 00:29:37 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talks to Jane Monheit about her new Christmas album "The Merriest". She talks about this project, which was in the works for years. She also talks about some of her favorite Christmas singers and songs, and hints that there might be more Christmas music coming from her in the not-too-distant future (maybe)! | |||
| The New 2022 Season Of The Sounds Of Christmas | 01 Nov 2022 | 00:11:13 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds Of Christmas talks about the new season that has just kicked off on his station. He runs down a list of singers and musicians that have made the new season possible. And he goes through the different ways you can listen! | |||
| The Real Christmas Number Ones | 10 Jun 2024 | 00:09:28 | |
Ken from the Sounds of Christmas follows up the previous episode with a look at U.K. and Ireland Christmas Number Ones that were actually Christmas songs! | |||
| AdELA Wishes You A Thankfully Spooktacular Christmas | 31 Oct 2022 | 00:21:37 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talks to singer/rapper/songwriter AdELA about All Star Kid and their latest release, A Thankfully Spooktacular Halloween. They talk about what All Star Kid is all about, and the new album, which features songs about Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas! AdELA also talks about some of the upcoming projects for All Star Kid, including (possibly) more holiday music next year! And though a little off topic, she also shares details of one of her songs being picked by the NHL as the official Stanley Cup song! | |||
| The Star Wars Holiday Special | 27 Oct 2022 | 00:59:13 | |
Just in time for Halloween, Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talked to Lasse from the It's A 90's Christmas Podcast and Sean from the Christmas Podcasts Podcast about the scariest this podcast has ever talked about - the Star Wars Holiday Special! They talk about the music, the guest stars and why they believe the whole thing was a scam! In fact, they take such a deep dive into this special, that they talk about it for nearly as long as the special ran! Well, about half as long. | |||
| Meet the Stephens | 24 Oct 2022 | 00:52:32 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talks to Chayce, Jon, Josh and Seth from the Stephens, a band who produce music based on the works of Stephen King! They talked about how they got started doing this, leading up to the release of their first album, "The Stephens", which was released earlier this year. They also talked about their passion for punk rock, as well as their passion for King's books. And they teased a few songs that are in the works and could be on their next release! | |||
| Mike from Vista Blue on New Halloween Music (And Much More)! | 18 Oct 2022 | 00:44:55 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talks to Mike from Vista Blue about their new Halloween single "Victor Crowley". They also talk about lots more, including this summer's album "Stay Gold" which was a tribute to and inspired by S.E. Hinton's novel "The Outsiders". Mike also share some details about some Christmas music that's on the way, and some of the things coming in 2023! | |||
| New Music For 2022 | 03 Oct 2022 | 00:17:33 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talks about some of the new Christmas music releases that are on the way (and some that are already available)! He also talks about the huge amount of Christmas vinyl that's going to be out this year, and he runs down a couple rumors of artists that may have Christmas music on the way! | |||
| Christmas One Hit Wonders | 27 Sep 2022 | 00:21:40 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas observes One Hit Wonder Day by reviewing some lists of Christmas One Hit Wonders. Spoiler: he disagrees with almost every entry on every list! Artists mentioned in this episode include a-ha, Sinead O'Connor, Lee Ann Womack, Band Aid, José Feliciano, NewSong, the Waitresses, Gayla Peevy, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Wham!, Elmo 'n' Patsy, Mariah Carey, Brenda Lee, Eartha Kitt, Burl Ives, the Carpenters, Mannheim Steamroller, John Lennon, Thurl Ravenscroft, the Eagles, Jimmy Durante, Donny Hathaway, David Foster and Run DMC. Whew! | |||
| Creeps | 19 Sep 2022 | 00:08:39 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talks about the myth of Christmas Creep, with lots of examples from Christmas Past of elements of the season showing up before Thanksgiving, before Halloween and even before the first day of Fall! | |||
| Standards Music and Halloween Music | 07 Sep 2022 | 00:11:58 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talks about a couple non-Christmas topics - Standards Music and Halloween Music. He starts off talking about his recently launched Standards Station, and gets into what it means for a song to be a Standard, and the different kinds of music his new station plays. The Standards Station launched on September 1. Then, he talks about Halloween Music, which will be featured next month when the Sounds of Christmas becomes the Sounds of Halloween on October 1. | |||
| Top 80s Christmas Songs | 02 Sep 2022 | 01:16:32 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talks to Gerry D from the Totally Rad Christmas podcast and Scott from the Holly Jolly X'masu podcast about a couple of top Christmas song lists that miss the mark, and they each come up with their own list of the Top Ten 80s Christmas Songs! The Payola$: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payolas#External_links | |||
| Already Missing Olivia Newton-John | 11 Aug 2022 | 00:08:40 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talks about the passing of Olivia Newton-John. He talks about her stellar successes with a long list of hits, gold records, platinum records and Grammys. But mostly, he focuses on her beautiful catalog of Christmas music that she has left for us. | |||
| Christmas Number Ones | 03 Jun 2024 | 00:13:54 | |
Ken from the Sounds of Christmas talks about Billboards U.S. charts and the Christmas albums and singles that have been able to make it to number one! | |||
| Michael Sinatra Talks About His New Album (And Christmas Music That's On The Way)! | 08 Aug 2022 | 00:24:26 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talks to singer Michael Sinatra about his newly released album "Standards Two (Deluxe Version)", including a breakdown of almost all the tracks, and what it's like recording some songs that are so strongly connected to some of the most iconic singers of all time. Michael also shares details about the deluxe treatment last year's Christmas album is getting, and what we can expect to hear when it comes out later this Fall! | |||
| Christmas In July Podcastpalooza Part Five | 01 Aug 2022 | 00:44:44 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas continues a Christmas in July event by talking to hosts of other Christmas podcasts about their podcasts - what they're about, how (and why) they started doing it (and continue to do it) and what they've got planned for upcoming episodes. Today he talks to Robert from the Behind The Bells podcast! | |||
| Christmas In July Podcastpalooza Part Four | 28 Jul 2022 | 00:33:21 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas continues a Christmas in July event by talking to hosts of other Christmas podcasts about their podcasts - what they're about, how (and why) they started doing it (and continue to do it) and what they've got planned for upcoming episodes. Today he talks to Mike from Advent Calendar House and Collin from the Christmas Movies Actually podcast! | |||
| Christmas In July Podcastpalooza Part Three | 25 Jul 2022 | 00:33:14 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas continues a Christmas in July event by talking to hosts of other Christmas podcasts about their podcasts - what they're about, how (and why) they started doing it (and continue to do it) and what they've got planned for upcoming episodes. Today he talks to Glen from Season's Eatings podcast and Joseph from the Christmas Creeps podcast! | |||
| Christmas In July Podcastpalooza Part Two | 18 Jul 2022 | 00:31:04 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas continuesa Christmas in July event by talking to hosts of other Christmas podcasts about their podcasts - what they're about, how (and why) they started doing it (and continue to do it) and what they've got planned for upcoming episodes. Today he talks to Tim from the Can't Wait For Christmas podcast, Art from A Cozy Christmas Podcast and Matt from North Pole Radio! | |||
| Christmas In July Podcastpalooza Part One | 11 Jul 2022 | 00:58:16 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas is kicking off a Christmas in July event by talking to hosts of other Christmas podcasts about their podcasts - what they're about, how (and why) they started doing it (and continue to do it) and what they've got planned for upcoming episodes. Today he talks to Gerry from the Totally Rad Christmas podcast, Scott from the Holly Jolly Xmasu poscast and Sean from the Christmas Podcasts Podcast! | |||
| New and Future Classics Part Two | 05 Jul 2022 | 00:42:19 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas revisits a topic from a previous episode - Christmas songs from the last twenty years that they think are classics, or on their way to becoming classics (or, at least, worthy of being considered classics). This is in response to a growing number of posts and blogs over the last few years claiming that there isn't any good Christmas music being made any more. Last time, he talked to several hosts of Christmas-themed podcasts, This time, he talks to three singers who have released Christmas music recently - Suzanne from Suzanne's Band, Linda Imperial and Dan Ashley. They also talk about their Christmas music plans for later this year! | |||
| How To Make A Christmas Hit | 27 Jun 2022 | 00:53:28 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas plays segments from the Modern Mann podcast as Ollie Peart takes on a listener challenge to make a Christmas hit (which turns out being called "The Sounds Of Christmas")! Ken guides you through the journey when the listener first emails about the challenge, and then all the way through the creation of the song, the selection of a charity and the inclusion of the podcast community (plus follow-ups on how the song did, how much money was raised and how Ollie created a video with the help of listeners). | |||
| More Christmas Music Lawsuits | 20 Jun 2022 | 00:10:33 | |
After talking about the lawsuit filed against Mariah Carey over "All I Want For Christmas Is You", Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talks about some lesser-known lawsuits over Christmas music, including court cases involving Dolly Parton, Darlene Love, Anthrax, Alabama and Wham! | |||
| Wendy Diaz On Mariah Carey Lawsuit | 13 Jun 2022 | 00:25:51 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talks to Associate Attorney Wendy Diaz (from his brother's law firm) about the recent lawsuit Vince Vance (Andy Stone) has filed against Mariah Carey over the song "All I Want For Christmas Is You". | |||
| Non-Christmas Movie Christmas Songs Post Script | 28 May 2024 | 00:08:00 | |
Ken from the Sounds of Christmas revisits the previous episode's topic with one that he missed (and delves into the Christmas music of Harry Connick, Jr.)! | |||
| The Standards Station | 05 Jun 2022 | 00:06:32 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talks about creating a new online station devoted to Standards (and how you can help)! | |||
| Season One Finale! | 30 May 2022 | 00:12:32 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talks about wrapping up the long first season of the Sounds of Christmas podcast. He talks about Memorial Day, the anniversary of "White Christmas", finishing up with the music from 2021, social media and coming attractions for the Sounds of Christmas station and podcast! | |||
| Controversy, Tragedy and Jingle Bell Rock | 17 May 2022 | 00:34:14 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talks about "Jingle Bell Rock" and how different artists release Christmas music. He also talks to singer/songwriter/consultant/blogger John O'Leary about some of the lesser known things about the writing of "Jingle Bell Rock", including the conspiracy theories about what might have happened (which probably did happen) in which careers were ended and lives were threatened. They also talked about the songwriting story behind "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", and how that song evolved thanks to Judy Garland, and then, several years later, thanks to Frank Sinatra. | |||
| New and Future Classics | 09 May 2022 | 00:54:20 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talks to Gerry from the Totally Rad Christmas podcast, Scott from Holly Jolly X'masu podcast and Tim from the Can't Wait For Xmas podcast about Christmas songs from the last twenty years that they think are classics, or on their way to becoming classics (or, at least, worthy of being considered classics). This is in response to a growing number of posts and blogs over the last few years claiming that there isn't any good Christmas music being made any more. | |||
| Christmas Music and the National Recording Registry | 25 Apr 2022 | 00:08:11 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talks about Nat King Cole's 1961 version of "The Christmas" being inducted into the National Recording Registry. Then he researched which other Christmas songs were in there, and talked about what should be on there (maybe) and how you can nominate your favorite Christmas songs and/or albums! | |||
| Talking Upcoming Christmas Music Releases With JJ From @NewXmasMusic | 18 Apr 2022 | 00:49:55 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talks to JJ from Christmas Music News (@NewXmasMusic on Twitter) about upcoming releases for the 2022 Christmas Music Season. They talk about the ones that are confirmed, the ones that we may get his year, and the ones that are rumored to be on the way. They also talk about some of the rumored releases from Christmas Past that haven't shown up, yet. And about a couple artists that they wish would surprise us with Christmas music releases for the upcoming season! | |||
| Christmas Music at the Grammys | 05 Apr 2022 | 00:09:11 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talks about Chanticleer recent win at the Grammys for their album "Chanticleer Sings Christmas". He then wonders if any other Christmas music won Grammy Awards. He then reveals a short list of artists that did just that, and a much longer list of artists that you might think won Christmas music Grammys, but didn't, and in most cases, didn't even get nominated! | |||
| Christmas Covers | 18 Mar 2022 | 00:14:24 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talks about an article from Stacker.com that uses data from WhoSampled.com for a list of the most covered songs of all time, which includes a bunch of Christmas songs. Since the article is from 2020, he looks at updated data from WhoSampled.com and cross-references it with data from the Sounds of Christmas library and the website SecondHandSongs.com. | |||
| Aric from Sweet Relief On Help For The Music Industry (and How You Can Help, Too)! | 20 Feb 2022 | 00:17:37 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talks to Aric Steinberg, Executive Vice President of Development and Artist Relations of the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund. He shares many of the ways you can help singers and musicians, so they can continue to make the music we all love! Plus, for singers, musicians and others in the music industry, Aric explains how you can get the help you need! You can find out more, and get involved, at https://www.sweetrelief.org | |||
| Christmas Music and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame | 08 Feb 2022 | 00:35:34 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talks about a list from Cleveland.com - "50 Greatest Christmas Songs by Rock and Roll Hall of Famers". He weighs in on their choices, offering some alternatives to their picks, and then runs down his own list of artists and songs that didn't make their list. | |||
| Christmas Songs From Non-Christmas Movies | 20 May 2024 | 00:11:22 | |
Ken from the Sounds of Christmas talks about the first Christmas release of 2024 (from the remake of "Mean Girls") and other Christmas songs that have come from non-Christmas movies! | |||
| The Beatles' Christmas Records | 31 Jan 2022 | 00:08:17 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talks about the Beatles and their contributions to Christmas music, including their solo stuff and their fan club Christmas records (which you might be able to get today if you hurry)! | |||
| Ken Benson from P1 Media Group on Testing Christmas Songs | 24 Jan 2022 | 00:27:59 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talks to Ken Benson from P1 Media Group about how and why Christmas songs get tested, and how your local radio station may be using some of that data. They also talk about some of the songs on the list that were surprises, and some surprised about artists and songs that weren't on the latest list! | |||
| Ronnie Spector And Her Christmas Music Legacy | 18 Jan 2022 | 00:07:47 | |
Ken Kessler from the Sounds of Christmas talks about the passing of Ronnie Spector, her Christmas music and her love of Christmas! | |||