17 December 2024: Jethro Tull Christmas; Cousin Silas "Variations on a Theme of Winter

 

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The music you hear on tonight's show is available on the artists' Bandcamp pages and websites. (links below) 

We urge you to support the musicians you hear on FreeForm Radio.

 Tuesday, December 17, we continue our series of three very special FreeForm Holiday Shows.

The Jethro Tull Christmas Album is the 21st studio album released by Jethro Tull, on 30 September 2003 (see 2003 in music). The songs are a mix of new material, re-recordings of Tull's own suitably themed material and arrangements of traditional Christmas music. In 2009, the live album Christmas at St Bride's 2008 was included with the original album on CD.

Ian Anderson about the song Birthday Card at Christmas: "My daughter Gael, like millions of other unfortunates, celebrates her birthday within a gnat’s whisker of Christmas. Overshadowed by the Great Occasion, such birthdays can be flat, perfunctory and fleetingly token in their uneventful passing. The daunting party and festive celebration of the Christian calendar overshadows too, some might argue, the humble birthday of one Mr. J. Christ. Funny old 25ths, Decembers…" 

Cousin Silas - Variations on a Theme of Winter

There are many things that 'inspire' the music I do, but perhaps one of the most endearing is Winter. Apart from the usual cliches of transformation, and the memory echoes from childhood with its association with Christmas. It's also the way in which, at night, sounds are strangely muffled, morphed almost and how the landscape glitters and glows as though we have two full moons.
I guess all that sounds a little pretentious, but as I say, I do have a rather abiding passion for Winter.

My thanks to Thomas Mathie for the cover/artwork.

credits

released November 16, 2020

Cover/Artwork by Thomas Mathie 

 

ambient electronic experimental guitar sound alchemy soundscapes thomas mathie cousin silas United Kingdom  

07 December 2021: An Ambient Winter Evening with Markus Reuter and Cousin Silas

 

Note that tonight's show may begin later than 9 pm Alaska Time due to the live broadcast of a public meeting here in Kodiak.  FreeForm will begin immediately after the meeting if it runs past 9 pm. 

Be sure to follow KMXT FreeForm Radio on Facebook and Bandcamp.  

Please support FreeForm Radio and KMXT by going to KMXT.org and pledging your support.

The music you hear on tonight's show is available on the artists' Bandcamp pages (links below) and makes a great gift for the holidays as well as brightening the musicians' holidays.  

 

Markus Reuter Winter Solstice

Bizarre soundscape versions of traditional songs usually associated with this time of year, at least here in Germany. In addition to the meditative soundscapes (which are based on the series of pitches of each tune) I've also overdubbed straight versions of the original melodies. Enjoy this parallel universe... It's strangely hypnotizing. Only available from December 1st to December 31st.

 

5.1 surround mix available here:
surroundmusic.one/album/winter-solstice/

credits

released December 17, 2018

1. Silent (Night) / Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht
2. Chorus of Youths / Tochter Zion
3. Snow (Children Song) / Leise rieselt der Schnee
4. Joy / In Dulci Jubilo
5. Night (Silent) / Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht

 

christmas jul merry natale noel weihnachten weihnachtslied yule yuletide Berlin

 

Cousin Silas - Variations on a Theme of Winter

There are many things that 'inspire' the music I do, but perhaps one of the most endearing is Winter. Apart from the usual cliches of transformation, and the memory echoes from childhood with its association with Christmas. It's also the way in which, at night, sounds are strangely muffled, morphed almost and how the landscape glitters and glows as though we have two full moons.
I guess all that sounds a little pretentious, but as I say, I do have a rather abiding passion for Winter.

My thanks to Thomas Mathie for the cover/artwork.

credits

released November 16, 2020

Cover/Artwork by Thomas Mathie 

 

ambient electronic experimental guitar sound alchemy soundscapes thomas mathie cousin silas United Kingdom  

01 January 2019: The Emporium Project (Cousin Silas & Friends)

 Tonight on FreeForm Radio, we offer an ambient journey from Cousin Silas & Friends as a contrast to your New Year's Eve revelry.

Coming in at just over two hours long (two hours and nine minutes to be precise) is the first part of the first "The Emporium Project" ... a collection of collaborations that span multiple genres but hold true to their central, uniting force ... Cousin Silas.

On 1.1, Cousin Silas & his Friends bring to the table longform ambient and unique sounds inspired by ska ... atmospheric soundscapes that use field recordings and tracks that feel like they were recorded in an out-of-the-way Blues club ... dark ambient eeriness and more percussive sounds. It is, without doubt, a varied set, one that will appeal to the curious and the adventurous in equal measure.

As mentioned above, this is the first part of the first Emporium Project ... you can expect four more parts in the coming days and weeks ... roughly ten hours in total and plenty to keep you occupied in the dark days of winter (in the Northern Hemisphere).

As with Cousin Silas & Friends releases before, we will use this series to give a little back to our wider community. All monies raised from the sale of this album will be donated to Hospice UK. I am both fortunate and grateful to work for an employer who actively matches all donations made ... so every purchase will be doubled for the benefit of a very worthy cause.

I really do hope you will enjoy this album as much as I have.

- Thomas

**Please Note:** due to the fundraising aspect of this album, it will not be added to our collection over at archive.org.  

credits

released December 15, 2018

All music initiated by Cousin Silas. Please refer to each individual track for details of collaborator.

Photograph by Carrie Favretto

Design & Logistics by Thomas Mathie for weareallghosts.co.uk

All proceeds of this release will be donated to hospiceuk.org