Here is another Christmas EP that dropped today...

Ride on, Santa is the second release by Brian Grosz (Dogs of Winter) and Meredith Dimenna (Saint Bernadette) who record together under the name The Priestess and The Fool.

Covering both a Pogues tune (where the lyrics are "You scumbag, you maggot/You cheap lousy f*ggot/Happy Christmas your arse/I pray God it's our last") along with a song from The Muppets, this is anything but a typical Christmas CD. Having Brian Grosz in the band might explain some of this but check out the video below and you'll see also see the drunken male choir and the use of a washtub as a de-facto drum.



Here is the track list for the disc:

1) "Ride on, Santa, Ride On"
(Stan Kenton Orchestra featuring June Christy)
An essentially unknown track by the Stan Kenton Orchestra - with June Christy on lead vocals - is re-imagined by TPTF with wailing trumpets, clattering cookware and a drunken, male chorus of all colors, shapes, sizes and sexual orientations. Further proof that a bedroom can sound like a speakeasy at dawn... if you know how to live well.

2) "There Ain't No Hole in the Washtub"
(Emmet Otter's Jug-band Christmas)
This lynchpin of the much-beloved (or totally unknown) Jim Henson project, "Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas," gets a boogie-woogie makeover to remind every dancer that life is grand if you can still wash your drawers. If you were fortunate enough to catch this underground classic on Betamax, you'll be wondering why the Riverbottom Nightmare Band hasn't had a reunion tour and a multi-million dollar contract with Live Nation.

3) "Fairy Tale of New York"
(The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl)
A country/western version of The Pogues' 1988 Christmas classic. While it might be hard to envision a holiday song that uses the words "slut", "maggot" and "drunk tank" - one must remember that the Irish also gave us banshees, James Joyce and Jameson whiskey. Happy Christmas, arsehole.

4) "Baby, It's Cold Outside"
(Frank Loesser)
A sexy, down-tempo interpretation shifts the scene from an innocent Christmas party to the balcony of an international playboy's mansion on the Riviera.

5) "Mele Kalikimaka/Waters of Babylon"
(Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters/Traditional)
Complete with the sound of a creaky canoe, a fishing reel and the haunting moan of a seagull, this Hawaiian Christmas ditty sails off into the sunset as Psalm 137 pulls into port. Only in the alternate holiday universe of The Priestess & The Fool could a canoe carrying the harmonies of Bing Crosby and the Andrew Sisters be followed by the baby Moses in a floating basket.

This has to be one of the better Christmas CDs that has come out over the last few years. As it is free, how can you say no?

Click on the cover photo to download the new EP.

Links:
The Priestess and The Fool's Website
The Priestess and The Fool's MySpace Profile