I’ve spent enough time in my neighborhood grocery store and my laundromat to be sick to death of the standard holiday fare, which has been making my ears bleed since before Thanksgiving came around.

Need a respite from that shit? I know I do. That’s where the homie MattSoReal comes in. He did an awesome “Mellow Out It’s Christmastime mix” last year that we posted about here on the blog. This year, he’s at it again, and he’s expanded the concept to a series of mixes. He’s got two of them up thus far, and they’re both great.

He set it off last week with his “Thowed Christmas 2009 mix” and these poignant words to set the mood:

Yeah man, if you follow this blog, you know I have a pretty thowed collection of Holiday jams. All genres, mostly fucked up shit. …

Pretty much. Matt’s always been a champion of not staying in his lane, and that’s what I really love about dude.

This shit knocks. Peep:

Thowed Christmas by Pushermania

¬ DOWNLOAD IT HERE (or click on the down-arrow at the far right of the preview above)

Here’s the playlist:

AustinSurreal.com Presents THOWED CHRISTMAS – A Podcast By MattSoReal

Sweet Tee – Let The Jingle Bells Rock
Holiday Greetings from Chingo Bling
Disco 4 – He’s Santa Claus
Coldcut’s Christmas Break
Holiday Greetings from Devin the Dude
Bud Brothers – Dec. 25th
Run DMC – Christmas in Hollis
Holiday Greetings from Bun B
Stevie Wonder/Dipset – Someday at Christmas – DJ Jon Remix
Vince Guaraldi – Linus & Lucy – Pocket Knife Remix
Tomb Crew – Jingle Hells Bells
Holiday Greetings from Eternia
King Sun, D. Moet – Christmas in the City
Dorrough – I Want
Holiday Greetings from Peter Rosenberg
South Park – The Lonely Jew on Christmas
Eek A Mouse – Christmas A Come
Lee “Scratch” Perry – Santa Claus
Holiday Greetings from Lowkey
Afroman – 12 J’s of Christmas
Dynamix 2 – Christmas Melody
Pee Pee Dynamite – Groovy Christmas & New Year
Tomb Crew – Jingle Hells Bells
Holiday Greetings from Baller Craig aka Craigger White

Matt just unleashed the second installment the other day, and this one takes a darker, slower, moodier turn. If I were a drinker, I’d be nursing a few whiskeys and chilling the fuck out to this one. I’m not a drinker, tho, so I’ll have to settle for some herbal tea, ’cause that’s how I do:

¬ DOWNLOAD IT HERE

Here’s the tracklist:

James Brown – Santa Claus, Santa Claus
The Staple Singers – Who Took The Merry Out Of Christmas
John Lee Hooker – Blues For Christmas
Holiday Greetings from Lucky Fonz III
Lucky Fonz III – Christmas Lights In A Cave
Loretta Lynn – I Won’t Decorate Your Tree
Esquivel – Blue Christmas
Sufjan Stevens – Did I Make You Cry On Christmas?
Calexico – Gift Exchange
Ernest Tubb – Christmas Is Just Another Day For Me
The Emotions – What Do The Lonely Do At Christmas?
Holidays Greetings from Cosmo Baker
Damien Marley – Santa Claus (Do You Ever Come To The Ghetto?)
The Fall – No Christmas For John Queys
David Banner – It’s Christmas Time (Jingle Bells)
Holidays Message From Killer Mike aka Mike Bigga
Killer Mike aka Mike Bigga – A Christmas Grind
Ying Yang Twins – Ho Ho Ho
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings – Ain’t No Chimneys In The Ghetto
Low – Little Drummer Boy
Eels – Christmas Is Going To The Dogs

For those of y’all in New York this week, I can’t recommend this event enough.

Writer and human rights activist Austin Dacey has put together this amazing event showcasing the musical talents of HAROON BACHA,
a Pashto singer who fled censorship and persecution from the Taliban and has made a new home for himself here in New York. Haroon will be performing this Wednesday at one of my favorite venues, littlefield in Gowanus, Brooklyn, as a prelude to Human Rights Day. Here’s the info:

Music is a Human Right: A performance by Haroon Bach
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2009 @ 8pm | $10

Presented by Austin Dacey and co-sponsored by FREEMUSE: The World Forum on Music Censorship and the Center for Inquiry

@ littlefield
622 Degraw St.
Brooklyn, NY

A celebration of Human Rights Day featuring Haroon Bacha: The singer the Taliban tried to silence

Haroon Bacha is one of Pakistan’s most celebrated Pashto singers. Because of his music’s messages of tolerance and pluralism, he became a prime target of the Taliban’s deadly campaign against music. In 2008, he was forced to flee the country, leaving behind his family, and seek asylum in New York City. Determined to continue making music, Haroon has recorded a new album and begun working with Radio Liberty in Washington, D.C., where he hosts cultural and musical programs with the Pashto service.

This will be Haroon’s first concert for the general public in New York, and he will be accompanied by master musicians Mohammad Essa on the tabla and Pervez Sakhi playing the rabab.

You can get more info from the facebook event page. Tickets are available on Ticketfly or via the littlefield website.

For more on Haroon, check out his interview with Austin:
¬ On the Taliban’s Hit List: An Exiled Pakistani Singer’s Plea to Save Music

And here’s a write up on Haroon from the New York Times last year:
¬ U.S. Refuge for Singer Fleeing the Taliban

After the success of our rooftop party on the Fourth of July and the Sound Liberation Festival back in August, I’ve been eager to do another party in Brooklyn. So, buhbOmp is teaming up with the SLF and The BRMG to do just that.

The party is called SoundLib and we’re getting it started in Fort Greene at the legendary Moe’s on December 17. I’ll be throwing down some soulful goodness, so peep the info below and spread the word.

==========

[[ SOUNDLIB ]]

presented by Sound Liberation Front + buhbOmp + The BRMG

THURSDAY | 17 DEC 2009

@ Moe’s
80 Lafayette Ave
Fort Greene, Brooklyn, NY, 11217
718.797.9536

C to Lafayette Ave / G to Fulton St
Also within walking distance from the Atlantic Ave station (B-Q-2-3-4-5 trains)

/// about ///

Sound Liberation Front is throwing a party in Brooklyn at Fort Greene’s legendary Moe’s Bar. Expect good vibes, good drinks, and good music (soul, Hip-Hop, afrobeat, house, reggae and more) …

featuring:

MUSIC NERD ALL-STARS: [[ DJ LIL TIGER + Q-MASTAH ]] :: NYC
( –=(] buhbOmp [)=–, touch&feel:radio, Soular Grooves )

8p-1a | FREE | No dress code

map:
+ google
+ hopstop

Sad news today. Philly guitarist and wild man Jack Rose passed away yesterday morning of a heart attack leaving a massive emptiness in guitar playing and in music generally. He departed this reality far too early and he’ll be sorely missed. Memorials and stories have quickly piled up on the ‘net and it seems appropriate to show some love for his music. Below are some links to other folks posts about Jack. Bourbon drinkers raise one up to this guy – he liked the corn mash libations. There’s already a few empties ’round these parts…

Arthur Magazine’s memorial
Logo’s Books and Records post
Spinner.com article
Philly’s Citypaper with a nice collection of links

JACK ROSE – EXCERPT FROM “ARTHURFEST” from Lance Bangs on Vimeo.

Thoughts go out to his wife, Laurie, and his family and friends. Thanks to all the fellow bloggers who’ve made an effort to remember.

Jack Rose - February 16, 1971 to December 5, 2009