I think that R.E.M.’s “Monster” album, which arrived in 1994, was musically a good ten years ahead of its time. Listen again and you’ll see what I am talking about.

My ridiculously talented friend Lindsay Windham came up with some really festive card designs the other day, and we’ve made them an honest-to-goodness postal mail-worthy reality. Check it:

and

We think that they’re just plain perfect for this time of year. We’ll be selling them at tonight’s Chord and Pedal Christmas Show at Cumberland’s, but if you can’t make it, just write me here and I’ll see what I can do!

It’s that time of year, again.

Yep. My pal and neighbor Nick Doyle is serving up another very tasty Christmas (Xmas, for those of you non-WalMart goers) song this year. The appropriately moody pop tune, “Santa Doesn’t Care…”, features Nick on guitar and vocals, E. Bivins (”the Biv”) on drums, Ash Hopkins on bass and some other things, and I even got to play clarinet, for the first time in about fifteen years (it really is like riding a bike!). Please visit here and enjoy this holiday heartbreaker!

This seasonal small-time supergroup, known as the Silver Bells, is debuting a three-song live set this Saturday the 16th, at Cumberland’s, for the Chord and Pedal Christmas Show, which is always an indie rock good time. Joining us on stage will be Charleston’s very own Crystal Ann Floyd, on fiddle and vocals. Zowie! Other acts to follow reads like a page from Jump, Little Children’s personal contact list: Cary Ann Hearst, Bill Carson, and, well, pretty much anyone we’ve ever played with in Charleston.

I’m really hoping that this is going to be the evening that will get me into the Christmas Spirit, which has been eluding me thus far. I’m beginning to think that the Spirit is a little bit pissed at me, because he’s been giving the cold shoulder since Thanksgiving, and it’s already the middle of December. If he doesn’t play nice this weekend, I’m going to have to think seriously about celebrating Hanuka next year.