Tallahassee, Fla. (Top40 Charts/ Hubbub!) A musical tradition will continue this holiday season with Volume Three of A Rock By The Sea Christmas charity CD series. This year's release features a mix of Christmas classics and original tunes that are sure to become a part of your holiday playlist for years to come.
Artists donating songs include Will Turpin of the rock band
Collective Soul, Dave Philp, originally from the pop/punk group The Automatics, singer/songwriters Matthew Mayfield, Ernie Halter, Todd Carey and Steve Everett, plus emerging artists
Travis Denning and Saints Of Valory. Rounding out the disc are
Martin Rivas, Michael Lyons of the rock/reggae band B-Liminal,
Lauren St. Jane and the Dead Westerns, Mikey Wax and Mama Gypsy.
Turpin, who contributed the
William Dix classic "What Child Is This?", said the 13-song disc will provide help in a variety of ways.
"I grew up in a musical household and in the church. By the time Christmas rolled around, I pretty much sang and memorized almost every holiday classic," said Turpin, co-founder of the multi-platinum group
Collective Soul. "'What Child Is This?' particularly resonates with me because it asks a question. I find myself constantly asking questions about life. A Rock By The Sea Christmas offers financial assistance and healing through the power of music."
Rock By The Sea is dedicated to planning and producing music festivals and events that raise money to financially assist deserving cancer charities that provide direct services to those in need. The primary beneficiary for 2012 is the Pediatric Brian Tumor Program at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando, FL. The charity strives to create an outlet for these agencies to gain exposure with the public and facilitate donations. Through compilation CDs, musical concerts, silent auctions, selling merchandise and general donations, Rock By The Sea hopes to create awareness and provide an avenue that leads to involvement and enhancement of the direct services provided.
"As Rock By The Sea grows, the Christmas CD is something that our community looks forward to each year," said Beth Gosnell, president of the Florida-based charity. "The project is a true labor of love with some tremendous artists donating their talents to our efforts, and the charities we support love it. It's just one more thing that brings us together at a special time of year."
A Rock By The Sea Christmas: Volume Three is available for pre-order now at https://rockbythesea.storeenvy.com and will be available for digital download on October 16 via iTunes, Amazon.com and other online stores.
A Rock By The Sea Christmas :: Volume Three track listing
1. "What Child Is This?" Performed by Will Turpin of
Collective Soul | Composed by
William C. Dix
"I have always loved "What Child Is This?", the melody and harmony are my style. So, I sat down at the piano to work on the arrangement of the song. I had no idea that this funky pop vibe would come out of me but it did and I hope people enjoy it"
2. "
All I Want For Christmas Is You" Performed by Ernie Halter | Composed by Walter N. Afanasieff and Mariah Carey
"I'm a sucker for this song! 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' is straight pop goodness. If this track doesn't make you smile, you probably hate babies and puppies."
3. "Christmas Already?" Performed by
Martin Rivas | Composed by
Martin Rivas
"'Christmas Already?' was written one early December when I had the familiar feeling that many of us get come the end of the year... Where did it go? Wasn't I just sitting on a summery beach? Wasn't it just July? The song is meant to be a lighthearted pop/dance romp that juxtaposes the materialistic pressures of the season with the spirit of giving and the need for time to move a bit less quickly. I hope that it becomes part of your Holiday playlist."
4. "
Last Christmas" Performed by Michael Lyons | Composed by
George Michael
"Why did I pick 'Last Christmas' by Wham!? Aside from its undeniably catchy melody, the song seems so happy, considering it's really about a heartbreak. I've always thought, 'Man, if that happened to me, I'd be pretty torn up about it, and not really feel like writing an up tempo pop tune.' So, I decided to try more of a bluesy spin on it, and as a guitarist, I felt that making it an instrumental would really allow me to express myself in the best way I know how. I felt adding the bar-sounds in the background lends a bit of the proper ambiance to it. I mean, where do you wind up when your heart gets broken?"
5. "Ballad Of Rudolph" Performed by
Travis Denning | Composed by
Travis Denning, Jonathan Davis and Jordan Hering
"This song is easily one of the most spontaneous and enjoyable songs I've written and recorded. I wanted to step away from the traditional style of a Christmas song and have fun with an old idea made new. Here's a look at how fame and glory couldn't fill Rudolph's life quite as well as friends, love, and good times do."
6. "Christmastime Is Coming" Performed by Dave Philp | Composed by
David Anthony Philp
"I have always been a sucker for Christmas. I have made a big mess of any number of them but still my nose goes up like a spaniel when there is just a scent of Christmas in the air. When I was a young'un I didn't get to spend every Christmas with my family and I had some lonely ones as well as those big old Norman
Rockwell ones where the expectations are just so high they are just bound to come tumbling down around our ears. It's the season of magic when your blood sugar levels are through the roof and the greed gland over stimulated and it is all fueled with booze and mistletoe."
7. "Snow For Johnny" Performed by
Lauren St Jane and the Dead Westerns | Composed by Fred Carter Jr. and Harold Jenkins
"This past Christmas we played to a sold out crowd at Eddie's
Attic as part of the ATL
Collective Christmas tribute to Burl Ives. The song 'Snow For Johnny' actually got chosen for us and after listening to Burl's version we knew we had to put a touch of "us" in that song and we fell in love with the feel. The song itself fits us. It tells a cute, sweet story about a country boy who just wants snow for Christmas and as a Country/Americana band, it couldn't get any more simple than that!"
8. "Catch The Midnight Flight" Performed by Mikey Wax | Composed by Mikey Wax
"I was aiming to tell a common holiday story about being with those you love during the holiday season. I was inspired by the (challenging) simplicity of crooners from the 50's and holiday standards from the 50's and 60's."
9. "It's Christmastime Again" Performed by Matthew Mayfield | Composed by Matthew Mayfield
"'It's Christmastime Again' is a celebration top to bottom. I rarely write songs in that vicinity, but this one just spilled out one evening as the weather started to change. It's a song about boundless hope and a sense of freedom that comes with infinite possibilities. I think Christmas is a time of year where we reevaluate ourselves; exchanging broken hearts for restored ones and looking ahead instead of behind."
10. "Winter Lights" Performed by Saints Of Valory | Composed by Gavin Jasper, Godfrey Thomson and Stephen Buckle
"We are so happy to be a part of not only this year's Rock By The Sea Christmas CD, but also a part of such a great music community that includes emerging artists in their charity efforts. We affectionately called 'Winter Lights' a bedroom production because the song was recorded, mixed & produced entirely in our bedroom. We hope you enjoy it, Merry Christmas!"
11. "Love In Snow" Performed by Steve Everett | Composed by Steve Thompson
"'Love In Snow' kind of snuck its way into my brain while I was sitting on a porch in Nashville... in July. I started thinking about my romantic past and noted that I always seem to fall in love in the fall/winter. Couple that with how much I love snow and was missing cooler weather, and boom! Enjoy."
12. "Perfect Christmas Day" Performed by Todd Carey | Composed by Todd Carey
"When my mom was diagnosed with cancer it was very scary. She has since made a full recovery, and this is a song I wrote about the warmth of family re-uniting for the holidays."
13. "What Child Is This?" Performed by Mama Gypsy | Composed by
William C. Dix
"As individuals we've always been enamored with the melody of 'What Child Is This?'. As a somewhat cheery song we were interested in exploring the melody in our own brooding way. The song held many intriguing dark harmonies that we felt were overshadowed by the lighthearted nature of the song. Taking those ideas we conceptualized a version of the song that explores a richer side to the tune."
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