Following marathon eggnog sessions and several aggressive battles with a Yule log, The Priestess & The Fool present Ride On, Santa, the free downloadable EP of Christmas cheer for all to enjoy from Exotic Recordings. A collection of re-imagined holiday music for scrooges, atheists, and all types of bah-humbuggery, Ride On, Santa features old classics, cult Muppets and a drunken ’80s Irish Pogue… not even Three Wise Men could have predicted this gift under the Christmas tree.
Download the Ride On, Santa EP, PDF-booklet and album art here.
The Priestess & The Fool is the cover- song collaboration between Meredith Dimenna (Saint Bernadette) and Brian Grosz (Dogs Of Winter) and proves once again that strange bedfellows can make for beautiful music. She croons and he crows. She serenades and he snarls. She’s the brass and he’s the tarnish. When brought together for the Holiday season, all ‘Good Will Toward Men’ is in jeopardy.
Tracklisting:
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.
With creative input from producer/multi-instrumentalist Keith “Touch” Saunders and a veritable arsenal of guest musicians from the Exotic Recordings roster and beyond, THE PRIESTESS & THE FOOL deliver RIDE ON, SANTA.
The Priestess & The Fool: myspace | download Ride On, Santa
Yay Exotic Recordings! Three Cheers for Bridgeport’s finest label of love.