Winter Family

Felicie and Charles have a serious if whirlwind holiday romance. Due to a mix-up on addresses they lose contact

In the midst of the Korean wilderness, a Buddhist master patiently raises a young boy to grow up in wisdom and compassion

February 3, 1959 will always be remembered as ‘the day the music died.’ On that frigid occasion, a small plane carrying Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper crashed in a frozen Iowa field, killing all touring three rock and roll luminaries and their pilot. Bear Family’s posthumous tribute disc to the tragedy brings together some of their greatest recordings on this one-of-a-kind collection, along with key sides from the surviving participants of the tour—Dion and the Belmonts, Frankie Sardo, Waylon Jennings, even Debbie Stevens, whose cover of If You Can’t Rock Me is an unheralded classic.

Plying their trade in the fertile San Francisco scene of the late '60s, Crystal Syphon's name was only known to aficionados through viewing copies of old SF gig posters and through the index of bands at the back of Ralph Gleason's book on the rise of Jefferson Airplane. Then both their studio and live 1967-1969 archival recordings were discovered that replaced the imagination with true grooves in 2012 and 2015 with the release of 2 LPs on Roaratorio Records. Trying to find comparison with other Bay area bands from that era has proven a bit fruitless as they don't specifically evoke any of the heavy hitters of the era. They have a bit of a dreamy, stoned vibe with some great harmonies and some have compared their style to Quicksilver Messenger Service (John Cipollina was their idol!!) as well as H.P. Lovecraft. As with so many bands of the era, the draft, time and declining fortunes signaled the end of the band. There is some great guitar work alongside the Farfisa organ in the extended jams, and fans of the west-coast sound should delight in these recordings.

A Family Christmas is filled with the diverse components that have typified the "TPG Twist" fun, irreverent combinations that people find refreshing. The album features new takes on Christmas classics such as "Let it Snow," "Winter Wonderland" and "Silent Night," as well as two original compositions from Jon Schmidt and Steven Sharp Nelson. And, for the first time since their breakthrough video of "What Makes You Beautiful," all four of The Piano Guys perform together for a remarkable version of "Angels We Have Heard on High," which will be supported by a new YouTube video. Says Schmidt, "We spent a lot of time crafting the album so that there's something for everybody. It's an opportunity to jam and dance around the house while decorating the tree as well as the chance to sit back with somebody you love and look at the fireplace."