Jingle Bell Rocks! Director & Producer Mitchell Kezin Curates Mitchell's 'SOUL SISTA' Holiday Mix for The Witzard (Exclusive Mix)

Mitchell Kezin is a self-described Canadian "gentle giant, crate-digger, and filmmaker" whose award-winning film, Jingle Bell Rocks! toured the international festival circuit in 2014, including The Beefeater IN-EDIT Music Documentary Film Festival held in Barcelona, Spain. Jingle Bell Rocks! was then, acquired by Brooklyn-based Oscilloscope Labs—founded by the late, great Beastie Boy Adam "MCA" Yauch—and released theatrically in over 50 cities across the USA and can now be found on Amazon Prime, iTunes, VUDU, and like-minded streaming services and on DVD through Oscilloscope. Mitchell's current film, BUT FOR NOW: The Music & Mojo of Bob Dorough about the Bebop/Jazz legend and Schoolhouse Rock! creator is currently in-production.

Jingle Bell Rocks! thoroughly examines the slightly obsessive habits and tendencies of avid Christmas CD, vinyl record, and cassette tape collectors. Jingle Bell Rocks! follows Mitchell Kezin, as he seeks out the 12 best, most original, alternative, and under-appreciated Christmas songs ever recorded; with Mitchell as our titular merry misfit, his film seeks out to find the SOUL of Christmas music and features interviews with Joseph "Rev Run" Simmons of Run-D.M.C. The Flaming Lips' charismatic frontman Wayne Coyne, cult film director and Alt. Christmas music enthusiast John Waters, "Blue Xmas" vocalist Bob Dorough, and self-declared "Calypso King of The World," The Mighty Sparrow.

Throughout the film, additional screen-stealing voices include former Def Jam director of publicity Bill Adler, DJ and musicologist Dr. Demento, Soul legend Clarence Carter, and many more merry misfits, who confront the Christmas music mainstream, re-inventing the seasonal soundtrack for the 21st Century. I've been personally speaking with Mitchell Kezin (@mabooshi) via Twitter, over the course of the last week or so, after he asked me for suggestions on seasonally-appropriate "Alt. Hanukkah" songs; I then, asked Mitchell if he might be interested in compiling one of his infamous mitchell's merrymixes AKA merrymixes, which he's been assembling and gift-giving since about 1990, for publication right here on The Witzard.

Mitchell Kezin's custom-made Mitchell's 'SOUL SISTA' Holiday Mix for The Witzard features 16 strategically organized tracks-worth of Hanukkah songs, festive holiday ditties, and a gaggle of Alt. Christmas classics. It spotlights obscure selections from the likes of Alex Boye' feat. Genesis Choir, Barenaked Ladies, Donnie Iris & The Cruisers, AKIM & The Teddy Vann Production Company, The Soul-Saints Orchestra AKA The Poets of Rhythm, and The Mighty Sparrow, as well as a previously unreleased live Hanukkah recording from El Vez "The Thin Brown Duke." Lastly, a very special shout-out goes to The Ologist AKA J.D. at Common Good Records for graciously sequencing Mitchell's 'SOUL SISTA' Holiday Mix for The Witzard into one continuous, cohesive track at the very last-minute!

Mitchell's 'SOUL SISTA' Holiday Mix for The Witzard

01. "Soul Santa" - Brook Benton

02. "The Little Drummer Boy" - The Soulful Strings

03. "Christmas Is" (2006 Digital Re-master) - Lou Rawls

04. "Little Drummer Boy" (African Tribal Version) - Alex Boye' feat. Genesis Choir

05. "We Free Kings" - Roland Kirk

06. "Monologue/Dreidel Song" - El Vez LIVE from The Triple Door
* previously unreleased recording from Jingle Bell Rocks!

07. "Santa's Got a Bag of Soul" - The Soul-Saints Orchestra

08. "Little Miss Super Fly" - AKIM & The Teddy Vann Production Company

09. "Alleluyah Sasa (He Is Born)" - Donnie Iris & The Cruisers

10. "Hanukkah O' Hanukkah" (LIVE) - Barenaked Ladies

11. "Hanukkah Homeboy" - Doc Mo She

12. "Christmas Time Again" - Reuben Anderson

13. "How Can Santa Come to Puerto Rico?" - Ricky Vera with Steve Allen

14. "Post Card to Sparrow" - The Mighty Sparrow

15. "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" - Bobby Timmons

16. "Happy New Year" - Mabel Mafuqa

"Let Me Shine for You:" Lindsay Lohan for Playboy (Winter 2011-12 Leak)

Lindsay Lohan essentially embodies exactly "What NOT to Do In Hollywood :" Fame, fortune, success... sex, drugs & Rock "N" Roll . Within a fairly short period of time, Lohan somehow managed to obtain a plentiful helping of POWER @ a very young age. This gradual rise-downfall was captured on film; Between 1998-2010, she portrayed a wide array of roles across the silver screen in movies including: Mean Girls, Bobby , Herbie Fully Loaded , Georgia Rule, Machete , and Freaky Friday . Between rapid-paced film shoots, Lindsay Lohan also found time to record 2 Pop Rock albums for Casablanca , Speak (2004) and A Litter More Personal-Raw (2005). Needless to say, Lindsay Lohan has gotten roped up in a lot of troubles and woes with the law over the last 3-5 years... a vicious cycle of drugs, arrest, court, rehab, "daddy issues," jail time [Repeat]. That's the pure basics of it - But Google that shit for additional info, if necessary. Towards the end of...

[W]reckless, Topless American Youth: Lana del Rey - "Born 2 Die" (Britney Spears Birthday 30)

Lana del Rey [Lizzy Grant] effectively became 2011's "It Girl" with the release of her phenomenal debut single, "Video Games" (Stranger) . Like many struggling singer-songwriters, Grant has been signed, dropped, and significantly changed her public image since bursting onto the scene (2009). With that said, it can be assumed that Lana del Rey has collected just as many "haters" as she has avid supporters. To be perfectly honest, the only other artist I can think of that made this much commotion... garnered so much wide-spread buzz/hate and critical acclaim -- right out of the gates -- with just one track is Britney Spears . And maybe in this post- Mike musical era, that's the true synthesis of Pop Culture: Britney Lynn Spears . After months of repeated teasing and speculation, Lana del Rey 's major label debut, Born 2 Die will [finally] be released this coming Jan. 30-31, 2012. Pitchfork reports that it will feature "Off to The Ra...

Liberty Bell Cracked In 1/2: Ween - "Freedom of '76" (Gene Ween's Final Send-Off)

Chocolate & Cheese (1994) was one of the first albums I bought with my own money. I was in some sort of BMG Music Club , where you'd buy 5 CD's and then get 10 for "FREE." It was all sent through mail order and you picked the titles from some special booklet. I'm almost positive that Chocolate & Cheese's side boob-baring album cover was what initially drew me in... mind you, I was 12-15 and the zany Ween logo/middle finger CD graphic really didn't hurt either. Honestly, I forget how I really felt about it @ the time, but a few years later, my older cousin Josh told me that Ween were this BIG college "jam band." CKY did some sort pf 93.3 radio takeover to promote their new album and played "Freedom of '76" late that night on air. Needless to say, I re-visited Chocolate & Cheese @ about 20-something this go 'round and I fucking loved it! Ween were really weird, yet talented... almost too talented. I can vaguel...

The Witzard

Search This Blog