Various Artists

A Very Bert Dax Christmas Vol. 7
(Bert Dax Cavalcade of Stars)

Comments (0) By Christian Schaeffer Wednesday, Dec 17 2008

Details

A Very Bert Dax Christmas
10 p.m. Thursday, December 18. Mangia Italiano, 3145 South Grand Boulevard. Free. 314-664-8585.
9 p.m. Friday, December 19. Lemmons, 5800 Gravois Avenue. $5. 314-481-4812.
9 p.m. Saturday, December 20. Way Out Club, 2525 South Jefferson Avenue. $7. 314-664-7638.
8 p.m. Sunday, December 21. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue. $7. 314-773-3363.

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You probably know the drill by now: Every year Bunnygrunt's Matt Harnish corrals a bunch of local bands (some new, some established) to record Christmas songs. These discs will never take the place of Nat "King" Cole on your holiday hi-fi, but that's beside the point — these comps exist as a chance for bands to toy with the season's soundtrack. This year's highlights include the Blind Eyes' "Christmas AM Gold," which isn't as soft and sappy as advertised, but still retains the trio's hip-shaking verve. The close boy-girl harmonies of A Bit Shifty kick off the seventh installment with a bit of Christmas-morning sadness, but the Trip Daddys turn the groove around with "Santa Claus is Back in Town." Harnish and his Bunnygrunt cohorts (recording as alteregos Blondiegrunt) take a swing at Blondie's "11:59," which, though not technically a Christmas song, serves as a reminder of how tight the band is when compared to some of the city's newer talent.

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