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Tipsy music pub greenville8/3/2023 ![]() Friday at The Upstairs Bar in Spartanburg. The Abbey Elmore Band will perform at 10 p.m. The group, which is composed of former members of such Hub City outfits as Cocktail Frank, The Watts and Groove Asylum, offers a muscular mix of old-school blues. Friday at Delaney’s Irish Pub in Spartanburg. Now, that’s diversity, which is something every self-respecting songwriter should aim to achieve.Ī closer look at some of this week’s area shows: You know, the song in which Elvis utters the phrase “hunka, hunka.” Linde is best known for penning “Burning Love,” which was originally recorded by soul singer Arthur Alexander but is much more famous for Elvis Presley’s cover. What intrigues me most, though, is that “Christmas Eve Can Kill You” was written by seminal songwriter Dennis Linde, who died Dec. While Phil and Don Everly offer the definitive rendition of “Christmas Eve Can Kill You,” it’s worth noting that contemporary singer-songwriter Will Oldham, aka Bonnie “Prince” Billy, recorded the song with Dawn McCarthy of the indie-folk outfit Faun Fables in 2012 and a Detroit-based band called American Mars cut it in 2014. Indeed, as the main refrain suggests, “Christmas Eve can kill you when you’re trying to hitch a ride to anywhere.” The man walking through the snow seems to be doing quite a bit of soul-searching as the song progresses, eventually making the plea, “Oh, God forgive the man who drives right by the other man, take pity on the stranger in the cold.” I’d ride that highway to the arms of my sweet family and forget about the stranger in the cold.” Guess he’s busy being Santa Claus tonight.”Īnd then comes the harsh commentary: “The saddest part of all is knowing if I switched with him, I’d leave him stumbling ragged by the road. “A car goes running by, the man doesn’t even turn his head. “The icy air I’m breathing is all that keeps me on my feet, I feel like I’ve been walking all my life,” the song continues. The most introspective part, however, is when it reveals a stark reality of how we often go about our lives with little regard for those in less fortunate circumstances than us. It then goes on to feature such powerful lines as “the cold and empty evening hangs around me like a ghost” and “the sound of one man walking through the snow can break your heart.” I think of years ago and half-remembered Christmas trees and faces that still warm me with their glow.” It starts out with the lines, “The winter’s flaking snow is brushing through the wiry trees, I stuff my hands down deep inside my coat. Like the Mitchell song suggested by Williamson, the Everly Brothers’ “Christmas Eve Can Kill You” strikes a melancholy vibe both musically and lyrically. ![]() I find it interesting that both our choices came from albums that aren’t otherwise holiday-themed. That’s indeed some sad stuff there and a worthy choice to go against my pick, a song called “Christmas Eve Can Kill You,” which was originally recorded by the Everly Brothers for their excellent 1972 country-rock album, “Stories We Could Tell.” ![]() Oh, I wish I had a river I could skate away on.” That’s the one that starts out, “It’s coming on Christmas, they’re cutting down trees, they’re putting up reindeer and singing songs of joy and peace.” It winds up taking a dark turn with Mitchell later singing, “I’m so hard to handle, I’m selfish and I’m sad, now I’ve gone and lost the best baby that I ever had. Williamson, a South Carolina native, offered a pretty impressive suggestion as her pick: Joni Mitchell’s “River,” which was released on her landmark 1971 album, “Blue.” ![]() It was a warm late September evening but we got into a discussion about sad Christmas songs. A little over four years ago, Asheville, N.C.-based acoustic trio Underhill Rose had just completed a performance at a barbecue festival in Mauldin when I struck up a conversation with its upright bassist Salley Williamson. ![]()
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