Robot Holiday: Original, Unusual, Alternative Holiday Music

Posted by Jonathan Hughes on Dec 6, 2013

2014 Album: Between the Snowflakes

Here it is. “between the Snowflakes” is our latest collection of holiday-tinged and winter-themed songs. This year, we’ve got ten songs based on ten short stories. Download the record and the e-book here (all proceeds go to the Food Bank of WNY) DOWNLOAD “BETWEEN THE SNOWFLAKES

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Posted by Jonathan Hughes on Nov 27, 2013

Alex Lynne Interview

Note: This is the third in a series profiling members of Buffalo’s original, nontraditional holiday music collective Robot Holiday, which returns to the stage to headline the second annual Holiday Live at Larkin presented by First Niagara on Friday, December 6th, in Larkin Square (745 Seneca St., Larkinville, 5-8pm, free admission, proceeds from CD sales & vendors donated to Food Bank of WNY). Enjoy the first interview with Dee Adams here, and the second with David Mussen here. By Seamus Gallivan Alex Lynne made her mark on Buffalo’s music scene around the turn of the millennium as a sharp songwriter with a sweet voice and sarcastic sense of humor. Once a fixture among celebrations of song from Nietzsche’s to Mohawk Place, she keeps a lower profile musically these days, preferring supporting roles in Robot Holiday and Michael Oliver’s Sacred Band, and otherwise describing her current musical output as, “Alex sometimes tunes her guitar before putting it back in the case.” Alex’s contribution to Robot Holiday, however, is seminal and still significant in the present – as she explains below, she recorded the song that started it all, wrote an annual setlist staple, and remains a charter member of the “Women of Robot Holiday,” who will stand stage center on Friday, December 6th, at the second annual Holiday Live at Larkin presented by First Niagara! How did you first get involved with RH? Jonathan Hughes and I had recently become friends and, in 2001, we decided to do a recording of “Christmas Time is Here” from the Charlie Brown Christmas Special. We did a limited run of CDs as an alternative to a Christmas card just to give to our friends and family members. That’s how it all started and turned into what would eventually become Robot Holiday. Has your work with RH influenced your overall approach to making music? To some degree – I definitely enjoy sort of passing pieces of songs back and forth between friends and other songwriters/bandmates I’ve worked with. I haven’t had much space to work on my own music these days, for various reasons, but I’m forever hoping to get back to doing some more of that soon. Alex Lynne stands center with the Women of Robot Holiday, including (L-R) Dee Adams, Jim Whitford, Joelle Labert, Katy Miner, Jonathan Hughes and Cathy Carfagna – photo by Seamus Gallivan What’s your favorite RH song – of your own as well as that of another member? This is a REALLY tough one because there are TONS that...

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Posted by Seamus Gallivan on Nov 23, 2013

David Mussen Interview

By Seamus Gallivan of The Good Neighborhood David Mussen might be the most prolific Robot Holiday songwriter – he’s developed a knack for serving songs of varied styles that he often doesn’t even perform on himself, able a multi-instrumentalist as he is. Sometimes peculiar, others profound, always poetic, Dave’s songs capture the spirits of so many characters, relationships and moments that define the holiday season.Get to know Dave below, and join us on Friday, December 6th, as Robot Holiday headlines the second annual Holiday Live at Larkin presented by First Niagara! How did you first get involved with RH? According to my copy of the police record, Jonathan asked me if I wanted to write something on October 19th, 2005. He showed up at my house at three in the morning, smelling of paint thinner, threatening that if I didn’t write a song he would kill my cat. I didn’t even have a cat, but I wrote “North Star of My Soul” and “Lonely Christmas Eve” anyway. Click here to listen to and download for free the original 2005 version of David’s “Lonely Christmas Eve” “Lonely Christmas Eve” was the first song that I wrote for Robot Holiday, and maybe my favorite. I think the acid test for a good song is if it can be played as a bossa nova. I had been carrying around the image of sculptures made by the wind since I was sixteen years old, so I was glad to find it a home. Click here to listen to and download for free the rearranged 2012 version of David’s “North Star of My Soul” “North Star of My Soul” was the second song I wrote for Robot Holiday [the original version was recorded in 2005]. The lyrics were originally written for an entirely different song. When Jonathan asked (berated) me to try to come up with something for 2005 I went back to this song, but couldn’t find the music, so I took the lyrics and re-wrote the song. Dave Mussen, Joelle Labert & Dee Adams perform during Robot Holiday Live 2011 at the Sportsmens Tavern Has your work with RH influenced your overall approach to making music? I like writing songs so I’d be doing that anyway, but Robot Holiday provides a thematic challenge that I enjoy. Because there are so many talented people involved, as a songwriter it’s been great because I feel like I can try my hand at various styles of music without worrying whether or not it...

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Posted by Seamus Gallivan on Nov 22, 2013

Dee Adams Interview

By Seamus Gallivan of The Good Neighborhood Dee Adams’ delightfully disciplined voice commands a wide range of the Robot Holiday canon over the past five years – her own songs are certain standouts for their distinct structures and subjects, and her harmonizing ability makes her a go-to member of the crew when others are solidifying their songs. On a personal note, it was Dee who came to me in 2010 when the group decided to take these songs to the stage for the first time, and with our mutual love of and loyalty to the Sportsmens Tavern that’s shared by most members of Robot Holiday, it was the perfect place to bring this show to life. While we’re all thrilled that Larkin Square has since emerged as a much larger and no-less welcoming home for this event, Dee and I are in turn working together on another holiday-themed event at the Sportsmens, to be announced soon… …In the meantime, get to know Dee below, and join us on Friday, December 6th, as Robot Holiday headlines the second annual Holiday Live at Larkin presented by First Niagara! How did you first get involved with Robot Holiday? I had met Jonathan Hughes while singing harmonies for the Rob Falgiano Band in 2009, and told him if he ever needed a backing vocalist for any of his projects that I’d love to work with him. He took me up on it. That year, 2009, was the first time I was involved with Robot Holiday. Has your work with RH influenced your overall approach to making music? There are a couple of ways my approach to making music has been broadened working with these folks, having mostly to do with recording. Here’s a secret – I don’t love the recording process; I’m much more comfortable performing live shows. Being able to sing and produce a nice tone is where recording vocals starts, but you have to be consistent, flexible, and not waste anyone’s time when you are in a studio environment. I’m still sort of customizing my method of learning, practicing, and recording a vocal part, and being given the opportunity to create parts or solidify existing parts means I’m always honing my craft. I’m continuing to learn how to be a better session vocalist because I get the opportunity to apply what I’ve learned, thanks to Robot Holiday. What’s your favorite RH song – of your own as well as that of another member? I’m...

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Posted by Dee Adams on Sep 10, 2013

Feature: Writing Holiday Songs

If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to write a Christmas/holiday song, here’s one of the biggest tips: START IN JULY. It can be difficult to think about snowballs and peppermint coffee and fuzzy scarves while you’re on a summer bike ride, but the only way to get a holiday song written and recorded in time for early December is to write it in the heat of summer. In my few years being part of Robot Holiday, I’ve learned to embrace thoughts of winter on a hot and sunny afternoon. Sometimes writing about something that seems so distant gives me a clarity I might not have when I’m in the thick of that something. Images of big fat fluffy feather flakes, or boy scouts trimming boughs off of a tree, or pretty green boxes with pretty red ribbons, become so vivid while I’m dipping my bare feet in a stream and swatting away mosquitoes. A thousand memories of laughter around the dinner table with bellies full of some delicious, extravagant meal, while playing whatever new game we opened earlier that morning, come flooding through, and it’s easy to reconnect with that joy and peace. It also reminds me that as much as I love summer in Buffalo, my very favorite time of the year is just a few months away. It gives me something more to look forward to. I love the change of seasons in Western New York, and do things to embrace what spring, summer, and fall offer us here, but I LOVE Christmas time. It’s my favorite. So, if you’re an aspiring songwriter hoping to write a holiday classic this year, time’s a-wastin’, set pen to paper and get that song done! Sometimes writing about something that seems so distant gives me a clarity I might not have when I’m in the thick of that something....

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Posted by Jonathan Hughes on Aug 31, 2013

Feature: Helping the Food Bank

With the help of Larkin Square, First Niagara Bank, and all of our fans, Robot Holiday has raised over $13,000 for the Food Bank of Western NY.

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Posted by Jonathan Hughes on Aug 31, 2013

Feature: Rob Lynch

By Seamus Gallivan A true renaissance man, Rob Lynch might be the busiest musician in Western New York – the list of running gigs he lists at the bottom of this piece is exhaustive, but proven not quite exhausting by a simple search of his name on this site, which reveals even more places he’s played of late. Amazingly, music is not even his full-time gig – Lynch is an art teacher at Niagara Falls High School by day. Lynch’s expansive drumming abilities alone endear him to a wide range of musicians in need of a backbeat; his status as an extraordinary gentleman seals the deal. His work with Robot Holiday takes it further, as he’s not only the main man behind the drums but also a singer/songwriter of much of their robot-themed material, often employing an electro-lounge vibe that’s at once weird and warm – such songs might seem creepy if we didn’t know Lynch better…or do we? Get to know Lynch below, and join us on Friday, December 6th, as he and his Robot Holiday bandmates leave the robots at home in favor of an all-human, two-hour set at the second annual Holiday Live at Larkin presented by First Niagara! How did you first get involved with RH? Well over a decade ago, Jonathan used to design the most spectacular holiday cards. Getting one in the mail was like receiving a very special gift. I found it very inspiring; I wanted to be involved. Designing cards turned to designing music, which turned into Robot Holiday; at first, I was simply called in as a friend to play some drums. Now it has became a yearly ritual of sorts, beginning in August with writing songs and recording them well into November, followed by the December show. Rob Lynch decorates his drum set accordingly for Holiday Live at Larkin 2013 – photo from Robot Holiday Has your work with RH influenced your overall approach to making music? It is a much appreciated creative outlet. The “rules” are so open that we approach the recording process in terms of, “Let’s see what happens when we…” I’ve worked on various projects with Jonathan over the years, and each one is very fulfilling. With Robot Holiday, I’ll show up with instruments that I can’t play very well in order to use the technology of the studio to get interesting results. You can imagine how much fun that is – it’s like a mad scientist’s lab! What’s your favorite RH song –...

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Posted by Jonathan Hughes on Aug 31, 2013

Feature: Robot Holiday Live!

Robot Holiday will be performing at Larkin Square on Friday, December 5th, 2014. http://www.larkinsquare.com/things-to-do/events/

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About Robot Holiday

Robot Holiday is collective of musicians who have been getting together for over a decade to write and record original, non-traditional holiday music. If you haven’t heard any of our music before, you might be surprised, bewildered, or confused by these songs. They're about things like winter, and heartbreak, as well as Santa’s poor work ethic, and a novel solution to our dependency on foreign oil. As in years past, we feature singing robots, sometimes singing on their own, and sometimes performing duets with real, blood-filled humans. In addition, these songs feature a potent combination of whistling, glockenspiel, boot stomping, and ample amounts of Moog Synthesizer. And while it might not be obvious upon first listen, all these songs were written for, and in the spirit of, the holiday season. Go ahead and download all you want — these songs are all FREE!