James Lanman featuring Alessandra Rose - "Blue Christmas" [Christmas/Vintage Country] (2022)(https://open.spotify.com/track/7BGqm4w7XCxMfgdr84X8sn?si=f84e2e9bcc28460f)

Myself(based out of Montana) and another singer songwriter named Alessandra Rose (based out of the Pacific Northwest) used to play shows together in the rock bands we fronted back when we both lived in Seattle. We met singing a duet at a tribute concert to The Righteous Brothers, Phil Spector and The Beach Boys. Unforgettable experience performing for 2,000 people at The Moore Theater backed by The Seattle Rock Orchestra!

Years later we talked about doing a song together and because the crossover genres in our respective sounds are jazz and country, we thought we would do a retro country take on this classic Elvis song! This year, we finally made that longtime dream of a collab happen. I don't typically sing country so this was a fun departure from what I normally do.

Because Elvis is untouchable, we put our own spin on this, channeling some of our favorite classic country artist inspirations into the sonic fold(Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline, etc.) Giving it a bit of rockabilly flavor as well. It was recorded remotely between Bremerton, WA, Missoula, MT, Austin, TX and Los Angeles, CA. The guitarist is an amazing player and avid collector/restorer of vintage pedals. He played period accurate instruments on this track including a 1957 Kay main guitar, a 1933 Dobro Resonator and a 1955 Fender Lapsteel!

It was rad to collaborate with fellow indie artists I've known and respected for years on a Christmas song and do something a bit different than my usual Jazz forward Xmas stuff. Full circle. Anyways, yay for collaborations between hard working indies artists. If you dig it, come by and say "hi" on instagram or elsewhere. James Lanman on insta and elsewhere. Or give it some love on streaming sites/bandcamp! Thanks for listening, :)