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Music Mayhem    

As noted in the December 2005 edition of Mil Mania, I continue to include news in every issue to keep readers up to date on the latest happenings with the three acts most prominently featured on www.artistinsane.com.  In addition,  for each issue I also choose one additional artist — in some cases a new discovery I’ve recently made, in others an individual or group whose work I’ve long appreciated — to make a one-time appearance here.  And, of course, as with all aspects of Mil Mania, feel free to offer suggestions.

 

This month’s featured artist…is once more an album!   In keeping with the holiday spirit, it seems appropriate to feature a Christmas collection...a format that exists in greater abundance than holiday cheer itself. So, without further ado here are a few words on a personal favorite in the genre...

 

A Very Ally Christmas —            

     Here’s another sound-
track album from a show
“raved about” on the TV
review page of my web-
site...the quirky, weird and
wonderful Ally McBeal. 
And, while the show itself has long since left the airwaves, Christmas remains a perfect time to wax nostalgic over its excellence...and perennially enjoy anew performances by both regular and guest stars via this timeless holiday collection. 
     Resident songstress Vonda Shepherd headlines, of course, but there’s also an ample sharing of vocal duties among other notable characters...including Jane Krakowski, series lead Calista Flockhart, Macy Gray, and the actor who raised the show to its highest level, Robert Downey, Jr.

     Oh heck, while I’m here, I can’t help adding an honorable mention among Christmas albums...Home Alone Christmas — which qualifies in my book on the strength of the only song I ever really listen to on the disc (and do so repeatedly!)...Darlene’s Love’s “All Alone At Christmas”.   I dare even the most Scroogelike reader out there to not catch a little holiday spirit within the first ten seconds.    
     And, of course, for moving reverence you can’t beat Josh Groban’s version of  “O Holy Night”… available on the NBC Sounds of the Season CD from a couple years back...further appropriate in this review as he once appeared on Ally McBeal.  It is a small world after all!

 

……………………..

 

 

Third Eye Blind will be closing out 2006 onstage, playing shows in Fl and AZ on 12/30 and 12/31, respectively.  (Go to www.3eb.com for more info).   In other news, it seems Stephan will again be working with Vanessa Carlton on her next release in the weeks ahead.  “Then,” according to The Village Churchyard website, “it'll be back to working on the 3eb album...hopefully…”  Hopefully, indeed!

 

Brian Fitzpatrick recently com
pleted the updates to his myspace
page promised in his November blog. 
And, given the new tunes he’s put up it was definitely worth the wait!  So, go there now to check all of that out, including a short explanation of each song.   Also, I’ve been informed Brian plans to schedule several new shows in early 2007, the first of which — a Jan. 19th appearance at The Underpass — has already been announced.  And, having not made it to a performance myself in way too long, I’m looking forward to catching up!

 

 

Michael McDermott has been relatively quiet since his late November appearances at Schubas — just after which he gave the Perdue Chronicle an interview you can read here.  This month he returned to the stage for a CA appearance at Hotel Café, and will be playing a pre-Christmas show back home in Chicago at the House of Blues on 12/22.  As always, visit his page at myspace.com for Monday Morning Musical Madness, new tour dates and other info— now including a beautiful rendition of the
holiday classic  “Little DrummerBoy”.

Ravings of a
     Mad Woman

This column corresponds with the Mad Ra-vings On section of www.artistinsane.com, and is dedicated to selected reviews of movies, television and books… most of which are unlikely to represent “the latest” in any of these categories, but rather a