I caught the tail end of Seth MacFarlane singing on the Kelly & Michael morning show this week and I was caught completely off guard. Seth MacFarlane…was singing, no. That’s not the ‘word’ for it. He was crooning into the microphone. Like in a -beautiful Dean Martin ‘singing holiday carols’ kind of way. And he was GOOD! Better than good. He was excellent!
And I get it – really. I don’t watch ‘The Family Guy’ but I know the man’s name and from what I understand, he’s done musical numbers on the show. I honestly had no idea. Not that anyone can’t have a handful of quality talents, I don’t mean that, I just didn’t EXPECT to be blown away by this man, in this way. But friends, let me tell you. I bought the album just based on the last maybe 30 seconds of the song he was singing. He’s SO good that I really wanted to go out and buy every person that I knew a copy of the cd and thrust it into their hands and say “HERE! Christmas has been revived for me again! Listen to this and FEEL it again”. A tall order, I understand. Not everyone even likes these older holiday classics, but I think there’s just a certain appreciation that must take place when hearing something so…uplifting. I can imagine myself watching the snow fall on Christmas (the holiday that I celebrate) and hearing this music in the background. A glass of wine in my hand. The music has reinvigorated me in a way I hadn’t expected and that’s why it was SO surprising to me.
I can’t say that I’ve lost the “spirit” it’s just that I don’t usually find my holiday happiness until the week of my Christmas holiday anymore. With stores pushing out decorations and Mall Santa’s and all of that even before Thanksgiving takes place (this year it felt like as soon as Halloween was over, Christmas decorations were already going up in the stores. Am I wrong?) it just doesn’t feel the same as it used to. I almost feel like by the time the 25th gets here, I’m already tired and worn out from everything that I love about the holiday.
But this week I got a little bit of that…magic back.
Now, I know – the “sound” might be a little too old school for you, but I ask that you just give it a try and see what you think. If you like what you hear, go support the guy and maybe he’ll make more of these! I heard songs I’ve never heard before (FINALLY. I hear the SAME holiday songs over and over again usually) and not only that. I felt like a good half of the songs were not just aimed at Christmas. They were Winter Seasonal holiday songs that anyone can enjoy and not just people who celebrate Christmas-y music. Check it out and let me know what you think. It’s called “Holiday for Swing!”
Some other stuff that he’s recorded – covers for some older hits:
I am not one to completely wave a Classic’s flag. I don’t know all of the ‘Greats’ or all of the songs that they sing, but there’s a movie that I love and a cover song artist that I loved FROM the movie that I always think of when I start thinking of this style of music. It’s called “Return to Me” and it has David Duchovny and Minnie Driver in it. If you’re curious what I’m talking about, give it a listen below.
“What if I Loved You” Joey Gian – from “Return to Me“
Now…just picture that fireplace lighting, the wine, the mood, and the music playing softly in the background. Isn’t it a beautiful thing? I think so.
-DAC
p.s. I realized too late that I misspelled the Seth MacFarlane’s last name, but I think I corrected them all. Whoopsie.
Mike Sabourin, Dave Laudenslager, (from the SlasherCast podcast) and I sat down to discuss another new and exciting Summer blockbuster film- X-Men: Days of Future Past. Which characters did we love? Hate? Does this one make up for what some people consider the flop of some of the other movies in the series? You should check the episode out to see what we thought.
Starring: Hugh Jackman,Patrick Stewart,
Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy,
Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult,
Ellen Page, Peter Dinklage, and many more.
GOOD TO KNOW DETAILS: All of the Side Effect episodes are split into non-spoiler and spoiler sections – so we will get into basic information first and then into more specific details in the second half of the show.
To listen to this episode – you can stream it from this link:
Or you can located it on the SlasherCast podcast stream from iTunes or Stitcher
If you’ve seen the movie – here is a Easter Egg Youtube video that talks about some of the things that you may have missed in the movie in regards to the series and the comic books.
I’m really looking forward to The Writers Coffeehouse gathering on Sunday, March 11th in PA. (weather permitting) I’m anxious to meet Jonathan Maberry while I’m there 🙂
I’m hoping to catch a bit of the Philadelphia Flower Show while I’m in town that day too. It’ll make for a fun filled packed day.
Just kidding. This anthology came out well after the “Plan 9” movie, but it’s a collection of awesome stories telling what the other 8 plans the aliens had before the “Plan 9” movie.
Over the weekend, the cover was revealed- so I’m a little late getting the unveiling up, but here it is:
Looks pretty awesome, doesn’t it? It reminds me of the old movie posters 🙂 It will be released in March. I hope you’ll enjoy not only my story within it, but the entire book full of entertaining tales. I’m excited to read what my fellow contributors have added as well.
It has been a week of announcements- here is another ToC that I am a part of. How exciting!
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
–Plan Zero from the Mesozoic Era by Tony Schaab
–Plan 1 from the Lesser-Heralded Parts of The Odyssey by Patrick D’Orazio
–Plan 2 from Ancient Egypt by D.A. Chaney
–Plan 3 from the Middle Ages of Hamelin by Greg Carter
–Plan 4 from the Clockwork Country by Tonia Brown
–Plan 5 from the Depressing Depression by David Dunwoody
–Plan 6 from the Nazi Regime by Rob Silvera
–Plan 7 from Sin City by Jonathan Maberry
–Plan 8 from the Fantastic Fifties, Phase 1 by Craig DiLouie
–Plan 8 from the Fantastic Fifties, Phase 2 by Joe McKinney and Michael McCarty
Look what I just received in the mail. 🙂 Let’s see. Now, I know I owe a few people some promised copies…
Looks like this week will be my mailing week 😉
Awesome new development news for www.Smashwords.com— GIFT giving e-books 🙂 The beta went live recently.
Barnes and Noble doesn’t have the e-copy available yet? Now, you can send it so that your friends and family can read it on any e-Reader format they have!
Very cool, Smashwords 🙂 .
DA Chaney 