Holiday Music in July

  Alone at Xmas – Heartracer

Slow‑tempo but rhythmically busy synth‑pop with tenor vocals. A bittersweet holiday track blending loneliness, longing, and magical electro‑pop shimmer. Themes of a naïve boy, a poor person, and mutual need (“You need me but I need you more”) 

 C’mon C’mon Rudolf – Tom Ciurczak

Rock‑driven Christmas track with male vocals. A humorous intervention with Rudolf, who’s been spending too much time at the watering hole. Encouraging him to step aside for a younger buck — then a shift toward empowerment (“Rudolf dig down deep inside… turn on that red light”).

Reiner the Rhinestone Reindeer -- Phoebe Legere

bling bling bling, Reiner was bullied. He loved to dress up. And one year Santa had him and his bling lead the reindeer! EDM. Female vocal.

 My Mother’s Menorah – Judy Kaye

Theatrical piano and soprano vocal in a minor key. A deeply emotional piece about lighting the menorah with her children and retelling the story of her mother bringing her menorah to the new world at age 12 — the only thing she carried with her. Strong generational resonance, emotional Hanukkah storytelling, mother‑child moments. 

 Season of Light – John Roy Zat

Country‑folk with guitar picking. A joyful reflection on the year, celebrating togetherness, giving, remembering those in need, and holiday traditions (candy, presents, gatherings, tree decoration). Warm Americana holiday energy. 

 Today and All the New Year – Dan Berggren

Today and All the New Year | Dan Berggren

Acoustic folk with tambourine, inspired by “Greensleeves.” Updated lyrics for the New Year focusing on harmony, diversity, and good deeds. A tenor vocal with supporting harmonies. hopeful, reflective, traditional, warm.

One more from Dan. "Never Take Love for Granted" is about realizing the real meaning of Christmas despite all the commercialism that makes a bigger splash. 

Ave Maria — Aeone / Stephen Melillo  (We have this available, also, as an instrumental)

A timeless sacred piece — depending on the version you’re including, it typically carries classical vocals, orchestral or piano accompaniment, and deep emotional resonance. Ideal for solemn, spiritual, or transcendent holiday scenes. 

A soft, ethereal alto vocal reminiscent of Clannad or Eva Cassidy, supported by classical orchestra. New‑age serenity meets sacred tradition. 

  

 

“The Big Win” – Ready to Read Yacht Rock

 "Getting kids into reading and yacht rock is a noble quest!"

-Adam Bernard, Adam’s World Blog

The song, “The Big Win” is a gift for Yacht Rock lovers and their children. Appearing on both the digital release, “Leenie’s Library” and a new album, “Arise Together-Songs to Inspire,” now streaming on all major platforms,“The Big Win” might lay claim as the first Yacht Rock song written and recorded for children.  

Featuring a smooth melody, soft rock vibes, breezy lyrics, and the lucid tenor voice of Ricky Persaud Jr., the empowering song’s history dates back to the 1980s. Composer Gail Bluestone and her lyricist sister Eileen Bluestone-Sherman were hot off an Emmy-win of “The Odd Potato” for Chicago TV, and wrote "The Big Win" as the opening production number for a children's musical about robots and A.I.  Hence the song’s opening outer space vibe of zoning into the music!

Gail, who loves timeless R&B and Motown classics including her favorites Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder, as well as the Temptations, the Four Tops, Sly and The Family Stone, plus soulful women artists notably Laura Nyro, Carole King, and the 5th Dimension, used their sensibilities to compose the song’s melody.

Then came the future—the second decade of the 21^st Century when both A.I. became a reality and the Bluestone Sisters began work on “Leenie’s Library” with the mission of inspiring the Next Generation of New Readers. They wrote and chose songs from their catalogue with catchy tunes and literacy-building content. Eileen and Gail knew that singer/arranger/multi-instrumentalist Ricky Persaud Jr. was the man for the job. His rhythmic tribute “Selena” to the slain Latina pop star was played on regional and indie radio, and a favorite among Eileen, Gail, and their friends. Gail said, “Ricky is a gifted musician with a great thirst for learning, a great ear for listening, and great creativity with sound. He is a perfect collaborator and a true perfectionist.” Ricky is “The Big Win’s” sole instrumentalist, playing all the instruments and singing the song! Instrumentation on the piece includes keyboards, bass guitar, drums, glockenspiel/percussion. Ricky’s influences are like other musicians in the Yacht Rock community, including Prince, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Nirvana, Bob Marley and—of course-- Selena Quintanilla 2. 

“Leenie’s Library” is designed to promote literacy through repetition, rhyme, and engaging visuals. The recordings and videos are available for free on YouTube, making it accessible to families and educators everywhere.

“Arise Together-Songs to Inspire” benefits Pickleberry Pie, an organization that provides live entertainment in children’s hospital wards around the nation, comforting ailing children and their parents at the most difficult of times.    

A.I., the initial inspiration of “The Big Win” before the technology came to be, states these immortal words about the song, “If this is the beginning of a new genre—Yacht Rock for Kids—it might be ‘The Big Win’ is a simple part of musical history!”