Christmas as usual (the album) is out now. Buy the download on our bandcamp and receive one of the last copies of the Pondertone Christmas booklet or a signed Christmas As Usual card. This way you also have a chance at winning the original artwork for Christmas as Usual, embroided by the hands of my mother, with help from my daughter. Also on our bandcamp page you will find a live recording of our version of the ultimate Christmas classic Silent Night, made last year at café de Stad.
Please enjoy the Christmas cheer with the Christmas as Usual video playlist on youtube. I have updated it with two live recordings made at Paradiso Amsterdam last year.
You can also listen to Christmas as Usual (the album) on all streaming media platforms, including my favorite Qobuz. It’s an artist-friendly platform, made by real people. My tip for a New Year’s resolution is to leave Spotify and never-ever buy anything on Amazon ever again.
Since hardly anyone seems to have noticed the underlying cynicism in the title track or any of the others, it’s fitting to release the entire collection as an album. Because indeed it’s Christmas as Usual in every way. War is raging in different parts of the world like any other year and what may seem like peace to the casual, in reality is a brutal business deal only to satisfy the arms traders. The inequality in the so called western world is worse than ever with a handful of white men owning 50% of all wealth. Big tech, artificial intelligence and (anti)social media giants go hand in hand promoting the further rise of fascism by putting the blame on immigrants…
But still Merry Christmas (in spite of it all).
Patrick