Five songs from local artists to celebrate the holidays with
Dec 23, 2023, 8:00 AM | Updated: Oct 8, 2024, 11:38 am

Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes performs onstage during 2018 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival. (Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
(Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
As soon as the Christmas tunes start, for every handful of listeners happy to hear it, there are those unhappy and complaining about the once-a-year tunes. To celebrate being in a city with such rich music culture, its time to bring in the holidays with Seattle artists and songs that haven鈥檛 been overplayed in retail stores or on the radio.
Here are five of my favorites — with the hope you鈥檒l enjoy adding them to your holiday playlist.
Brandi Carlile —
Talk Seattle music with me for more than a few minutes and you鈥檒l know I鈥檓 a huge fan of Brandi Carlie. As a music director when her song “The Story” was released on the radio, I was instantly captured by her powerful vocals and how her music, while clearly rooted in familiar sounds, sounded so fresh. Her rendition of “Oh Holy Night” is just Carlile’s vocals, and that鈥檚 all that鈥檚 needed to make this one of my favorite versions ever recorded.
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Jimi Hendrix —
Many holiday classics are in an orchestrated or vintage style, including modern interpretations of said songs. Finding quality rock songs for the season is a bit more challenging, but one of Seattle鈥檚 legends delivers with this medley. Hendrix is of course one of rock鈥檚 greatest guitarists and his fresh take on these standards should be cranked up to 11 at your holiday parties.
Pearl Jam —
I鈥檝e seen a lot of speculation by Pearl Jam fans about the meaning of this particular track. One interpretation that resonated with me was that it could be from an unhoused person going through difficult times and remembering the peace and security of their childhood Christmases. But according to Eddie Vedder, it鈥檚 a song about mental health and insomnia.
“It鈥檚 about feeling lost in life and struggling to find peace within one’s self,” Eddie Vedder said, according to .
May we all find some peace in this year, and hope for the new one.
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David Bazan —
David Bazan is the creative force behind critically acclaimed indie band Pedro The Lion. His music often wrestles with religious themes. So it鈥檚 not surprising his holiday album is titled “Dark Sacred Night.” Filled with standards, done in a classic melancholy indie form, this album isn鈥檛 the one to get the holiday party popping. But even if Bazan鈥檚 introspective slowcore isn鈥檛 generally your jam, his style works perfectly on his rendition of “Away in a Manger” with just acoustic guitar and vocals perfectly complimenting the standard.
Fleet Foxes —
Branching out from the tunes we鈥檝e all heard hundreds of times to find seasonal originals can be really rewarding. And that鈥檚 never been more the case than with this lush ode to a snowy winter from Fleet Foxes. The tune is one of the catchiest things I鈥檝e heard, and you鈥檒l find yourself humming it in no time. Two minutes and 27 seconds of pure indie pop perfection.