Detholz! live recording – “Frosty the Snowman” & Savalas Motel Project – “I’ll Be Savalas for Christmas”

Welcome to Detholz! Mp3 Blog, Episode XIX! In the spirit of the season, this week is a two-fer. ‘Tis better to give than to receive.

This week, I have been confronted with hardcore holiday music, and by “hardcore” I’m not referring to Dead Kennedys or Septic Death. I have been spelunking in the Deep Cave of Holiday Music– had my brain removed, cleansed and replaced by the Real Stuff.

While standing in the cellphone shoppe and haggling with my local super-tan, spiky-haired cellphone dealer, I felt a powerful urge to defenestrate myself during an excruciating “scat” rendition of Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride” that was blaring obnoxiously over a loudspeaker.

Scat, indeed. Bah humbug.

So, today I’m posting 2 ditties that pretty much sum up how I feel about holiday music (with the exception of “Christmas Wrapping” by the Waitresses– great song!)

The first is familiar to some of you who have followed us over the years: FROSTY THE SNOWMAN as interpreted by Detholz!.  This is from the same session where we recorded last week’s “Santa” installment, as well as our entire “Jukebox of the Dead” album.  Instruments are all live, vocals were overdubbed afterward.

Since this season is about family first, the second track this week is a premiere of sorts: the grand unveiling of the Savalas Motel Project, the first musical collaboration between my brother and I.

What is the Savalas Motel Project, you ask?

About a year and half ago, as my brother was wrapping up a visit to Chicago, we sat in a bar one afternoon and began subverting titles of films as follows:

The Good, the Bad, and the Savalas

It’s a Wonderful Savalas

Savalas-Hur

Saving Private Savalas

The Last Temptation of Savalas

…and on and on. In a beer-infused frenzy, we devised a list of well over 200 titles, chortling progressively harder and harder with each one. For some unknown reason, the personage of Telly Savalas is a Holy Grail of Mystery for my brother and I. Perhaps for you, too?

In any case, we decided that a musical project devoted entirely to the furtherance of Savalas was in order. We had grist that needed its proper mill. A band was born!

Interestingly enough, when either my brother and I have attempted to explain this project to people, usually we’re met with blank stares.

“Huh?” they say. “Savalas? You mean the actor?”

When people HEAR the tracks, though, they understand. I hope you will, too. It’s a magical thing– magic that only Telly can bring. Like a light switching on in one’s subconscious…

We’ve been working steadily on Savalas Motel Project for over a year now– my brother composes a track, I compose a track– none of them much more than a minute in length, all of them pieced together from found sounds, music concrete-style. Once we’ve collected enough of them, we’re planning on posting the entire album for free. The sheer volume of tracks will give this record a curious, cumulative effect.

So, this week, I’m proud to unveil Savalas Motel Project with its holiday installment: “I’LL BE SAVALAS FOR CHRISTMAS.”

In my Telly’s house, there are many rooms…

Happy Holidaze to all and to all a good night, baby!

Tune in next week for the last Detholz! Mp3 Blog of 2007!