If you haven’t already seen this documentary on Big Daddy Kane via Okayplayer then today is your lucky day. Anthony Marshall follows the living legend over 17 minutes on video during BDK’s return to his Brooklyn neighborhood, where he provides some insights along the way as part of the Scion Easy 10 series.

Over the course of 10 minutes there are 34 old school hip-hop tracks mixed together by DJ McCoy using Serato Scratch Live. Among the offerings are songs from Boogie Down Productions, NWA, LL Cool J, Marley Marl, Eric B and Rakim, as well as many more from the early 1990′s.

Ever heard of Run-DMC (and Jam Master Jay)? I thought so. Respect your forefathers. Eminem did.

Run-DMC followed Grand Master Flash into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame a month ago when they were inducted at a ceremony in Cleveland, Ohio. Todd Williams at Rolling Out did a pretty damn good job of capturing their story.

The Akron Film Festival has hosted a 48-hour film challenge over the past couple years now. The premise of the challenge is to write, shoot, edit, render and burn a DVD of a short film you’ve created over that 48-hour period.

There were maybe 15 teams that showed up at the University of Akron that Friday night and we each were assigned a genre, such as musical, documentary, action and so on. Among the rules were two specific props that must be in the film somewhere, and a line of dialogue that must be used.

Our crew was assigned to create a Documentary/Mocumentary. The two absurd props that had to be in the film were a hot pocket and ping pong ball. The line of dialogue was “I found it in the Erie Canal.”

When the teams met back up on Sunday night at 7p.m., just 11 returned with projects for all to view. At the festival we didn’t earn a spot in the top three, but i thought we definitely could have. It was a dope experience and I hope I get the chance to do it again.

Special shout outs to Warren, Brad, Jacob, Jonda, and Angela. And now, without further ramblings, I give you Cyanotic: The Chad M. Story. (Can you guess which character I ended up as?)

Photos by – Dank Lucas

If the thought of strikingly swift kicks to the body and submission-inducing choke holds is an image that causes queasiness, then let’s assume the story of Ryan “The Lion” Madigan is of little concern to you.

But before making such a sudden rush to judgment about a competitor in the world of mixed martial arts, know that it’s not all tap-outs and barbarian behavior so often exhibited in the ring. Madigan is a practical businessman too, preparing for a second life in this sport as a trainer for other aspiring fighters.

With those full-time ideas still years ahead of him, Madigan is looking to take full advantage of an opportunity to compete at the summit of the MMA movement. But that’s not to say the chance to do so showed up at his doorstep overnight. In fact, if not for his willingness to evolve from his kickboxing roots into that of an all-around fighter, he wouldn’t be stepping into the Ultimate Fighting Championship octagon, as a draw on Saturday’s undercard, for the first time in his lengthy career.

On March 7, in Columbus, Ohio of all places, the 6-foot, 170-pounder carries his 5-0 pro MMA mark (since 2006) into the ring against 6’4″ Tamdan McCrory at UFC 96.

Without his extensive and impressive track record as a kickboxer, not to mention the proper promotion from those inside his business circle, Madigan may have missed out altogether on bringing his lean frame into the UFC arena. Even with the accolades on his resume as proof of competition, his limited MMA experience caused UFC officials to initially insinuate he was more suited for the lower-level WEC upon first glance. But as luck would have it, Madigan got the call to hit the big stage as a replacement fighter for the upcoming event. He’s been preparing for his opponent ever since.

McCrory has been described as a scrappy and aggressive opponent, one that is “well rounded, awkwardly strong with a deceiving appearance” and who, like Madigan, is trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Chances are there’ll be plenty of knees and elbows being thrown around this weekend in the state’s capital.

But until the MMA world gets familiar with Madigan he’ll likely be pigeonholed as primarily a striker, whether valid or not, because of his kickboxing roots. Yet in his last two MMA events, in Cleveland and Charlotte, he showed how the training from Chris Schard has been paying off as both matches were won by submission – through triangle choke holds on each of his victims.

It’s moments such as those that played a part in leading to Madigan’s recent four-fight deal with UFC. And it just so happens that his first foray in the big leagues comes in front of a home crowd of sorts, not to mention millions of pay-per-view customers should the fight make the telecast lineup. The 32-year old trains out of Cuyahoga Falls, by way of Wayne County.

And if he’s to believe all the hype then he won’t be too surprised about the number of supporters making their way down to Nationwide Arena, as mixed martial arts has become quite the rage in Ohio. With depletion continuing to leave its mark on nearly every corner you turn in that region, locals are always looking for a hometown guy to rally around.

Boxing fans have Youngstown’s Kelly Pavlik to live through. MMA fans are anxious for a torchbearer in their sport to call their own, too.

Spend a few minutes around Madigan and you’ll feel like you made a new friend. And although he comes off as humble he’s essentially quietly confident and well aware of his successes. They include being among the best that the sport of kickboxing has to offer, over the course of more then 50 professional and amateur bouts. Madigan also spent less than two seasons as a regular competitor in the Chuck Norris World Combat League.

Though in short, he’s not what you’d expect from an individual competing in a sport that flaunts its badass personas. Madigan comes off more charismatic and focused as an MMA competitor as opposed to the perceived abrasive and hulking images you see on pay-per-view.

“I think people tend to have a little different perspective of us, like we’re wild guys or something,” says Madigan of that perception. “Not to say there aren’t those people out there, but for the most part we’re all pretty good guys.”

In fact Madigan is often referred to as an easy-going guy outside of the ring and off the mat. It’s inside that combat zone where his persona can transform into what can be called a controlled rage of sorts.

Whereas some fighters prefer to psyche themselves up by manifesting reasons to hate their opponents, Madigan puts his focus into executing when the opportunity arises. It’s a strategy that’s already helped carry him this far. No reason to turn back now.

“I like to stay mentally controlled with a focused aggression as opposed to going out there in one big rage,” he explains. “It’s a happy medium. There’s a time to pick and choose when to be overly aggressive and when to fight your fight.”

He cites Anderson Silva as a perfect example of such a mentality and approach in the world of MMA.

“I guess that comes though with maturing over the years, with your personality and mental attitude towards different things,” he reasons.

And he should know. Madigan has been more than capable of inflicting pain on those around him since as far back as his early teenage years, when the routine playground fights went way beyond routine and carried over into uneven matchups. Although that’s not even why he traded in fisticuffs for roundhouse kicks in the first place. That came innocently enough once a friend of his older brother began offering instruction at a gym in Massillon. While classmates were on the football and basketball teams in Orrville while growing up, Madigan was beginning his kickboxing career at the age of 16, the year he competed in his first amateur bout.

Maybe competing on such a stage as the one he’ll find himself on this weekend is made a little easier by that path he took. Whatever it is, he knows there is hardly room for anxiety or for feeling overwhelmed before stepping up and competing at this level, essentially on his home turf.

“There’s maybe a little pressure,” concedes Madigan about the subplot that is competing close to home. “But I try not to put that pressure on myself. I’m just concentrating on going out there and doing well. And you definitely feel more comfortable being in front of your own fans.”

First and foremost, Madigan is a kickboxer at heart. It’s just that competitors are few and far between anymore. Not to mention the fanfare in comparison to these high-octane MMA brawls that have taking over the extreme sports nation.

To stay ahead of the curve, or at least keep pace, he keeps a stringent training regiment close to his vest, one which stems from years of working out with Lorenzo Scott. It includes cardio in the mornings, strength/conditioning/lifting in the afternoons, and lastly kickboxing in the evening at Ohio BJJ.

Though it underlines the sacrifices these competitors put themselves through it’s pretty much what you’d expect from them. What is unexpected though, in this dog-eat-dog kind of society, is that athletes such as this have found ways to build a sort of legacy to leave behind once the scraping-about ceases for good.

When Madigan is not busy with his own training, he keeps busy training other up-and-coming fighters at Evolve MMA. His Jungle Fight Team recently took home North American Allied Fight Series Team of the Year honors while Madigan was individually awarded NAAFS Comeback Fighter of the Year.

Through results such as these he’s lining up a life after fighting. He’s well aware that life in such an arena doesn’t bode as well against Father Time as other avenues of work may.

In truth, if there was ever any worry about a window of opportunity opening and closing it’s this four-fight deal with UFC. All a deal such as this really gives a fighter, like Madigan, is that many chances to make a worthwhile impression on not only the league and its fans, but on potential sponsors for down the road. That’s how the bills get paid in the world of knockouts and bloodshed.

And Madigan is well aware of how that all plays out by now, and he’s made a little room for reason in the back of his mind regarding it.

“Realistically, everything starts slowing down for a fighter nowadays at about 36-years old,” he said. “I figure by 38 I’d like to retire and go full-time into teaching and doing some other stuff.”

But until that day comes to pass it’s likely the grass-roots promotional efforts of his friends, students and supporters will continue to pick up steam, and not slow down until he’s finished ‘throwing down’ for good in his final match.

“I feel very lucky to have always had that kind of support, because I’m happy doing what I do,” he said.

And maybe with that, the money will someday accompany the happiness as he holds firm in his belief that “everything happens for a purpose.” Even if that’s never so clearly outlined through days and nights of constant training and straining of both his body and inner-will.

“Sometimes you have to get to a certain level of maturity first before you’re really ready for something to happen for you,” he said. “And right now I feel much more mentally mature than I was a few years ago, to be able to go compete at a level like this.”

Not to say his body hasn’t already proved to be a step or two ahead of his mind for some time now.

As I sit here preparing to write a couple album reviews (not really reviews, just a couple short articles explaining why I like what I like in a charmingly obnoxious manner that infiltrates your brain matter, therefore causing you to deeply respect my opinion and adhere to it’s merits), I feel obligated to write a brief eulogy.

In the passing weeks and upcoming months we mourn(ed) some of hip-hop’s most brilliant contributors in the likes of J Dilla, Big Pun, Big L, and next month, The Notorious B.I.G. In some way or another the body of work created by these gentleman has shaped the way hip-hop will be remembered as well as the way it will be created henceforth.

But my eulogy is on a more personal note. I recently moved to North Carolina after a brief stint in Rochester, NY. I spent a couple years at SUNY@Purchase (located outside NYC) creating music, making an ass out of myself, consuming copious amounts of drugs and amassing an insurmountable debt. And before that I resided in Ohio, the land of cornfields and smoke stacks, Amish buggies and crack sacks. So it’s safe to say that even though the recent and unreasonably cold weather here in Tar Heel Country provided some slight similarities to my former homes, my time spent braving the brutalities of the northern winter is essentially over. And with that came the reality that I unfortunately will no longer be walking ice-covered sidewalks with a wind chapped face and snotty nose, headphones blasting the ultimate winter soundtrack – The Cold Vein by Cannibal Ox.

From the opening vocal sample “Yeah it’s a cold world out there, sometimes I feel like I’m getting a little frosty myself” to the opening line by Vordual Mega, “Life’s ill, sometimes life might kill”, this album is as dark and cold as your soul sometimes manages to feel when hoofing it after the sun’s gone down, and trying to avoid the wind drifted snow as you make it to your destination (pick a metaphor, any metaphor). El-P’s best work? Probably, if only because of the overall synergy between his production (I was going to use an adjective for his production but let’s be honest, there is none), and what Vordual Mega and Vast Aire bring over top it. The production manages to be so cohesive that it feels like the album is one song with multiple acts, yet the songs don’t bleed into each other in annoying redundancy.

And now, a ridiculously over-the-top winter analogy alert… the album plays like a bitter winter night itself in the way the tempo (wind) changes, yet the tone (temperature) remains the same. Those that walk the winsome walk of winter know that the thought process wanders, not aimlessly, but it wanders. Fingertips numbingly grip a cigarette tip, the smoke blends with breath in the frigid air. All this reminds me of the stream-of-conscious rhetoric provided by the Ox MC’s. The subject matter is hard-hitting and fragmented full of grandiose themes, socio-economic observations, verbal middle fingers, self-realization and a few moments of hope.

Sounds like a cold walk home to me. And to be honest, sometimes I miss it. But you know what, it’s not so bad walking home in a t-shirt in February listening to A Tribe Called Quest.

So goodbye old friend. And just know that every time the temperature begins to dip, I strap my boots tight and remember that on this Real Earth every Atom can maneuver through Raspberry Fields like a Pigeon on Painkillers, as long as you remember the F-Word and never Stress Rap. And I’ll never be a Ridiculoid because A B-Boy Alpha begins in my Vein and if the world wants to destroy my Iron Galaxy I’ll tell them to jump Straight Off the D.I.C. and then let the Ox Out the Cage as I prepare for the Battle of Asgard.

And if you don’t know, now you know…

Is there really much difference between escaping and getting lost somewhere? That’s what I’d eventually do with a video camera in the middle of one of the most beautiful natural wonders along Route 33 in Hocking County.

Ditching the 9-to-5 riggers of manual labor in favor of a creative release elsewhere, I packed up my belongings a few years back and moved along. The next stop in this life of mine was as a student at Hocking College in Nelsonville, OH. Upon enrolling in the audio/video curriculum at the school I was able to get away and get lost in the Hocking Hills area, within such surroundings as Wayne National Forrest, Cantwell Cliffs, and my favorite escape, Old Man’s Cave.

It started weeks before school was slated to begin as I stumbled upon a local mom-n-pop music spot right there in Nelsonville called Insea Sound Shop. That’s when I became interested in creating a sound all my own, something unique that would in effect describe myself in some small way.

I did all I could to explain this to Insea’s owner, Nick, whom I interned with in my first year of audio classes. From there a not-so-unconventional idea was born to just push record and piece together whatever may come of it. First it was a collage of sounds, which I proudly named The Twenty-Four Minute Trip. From that came a condensed remixed version of this track by one Digi Darko, who added a hip-hop twist to the audio, thus helping to bring “Escape” to life.

One early winter morning in Old Man’s Cave allowed me the chance to capture snowfall as it rained down around me and to add images to the chaos I’d already created through those recording sessions. It’s up to you to find your way out though…

I stood in a lobby full of applauding students and teachers Tuesday at a technical school full of laid off workers and unemployed mothers in one of the most hard hit regions of this country over the last eight years, Canton, OH. I marveled at history. My president is black. Wow.

We here in Big Ten country are no stranger to rocky race relations. I remember countless fights on the playground between friends, and enemies, of all races over the color of their skin. I introduced my own mother to the first black person she ever knew and later the first Asians. Her grandfather actually told her while growing up in Rochester, NY that if a black man caught her and her sisters out alone he would eat them. I’m not fucking kidding – “Eat Them!”

My friend’s name was Shannon Dorsey. He was taken from us too early by senseless violence spawned from greed and poverty. I remember my grandfather making black joke after black joke about a black girl kissing me in junior high then failing to understand why I was so pissed at him. That girl’s name was Veronica Gray and she was taken from us too soon by the senseless violence spawned from the criminalization of a drug trade force-fed to the black community.

White folks just don’t get it sometimes. Imagine being invited to a game of Monopoly after hundreds of years of slavery and being told “OK I guess you can play” only after all the properties are owned and there’s a skyscraping, penis shaped hotel built on every corner waiting to fuck you in the ass with every roll of the dice. Not a very inviting idea from the Home of the Brave, is it?

Now, I’m a cynical fuck. And like all cynical fucks I could give less than the popular two shits for a politician. I see it like this, if you spend the majority of your life smiling for the camera on your soapbox while telling other people how to live, and you do this enough to get on television AND get paid for it, then you can’t possibly have enough time left in your day to have a fucking clue about mine. Of course this is all expected to happen while you retain a blind eye to rich-fuck interest groups peppering your campaign with mounds of tasty greenbacks who are most definitely expecting a reach around. But then I discovered a guy, and my guy’s different.

My guy didn’t take one lobby dollar for his campaign. My guy is the epitome of class and hope. My guy made men and women of every race proud on Tuesday. My guy makes me believe my government won’t mace me with a fear campaign. My guy makes the idea of family inviting again. My guy is Barack Obama.

There was a sense of achievement in the air today I’ve never felt before as a citizen of this country. There is an air of possibility in every breath again. By every breath I mean for every mother or wife of a soldier fighting this debacle of a war. For every nonviolent drug offender swept under the rug to be hidden away in prisons while those in power actually run some of these prisons for profit. For any out-of-work head of a home wishing he could provide just enough and not a dime more. For every poor man and woman who can’t afford the bear necessity of healthcare. For all the Shannon Dorsey’s, and all the Veronica Grays, My President is black! Good Luck Mr. Obama.

Get Your Mind Right – Included are the 10 non hip-hop albums that didn’t make me want to throat fuck myself with a soup spoon. Seriously, extremely bad and nonsensical hip-hop, although it sometimes makes me want to perform aforementioned act, makes more sense to me than critical and pop culture darling acts such as Fall Out Boy or John Mayer, which include fan bases of 12-year old girls and 26-year old skinny jean wearing hipsters to Jay-Z and soccer moms. And as for what passes for R&B these days, to put it mildly, I just don’t get it. What I get is far superior to what others get – a fact unarguable, of course. And if others get what I get, well then good for them because that means they’re cool and smart and have very large penises or rose petal perfumed vaginas. But why separate musical genres when qualifying their status? Well if you would stop sipping your retard juice long enough you would realize the answer is in the question – separate musical genres. I do realize I’m talking to myself right? Go fuck yourself. On to the list…

1.) Adele - 19 – Let’s get one thing straight, Amy Winehouse made two brilliant albums but don’t expect every British songbird to be some old school Camel smoking, Scotch drinking flapper with an amazing ability to flip a phrase as well as she flips scabs off her rotting face. If you want Amy then listen to Amy. But if you want some weird hybrid between Dusty Springfield and India Arie then cop this beautifully written debut album from Adele. Honestly, there are a few clunkers which in my opinion are the fully arranged singles off the album, but she hits near perfection when accompanied by simpler musical backdrops. “Crazy for You” and “Hometown Glory” are two tracks not to be missed.

2.) One Day As A Lion - Self-Titled EP – This five-song EP from Zach De La Rocha and the drummer from Mars Volta came out of nowhere. I gave up on Zach a long time ago. From rumors of a Trent Reznor collabo to an EL-P collabo to a DJ Shadow collabo, to the Rage Against the Machine reunion that costed $300 to be surrounded by people you don’t like, in front of a hundred other bands you can’t stand, all to see the three bands you sort of like at one of those cool-guy festivals. Simply put, I just didn’t care. But this shit hit me in the face like the first time I heard “Bombtrack.” It is a very dope mixture of new wave funk and the punk hip-hop elements from Zach’s previous job. “I’m the nail in the wrist of your Christmas” - Zach is back suckas! Plus dude gets down on the drums. 

3.) Neil Diamond – Home Before Dark – As any of the three people who actually read my myspace blog know, I think the Rick Rubin-helmed Neil Diamond albums are fucking fantastic. Dare I say brilliant. The fact that my wife probably would rather divorce me than listen to an entire song, let alone an entire album by Mr. Blue Jeans, doesn’t deter me from enjoying some of the best straightforward yet darkly romantic pop songs I’ve ever encountered. I listened to this album while riding the stationary bike and drinking sugar-free flavored water just the other day. Highly enjoyable and healthy? Cot damn right! Unconditionally lame? Unconditionally is a little much, don’t you think? Rick Rubin is a genius and he brought out the genius of Neil Diamond. Plain and simple. “If I Don’t See You Again” and “One More Bite of the Apple” are undeniably two of the best songs I’ve heard in a long time.

4.) Raphael Saadiq – The Way I See It – This is a 13-song collection of vintage Motown-inspired soul pop that drips with a smoke hazed charm. Saadiq has always been talented, dating way back to the new jack swing of his nuts (if you don’t get the reference then freshen up on your Tony! Toni! Toné!), but this album is definitely the crest of his musical output. Even the sound engineers deserve an achievement award for making this record sound like it was recorded in another time. But the sound is merely a byproduct of the material created by Saadiq and the creative concept of this album. I hate to reference Ms. Winehouse again, but the throwback sound (without being trite) she and producer Mark Ronson kicked off a few years ago certainly serves Saadiq correctly. “100 Yard Dash” and “Let’s Take a Walk” are the two standout tracks. 

5.) The Black Keys – Attack & Release – I came across these O-H-10 natives later than most but thankfully not before all the cool kids began to claim them for themselves. You would think with the bleak economic landscape in Ohio (shit’s been rough way longer than the past year) there would be an abundance of beautifully cynical and contemplative hip-hop coming from the Buckeye State. Yes, there are a few, but they don’t get the same notoriety as Ray Cash (he was a joke right?). But it’s not surprising that this two-man Blues rock band hails from Akron. It just makes sense. And guess what? The music is super dope. I know this isn’t their first album but it’s the first one I heard. What peaked my interest first was Joint Contrast’s Dank Lucas wetting his pants over the fact that they were so dope. Second was that they are from my area of the map (birthwise). Thirdly, Danger Mouse produced the album. And most importantly, some of the songs on this album are songs they wrote for Ike Turner’s album which was being recording before he died. Intrigued? Exactly. Go enjoy. The last three songs are something to seriously appreciate. 

6.) Cat Power – Jukebox – A hipster indie-rock queen by age 15, Cat Power (real name Chan Marshal) didn’t get my extremely skeptical attention until a few years ago with her dirty south country blues concoction entitled The Greatest (it’s a brilliant album). But this year she released her second collection of covers sporting the same delta-blues backing band from the aforementioned album. Here she takes on Aretha, Dylan and Hank Williams. Joni Mitchell gets a superb cover in the form of “Blue” but the best song is the opener, a hauntingly dark version of the Frank Sinatra staple “New York, New York”. Bonus: she just released an EP from these recording sessions with six more songs. 

7.) Kings of Leon – Only by the Night – I know this isn’t their first album so that means previous fans either refer to this as their sellout record or their creative apex. Whichever it is, it’s dope. Mostly nonsensical lyrics wrapped in the alluring disguise of southern goth meets southern good-ole-boy mysticism. The lead singer’s voice cracks and squeals as it floats along well crafted melodies that intermingle well with the simple yet effective guitar work. There is a sexiness to this album that is sorely missed in modern rock and roll, so I don’t care if they’ve evolved or digressed from their earlier work, because this one suits me just fine. “Sex on Fire” might be the best single of the year.

8.) The Kills – Midnight Bloom – Bluesy electro pop would usually fall in the category of pretentious bullshit, but this guy/girl combo made a record full of the opposite of pretentious bluesy electro pop. That’s right, unpretentious bluesy electro pop. Drum machines, choppy guitar noise and a female/male sharing of lead vocals would usually fall in the category of shit that makes my head hurt in absolute annoyance. But The Kills made a record full of drum machines, choppy guitar noise and female/male sharing of vocals that sounds oddly comforting and melodic. This record succeeds mostly due to the dark sexual undercurrent that comes across in the pulsating rhythms and tortured party vibe created by the lyrics and vocal harmonies, which is most evident in the tracks “Tape Song”, “Last Days of Magic” and “Black Balloon”.

9.) Ani Difranco – Red letter Year – This is studio album number 20 for Difranco. That’s fucking ridiculous. All 20 albums written, produced and arranged by Difranco, not to mention released on her own label Righteous Babe. Once again that’s fucking ridiculous. This album is by no means her best of even the last five years, let alone her career, but there aren’t many people of any musical genre that can turn a phrase like her or construct an album that plays from front to back. And this is another example of her ability to do just that. “Smiling Underneath” is a prime example of how relentlessly charming she can be while creating a song. She can be subtle or use her razor bladed wit to carve through the bone grissled essence of a certain piece. Simple and plain, she is the most prolific artist of our generation and if you’re not familiar you’re probably not a fan of music. So get familiar.

10.) Gnarls Barkley – The Odd Couple – This album makes the list for the song “Who’s Gonna Save My Soul” alone. The rest of the album could’ve been Cee-Lo talking gibberish over semi-uninspired Danger Mouse production, which it sort of is, and it still would’ve made the list because that song is better than anything your favorite band probably ever made. Creativity on this album is still on another planet compared to the rest of the pop world but sometimes an out of nowhere phenomenon like their first album should just be left to rule the universe by itself, instead of having some of it’s powers drained by a less worthy companion piece. Regardless of weather they should’ve made this album or not it still has staying power from a few tracks. “A Little Better”, “Neighbors”, “No Time Soon” and of course “Who’s Gonna Save My Soul” are the key songs to look for.

The Vitals: Redneck reindeers? Christmas in jail? Would somebody actually have the balls to pop a cap in Santa’s ass? Those are just some of the twists and turns on the 2008 version of Happy Muthaf—in’ 2008 Holiday Season. Somewhere between the satire and sincerity there’s some good music amongst the mayhem, which has been included to help fight off the holiday anxieties while preparing to celebrate.

Copies of this comic escapade were shipped out to seven states, to 18 towns in all. Some showed up by surprise and others as expected. The music found its way out of Florida to California, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. To cities with names as familiar to some as Orlando, Chicago, Canton, Orrville, Wooster, Canal Fulton, Wadsworth and Sanford to those with obscure titles such as Alexandria, Pacifica, West Mifflin, Cross Lanes, Cicero, Nelsonville, Delaware, Magnolia, Urbana and Lodi.

By my estimation that’s a list which includes dirty politicians, the title of a Creedence Clearwater Revival song, the name of a state, some tasty butter popcorn, and the place Mickey Mouse takes a dump on minimum-wage workers each night.

But about the music. Read on to learn more about this special collection of holiday cheer…

Things Come Together: The idea stemmed from a creative night inside the shed behind my house. It was early summer 2007 and my brother and I had been recording and rerecording a few songs on an analog four-track. The later the night got, and the more inspiration we sucked down, I began rambling on about mailing copies of the recording to everyone we knew. I’d dub it our “Thanksgiving single” in honor of the holiday, at least so I reasoned at the time.

Rambling, rambling, rambling. That’s what I continued to do. Get a good buzz going and you’d be surprised at how clever you think are. I likened the idea to that of the vinyl singles Pearl Jam fan club members have received over the holiday season for more than a decade now. So as you may figure, the Thanksgiving song never saw the light of day once I awoke the next morning, or more accurately, early afternoon. Still, something even greater emerged from that session.

Months later I dug through the mounds of CD’s and music files I’ve hoarded over the years and compiled quit an interesting mix of alternative holiday songs. As it turns out, to little surprise, they happened to stray from the typical tunes that get played out each and every season. None of the selections were sought out for inclusion purposely. They just happened to be around when the set list was getting put together.

The Roots of the Release: The backbone to this year’s release, as opposed to what made up Volume I in ’07, is a country-music collection I bought for a buck or two at the Sanford Flea Market. I still remember the look on the black dude’s face as I paid for the Time Life exclusive Redneck Christmas earlier this year, with a beer in one hand and a backwards ball cap atop my head. That was the moment I knew a second volume of holiday goodies had to be served up.

There are 19 tracks in all on the newest version of Holiday Season with five songs coming from that one album alone, including “Leroy the Red Neck Reindeer”, “Xmas in Jail”, “Santa’s Big Parade”, “Truckin’ Trees For Christmas” and “You Can Call Me Nick”.

Five others join this year’s set list as carryovers from ’07. The few that did get their hands on the original will be pleased to discover that “Merry Muthaf—in’ Xmas” (Eazy-E), “Ain’t No Santa” (Trick Daddy), “Christmas in Hollis” (Run-DMC), ”Happy Holidays, Pt. 1″ (The Ohio Players) and “Santa Sucks” (Bigger Than Plastic) all made the cut.

I remember watching the video to that Run-DMC song over and over again as a kid in the late 1980′s. Eazy-Z obviously took the holiday concept to a different level several years later, and I got to hear all about it each time the cassette deck make its rounds. But if ”Christmas in Hollis” was the view from elementary school and ”Merry Muthaf—in’ Xmas” that of a rowdy teen, than Trick Daddy’s “Ain’t No Santa” is the grown folks way of appreciating what we’ve got during these unpredictable times.

Rounding out the bulk of the album are four songs from the Capital Records Christmas with the Rat Pack collection, featuring Sammy Davis, Jr., Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. The sound of these habitual boozers and late night scenesters crooning holiday ditties fills me with great amusement as I top off another drink before bedtime.

(With the root of this tree firmly planted somewhere in irony, a dog stops by to paint snow a yellow shade beside you…)

In the Music: Take a good look at the cover art sometime of the self titled two-song E.P. from Bigger Than Plastic and tell me the image of a guy with a shotgun standing overtop Mr. Claus isn’t outrageous, in a humorous sort of way, of course. And that’s without mentioning the dead reindeer lying in the snow behind him. The first track is the menacing and somehow refreshing “Santa Sucks” followed by a pretty good cover of “Hello I Love You” by The Doors. I came across this by way of writing music reviews for a now-defunct national magazine once known as IMPACT Press (R.I.P.). IMPACT is also where I came across the included selection by Richard Youngs and where I had the pleasure to sample many of the early projects from Atmosphere.

The more random the songs or bands began to get as the list of options grew seemed to only propel this idea in the early goings. Including The Ohio Players was more than a sign of loyalty to the state from which I hail, just as the inclusion of Weezer had little to do with what I might have inhaled while I was there (ya know, all that factory smog and all). I mean, a song had to be at least mildly decent compared to the others to make the cut, which doesn’t say a lot for those left behind. A song title such as that from The Heliocentrics helped provide a nice break in the action while BT’s finale from atop a comedy stage seemed to bring things full circle, if in the most subtle of ways. I once saw BT perform live at the Orlando Improv, back when the place still existed.

That’s been gone a while now. Just as the many memorable and horrifically forgettable moments of our holiday past. All the more reason to make some new ones, no matter how screwed up they might get in the process.

Happy Muthaf—in’ 2008 Holiday Season (Volume II): “Leroy the Red Neck Reindeer” – [Joe Diffie]; “Merry Muthaf—in’ Xmas” * – [Eazy-E, Atbann Klann, Buckwheat, Menajahtwa]; “Christmas Time All Over the World” – [Sammy Davis Jr.]; “Xmas in Jail” – [Asleep at the Wheel]; “Santa Sucks” * – [Bigger Than Plastic]; “Holiday” – [Weezer]; “Santa’s Big Parade” – [The Louvin Brothers]; “Ain’t No Santa” * – [Trick Daddy]; “I Believe” – [Frank Sinatra]; “If I Was Santa Claus” – [Atmosphere]; “Christmas In Hollis” * – [Run-DMC]; “Nico Winter Song (remix)” – [The Heliocentrics]; “Truckin’ Trees For Christmas” – [Red Simpson]; “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” – [Dean Martin]; “Happy Holidays, Pt. 1″ * – [The Ohio Players]; “Once It Was Autumn” – [Richard Youngs]; “You Can Call Me Nick” – [Dale Watson]; “I’ll Be Home For Christmas (If Only In My Dreams)” – [Frank Sinatra]; “Holidays” – [BT]; ( * = appeared on volume one in 2007)