EP
A Rocking Christmas
A Rocking Christmas brings the energy of Jamie Penner’s earlier large-scale Christmas rock concerts into a five-song studio EP of electric guitars, full vocals, and reworked seasonal music.
Release date: November 12, 2023
In stock
Album introduction
A Rocking Christmas brings the energy of Jamie Penner’s earlier large-scale Christmas rock concerts into a five-song studio EP. One new composition and four familiar seasonal songs combine melodic passages, heavy guitars, punk and alternative influences, and full vocal arrangements.
Track listing
About this release
About A Rocking Christmas
A Rocking Christmas grew out of Jamie Penner’s experience performing large-scale Christmas rock concerts with a small group of musicians over several years. Those shows treated Christmas music as something bigger than a traditional seasonal performance, with louder arrangements and the freedom to push the lighting, sound, and stage production as far as possible.
Some of these songs were performed during those concerts, while others were arrangements Penner would have liked to include. Listeners who attended the shows may recognize elements of the versions presented here. The EP opens with “Nativitas Spiritus,” a new composition that blends familiar public-domain Christmas melodies with Penner’s own themes and musical ideas. Its title represents the birth of the Christmas spirit and the Nativity.
Penner’s versions of “O Holy Night” and “O Come O Come Emmanuel” were inspired by arrangements by Lincoln Brewster. He performs lead and background vocals on those tracks and on “The First Noel,” which was deliberately given a more melodic and restrained treatment for contrast. “(Not So) Silent Night” moves in the opposite direction, recasting the carol as a punk and alternative rock track.
All five tracks were recorded specifically for this release. The artwork reflects the EP’s Christmas rock-concert theme, with Santa performing on stage and Mrs. Claus appearing backstage with a gift. The result is a studio reflection of those earlier live shows: familiar Christmas music rebuilt for electric guitars, large stages, bright lights, and considerably more volume.
Track notes
Inside the tracks
01Nativitas Spiritus
A new Christmas composition that blends familiar public-domain seasonal melodies with Penner’s own themes and musical ideas. Its title represents the birth of the Christmas spirit and the Nativity.
02O Holy Night
Inspired by Lincoln Brewster’s arrangement, this version combines the familiar Christmas song with a larger rock production. Penner performs both lead and background vocals.
03The First Noel
A more melodic and restrained arrangement designed to provide contrast within the EP. Penner performs the lead and background vocals.
04(Not So) Silent Night
A punk and alternative rock interpretation of “Silent Night.” The deliberately louder and more aggressive arrangement made the revised title an obvious fit.
05O Come O Come Emmanuel
Inspired by Lincoln Brewster’s arrangement and chosen as the closing track because of the meaning and anticipation carried by the song. Penner performs both lead and background vocals.