2022 Christmas Stories, part one.


Just two weeks until this year’s Xmas marathon?! What? How is that even possible?

Here are the first half of the Christmas Stories recorded exclusively for the 2022 edition of my 25-Hour Holiday Radio Show on 103.3 fm WPRB.

Part two will appear here on December 17th!

Please follow the links provided to support these musicians, artists and incredible individuals who were kind to create original pieces for the show.

Follow them! Like them! Buy their stuff! 

May these works encourage you to record something for this year.

The submission deadline is December 19th.

You can explore the complete archive of stories recorded from 2011-2022 here. 

The Brixton Riot – “Christmas Bells”

Kicking us off is the ninth contribution to the marathon by The Brixton Riot, a rock band from New Jersey. Remember those?

Maria T. – “Most Perfect Thing”

Returning for the 2022 marathon, Philadelphia’s Maria T. wanted to see if she could make a song version of a Hallmark Christmas Movie.

Mesmer – “Next Christmas”

Also hailing from Philadelphia, Mesmer were first active in the mid-90s to early aughts. They took a 20-something-year break to play in other bands like Lefty’s Deceiver, Audible, The Bigger Lovers, Rhode Island, The Swivel Chairs, Static Shapes and more.

Deth Elf – “Merry Christmas Anyway”

Another Philadelphia-area outfit? Most certainly when it comes to the dynamic duo Deth Elf, who are making their much-welcomed seventh appearance on the marathon.

Mac McCaughan – “Dragging A Tree”

Superchunk? Portastatic? Bricks? Wwax? Slushpuppies? Mac McCaughan‘s been in ’em all. What a wonderful surprise this submission was.

Hattie – “The True Story of the Town that Kills Xmas Decorations”

George Korein – “Merry Xmas (Burn The Goat)”

Two separate pieces by Hattie and George Korein, both about the Gävle goat, a remarkable Swedish holiday tradition I was unfamiliar with before last December. Sadly, the goat did not burn in 2022.

Jason Sims – “Cracker Barrel”

Jason Sims · Cracker Barrel

Jason Sims is not secretly 1,000 years old. He wants you to laugh.

DJ Tenderloin – “Mongoose King Go Straight To The Ghetto”

Mash-up master DJ Tenderloin contributed a few incredible pieces to last year’s marathon. If you missed his melodious Ramones-o-Clock jam, hear it here.

Ho Means Ho – “Santa”

Members of Das Kaltes Eis re-work a No Means No favorite to great delight. All proceeds benefit the Abortion Liberation Fund of PA.

B. Musikoff – “There’s Gelt in the Christmas Stocking”

He’s a bassist, cartoonist, friendist and tinnitust. He’s Seattle’s B. Musikoff, host of MusicOn with Musikoff!

Sebastian Petsu – “The 25th Kick Down”

Back with a fifth submission, Sebstian Petu‘s latest was inspired by WPRB’s Commie Francis playing the Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog” right after the 2021 WPRB Xmas marathon, as part of a program based around non-Christmas songs that feature bells.

Santy Newman – “Remember (Christmas)”

Santy Newman · Remember (Christmas) — Santy Newman and the Second Language Point.mp3

I’m sure Santy Newman would love it if you listened to the podcast Wheel of Randy.

Polarekältebären – “Weihnachten (Es ist eine Jahreszeit)”

Synthesizer duo Polarekältebären (pronounsed po-LA-ruh-KELL-tuh-BAY-run) is Rentao Umali of Monona and Blaise Moritz of Toronto. “Weihnachten (Es ist eine Jahreszeit)” translates as “Christmas, it’s a time of year”. The only lyrics are those, plus later “Es ist keine Zeit der Tränen,” which translates as “It’s not a time of tears”. So the lyrics rhyme in a language other than the one in which they’re sung. There may be a technical term for that.

Bret Saunders – “Some Of Those Other Bells”

Bret Saunders is a friend to music. He once ate an entire bag of Twizzlers in a single afternoon.

Neal Markowski – “Zero Tolerance for Silent Night”

MVP Neal Markowski is a composer/musician in Chicago. He writes: In 1994, Pat Metheny released “Zero Tolerance for Silence”, a 40-minute compact disc made up of 5 tracks of improvised guitar. The jazzbo’s “Metal Machine Music” came complete with a pull-quote from Thurston Moore, stating the record was “…THE most radical recording of this decade…” Pretty sure he was wrong about that…Here’s my take on it, “Zero Tolerance for Silent Night.” This is a pay-what-you-want download, with all proceeds being sent to Chicago Abortion Fund. 



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11/29/23 : 17:00 – 20:00 pm ET


A trio of remarkable mini cakes c/o my friend Amelia…

The Rub – The Death of Pop – Bikini Gospel

Hard Copy – Pile of Rocks – 12 Shots of Nature – [N]
Kurt Vile – Another Good Year For The Roses – Back to Moon Beach EP 
Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti and Egypt 80 – Government Chicken Boy (Previously Unreleased Version) – Army Arrangement
Gerycz / Powers / Rolin – Ivory – Activator – Out next year.
rocky – Contents – S/T – Xanthe Waite (Terry, Primo) & Raven Mahon (Grass Widow, Green Child).
Ibrahim Hesnawi – Watany Al Kabir – Habibi Funk 024: The Father of Libyan Reggae – [N]
Upper Wilds – Drifters – Jupiter

The Only Ones – Lovers of Today – 45
Ayalew Mesfin – Terèdjew Nèbèr – Ethiopiques, Vol. 24 – Golden Years of Modern Ethiopian Music (1969-1975) – [C]
Emily Robb – Side 02 – Bill Nace – Emily Robb Split LP 
Nonconnah – VIII-Wearied And Cold You Furled Your Wings – Don’t Go Down to Lonesome Holler 
The Happy Somethings – Time Flies – Don’t Mention It
Protomartyr – Let’s Tip The Creator – Formal Growth in the Desert 

The Victoria Lucas – 28:43 – Live on WPRB – https://www.discogs.com/artist/6308321-The-Victoria-Lucas

Mary Timony – Dominoes – Untame The Tiger – [N] – First solo album in 15 years!



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11/22/23 : 17:00 – 20:00 pm ET


The Rub – The Death of Pop – Bikini Gospel

SPRINTS – Shadow of a Doubt – Letter to Self – [N]
Lingo Seini et son groupe – Arne – Musique Hauka
Tuluum Shimmering – The Carved Stone, Which Stands Upright in the Whirlwind – The Mountains are Singing and the Roses are Singing – [N]
The Velvet Underground – Oh! Sweet Nuthin – Loaded – As heard in the penultimate episode of Loki season two…
Mammatus – Foreveriff – Expanding Majesty – [N]
Monde UFO – I’m So Tired – 4 Songs – Fugazi cover.
Golden Apples – Sugarfire – Bananasugarfire – [N] – Local.

Gold Dime – Denise – No More Blue Skies – [N] – Ex-Talk Normal / Death Pool.
Mars Williams – Stratus – ELEVATION – RIP Mars Williams, who did it all. His “An Ayler Xmas” collections were especially unique and wonderful additions to my holiday radio show. 
Mint Mile – Christmas Comes and Goes (remix) – PRF/BLM – [C]
Suzies – Secret Santa – The Living Room
Swansea Sound – Nadolig, Pwy a Wy – Santa Bail Me Out – In Welsh.
Squid – Pamphlets – Bright Green Field

GANG – 27:14 – Live on WPRB – https://gangtheband.bandcamp.com

Chris T-T – 100,000 Turkeys – Best Of



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11/15/23 : 17:00 – 20:00 pm ET


The Rub – The Death of Pop – Bikini Gospel

Codeine – Jr. – Dessau – Recorded in 1992, not released until 30 years later.
Jane Weaver – Love in Constant Spectacle – Love in Constant Spectacle – [N]
Tallawit Timbouctou – Side B – Takamba
Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band – Free From the Guillotine – Dancing on the Edge – [N]
Terry Gross – Spicy Legato – Spicy Legato
Puçanga – 100 Middlemen – Impish
Haywood – Plastic – Discovered! (Men Called Him Mister Outtakes)

Yard Act – The Trench Coat Museum – 12″
The Ashantis – Come On and Do it – Ethiopiques, Vol. 24 – Golden Years of Modern Ethiopian Music (1969-1975) – [C]
Can – Vernal Equinox – Landed – Originally released in 1975.
Neil Young – Sample and Hold (Dance Remix) – 12″
Barbara Manning – Scissors – Super Scissors
House of Pain – Jump Around (Pete Rock remix) – House of Pain (Fine Malt Lyrics)
Penetration – Don’t Dictate – DIY: Anarchy In The UK – UK Punk I (1976-77) – [C]

Prowler – 27:02 – Live on WPRB – https://prowlerprowler.bandcamp.com

Terrible Signal – Switching View – The Window
Black Spell – Satanic Majesty – Season of the Damned
The New Pornographers & Aimee Mann – Firework In The Falling Snow (acoustic) – Firework In The Falling Snow



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11/8/23 : 17:00 – 20:00 pm ET


For a special Fall Silent Drive broadcast, Don Giovanni Records founder (and former WPRB DJ) Joe Steinhardt joined me in-studio to celebrate two decades of his label through 20 songs (we didn’t get to all of them). We also aired archival live performances by Screaming Females and Waxahatchee engineered in the WPRB studios.

The Rub – The Death Of Pop – Bikini Gospel

Screaming Females – 25:17 – Live on WPRB

Keith Secola – NDN Kars – Circle

Bad Bad Hats – Detroit Basketball – Walkman

Moor Mother – The Myth Hold Weight – Analog Fluids of Sonic Black Holes

Lee Bains + The Glory Fires – Whitewash – Youth Detention

Swamp Dogg – Soul to Blessed Soul – I Need a Job… So I Can Buy More Auto-Tune

Maura Weaver – Sunshine – I Was Due For a Heartbreak

Lavender Country – I Can’t Shake the Stranger out of You – Blackberry Rose

Paisley Fields – Iowa – Limp Wrist

Mikey Erg – Hopland Superette – Waxbuilt Castles

Winterhawk – Custer’s Dyin – Electric Warriors

Weakened Friends – Blue Again – Common Blah

Shellshag – 1984 – Rumors in Disguise
Waxahatchee – 18:13 – Live on WPRB



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11/1/23 : 17:00 – 20:00 pm ET


The Rub – The Death Of Pop – Bikini Gospel

Telehealth – Mindtrap – 45 – [N]
Kool Moe Dee – Death Blow (Extended Remix) – 12″
Holger Czukay – An Electronic Night Ceremony – La Luna – “Recorded live at Holger’s lab in Cologne May 17th, 1996.”
Richard Roundtree – Man from Shaft – The Man from Shaft – RIP.
Telematics – Hounds – Hounds b​/​w Simmer – [N] – Members of Measles Mumps Rubella, Obits, Girls Against Boys and more…
Leon Keïta – Gnanassouma – Leon Keïta (Analog Africa Dance Edition No.16) 
Minibeast – Stimulance – On Ice – [N] – Peter Prescott from Mission of Burma / Volcano Suns and band…

Alien Nosejob – Split Personality – The Derivative Sounds of… OR… A Dog Always Returns to its Vomit – [N]
Dana Dane – Cinderfella Dana Dane – 12″
sunn O))) – Ron G. Warrior – Evil Chuck​ b/w ​Ron G. Warrior – [N]
The Fall – Athlete Cured – The Frenz Experiment – Totally rips off Spinal Tap’s “Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You Tonight.”
Jaimie Branch – Burning Grey – Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((World War)) – [N]
Damien Jurado – Fool Maria – What’s New, Tomboy?
Comateens – Danger Zone – 45 – Reissue forthcoming on Left For Dead!

Bad News Bats – 23:48 – Live on WPRB – https://badnewsbats.bandcamp.com

The Adverts – One Chord Wonders – DIY: Anarchy In The UK – UK Punk I (1976-77) – [C]
Neal Markowski – River 2 (excerpt) – Erosional / Depositional – [N]



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Jon Solomon’s 2023 Holiday Radio Show.


Year 35 of THE MARATHON is rapidly approaching, like an endless parade of robotic drummer boys.

The 2023 edition of my 25-Hour Holiday Radio Show on 103.3 fm WPRB will start on Christmas Eve at 5:00 pm ET and go straight until Christmas Day at 6:00 pm ET. 

This year’s marathon will happen LIVE FROM HOME for a fourth time, because once you’ve done a extended broadcast like this surrounded by your family with ample sunlight coming through numerous windows, not to mention almost no heavy lifting – it is impossible to turn back!

Header image and this year’s initial round of graphics by the esteemed ArtJerk.

You can find four different new designs here, plus prior years’ graphics with snails and my sleeping parents on them too.

Press folks, I would love to talk with you.

Now, let’s get to my absolute favorite marathon tradition…

Your Christmas Stories!

Each of the last dozen years I’ve asked a number of friends, musicians, comedians, fellow DJs and others that I admired to record their definition of an original “Christmas story” to be interspersed throughout my marathon, alongside other annual favorites.

These pieces have made something that matters a great deal to me all the more special.

For year XXXV, I’m counting on YOU + YOURS!

I’m not going to list all the amazing people who have recorded pieces in the past this time out. You can listen to past favorites here.

The deadline for 2023 is Thursday, December 21st. Please don’t be late.

What is a Christmas Story?

Well…it can be a reading of a favorite Xmas tale, a cover of a holiday song you love or an original piece.

I leave that in your brilliant hands.

The goal is to debut one of these an hour throughout the marathon, if not more frequently.

Submissions can be sent to this email address.

My lone request is that you do not post your piece elsewhere before it airs during the show! Please! Afterwards go wild, just mention the show when you do share on Bandcamp / Soundcloud / etc.

If you wanted some extra direction…pieces inspired by New Order or Joy Division could potentially complete a thematic set I’ve wanted to try for a few years now…

Please spread the word and have a safe holiday season.

Jon Solomon
103.3 fm WPRB



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10/25/23 : 17:00 – 20:00 pm ET


The Rub – The Death Of Pop – Bikini Gospel

Lewsberg – Cold Light Of Day – In This House – You could make a compelling case for each member of Lewsberg as the band’s “secret weapon” and I would enthusiastically agree with you no matter your choice.
The 45 King – The 900 Number (original) – The 900 Number – RIP to DJ Mark The 45 King, who passed away recently at the age of 62.
Neil Young – The Last Trip to Tulsa – Sugar Mountain – Live At Canterbury House 1968
I Think Like Midnight – Over The Points – Microtonal Honkytonk – [N] – Local.
Government Issue – Day Of Reckoning – Day Of Reckoning – Pentagram cover. Recorded in 1985, previously unreleased!
Fela and Egypt 80 – Underground System – Underground System
Eleventh Dream Day – The Arsonist – S/T

CLASS – Inspect The Receipt – If You’ve Got Nothing – [N]
Medicine Singers, Lee Ranaldo & Yonatan Gat – Honor Song – Honor Song – Released on Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
The Feelies – Oh! Sweet Nuthin – Some Kinda Love: Performing the Music of the Velvet Underground – [N] – Recorded live at White Eagle Hall in 2018.
Damon Locks & Rob Mazurek – The Concord Hour – New Future City Radio
The Exbats – Himbo – Song Machine – [N]
Etran de L’AÏr – Nak Deranine – Live in Seattle
The Chills – Push – Brave Words – Brave Words (Expanded and Remastered) – [N] – Includes an extra disc of rare / unreleased material.

The Catholic Girls – 40:21 – Live on WPRB – http://www.thecatholicgirls.net

OSees – Stunner – Intercepted Message – [N]
Klip Collective – save.point – Night Forms: Infinite Wave – Night Forms returns for a third season this November at Grounds for Sculpture.
Keiji Haino + SUMAC – That fuzz pedal you planted in your throat, its screw has started to come loose Your next effects pedal is up to you do you have it ready?



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10/11/23 : 17:00 – 20:00 pm ET


The Rub – The Death of Pop – Bikini Gospel

Population II – Tô Kébec – Électrons libres du québec – [N]
Mulatu Astatqé Feat. Frank Holder & Niaaza Alsherif – Assiyo Bélléma – Éthiopiques 24: Golden Years Of Modern Ethiopian Music 1969-1975 – [C]
Jennifer O’Connor – It Feels Like I’m Being Watched – It Feels Like I’m Being Watched / Coins In The Fountain – [N] – Two never-before-released tracks from the Born At The Disco sessions.
Alan Courtis & David Grubbs – Airborne Particles of the California Central Valley – Braintrust of Fiends and Werewolves – Courtis of Reynols, Grubbs of Gastr del Sol / Bastro / Squirrel Bait / etc.
Azna de L’Ader – Zabaya – Zabaya
Advance Base – How You Got Your Picture on the Wall – How You Got Your Picture on the Wall – Does anyone write such evocative musical stories using as few words as Owen Ashworth?
Minibeast – Town Cryer – Ism Volume Gold

Obits – Taste The Diff – Bed & Bugs – “He gave us each other.”
Joshua Wayne Hensley – Cranes In The Field – Kettle – [N]
Akiko Yano – To Ki Me Ki – To Ki Me Ki – 1978 album reissued outside Japan for the first time.
Water Damage – French Remix – French Remix
Dancer – Love – As Well – [N]
The Glass Bees – Because Tomorrow Disaster May Come – Because Tomorrow Disaster May Come
The Tubs – Illusion Pt. II – Dead Meat

Creeping Weeds – 34:56 – Live on WPRB – https://creepingweeds.bandcamp.com

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Theia – Theia – [N]
Rae Fitzgerald – Joy Ceilings – Lonely Listener
Bananagun – Modern Day Problems – The True Story of Bananagun



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10/4/23 : 17:00 – 20:00 pm ET


The Rub – The Death Of Pop – Bikini Gospel

C.O.F.F.I.N. – Through The Sewer – Australia Stops – [N]
KMD – Humrush – Mr. Hood
Lost Girls – Love, Lovers – Menneskekollektivet – Jenny Hval and Håvard Volden.
Nonconnah – V-Goodnight, Goodbye, We Perish – Don’t Go Down to Lonesome Holler
Heavenly Bodies – My Hand Threw A Kiss From My Mouth – MEDIUM – [N] – Local.
Vanishing Twin – Lotus Eater – Afternoon X – Out October 6th.
California X – Sucker – S/T – Happy 20th birthday, Don Giovanni!

The Feelies – Two Rooms – The Good Earth
Blue Cranes – Forward – My Only Secret – [N]
Metalzone – Lentil the End of Time – Hail Seitan
Birdlegs & Pauline – Too Much At Stake – Eccentric R&B: The Cuca Label  – [C] – From 1960s Rockford, Illinois.
Writhing Squares – North Side of the Sky – Chart For the Solution 
Andrzej Korzynski – Third Part Of The Night (Main Theme) – Third Part Of The Night – Previously unreleased score for a 1971 film.
Collate – Erika’s Trip – Generative Systems – [N]

Vintage Crop – 28:51 – Live on WPRB – http://vintagecrop.bandcamp.com

Ought – Disaffectation – Room Inside The World – Pre-Cola.
Tidiane Thiam – Thierno Adama Gaye – Siftorde
Chico Magnetic Band – Pop Or Not – Midnight Massiera: The B-Music Of Jean-Pierre Massiera – [C] – Originally found on a 1971 single.



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