Holiday Q and A Special, Part 4

Here we go with Part 4 of our Holiday Q and A Special with a whole new batch of musicians and artists.It is that time again, when you deck the halls, pull out the decorations, pour some Eggnog and sing Holiday songs. It is a time to get nostalgic and remember the past holidays.

How about others? Who has a Christmas Song out now? Who got a Mean Girls DVD? or Whose family tradition is watching Christmas Vacation? Here you go, Part 4 of our Holiday Q & A Special where we asked various musician and artists the same questions. In Part 4 we are pleased to feature the following:

Fiona Kernaghan – Singer, Songwriter
Ed Mandevil – Switchblade Serenade, Bassist
Eric Emery – Concordia, Singer, Guitar
Art Geezer – Art of Shock, Singer, Guitarist
Chris Lane – Station, Guitarist
Diamante Bovelli – Diamante, Singer
Ivan Para – Fair Struggle, Guitarist
Miles Daniels – Fair Struggle, Bassist
Sebastian “Baz”Tvedtnaes – NiteRain, Singer
Morten Garberg – NiteRrain – Drums, Backing Vocals

Fiona Kernaghan

Songwriter, Singer

What is the oddest gift you have ever received?

A driver safety training course, after having had my license for many years. Somehow it still makes me laugh, but at the end of the day it was kinda fun!

What is your favorite Holiday Food Item?

Roast turkey – with cranberry sauce… Oh and holiday cocktails!

What is your favorite Holiday family tradition that you still do today?

We open one present each Christmas Eve. Who can wait for Santa!?

Do you have a favorite holiday movie or song?

I have both a favorite holiday song and movie. My favorite holiday song is “White Christmas”, by Bing Crosby. It has extra poignancy for me, having grown up in Australia where a white Christmas really is only a dream! A close second is “Breath Of Heaven” by the lovely Amy Grant. My favorite holiday movie is “Love Actually”, and it competes annually with “The Holiday”.

Do you have a specific memory of a certain ornament or holiday decoration?

Growing up we had a plastic Santa and sleigh with reindeer that mom would set under the tree every year. No matter how old and banged up that thing got we loved it and it seemed to have a life of it’s own, we found it so enchanting

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Fiona has available her heartwarming short story and song,”An L.A. Christmas Story & Song” now available on Itunes here. Make sure to pick this up tonight, cozy up by the tree and enjoy her inspirational and soul touching story that will have you feeling blessed. Her companion song, “A Christmas Blessing” is magical and beautifully captures the spirit of the season.

Ed ManDevil

Switchblade Serenade, Bassist

What is the oddest gift you have ever received?

It would be a photoshopped picture of a dude as a radioactive spider burning down a city and roasting a marshmallow

What is your favorite Holiday Food Item?

I’d have to say Deviled eggs haha

What is your favorite Holiday family tradition that you still do today?

It would be watch my dogs open gifts

Do you have a favorite holiday movie or song?

Jingle All the Way for the Movie and Favorite Christmas song (come on you cant beat Billy Idol, Steve Stevens, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum)

Do you have a specific memory of a certain ornament or holiday decoration?

I got an ornament of a bass for the first Xmas since joining the band from my folks

Eric Emery

Concordia, Singer, Guitar

What is the oddest gift you have ever received?

Really nothing too crazy…..someone did once buy me the Mean Girls DVD. I’m not sure what they were implying.

What is your favorite Holiday Food Item?

Without a doubt stuffing. It’s definitely my favorite part of the holidays.

What is your favorite Holiday family tradition that you still do today?

Probably just getting together and having a big delicious feast. That never gets old.

Do you have a favorite holiday movie or song?

Nightmare before Christmas and the entire soundtrack is amazing. I love that movie and Danny Elfman is a musical genius.

Do you have a specific memory of a certain ornament or holiday decoration?

My mom has always put up these giant nutcrackers and they’ve scared me since I was a little kid. I used to throw a blanket on them and cover them up when I would walk around downstairs in the same room.

Art Geezer

Art of Shock, Singer, Guitarist

What is the oddest gift you have ever received?

I’ve been Given all kinds of things, including substances that tickle your brain ; ), but my favorite ever was a bad ass Theremin, I ended up driving everybody crazy going all 50’s Sci-fi on them!

What is your favorite Holiday Food Item?

Caviar and champagne of course!

What is your favorite Holiday family tradition that you still do today?

Just getting them all together!, Now a days it’s a whole bureaucratic transaction to get the whole family in a room at any given time, so I guess that would be it, as far as traditions go!.

Do you have a favorite holiday movie or song?

Way too many to mention, so here’s a little list:

MOVIES:

Gremlins
Die Hard (part 1 and 2, yes, they count as holyday movies!!!)
The story of Rudolph the red-nose reindeer (Creepy as fuck, it’s a must!)
Home Alone
A Christmas Carol (the 1951 version)

SONGS:

Run, Run Rudolph (Chuck Berry)
No presents for Christmas (King Diamond)
Carol of the bells (Trans-Siberian Orchestra)
Making Christmas (Danny Elfman)
Merry fucking Christmas ( From the South Park Christmas Special)

Do you have a specific memory of a certain ornament or holiday decoration?

Yeah, my Metallica Christmas ornaments! , my parents hated those things so they always ended up hanging from my little Charlie Brown tree!

Chris Lane

Station, Guitarist

What is the oddest gift you have ever received?

Drumsticks (mainly because I am a guitar player haha)

What is your favorite Holiday Food Item?

I really like Eggnog. Drink of choice for the next month.

What is your favorite Holiday family tradition that you still do today?

My family always does a smaller dinner on Christmas eve and serves several different courses of fish. It’s pretty much a precursor to the feast the next day, but it’s more of an intimate meal rather than a huge family gathering.

Do you have a favorite holiday movie or song?

Jingle Bell Rock or Naughty Naughty Christmas for sure.

Do you have a specific memory of a certain ornament or holiday decoration?

When I was younger my father bought a Star Trek ornament that speaks when you turn the power on. Every time someone walked into the room it would go off with a holiday message from Spock. To this day I don’t know who I associate more with Christmas, Santa Claus or Spock.

Diamante Bovelli

Diamante, Singer

What is the oddest gift you have ever received?

It’s not odd whatsoever now, but when I was about 6, my parents got me my first stereo. I was really surprised at the time because it looked like some incredibly advanced alien invention to me. I knew I liked singing, but that stereo completely opened up my entire passion for music and singing. I sang with it every single day and I still do to this day. I love it because now it’s almost looking vintage.

What is your favorite Holiday Food Item?

That is such a hard question because I love a lot of holiday food! I’m vegan, but I probably have to go with either pumpkin or pecan pie because those are some of my favorite flavors.

What is your favorite Holiday family tradition that you still do today?

Usually my family always sits down on Christmas Eve and has dinner. Instead of celebrating the next morning, it’s customary in Latin and European cultures to sit down with family and have huge dinner parties. We usually go to Mexico or Italy to see family which I love.

Do you have a favorite holiday movie or song?

I don’t have a song in particular, but I love hearing those really classic jazzy and almost bluesy holiday songs that malls will play in bookstores or cafés. It really sets the mood and brings that magical feel. My favorite movie definitely has to be “The Nightmare Before Christmas” because it’s the cutest movie ever.

Do you have a specific memory of a certain ornament or holiday decoration?

When I was living with my best friend and her family last year, I got to help decorate the Christmas tree which was so much fun. It was a gigantic mess but the finished product was really nice. I remember the one ornament on the very top that her sisters and I all attempted vigorously to put on top of the tree, we didn’t succeed until about half an hour and almost fell of ladders but it was worth it.

Ivan Para

Fair Struggle, Guitarist

What is the oddest gift you have ever received?

A taxidermy alligator head.

What is your favorite Holiday Food Item?

Spiced Apple Cider with Makers Mark… does that count?

What is your favorite Holiday family tradition that you still do today?

On Xmas, someone has to wear a Santa hat and hand out the gifts from under the tree

Do you have a favorite holiday movie or song?

Elf! instant classic

Do you have a specific memory of a certain ornament or holiday decoration?

My mom still decorates her xmas tree with ornaments that the kids made back in elementary school. at this point, those things are probably considered vintage, but it’s always fun to see the things we made as kids 25+ years ago.

Miles Daniels

Fair Struggle, Bassist

What is the oddest gift you have ever received?

I once got a tuggie. Basically it’s a snuggy for your wang.

What is your favorite Holiday Food Item?

Stuffing! I could eat that shit all day.

What is your favorite Holiday family tradition that you still do today?

We put a toy train set around the tree to keep the cat from climbing up and knocking the ornaments off and it keeps her from using the tree skirt as a litter box. I just leaving running all month.

Do you have a favorite holiday movie or song?

Bad Santa!

Do you have a specific memory of a certain ornament or holiday decoration?

I’ve got an ornament that represents my dog Samson (RIP) it’s hard taking out of the box every year.