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? Do you ever wonder what Justin Emord of Love & .38’s oddest gift was or how about Josie Steven’s favorite ornaments? Well we are pleased to bring you Part 1 of our Holiday Q & A Special where we asked various musician and artists the same questions. In Part 1 we are pleased to feature the following:
- Justin Emord – Love and a.38, Bassist
- Josie Stevens – Designer, TV Personality
- Shane Beecher – Tempting Fate, Guitarist
- Neal Middleton – Royal Bliss, Singer
- Jessie Covets – Violet, Lead Singer/Guitarist
- Tavis Stanley – Art of Dying, Guitarist
- Jeff George – Harlot, Guitarist
- Sydney Schmier – Stereo Jane, Singer
Justin Emord
Love and a .38,Bassist
What is the oddest gift you have ever received?
It’s not an odd gift exactly but an odd process. In high school, I had to go on a scavenger hunt around the neighborhood to find my present which turned out to be a guitar wrapped in a box in a tree outside of the house that I had to climb to get.
What is your favorite Holiday Food Item?
Favorite holiday food is an old Italian dessert called struffoli that is something my grandmother would make and is something I usually still make.
What is your favorite Holiday family tradition that you still do today?
A holiday tradition for me which was started 8 years ago with my family in New York was seeing Trans Siberian Orchestra and is now a tradition I carry out here in LA with my friends.
Do you have a favorite holiday movie or song?
Favorite holiday movie would be between Elf and Nightmare Before Christmas, both are movies I enjoy a lot and watch on Christmas day. Being my family is from New York, I love all the jokes and humor pertaining to the city in it and Nightmare Before Christmas, need I say more? It’s one of my all time favorites.
Do you have a specific memory of a certain ornament or holiday decoration?
My memory is of the miniature artificial Christmas tree my parents would set up for me when I was a kid every year in my room. Nowadays, I set up that same tree with many of the same Disney Ornaments from back then on top of an old bass cabinet I used and line the whole thing in Christmas lights . And of course, add some Halloween flare to the whole set up.
Josie Stevens
Designer,TV Personality
What is the oddest gift you have ever received?
A fan once sent a giant pink Hello Kitty “water pipe”, complete with Maribou trim, to my PO box which did surprise me, particularly because I was opening the boxes in my car, which happened to be parked right next to a police car. haha.
What is your favorite Holiday Food Item?
I have a major sweet tooth so I love all the holiday cakes & cookies!
What is your favorite Holiday family tradition that you still do today?
Just enjoying our day with family & friends, good food & opening presents.
Do you have a favorite holiday movie or song?
My favorite holiday movie is probably “Love Actually”. Billy Mack is amazing. haha.
Do you have a specific memory of a certain ornament or holiday decoration?
Steve & I collect European ornaments when we travel, especially ones of the Krampus
Shane Beecher
Tempting Fate, Guitarist
What is the oddest gift you have ever received?
A Barbie doll. My family wanted to trick me to believe that Santa thought I was a girl.
What is your favorite Holiday Food Item?
Turkey!
What is your favorite Holiday family tradition that you still do today?
Exchanging one gift on Christmas Eve.
Do you have a favorite holiday movie or song?
A Christmas Story is definitely the best holiday movie of all time!
Do you have a specific memory of a certain ornament or holiday decoration?
My favorite ornament is a tiny black guitar with skulls that was given to me when I first began to play guitar
Neal Middleton
Royal Bliss, Singer
What is the oddest gift you have ever received?
Gift? Huh, It would be, well my grandma bought me some underwear, some whitey tighties and on the front of it, it said, My Mighty Minnow and it had a little picture of a fish. I thought this was really random from my Grandma! It was really funny.
What is your favorite Holiday Food Item?
That is a good one too. Though I love so much food, I always look forward to the mashed potatoes and gravy. I don’t know what it is, but that is it.
What is your favorite Holiday family tradition that you still do today?
Oh man, for one, start Christmas after Thanksgiving. We always do it that weekend and we just get together, drink hot chocolate and go pick out a tree, put up all the lights and everything and listen to Christmas music all day long. That is one of my favorite ones.
Jessie Covets
Violet, Lead Singer
What is the oddest gift you have ever received?
A Toliet Stories Book
What is your favorite Holiday Food Item?
Candy Cane Oreos
What is your favorite Holiday family tradition that you still do today?
Eat my Italian grandma’s cooking!
Do you have a favorite holiday movie or song?
Silent Night and The Grinch Do you have a specific memory of a certain ornament or holiday decoration? The angel at the top of our tree that went missing..
Tavis Stanley
Art of Dying, Guitarist
What is the oddest gift you have ever received?
We have a saying in my family “you’re gonna get a slap in the belly with a wet fish” I never got one yet though lol
What is your favorite Holiday Food Item?
Definitely all the chocolate, i go nuts around xmas with sweets
What is your favorite Holiday family tradition that you still do today?
We drive around and look at lights on xmas eve and ooh and aww at everyone’s houses!
Do you have a favorite holiday movie or song?
Favourite movie is elf
Do you have a specific memory of a certain ornament or holiday decoration?
Yes we have an ornament of a gingerbread man thats actually made of plastic, but when i was like 5 i tried o eat it and it has these huge teeth marks in it still!
Jeff George
Harlot, Guitarist
What is the oddest gift you have ever received?
Ha.. Ok, I’m going to give a 2 part answer to this question.
From a family member.. Definitely the box of Kleenex Tissue I received from my Grandma when I was about 10 years old. She said it was something I could really use because whenever we would play games, I would always end up crying. Hahaha.. Now as true as this may be.. she cheated like crazy!!! So for a 10 year old.. that was tough to take!. Luckily for me and for the rest of Christmas day, that box of Kleenex was followed up with a real present.
Now .. part 2.. Oddest gift from a fan. I had an evening with a girl who will not be named and later gave this girl my phone number from a state that also won’t be named. There were a few texts and calls over the next 4 months, but nothing serious. Then about 2 weeks before Xmas, she calls me and I answer and she says “I’m here! At the airport.. I flew in to surprise you for your early xmas present”. Now I had zero info that this was ever going to happen. So being nice I had to pick her up.. Horrible decision!
Without going into detail.. Needless to say.. what ensued was one of the weirdest 5 days of my life. Haha!
What is your favorite Holiday Food Item?
Well.. Ive always been extremely fond of the Jack Daniels or the occasional Wine Slam!
Lately I’ve been heavily into Deviled Egg’s for some reason.. I am Devilish but no idea why these things have consumed me. They will all be nicely laid out on a fancy tray chillin in the fridge and I’ll sneak one here and there throughout the day. Then at dinner time they get served, and of course the tray looks ridiculous haha. Half of them missing.. some turned over and yellow egg smeared everywhere.. One with a bite out of it but the other half still there. I’m fairly confident that my family will be making me my own baby tray of these this year.
What is your favorite Holiday family tradition that you still do today?
This is a tough one. The reason being is my family isn’t all centrally located. For instance, I’m in Los Angeles.. My Parents are in the Detroit area.. one of my sisters are in Arkansas.. add in the brother in laws and kids and their families ect and it gets really tough to schedule.. let alone hold traditions. Not to mention tour schedules as well.
But the one tradition in all that craziness is that we all always try to make sure that we are HOME at my parents house on Christmas morning. It may only be for a few hours.. but for those few hours and breakfast and gift opening.. thats Christmas and truly our Christmas tradition.
Do you have a favorite holiday movie or song?
I do. My all time favorite Xmas song has always been Little Drummer Boy. Maybe that is why my first instrument was drums. Still to this day when I hear that song, I immediately think of Christmas and my first drum set that my Grand parents bought me. It was a set of very used drums.. But they were Pearl’s, and thats what Peter Criss from Kiss played.. so to me.. they were the best drums ever made!
Favorite Holiday Movie would have to be Christmas Vacation. Chevy ruled back then!
Do you have a specific memory of a certain ornament or holiday decoration?
Amazing question! Absoloutely! My Mom always made sure that we decorated the tree together as a family when we were kids. Of course this would usually end up with me and my older sister fighting about where certain ornaments went on the tree, especially our signature ornaments! Haha. When we were babies my Mom got us each certain ornaments that were ours and these were the one’s that only we individually could hang. So.. what did I do.. I would hang and hide my sisters ornaments hidden way in the back of the tree or sometimes in the tree haha and again that would culminate in a colossal fight. I’ve also added some Kiss, AC/DC and Ozzy ornaments to the tree over the years, But those original ornaments that now look really old and tattered, because they are old, will always be my favorites and they definitely hold the memories of Christmas past in them.
Ohh.. and Mom if your reading this.. WAIT TILL I GET HOME TO HANG MY ORNAMENTS AND HIDE THEM FROM JEN! Merry Christmas Everyone.. Rock n Roll!
Sydney Schmier
Stereo Jane, Singer
What is the oddest gift you have ever received?
The oddest gift? Mmm. Oh My Gosh, my Grandma, she is hilarious. I don’t think she knew it was weird but it was the funniest thing. She gave us a little bag of old things that she found around her house. (Music Junkie Press: That is so cute!) But one of them was, I don’t know what they were called, You know in a lingerie drawer there is a scented little bra looking thing. (Music Junkie Press: Yes, the scented sachet packs!) Ya, that is like the weirdest thing that I ever got.
What is your favorite holiday food?
I eat so much food, I love food, I have no idea. I don’t think I could choose. I would have to say Turkey, I love turkey.
What is your favorite Holiday family tradition that you still do today?
I love Christmas Eve. We go to my Grandmas that night and do presents and everything.
That is it for Part 1 of our Holiday Q & A, we will bring you a whole new batch of artists and musicians tomorrow. Stay tuned~
~ Marisol, Rockin’ Ryan, Rachel, Steve, Larry, and Music Junkie Press!
I LOVE THIS!!!!!!!!!!! Ok Jeff George that story about the girl for 5 days is the BEST! I bet she is reading it. I also love Josie Stevens. you are so beautiful Josie
I LOVE THIS!!!!!!!!!!! Ok Jeff George that story about the girl for 5 days is the BEST! I bet she is reading it. I also love Josie Stevens. you are so beautiful Josie