Here we go with Part 2 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 does a Scavenger Hunt for their gifts? or What is Kent Brooks’ favorite Holiday Movie? Here you go, Part 2 of our Holiday Q & A Special where we asked various musician and artists the same questions. In Part 2 we are pleased to feature the following:
- Dellacoma Rio – Solo Artist, Ex-Sunset Riot Singer
- Erin Johnson – Model, Featured Role in “The Death of Me” Video
- Gred Bradley – Art of Dying, Guitarist
- Kenny Kweens – Villains of Vaudeville, Vocalist
- Josey Milner – Country Rock Artist
- Jimmy Steel – The Jaded, Singer
- Craw NeQuent “Craw Cajun”– All Hail the Yeti, Guitarist
- Kent Brooks – Like A Storm, Bassist, Vocals,
- Cat Place – State Line Empire, Guitarist
- Dave Pearl – State Line Empire, Bassist
Dellacom Rio
Solo Artist, Ex-Sunset Riot Singer
What is the oddest gift you have ever received?
Probably a remote control car with the Sunset Riot logo painted on the bonnet of the car.
What is your favorite Holiday Food Item?
This is a toughy…I am a sucker for Christmas pudding tho and prawns are always a fav!
What is your favorite Holiday family tradition that you still do today?
Fruit salad for breakfast on New Years Day!
Do you have a favorite holiday movie or song?
Love Actually, hands down! I love that movie 🙂
Erin Johnson
Model, Actress,
(Tomb Raider, Featured Role in Asking Alexandria “The Death of Me” Video)
What is the oddest gift you have ever received?
I was an odd girl and had an odd Uncle, so let alone my Christmas gifts from him were far from normal. He was a scientist so he always got my sister and I things like lava lamps, strobe lights, these weird electro-magnetic balls that would react to touch, but when I was younger I had the weirdest fascination with rocks. I had a crazy big rock collection, which I’m hoping is somewhere tucked away at my parents house because I haven’t seen it in years. Most gifts I got were “normal” like clothes, stuffed animals, jewelry, but so far, rocks are by far the oddest gift. Please anyone feel free to send me a weirder gift. I feel like rocks isn’t odd enough.
What is your favorite Holiday Food Item?
I am a vegetarian and I am the only vegetarian in my family so no one likes making me “special” food. So besides a soy gingerbread latte from Starbucks I greatly enjoy my sweet tooth during the holidays. I never fill up from the fruit salad or pickles and olives and besides being a vegetarian I am also a very picky eater so basically that is all I eat at dinner. Then when dessert rolls around I am in heaven. I will eat anything chocolate and sweet. My grandma makes this dessert called “death by chocolate” and the name speaks for itself. Its like a chocolate mousse with whipped cream and dark chocolate cake pieces with heath bars all mixed together. It’s exactly what the name says, its TO DIE FOR.
What is your favorite Holiday family tradition that you still do today?
On Christmas Eve all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins go to my Grandma and Grandpa’s house. We do this thing called “dollar gifts,” since we would love to gift everyone, but no one has the time or money to buy a gift for 30 people instead we only spend $30 total to get everyone a gag gift. The rules are everything has to cost a dollar or less, so it makes for some really interesting surprises. People tend to get me a lot of Hello Kitty stuff which I absolutely love, but some people get unlucky and get creepy old dolls or blatantly used dirty clothes. It’s all in good fun!
Do you have a favorite holiday movie or song?
Every Christmas season it is imperative that I watch “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” as much as possible. Although I do love “Elf” and “Home Alone,” nothing beats Clark W. Griswald and his silly antics.
Do you have a specific memory of a certain ornament or holiday decoration?
I’m originally from Minnesota, so living in LA I learned to appreciate being home for the holidays. My mom decks the whole house out in Christmas decorations, which I always thought were corny, but now since I’m away from home and the arctic winter weather, I learned to appreciate being home for the hoidays a lot more. I would actually say that during the month of December my favorite holiday decoration is living in a winter wonderland covered in snow and having that cozy feeling of being bundled up next to a fire with hot chocolate or for me, usually Bailey’s. I love going ice skating in my backyard and the smell of bonfires and cinnamon, even though it’s so cold outside there’s something very warming about the winter. There’s no other greater feeling than being back in Minnesota for the holidays, but as soon as Christmas is over I am out and right back to sunny LA.
Greg Bradley
Art of Dying, Guitarist
What is the oddest gift you have ever received?
Not sure, maybe socks or underwear…..always weird.
What is your favorite Holiday Food Item?
Deep fried Prawn on Christmas Eve!
What is your favorite Holiday family tradition that you still do today?
Secret Santa gift exchange game on Christmas Eve.
Do you have a favorite holiday movie or song?
“Elf” with Will Farrell is hilarious!
Do you have a specific memory of a certain ornament or holiday decoration?
Not really…….haha! Sorry, nothing to report there!
Kenny Kweens
Villains of Vaudeville, Vocalist, Musician
What is the oddest gift you have ever received?
Well first of all, I am thankful for any gift I receive, so don’t this twisted, but I do remember my family was going through a rough patch, so my gifts were a bit odd this one year. My big gift was a “vintage” pachinko machine. A what? Yeah I know, that’s what I said when I got it.. I didn’t ask for one, hell I didn’t even know they existed, so I had no idea what I was looking at when I unwrapped it. A pachinko machine is a Korean pinball machine. Anyway, at first I was a bit confused and thought I had unwrapped the wrong gift, but I was a understanding kid and before I knew it, me and my friends were having pachinko tournaments.
What is your favorite Holiday Food Item?
Mama Kweens’ Gumbo!
What is your favorite Holiday family tradition that you still do today?
My scavenger hunt. I always pick someone every year and will wrap a box with a note inside… That note has a clue to find the next gift with another note inside to find the next gift with another note and clue inside and so on and so forth until the person finds their actual gift. This can be hours of fun, as it can go on for a while and it gives me great pleasure watching people wandering around trying to figure out my poorly written riddles. I’ve sent people down the street, to other homes, inside of cars, up in trees.. Oh the joy of Christmas.
Do you have a favorite holiday movie or song?
My favorite movie would be that old stop-animation movie with the cold miser and heat miser. Those two guys crack me up and their theme songs are hilarious! I think it’s called, “The Year Without a Santa Claus”, I love all those old stop-animation movies and my favorite song would be “Please Come Home For Christmas” the version by The Eagles.
Do you have a specific memory of a certain ornament or holiday decoration?
My Mom is an awesome decorator. Her decorations are the best I’ve ever seen. Her stuff should be in magazines, it’s better than what you see in high-end department stores and she does it all with arthritic hands. She is absolutely amazing! She tops herself every year, which makes it hard to pick a favorite, but if I had to, it would be the little black tree she puts in my room when I visit.
Josey Milner
Country Rock Artist
What is the oddest gift you have ever received?
The oddest gift I’ve received was a bag of cotton balls from my grandma. It was the first gift she gave me for Christmas one year and I was really confused, but the next gift I got was some make-up with make-up remover so it made since when put together.
What is your favorite Holiday Food Item?
Desserts. Definitely. I’m a sweets girl, especially if it has chocolate or banana. I also love my Mammaw’s strawberry pie. I don’t know how I don’t have any cavities honestly . . . haha. 🙂
What is your favorite Holiday family tradition that you still do today?
Every year, my mom and I make holiday candies around Christmas. We make a new candy every night starting 2 weeks before Christmas. Let’s just say by Christmas, we’re all sweet-ed out.
Do you have a favorite holiday movie or song?
It tends to change every year. :]
Jimmy Steal
The Jaded, Singer
What is the oddest gift you have ever received?
When I was like 7 or 8 I got a full shaving kit..never held on to it long enough to actually use it though.
What is your favorite Holiday Food Item?
Some good honey baked ham or pumpkin pie. Brandy and Eggnog
What is your favorite Holiday family tradition that you still do today?
I like going to Union Square in SF, checking out the tree and all the lights.
Do you have a favorite holiday movie or song?
Aside from the classic Rudolph and Frosty ones, I definitely make a point to watch the Jim Carrey version on The Grinch every year. As for the songs, I hate to admit it, but I really enjoy most christmas music. This year I’ve been really digging Tom Petty’s song “Christmas All over Again” and also the Darlene Love version of “Christmas (baby please come home)”.
Do you have a specific memory of a certain ornament or holiday decoration?
I’ve had this really dope Mickey Mouse ornament since I was young that I always hang by the top of the tree.
Craw NeQuent “Craw Cajun)
All Hail The Yeti, Guitarist
What is the oddest gift you have ever received?
Gator head.
What is your favorite Holiday Food Item?
My wife’s homeade apple pie.
What is your favorite Holiday family tradition that you still do today?
Gettin boozed!.
Do you have a favorite holiday movie or song?
Christmas Vacation.
Do you have a specific memory of a certain ornament or holiday decoration?
Not so much an ornament but the string of old school lights hung on the tree always loved the old bulbs.
Kent Brooks
Like A Storm, Bassist, Vocals
What is the oddest gift you have ever received?
We had a mate from Canada stay with our family in NZ one Xmas. He put big presents under the tree for everyone, and we felt bad that he’d spent all his money doing that. Then we opened them and realized he’d done his shopping at the Dollar Store! Haha… Mine was like a plastic toy piano.
What is your favorite Holiday Food Item?
Xmas is in Summer in NZ, so you gotta fire up the Barbie! Wash it down with a few Steinlager Pures… Finish it off with Pavlova for dessert, which is Kiwi fav
What is your favorite Holiday family tradition that you still do today?
In our family, we try and get as many people in one spot as we can! It’s awesome because you keep having new people showing up all day.
Do you have a favorite holiday movie or song?
We love “Scrooged” with Bill Murray. That was on every year on Xmas Eve in NZ when we were kids.
Do you have a specific memory of a certain ornament or holiday decoration?
When I was a kid one year I didn’t know what to get Mum, so I tried to make her a Xmas wreath. I couldn’t figure out how to make the chicken wire round, so the wreath is a square! But it actually came out ok, and she loved it. I’m pretty sure if you drove past the house today you’d see it hanging on the door!
Cat Place
State Line Empire, Guitarist
What is the oddest gift you have ever received?
A home made ceramic monster with LED eyes.
What is your favorite Holiday Food Item?
Pecan Pie mmmmmmmmmmmmmm
What is your favorite Holiday family tradition that you still do today?
Christmas morning with the family….followed by an amazing dinner.
Do you have a favorite holiday movie or song?
Nightmare on Elm Street……and Black Christmas.
Do you have a specific memory of a certain ornament or holiday decoration?
My Mom still has the weird Santa I made in kindergarten lol
Dave Pearl
State Line Empire, Bassist
What is the oddest gift you have ever received?
I can’t remember ever getting a gift that was particularly odd. Although, I do find it kind of suspect when people give food as gifts. Most of the time it seems as though they are just re-gifting food they got, but don’t want.
What is your favorite Holiday Food Item?
My favorite holiday food item would have to be Egg Nog. There’s nothing like some good ol’ seasonal nog to get you in the holiday spirit!
What is your favorite Holiday family tradition that you still do today?
My favorite holiday tradition is the Christmas Eve party with family and friends. It’s always great to get everyone together.
Do you have a favorite holiday movie or song?
You gotta go with “A Christmas Story.” Leg lamp, triple dog dare and of course “…you’ll shoot your eye out” .
Do you have a specific memory of a certain ornament or holiday decoration?
No angel. No star. Our Christmas tree always has Frosty The Snowman on top
That is it for Part 2 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!
In case you missed it, click here for Part 1
Music Junkie Press 