Santa Claus Meets David Lynch While Raising Money for Kids' Camp Fund

Yes, it's Black Friday, the first denizen of Christmas consumerism. But before you rush out to battle the shopping hoards for whatever the current version of Tickle-Me-Elmo is, take a moment to enjoy a dose of real holiday cheer, a darkly comic video made for a good cause.

Neil Nathan likes to get into the spirit of Christmas, with a twist. His sweet, folky version of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” is accompanied by a darkly comic video, written and directed by Zev Deans (The Yes Men Survivaball video),featuring a scary David Lynch style Santa Claus, who does not take kindly to little boys opening their presents early. It’s all in good fun and for a good cause. Nathan is using the video to spread the word about The Fred Gabler Helping Hand Camp Fund, which sends underprivileged youth to summer camp.

In this kitschy video for Neil Nathan's folky lullaby version of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town”, Nathan plays a little boy in footed pajamas that opens his Christmas presents early and is busted and whisked away by a very scary Santa and his Elves, who show up in vehicle ominously marked with the letters, E.L.F. Nathan is using the video to raise money for The Fred Gabler Helping Hand Camp Fund, a charity started by the family of his lifelong friend who passed away in the World Trade Center on 9/11. The charity helps send underprivileged youth to summer camp. Nathan wrote a song in honor of Gabler, “Freddy’s Song” as well as put on a benefit for his friend at the Living Room which was featured on the New York Post’s Page Six. Visit FredGabler.org for donation info. Click Here to Read More..

The Other Side with The Red Alert's Adam McKibbin

It was May of 2005 when journalist Adam McKibbin, unveiled his interview with Shearwater's Jonathan Meiburg as the first post on the “indie-centric” music blog, The Red Alert. Over the years, the website has evolved to incorporate interviews with indie A-listers such as Weezer, Band of Horses, Dr. Dog, The Album Leaf, The Black Keys, Iron & Wine, Passion Pit, and The Thermals, as well as filmmaker turned recording artist turned “experimenter,” David Lynch. The Red Alert, which hails as a “Music, Politics and Progression” forum, has more recently expanded to include album reviews and Mp3 posts to highlight the independent artists they love, while helping the “casual music fan” sift through the overwhelming amount of music available at the click of a mouse.

We managed to track down The Red Alert’s Adam McKibbin in between his own interview sessions to find out what it’s like to be on the other side:

Green Light Go: What makes The Red Alert different from other websites?
Adam McKibbin: We're really DIY, so it took a few years to find professional web design. We update The Red Alert weekly and since there's no pretense to cover everything, that frees us up to cover anything we want, whether it's Arcade Fire, a weirdo electronic album, a comedy DVD, or a book about the war in Burma.

GLG: Do you think The Red Alert has a specific musical niche?
AM: Not really, although we generally (but not exclusively) huddle under the broad umbrella of "indie."

GLG: What contemporary albums are you looking forward to coming out?
AM: We're in the odd time of the year where we're besieged by gift box sets and holiday albums and, of course, a lot of hip-hop and R&B. Like everyone with an internet connection, I'll check out the new Kanye West and Cee-Lo, but I'm also a fan of Ne-Yo, and I have a soft spot for Rihanna. I'll definitely get Apparat's installment of DJ-Kicks, as well as the EPs by Liars and The Tallest Man on Earth. On the box set front, the Orange Juice box should be pretty cool.

GLG: How does The Red Alert support independent music and what is important about doing so?
AM: We seriously consider music from all corners. The elephant in the room in regards to "indie music," though, is that a lot of [indie rock] is really bad. I think the utility of mp3 blogs and indie-centric sites like ours is to be a bit of a curator for the casual music fan - because otherwise, it can be pretty overwhelming for someone who doesn't obsess over music 24/7.

GLG: Do you think online publications are taking precedence over print magazines? What kind of effect do you think that has on bands?
AM: That's certainly the direction we're headed, although I would imagine most bands hoping to make the A-list would still rather be on the cover of Rolling Stone than the homepage of Pitchfork. The variety of outlets is a very good thing, certainly, and allows communities to easily form around the most obscure of sub-sub-genres. In terms of reaching an audience and forging relationships, it's a great time to be in a band. In terms of spending a million dollars on a video shoot, however...[that’s another story].

GLG: What blogs/publications do you read other than your own?
AM: Daytrotter is a must-visit for me. Some of my other favorites, musically speaking, are Said the Gramophone, Large-Hearted Boy, The Fader, RCRD, Rollo & Grady, Muzzle of Bees, and I Am Fuel, You Are Friends. I also check Pitchfork, Stereogum and PopMatters.

GLG: If you could interview any musician or band (dead or alive), who would it be?
AM: Well, it would be hard to turn down an interview with any of the dead icons, from Elvis to Beethoven to Cobain to Coltrane to Lennon. Sam Cooke is a personal favorite. I'd love to interview Bob Dylan, but I would probably be better off with Leonard Cohen. On a more plausible level, I've always wanted to interview Okkervil River's Will Sheff, but haven't had the opportunity yet, as well as Nick Cave, PJ Harvey, Tom Waits, Thom Yorke, Beyonce, and Eddie Vedder.

GLG: If you could be in any band (of all time), who would you rock with?
AM: I'd transport my 6th grade self into the middle of Metallica.

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