It’s hard to say who or what stole the show at last year’s sold-out An Altared Christmas concert at the Rio. Was it the reindeer union marching in, demanding better wages for Rudolf and his ilk to the tune of a famous Police song? Was it Patti Maxine as a shell-shocked psychiatric patient singing a mournful “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,” or the angular, black-clad David Wallis as Santa singing “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” in an ominous key? Or was it Tammi Brown fronting a shimmering, jazzy “Angels We Have Heard on High”?
Bandleader Rhan Wilson once again brings his quirky take on the holidays to the masses, running cheerful Christmas carols through a minor key conversion to comic and often strangely beautiful effect. This time he’s adding extra star power to the lineup of his ace band, already a who’s who of talented working local musicians. Joe Craven—fiddler, mandolin player and percussionist extraordinaire, who’s played with Dave Grisman, Jerry Garcia and other luminaries—joins former Doobie Brothers Dale Ockerman and Richard Bryant, as well as Ukulele Dick, Olaf Schiappacasse, Michael Horne and others. Comedians Richard Stockton and Sven Davis of Planet Cruz add to the onstage mayhem, which will include a dance-along to “Melee Kaliski Vodka,” steps to which can be found in a tutorial video clip at http://www.altared.com (see video clip below). With lyrics like “Here we know that Christmas will be minus 10/Another perfect reason to imbibe again,” it’s the ideal antidote to saccharine holiday overload—just what Wilson planned.
“If it’s a monster I’ve created,” says Wilson, “then it’s escaped and is wreaking havoc on the people of Normaltown.”
AN ALTARED CHRISTMAS, featuring Joe Craven, Rhan Wilson, Dale Ockerman and Richard Bryant, is Saturday, Dec. 11 at 8pm at the Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. Tickets $21 adv/$25 door at Streetlight Records or http://www.altared.com.
