“When it's Christmas in Carolina It's Christmas all over the place.”- Squirrel Nut Zippers

December 17, 2019

Squirrel Nut Zippers

 

“When it's Christmas in Carolina
It's Christmas all over the place.”- Squirrel Nut Zippers

In spite of all the trauma and tension that came with spending long days in the hospital with my mother Marta while she began her recovery, or perhaps because if it, Kathy and I needed a little break and found it at the RamKat nightclub in Winston-Salem in the form of a special Christmas concert by the high energy swing revival band and local North Carolinians, the Squirrel Nut Zippers.

The show was part of their annual mini-tours of North Carolina during each holiday season, The Squirrel Nut Zippers Christmas Caravan with special guests the Firecracker Jazz Band. The tour lasted only ten shows, the majority of the shows in the state of North Carolina and the band played all the songs from their beloved holiday Christmas album, “Christmas Caravan” as well as many of their hits.

 

The Ramkat is in downtown Winston, just next to one of my favorite local craft beer joints, Wise Men Brewing where Kathy and I headed for a few beers before walking over to catch the show. The opening band was a jazzy outfit from Asheville that was similar in many respects to the style of the Zippers, and while they had some excellent musicians, I just did not get into it that much. I would have thought perhaps my mood had something to do with it, but that feeling was erased once the headliners took over.

 

They did indeed play the whole 10-song “Christmas Caravan” album — including standards and originals — plus two more recent Christmas songs, “Mardi Gras for Christmas” and “Alone at Christmas,” which were released on a 45 in 2018, and some of their biggest hits such as “Hell” and “Got My Own Thing Now.” The show was awesome. High energy, fun and way better than the show I caught of theirs a couple of years ago at the Hi-Fi in Indianapolis.

The fun Christmas spirit was contagious as the band fed off the riled-up crowd and vice-versa. There is nothing quite like the style that the Zippers play, they came out of the swing jazz revival that spawned such bands as Big Bad Voodoo Daddy in the early 90s, but they have a distinct sound that is really all their own and their shows are a ton of fun.

Lead singer Jimbo Mathus has surrounded himself with a fun and talented group of musicians that play a fusion of Delta blues, gypsy jazz, 1930s–era swing, klezmer, and other styles. It is a unique and wonderful sound and they play with an energy and enthusiasm that not a lot of bands can match. The Christmasy theme only added to the fun as the stage was decorated and the band dressed in festive holiday garb.

Kathy and I loved the show, loved the venue and loved that we were able to get out and have a little fun in the midst of what has been a difficult trip to North Carolina.