Mannheim Steamroller

It's mid-November, and with COVID numbers trending in the right
direction, Mannheim Steamroller will return to the road soon. One
of the Monsters of Christmas Rock, the group will start on
Tuesday, November 16 in Loveland, Colorado, and it will have two
companies on the road until December 30, when they'll finish up
in Dallas and San Diego. The tour schedule is online, and tickets
are on sale now.


The tour will take place as it has since 2008 without
founder/composer/arranger Chip Davis, who talks about why in
today's episode, along with his journey from a series of albums
with "Fresh Aire" in the title blending classical music,
electronic music, and prog rock to 1984, Christmas, and
Christmas music. Davis talks about his electronic music
influences, as well as how he found an audience for an act that
didn't fall neatly in any musical camp.


He also talks about managing his success and dealing with the
reality that Christmas music had become central to the
Steamroller's identity, even if Davis didn't see it that
way. 


Also in today's episode, host Alex Rawls and singer Alexandra
Scott discuss two Australian Christmas songs, Paul Kelly's "How
to Make Gravy" and Tim Minchin's "White Wine in the Sun."


We're still giving away our 2021 listeners-only Christmas mix.
Write alex@myspiltmilk.com and request a copy. 


This episode is sponsored by Car-Floats.com, purveyors of
removable, reusable fabric stickers for your car. 


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