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Yuletide Swank is a lovely lounge affair. Just imagine yourself on a cold December night, slipping into a comfortable gin joint in Madison, Wisconsin. There, performing on the corner stage, is Arena Venus (a truly inspired name!). The foursome (Courtney Collins--vocals; Dan Hicks--guitar; Dave Ross--drums); and Andrew Yonda--upright bass) is well-known for its "power pop," but the group's holiday album is something else. Collins herself describes it as a "unique Christmas cocktail," and this is a drink you can nurse all through the holiday season.

The album has a 1960s feel with contemporary updates. Collins' sultry voice steals the show. She occupies the lower registers with sensual flair, sometimes exuding a jazzy, torch singer approach, and other times presenting a more mellow, low-key sensibility. The band is fantastic; it provides a relatively minimal, but perfectly appropriate, backdrop for Collins' vocals. The songs are peppered with some superb guitar riffs, and the vibraphone adds just the right touch.

The 17 tracks are largely well-known favorites with a few surprises ("I'd Like You For Christmas" and "Santa Bring My Baby Back To Me" come to mind). The first track, "Santa Baby," is terrific. Although most versions feature a female vocal that is all high-pitched, breathy cutie pie, Collins provides an impressive contrast; her sexy alto adds a much richer dimension. "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" has an unexpected surfer mentality--the guitar chord progressions and drums have a "Beach Boys" imprint. There is one a cappella piece on the CD, the gorgeous "Riu Chiu." Here, Collins puts down multiple vocal tracks with reverb, providing a hauntingly beautiful ambiance. "Santa Bring My Baby Back To Me" has a marvelous throw-back appeal; the musical stylings and fun backing vocals provoke images of Elvis. "Good King Wenceslas" offers a great Collins/Yonda duet; the other terrific duo is Collins with guest singer Ryan Smith on "Baby, It's Cold Outside." The album ends with a classic "Auld Lang Syne," an abbreviated version that features an impressive rocker bass line.

Yuletide Swank is pure pop pleasure. It's a fun ride for a broad audience of holiday music lovers. Take a seat in the lounge, and enjoy!

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2004)

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From the liner notes:

Arena Venus:
Courtney Collins: Voicebox, autoharp
Dan Hicks: Guitar
Dave Ross: Drums
Andrew Yonda: Upright bass, backing vocals, saxophone

Others performing:
Ryan Smith of the Melismatics: featured vocalist on "Baby, It's Cold Outside"
Jeremy Ylvisaker: keyboard, backing vocals, zither, organ, percussion, slide guitar, dobro, lap steel, glockenspiel
Steve Roehm: vibraphone

Arrangements by Arena Venus (#5, 15, 17)
Arrangement by Courtney Collins (#10)

Recorded at Soliton--Minneapolis, MN
Engineered by Andrew Thomas and Jeremy Ylvisaker
Produced by Jeremy Ylvisaker, Andrew Thomas, and Arena Venus
Mastered by Trevor Sadler at Mastermind--Milwaukee, WI

Artwork by Kristen Thiele
Graphic layout by Dan Hicks

As I write, we're in the studio, recording the album of Christmas songs. Dan is recording his guitar tracks. Dave is having a midnight snack in the studio lounge. Andrew is hurriedly transposing a last minute key change. Jeremy and Andy are turning knobs, and I'm sitting on the floor in the hallway. Though I've been sequestered out here (Dan is shy about recording his guitar parts while the rest of us are in the room). I can still hear the faint sounds of Christmas coming through the walls.

We came up with the idea for this recording last December, when we decided to do a cover of "Winter Wonderland" at one of our shows. We made plans to take it a few steps further and record a full-length Christmas album. Many people have asked me, "Why are you doing this? Is this going to be a power pop Christmas album? Is it rock or traditional? What's the point?" Well, I've always felt that just because a band usually plays a certain style of music, it doesn't mean that they always have to play that certain style of music. And listeners may enjoy a little respite from time to time as well. I suppose we could have made a "power pop Christmas CD," but it wouldn't have been half as challenging or half as much fun. Instead, we decided to take a little bit of each of us that may not necessarily come across in a typical Arena Venus recording or live show. We've started with a little lounge, a touch of rockabilly, and mixed it in with other ingredients to make what we hope is our own unique Christmas cocktail. Hopefully, there's a little something for everybody, whether you like traditional carols, the classic standards, Christmas rock, or all of the above! Many thanks for listening to our music during this lovely season, and Happy Holidays to you! ---Courtney

From the Website:

How it all came together...

After colliding at a favorite neighborhood watering hole in Madison, Wisconsin one summer evening, guitarist Dan Hicks and vocalist Courtney Collins instantly bonded over their mutual love of old-school power pop. They closed the evening with a pact to start a band that would pay homage to the bands that inspired them during their formative years, and yet shed new light upon their favorite genre of modern music. The duo started writing together and then set about finding the rhythm section that would complement their music, which they dub "arena pop." Drummer Dave Ross entered the scene and wholeheartedly agreed to join the expedition. The lineup was completed with the addition of Arena Venus's newest member, bassist Andrew Yonda.

Hicks' roaring power chords and classic arrangements are augmented by Yonda's melodic and insistent bass lines. Yonda's knack for pop is only complemented by Ross' precise but big beat, which provides the foundation for the playground that is Arena Venus. Collins ties it together with her protean contralto, bright melodies, and multi-entendre lyrics which are usually delivered with tongue planted firmly in cheek.

Arena Venus

Yuletide Swank

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Track List