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What a hoot! Holiday Feast Vol. I is a festive gathering of eclectic holiday tunes done in a bizarro alternative rock/pop fashion, although other styles are represented. Gastronomical Unit ("GU") is not so much an official band as it is an assemblage of 19 talented pals in the Binghamton, NY, region, stretching as far as NYC, Philadelphia, Rochester, and Syracuse. After privately producing seven holiday CDs from 1991-2004, GU compiled the very best on Holiday Feast. Feast indeed!

Most pieces are somewhat familiar, although these clever songwriters have added innovative lyrics and twisted melody lines. As a result, the holiday tunes are turned on their heads in the most amazing and musically astute fashion. The entire production, including the recording quality, is truly impressive!

This album's 21 tracks absolutely overflow with incredible moments--the CD provides perfect party music. Everyone will ask wherever did you get that amazing album! The show starts with Peter Chady's Egg Nog #5, a precious parody of Lou Bega's infamously overdone "Mambo #5" ("A little bit of Monica in my life, a little bit of Erica by my side"). In Chady's version, the women are replaced by egg nog ingredients, and his smart-alecky, richly-executed vocals are priceless.

J. Ted Potter's "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" strongly recalls the White Stripes; even Potter's vocal suggests Jack White. On "Christmas Baby," Michael "Shroom" Chen reminds me of Lou Reed on "Walk on the Wild Ride." Adam Silverstein's scary synth production of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" is a revelation. Chen's "Wise Man" and Potter's "Crazy Night in Bethlehem" are a cappella be-bopping and streetwise numbers. Perhaps the funniest and most outrageous track is Chady's "A Pirate's 12 Days of Christmas," which includes "five golden eye patches" and a "Jolly Roger in a palm tree"; the pirate singer notes that Gilbert & Sullivan's "Pirates of Penzance" is his favorite. Chady's weird & wonderful "instrumental" "Jingle Bells" is fabulous. In addition to this astounding assortment of oddball carols, the album does include a few straightforward treasures, including the sweetly harmonic "The Holly & the Ivy," the bluesy instrumental "We Three Kings Blues," and the touching pop/folk tale "Santa to Be." One number, "Christmas Time with Me," exists only as writer Potter's phone message description of how the song might work. The album ends very, very well with Ariel Silverstein's excellent holiday anthem "Christmas from Far Away" and Jennifer Zory's ethereal vocals on "Angels We Have Heard on High (Improv)."

GU is bursting with talent; every single track smokes with creativity! Adventurous souls who love alt rock and think fondly of Frank Zappa will treasure GU's outstanding Holiday Feast Vol. I. May the FEAST be with you, this Christmas and many Christmases to come!

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2005)

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From the liner notes:

Peter Chady: Vocals on 1/8; Lyrics on 1/8; Guitars, Synth on 8; noises on 10
Michael "Shroom" Chen: Everything on 2/7/17; Vocals on 9, Keyboard on 1/6/11/12/13
Christopher Platt: Everything on 5/18; Vocals on 6; Keyboard on 1/6/9/11/12
J Ted Potter: Everything on 16/19; Vocals on 4; Keyboard on 4,12
Stuart Davis: Vocals on 12; Keyboard on 1/6/9
Adam Silverstein: Everything on 3; Vocals on 19; bVocals on 15; Keyboard on 14/20
Ernie Pichette: Drums on 1/6/9
Christine Chady: Lyrics on 1; Vocals on 11
Kristy Boyer: Vocals on 15; bVocals on 6
Sean Wall: Lyrics & Vocals on 8
Rand Hubiak: Vocals on 11
Christine Owens: Vocals on 14; bVocals on 20
Jennifer Zory: Vocals on 21; bVocals on 6
Jennifer Pichette: bVocals on 6
Gary Klemenz: Bass on 9
Mark Sylvester: Harmonica on 10
Fritz Light: Percussion on 10
Brian Marchionni: Lyrics on 15
Ariel Silverstein: bVocals on 20
Produced by Peter Chady and Gastronomical Unit
Photos: Christine Chady, Layout: Peter Chady

From the website:

Holiday Feast Vol. I is a compilation of some of the best Christmas songs recorded by GU, spanning 1991-2004. These songs have been hanging around on private recordings, but are finally offered up to the world on this CD.

GASTRONOMICAL UNIT's music is. . . all original "thinking man's rock" - well-crafted meaningful thoughts and images, with a modern rock feel, with techno, jazz, and theatre influences. (Huh?) Let's see, How about "Smart-pop?" "Adult-alternative?" "Nerd-rock?" 8-) Plus - Adventures in Christmas music!

GASTRONOMICAL UNIT is a band (more like a loose collection of friends) separated by geography. The group orbits around Binghamton, NY with key members in Syracuse, Rochester, Philadelphia, and NYC. Due to the distance, GU primarily focuses on original compositions and recording.

Members of the the group began collaborating as early as 1988, creating the bands Fear of Nebraska and EJO (Evan's Jazz Opera) along the way. Gastronomical Unit itself formed in 1996, when the group EJO merged with the unnamed "Christmas album" gang. At a group of recording/jam sessions called Free Assemblies the core members came together and explored creating music together.

Now, Gastronomical Unit music embodies both roots of its origins: Smart-pop (a la Squeeze/ Barenaked Ladies/ TMBG/ Crowded House) and Holiday Music in original forms (parodies, wacky styles, originals, classics). A technology-savvy group, they have self-produced 7 private Christmas albums and 2 Rock CDs to date. The best tracks are now getting released on the Holiday Feast CDs.

Gastronomical Unit

Holiday Feast

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Track List