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Big Band Beach Boys meet holiday music--that's Rudy and the Surf Kings Do Christmas! Rudy is Rudy Guess, a multi-talented man whose abilities span composing, producing, performing, and recording. When it comes to music, Rudy really does it all. This instrumental album is an upbeat joy. For the most part, the tempos are fast. As one might expect, the musicianship is top-notch and the production values are outstanding. My biggest gripe is that this zippy album zips by WAY too quickly. At under 24 minutes, this fine offering is grievously insubstantial!

Do Christmas features ten holiday chestnuts dressed in surfer garb. The effect is fresh and very fun. The guitars and horn section are so lively and quick, you know in a moment that the theme is St. Nick, and the news is all good. I especially enjoyed the slightly spooky "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" with its excellent sax work, as well as incredibly fast, almost countrified "O Little Town of Bethlehem." The opening "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" has the most beach sand in its sandals; it has Beach Boys surfer effects all over it.

Care for a surfer holiday album, dude? Then Do Christmas is your spot on the beach!

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2005)

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From the liner notes:

Arranged and Produced by Rudy Guess
Lead Guitar: Rudy Guess
Fender Bass: Jack Radavich
B-3 Organ: Teddy Andreadis
Pedal Steele: Doug Livingston
Keyboards/Strings: Chris Ho
Drums: Nick Vincent
Percussion: Lynn Coulter
Trumpets: Chris Tedesco
Saxes: Don Markese

From the Web site:

Do Christmas is [h]oliday music--surf style. Santa goes to Maui, and brings along his guitar and horn section.

The music bug bit me as a young lad. I started playing guitar in garage bands in grade school and high school in Scottsdale, Arizona. I studied music and songwriting-to the exclusion of every other subject in high school. Before completing college, I went on the road to work as a full time musician. I traveled the United States playing Top 40 music in various bands; I would play songs by James Brown, The Beatles and even Tony Orlando all in the same night. It was a great training for career as a musician and composer.

I also had a technical side that loved the recording studio. I began writing and recording my own songs on a Teac 3340 four-track tape recorder. As my studio grew, I recorded the songs of friends that were in need of a good affordable demo. This eventually became a full-time job.

In the '80s, my studio was busy with outside clients. I was engineering and playing guitar usually six days a week. At my home studio, we recorded everything from radio jingles and band demos to major league projects. After recording a few very good demos with Carole King, she asked me to co-produce her next record and I've been working with her ever since.

As a music composer, I've written numerous "music library" CDs. My songs have been placed in various TV shows including Friends, The Practice, Law and Order, The Osbournes and Oprah. Hardly a day goes by that I don't hear some of my music on TV. And it's always a thrill.

Another great thrill is playing music live. This last summer I was on tour with Carole King on her "Living Room" tour. We played all over the U.S. entertaining her loyal fans and promoting the importance of voting in the most recent presidential election.

I released an album in 2002 called "do Christmas," which takes some of everyone's favorite holiday songs and dresses them up, surf style. In Scottsdale, we loved surf instrumental music. Dick Dale, Duane Eddy, the Ventures and even Herb Albert were favorites of mine. I think you will hear all of those influences on this record. I know Santa does.

Rudy and the Surf Kings

Do Christmas

Artist link

Track List