Christmas w/ Brushfire: Neil Halstead
Jack Johnson and an assortment of musicians on his Brushfire Records roster pitched in to create a debut holiday album called This Warm December.
Hailing from UK-based shoegazing bands Mojave 3 and Slowdrive, singer/songwriter Neil Halstead recently branched off to focus on a solo album that he dropped this past July. Since signing onto Brushfire Records, Halstead has been racking up critical acclaim while touring extensively. For This Warm December, Halstead contributed an original, somber acoustic track entitled, The Man in the Santa Suit. Halstead shares his thoughts about the holidays and his memories of Christmastime in the UK…
Jack Spilberg: What do you want for Christmas?
Neil Halstead: Time with the family and friends
JS: What’s better, naughty or nice?
NH: I have to say naughty and nice is probably the very best.
JS: Which do you prefer, real or fake Christmas trees?
NH: Fake Christmas trees are less messy I suppose. When I was a kid we would have a little tree that my dad would dig up every year for Christmas, and then replant afterwards. That is probably the best solution. You’ve got to go big in the end though.
READ ON for more from Brushfire recording artist Neil Halstead…
JS: Which is your favorite reindeer?
NH: I like Shadrack, the black reindeer.
JS: What are your family traditions for the holidays?
NH: Mostly eating, drinking, watching the Queen’s annual Christmas speech on TV, and then popping to the pub with the neighbors
JS: What was the best Christmas gift you ever received?
NH: A Playstation
JS: What was the best Christmas gift you ever gave?
NH: A Playstation
JS: Was there a gift that you were you most disappointed about not getting for Christmas growing up?
NH: A BMX bike- the Raleigh “Grifter” was a poor and much heavier substitute
JS: What classic Christmas movies were your family holidays most like growing up?
NH: In England The Great Escape was always the movie that we would watch. I never ever figured out what it had to do with Christmas, but Steve Mcqueen was super cool.
JS: What is your favorite Christmas/holiday drink?
NH: Guinness
Check out Neil on his official website.
Pick up This Warm December and support a good cause. 25% of the profits are being donated to a children’s music education charity. Buy it here.
. Read on to see what Christmas is all about for Gill.
Jack Spilberg: What's better, naughty or nice?
Zach Gill: Naughty is usually very attractive at first, but I’ve found that nice works a lot better in the long run.
JS: Which do you prefer, real or fake Christmas trees?
ZG: I like living Christmas trees the most. We have had the same tree for the last few years- she lives outside for most of the year. It is always exciting when we bring her inside for the holidays and decorate her up. She is tiny compared to standard Christmas trees though. If she ever grows too big to come inside we will plant her permanently outside.
JS: What was the best Christmas gift you ever received?
ZG: My parents got me a puppy (a beagle named Frisky) and tickets to see Huey Lewis and the News when I was nine years old. That was a good year.
