Christmas Music, The Election, Art
Fall Newsletter 2024
Happy Fall y’all! I started listening to Christmas music pretty early this year, am still processing the election, and have been fortunate to soak in a lot of great art this season. Let’s get into it!
Christmas music -
I suppose the thing I’m most excited about at the moment is my original Christmas song, “Christmas Solo”, which is now available wherever you listen to music.
I’ve had the idea of writing a Christmas song for single people for quite some time, having been mostly single for many (many, many) years prior to entering my current relationship. I noticed that there are a lot of holiday songs about needing someone, wanting someone, missing someone .. basically just an over-saturation of messaging that we cannot and should not be alone at Christmas time. If and when you are alone at Christmas time, it can be a bit overwhelming! This song is meant to offer some levity and some new reasons to celebrate during what can be a challenging time for folks. It’s an opportunity to view spending Christmas alone as something positive rather than something negative. We all deserve to feel the Christmas spirit whether we are by ourselves,in a relationship, or with family or what have you.
I also think it’s important to remember that even though folks may not be physically alone at Christmas (or any other time of the year), they may still feel alone. If people are growing up queer and closeted, even after coming out, the holidays are a section of the year where they are forced to spend more time than they usually would in environments that may not feel entirely supportive or where they feel they can’t be their full, authentic selves. It’s common in the queer community to feel a bit out of place when returning to your home or your hometown because you don’t feel the same sense of belonging that you might with whatever chosen family you’ve created for yourself in adulthood.
In my last newsletter, I mentioned the period of transition that I’m in creatively while I try to figure out what I want to say next and how I want to say it. That’s still pretty much where I’m at but this felt like a good interim, one-off project to focus on in the meantime. I wrote the song with Nashville’s Mo Tedder and Blue Foley and reunited with Brett Castro to produce it, who previously tackled some of the deluxe additions to my Gay Country record with me. The majority of the credit for the magic of “Christmas Solo” should go to Brett and the way in which he brought this song to life. We sourced a lot of inspiration from Kelly Clarkson’s Christmas catalog because 1) she’s really nailed the modern pop Christmas vibe in my opinion and 2) I just love her. I worked with a new mixing engineer on this one: Ed Boyer. He comes from the a cappella world, having worked with some of that genre’s biggest artists and television programs; and he really polished this track off in a way that gives it a lot of Christmas character. Long-time collaborators Kelsey Martin and Bronwyn Whittle contributed awesomely stylized vocals, and talent crush Nate Hopkins put some sexy sax all over the back half of the song.
With Thanksgiving officially behind us, it is now acceptable to listen to Christmas music (in my opinion). I’ve crafted this playlist to get you in the mood; songs that inspired the writing, arrangement, & production of “Christmas Solo”, plus some essential Christmas favorites.
There’s so much going on in our world right now. I think joy can be not only a radical form of resistance when needed, but also a remedy for pain and a vehicle for raising the vibrational frequency of our collective consciousness. I hope this silly little song about spending Christmas Solo can bring some of that joy to those who need it.
The Election -
Speaking of so much going on in our world right now .. The election results have, of course, been on my mind; as they are for many. I’m not a political commentator or a button pusher, so you sadly won’t find a juicy think piece about it all in this newsletter. I just wanted to take a moment to encourage everyone to lean into love. As Kacey Musgraves says in probably my favorite song of all time, “I know a few things but I’ve still got a lot to learn.” Here is what I know:
- There are people hurting on all sides of this issue.
- I don’t believe everyone who voted for Trump is a racist or a homophobe or what have you.
- I am positive that intolerance towards people because of the way they voted is not the way forward towards the future we all want.
- Harboring resentment, hatred, anger, and other harmful emotions towards people does more harm to the person holding them than it does to the person they’re meant for.
- People are (understandably) reactive right now and responding to their unconscious pain. Conscious presence is the pathway towards the love and understanding our world needs right now because conscious presence allows us to hold both our experience and the experience of others without reaction.
- I am fully aware that the next four years under our newly elected government could be extremely problematic for marginalized communities as well as democracy, the economy, and the world at large; but I still believe there are reasons and ways to be hopeful.
- Hope is not an emotion but a cognitive-behavioral process.
Emotions researcher Brene Brown says about hope: “It’s about having a goal, a pathway to achieve that goal, and a sense of agency or ‘I can do this.’ Right now the thing that is helping the most is micro-dosing hope. I have no access to big hope right now, however, I am asking myself how I can support the people around me. The people on my team, in my community. How can I make sure that, in the maelstrom of my emotions, I stay committed to courage, kindness, and caring for others regardless of the choices made by others? Doing the smallest next right thing is hard AF, but sometimes it’s all we’ve got.”
Art -
With my Summer tour over (pictured above) and a little regularity reinstated this Fall, I’ve been able to check out several forms of art I’d been looking forward to or meaning to get around to.
One big priority has been catching up on Broadway shows. Allen and I saw Sutton Foster in Once Upon A Mattress and we both thought she really stole the show with her comedic chops. I also saw the Best Play Tony-winner Stereophonic, which I loved even though it was a little long (3 hours and 15 minutes!?). As a recording artist, it was cool to see a play so realistically set in the creative world of the recording studio.
Stand-up was another prevalent art form this season. Allen and I ended the tumultuous election week at the Kings Theater in Brooklyn with Chelsea Handler and I couldn’t think of anyone better to close that week off with. She always knows just what to say. We also saw John Oliver at the Beacon Theater. I’m not a big follower of John’s work but Allen enjoys his late night show and I find it entertaining when he has it on. I was curious to see his stand-up set — he didn’t disappoint!
Country Queen Kacey Musgraves performed two sold-out shows just down the street at Barclays Center. It was my fourth time seeing her live and each time I see her, I seem to cry more times than the last. I think I counted four good cries this time. I also saw my buddy Sammy Rae (& The Friends) for my fourth time, this time at New York’s Terminal 5. Besides being a good friend of mine, she’s also one of the most captivating and talented live performers I can think of. If you ever get the chance to go see her, do it. You won’t regret it.
Last but not at all least, I saw Wicked in theaters the very first chance I could and I will likely be returning to see it again. It was not only perfection by adult standards but it gave my inner child all the joy and elation he hoped it would when he used to incessantly Google, “When is the Wicked movie coming out?” back in middle school. I was most impressed by Ariana Grande’s flawless performance as Glinda and I hope she gets awarded for her impeccable work tackling one of musical theater’s most beloved roles. I also wanted to take this moment to brag that I saw the original Broadway cast starring Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth. Why? Because I can!
Other -
Please find below a list of shorter form items for your perusal and enjoyment.
Latest release — “Christmas Solo”
Upcoming shows -
Follow me on Bandsintown for all details, tickets, & to not miss a show!
Merch highlight — “Christmas Solo” Tree Ornament
I had the pleasure of working with a brilliant Brooklyn-based artist, illustrator & friend, Cara Search, to create this custom designed artwork to go with my song. Shop the all new Official Brian Falduto Merchandise collection here!
Recent press -
.. & if you’re in NYC this week, be sure to pick up a copy of “Get Out” Magazine for a 2-page spread on my Christmas release!
What I’m reading — “The Essential Rumi” by Coleman Barks
What I’m watching — Jury Duty, Season 1
What I’m listening to — Postcards from Texas, Miranda Lambert
What I’m quoting — “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” — Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Coaching testimonial — “Working with Brian this year has been the most rewarding mental health work that I’ve ever done. We started working together when I was at the lowest low of my life. I truly didn’t know if anything could help me, but I was willing to share my experience with someone I thought might understand what had happened. It turns out I chose correctly and felt a genuine connection from the first session. He was direct and honest about his style, which did prove to be challenging for me at first. Eventually, I began to enjoy his direct approach and found it refreshing. It allowed me to get to the root of my issues better than I had been able to in the past. I was born and raised in the Midwest, where direct and honest communication doesn’t happen often. It was eye opening for me to realize this was an option, and a healthy one at that. I walk away from the experience with new tools that I’m using daily to combat my anxiety and depression. I will be forever grateful.” — Matt // For more information on my life coaching services, visit my website.
Blog highlight- “Normalize crying.”
YouTube highlight — “The One I’m After / ‘Old Town Road’”
For booking, please contact -
For press/publicity, please contact -
len.evans@projectpublicity.com
jeffdorta@projectpublicity.com
Metta,
Brian
