2023 marks the 25th anniversary of the Weisstronauts’ Holiday Jubilee, an annual holiday-themed shindig that can be a rare opportunity to witness the group (normally a “mostly instrumental band”) ACTUALLY “SINGING”. At past jubilees, The Weisstronauts have been known to perform such holiday tunes as The Man With The Bag, Santa Baby, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Hanukkah, The Day Snowflakes Were Born, Jingle Bells, Hot For Santa, Santa Loves Me, Jade Creche, I Just Don’t Know What To Do With My Elf, and many more…
For this silver anniversary, the group will jovially convene at their beloved Lizard Lounge, joined by Fauxmenco and Cotton Candy, each doing a set peppered with holiday faves. As in the past, Josh Kantor (keyboardist to the stars and Red Sox organist) and Hayley Thompson-King will join the ‘Nauts for a handful of numbers.
A little history: The first Holiday Jubilee took place in late 1999 at Cambridge’s Green Street Grill. Every effort has been made to stage the event at a different venue, with different guest performers each year, though there have been a couple of “repeats.” Past guests have included: Paula Kelley, The Farewells, Charlie Chesterman, Tanya Donelly, Al Janik’s Plastic Cheese (believed to be the only performer to do an entire set of Christmas songs!), Ramona Silver, Temper, the Blackstone Valley Sinners, Frank Morey, Orange Nichole, Clayton Scoble, Baby Ray, Monophonic, Hillbilly Holiday, John Haydon, Mercy James Gang, Ray Mason Band, Seks Bomba, The Derangers, Preacher Jack, Logan 5 & the Runners, Tsunami of Sound, Sool and many others. Past venues have included Toad, Plough & Stars, Lizard Lounge, Matt Murphy’s Pub, The Abbey (R.I.P.), P.A.’s, The Midway, Store 54, Church, State Park, The Century Lounge (Providence), and others…
The Weisstronauts are a Boston-based instrumental rock band that features three lead electric guitarists (Pete Weiss, Kenny Lafler, & Jeff Norcross). The band’s eclectic style weaves accessibly bizarre melodies and harmonies over a rhythm section (bassist Kevin Quinn, & drummers Nathan Logus & Jeff Berlin) that can turn from surf to spy to country to psychedelia on a dime.
Since the group’s 1999 inception, The Weisstronauts have released seven critically acclaimed albums, along with four EP’s. Their music has been played often on NPR, college and commercial radio, as well as in several independent films. The band is fronted by well-known independent rock producer Pete Weiss (Hayley Thompson-King, Charlie Chesterman, Bell X1, Two Dollar Pistols, etc.)
“If there’s such a thing as a forward-thinking surf band, Boston’s Weisstronauts are it. Avoiding the purism that makes so many instrumental retro-fetishists seem redundant, The Weisstronauts combine vintage surf and Nashville chicken- pickin’ with cartoon zaniness and spaghetti Western intrigue. They often recall NRBQ’s offbeat musical humor as much as Link Wray’s reverb- drenched Tarantino fodder.” – Jack Silverman – Nashville Scene
