About this podcast
The Twelve Songs of Christmas runs from Christmas in July (July 25) to Christmas with weekly conversations about Christmas music. Music journalist Alex Rawls talks with the musicians who make Christmas music and people connected to it, discussing how it fits into their personal, musical and professional lives. Guests come from across the musical spectrum and include such stars of Christmas music as George Winston, Mannheim Steamroller and Robert Earl Keen, as well as such indie artists as Amanda Shires, Mega Ran, Sara Noelle and Eli “Paperboy” Reed.
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- The “All I Want for Christmas is You” Lawsuit
by e_xander on September 5, 2025The headlines tell a version of the story: “MARIAH CAREY SUED AGAIN OVER ‘ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU’ — BY THE SAME GUY,” according to […]
- Dub Reggae for Holidays with Black Market Dubby e_xander on August 28, 2025
This week’s guests are Black Market and Wise Owl (or Nate Bridges and Brandon Niznik) of the Los Angeles-based duo Black Market Dub. On their Bandcamp page, […]
- The Birth of All-Christmas Radio with Jerry Ryanby e_xander on August 21, 2025
These days, we take the all-Christmas radio format for granted. Every year, countless adult contemporary–AC–stations temporarily change their format and go […]
- Blind Boys of Alabama on Christmas Music (Remixed)by e_xander on August 15, 2025
I think of this episode of Twelve Songs as a remix, a second pass at the same material with very different results. In 2003, The Blind Boys of Alabama […]
- “Cumbia Navideñas” with É Arenasby e_xander on August 8, 2025
Eduardo Arenas surprised me in the first moments of this week’s interview when he revealed that Chicano Batman had played its last gig for now and might be […]
- Donna Summer for Disco and Christmasby e_xander on July 31, 2025
Donna Summer has been a fascination of mine because she was on the cutting edge of electronic dance music, but since “I Feel Love” and other forays into […]
- Porcupine Tree’s Steven Wilson on AI And Christmasby e_xander on July 24, 2025
A new season of Twelve Songs begins with a conversation that is, frankly, more about AI—artificial intelligence—than it is Christmas music, but since […]
- Ha-Sizzle, G*ddammit Jeremiah, Superchunkby e_xander on December 19, 2024
Season seven of 12 Songs comes to a conclusion with three very different conversations and artists. Ha-Sizzle is one of the finest examples of the New […]
- Porcupine Tree, É Arenas, and Ever More Nestby e_xander on December 12, 2024
We’re approaching Christmas, so this week I have excerpts from longer interviews that I’ll run at full length next season. Steven Wilson is the driving […]
- Blind Boys of Alabama, Donna Summer, and Siaby e_xander on December 5, 2024
We’re officially in December, the Christmas season, and I have more interviews than I can get through in the weeks leading up to Christmas. From here on in, […]