If You're a Grown-up Who Likes My Music....

....then you will probably love the music of Mike Viola. Even if you don't know his name, you have heard his voice and songwriting talents in the movie "That Thing You Do" for which he wrote the title song and provided the voice. He has written music for other movies, too, including "Walk Hard, " which stunk as a movie but had good music.
I saw Mike in concert last night in Cambridge and he was so great and it was so much fun! It was the first time I've walked into a bar alone since 1985 and I was feeling a little awkward but it was well worth it because he was just so fantastic. He was so down-to-earth and every single song was incredible. He talked about how he was influenced by the pop music of the 70s and right then I knew we were soul-mates because that's my main influence too.
Check out Mike and his music at : www.mikeviola.com

He also recently produced, wrote songs for and sings on Mandy Moore's newest album. There's one song, "Merrimack River," which is the most gorgeous thing I've ever heard. http://www.last.fm/music/Mandy+Moore/_/Merrimack+River

That's Mandy & Mike doing it live. You'll love it!

HUGE AMAZING ANNOUNCEMENT

Next month, my song "The House on Christmas Street" will be featured on a CD compilation called “The Sounds of Christmas 2009”. Proceeds from this CD will go to William Shatner’s Hollywood Charity Horse Show, which benefits disabled, disadvantaged and special needs children (and you can find out more about them at http://www.horseshow.org ).
The CD will also feature these songs and artists:
Lis Soderberg “All I Need”
Huey Lewis and the News “Winter Wonderland”
Lisa Kessler “Christmas Vacation”
Pete Hopkins “Home For Christmas”
Stephen Bishop “Rock Little Reindeer”
Tina Lambert “O Christmas Tree”
Roy Holliday “Christmastime On The Beach”
Hayseed Dixie “Misty Wonderland Hop”
Dennis DeYoung “When I Hear A Christmas Song”
Annie Pattison “Love For Christmas”
Tey “Silver Bells”
Richard Marx “Santa Claus Is Back In Town”
DJ Icy-Ice and the Fresh Elf “The Night Before Christmas”
William Shatner “Good King Wenceslas” (yes, I'm going to share CD space with CAPTAIN KIRK!!!!!)

Lis Soderberg is a singer/songwriter from Toronto. Her song “All I Need” finished 3rd in Billboard’s World Song Contest, and you can hear it right now on her MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/lissoderberg
Huey Lewis and the News originally sent copies of “Winter Wonderland” to their fan club (they were mailed out on pretty green cassettes). This was in December of 1984. It has never been available on CD.
Lisa Kessler is a gifted Soprano whose first CD, A New Life, has songs that continue to appear on iTunes and Amazon‘s best-seller lists. You‘ll be able to hear “Christmas Vacation” on her MySpace page soon at http://www.myspace.com/lisakesslervocalist
Pete Hopkins is a singer/songwriter from L.A., and was recently a semifinalist in the Shure National Songwriting Contest. You can hear “Home For Christmas” on his MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/petehopkins
Stephen Bishop has been nominated for Grammys and Oscars, and appeared in “Animal House“ and “The Blues Brothers“! He also released his own Christmas CD through his website a few years ago (it‘s now sold out). His original song “Rock Little Reindeer” has been freshly re-mixed for this compilation!
Tina Lambert is releasing her second Christmas CD next month, and both feature her a cappella, singing all the parts, and then mixing them together , with the result being a beautiful chorus of Tina‘s! You can hear her Christmas songs on her MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/tinalambertmusic
Roy Holliday describes himself as “Vegas meets the beach for a unique, yet classic, blend of original Christmas music.” Check out his MySpace page to hear this song and you’ll get exactly what he means at http://www.myspace.com/royholliday
Hayseed Dixie has made a career out of their very original bluegrass interpretation of rock artists like AC/DC (a style they call Rockgrass)! Their song here is a unique blend of “Winter Wonderland” sung to the music of Led Zeppelin’s “Misty Mountain Hop”. You can hear samples of their other songs on their MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/hsdx
Dennis DeYoung, former lead singer for Styx, released “When I Hear A Christmas Song” a couple years ago through his website. This marks its first national release!
Annie Pattison is a nine-year-old singer who was recently a finalist on Calgary Junior Idol! You can hear her original song “Love For Christmas” on her website at http://www.scorecreative.com/anniesings/
Tey is an L.A. singer/songwriter, who was recently described by Music Connection Magazine as a “gifted songwriter and vocalist who sets herself apart with a raw sexuality and palpable soulful influence." You can hear more from Tey on her MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/teypunsalan
Richard Marx has had so many hits, that he actually holds a record as he first solo artist to have his first seven singles hit the Top 5 on the US charts! While he doesn’t have his Christmas song up right now, you can hear a lot of his music on his MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/officialrichardmarx
DJ Icy-Ice and the Fresh Elf are a pair of rappers that you probably know. At this time, though, we can’t reveal any other info about them.
William Shatner. James T. Kirk. T.J. Hooker. Denny Crane. The Big Giant Head. The Priceline Negotiator. You know who he is. He originally recorded this song for KROQ (Kevin and the Bean), as a part of one of their annual Christmas cassettes (yes, cassettes!). This is its first appearance on CD!
You can hear a clip of William Shatner on the label's website at http://www.socmusic.net (and you can pre-order the CD, too)!
This is one of the most exciting developments ever to happen in my career, and I have Ken Kessler, the owner of Sounds of Christmas Music and the mastermind behind Sounds of Christmas Radio, to thank for it! And of course, you....for supporting my songs and me all these years.Merry Christmas!

Decorating Madness

The leaves are just beginning to turn color here in New Hampshire, and I saw some folks putting out harvest and Halloween decorations on their lawns when I went for a walk this afternoon. Not me! I have a rule that no Halloween decorations go up until October 1st, and then I go to town.
But believe it or not, there are people out there (some of you reading this) who have been working on their Christmas yard displays for weeks....some even months! These are the totally wacky decorating enthusiasts world-wide who have made "The House on Christmas Street" an "underground" hit that is probably playing at a decorated house near you this holiday season.
I just want to take a minute to give kudos to those folks who are hard at work planning where the next 20 strings of LED lights are going to go, how to get Santa to pop out of the chimney this year, or where to put their 5th mega-tree. They do it with a jolly, joyful spirit just to cheer the young and the young at heart.
If you've thought about getting into 'extreme" decorating, and perhaps learning how to synchronize your lights to music, there are a couple of websites I want to recommend to you. The first is www.planetchristmas.com . Chuck Smith and the folks at PC will help a newbie every step of the way until you, too, can be planning your holiday display year round. You can find the folks from Texas (and other places too) over at www.lonestarholidays.com where they also specialize in decorating madness and all things Christmas (and other holidays too). There are many other sites online that can help you get started if you want to create your own "House on Christmas Street" this year. Oh, and be sure to stop by www.lightorama.com too. You'll want to peruse the many gadgets and gizmos they offer to make the job easier. They've got a software sequence for "The House on Christmas Street" too.
Hope to hear my song playing at YOUR house this year!

Weird Things Are Everywhere

You can now PRE-ORDER "Weird Things Are Everywhere" on the Judy's Tune Room Store page. http://judypancoast.com/tune_room_store.htm

I believe this is my finest and funnest work!!

I hope you like it too!
It will be on sale to the general public November 9.