Blogs

On Mushroom FM, we always enjoy bringing you a selection of festive fun at this time of year. You can check out our full Christmas line-up on the schedule page on our website.

It's almost time to wasail our bells off, because two days before Christmas, (that's this coming Saturday,) it'll be Christmas once again on Come by the Hills! Yes, we'll have traditional carols done in a Folky way, some humour, including a look at the tradition of Christmas Mumming in Newfoundland, and yet another version of "A Child's Christmas in Wales" by Dylan Thomas, this time performed by Canadian actor Cedric Smith with musical interludes by Loreena McKennitt.

Christmas is celebrated around the world, but we do a few things differently in Australia. Kangaroos pull Santa's sleigh, we have to deal with summer heat and we drink wine in the sun. But we still eat too much for Christmas.

The "Juke In The Back" focuses on the " soul that came before rock n' roll," the records that inspired Elvis, Buddy Holly, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and countless others.
The "Juke In The Back" presents part 2 of our 2 part vintage Christmas Rhythm & Blues extravaganza that Matt The Cat is calling "Cool Yule."

This week on Deep Dive we listen to music from the place where we celebrate Christmas in the middle of summer. We hear about Santa's sleigh being pulled by six male kangaroos, Santa playing in the swimming pool and - something that happens all around the world, we eat too much for Christmas.

The fun guys thank you, not just for voting so we could assemble our top 100 countdown of holiday songs, but for sharing a little Christmas spirit across the globe by joining in our Christmas party on 16 December. Countdowns are commonplace, but the global sense of togetherness we generate via social media that has become the hallmark of Mushroom FM events is very special. We are honoured that people make a point of making our parties an annual event they can't possibly miss.

After you've enjoyed the Mushroom FM Holiday countdown tomorrow from 07:00 AM to 05:00 PM, don't touch that dial, device, PC, Mac, smart speaker or tablet and join me for The Early Years, where and when you'll hear the best music from the first half of the Rock and Roll era with occasional nods to other decades and genres.

You’ve made the list, we have of course checked it twice. We’ve included a wide variety of musical styles to keep it interesting. We’ve even plugged in our microphones and said, “tap tap tap, testing one two, one two, is this thing on?” Now, we are ready to play the top 100 holiday songs of all time as determined by the Mushroom Crowd in 2023.

Nativity! is a 2009 British Christmas musical comedy film directed by Debbie Isitt and released on 27 November 2009 and the first instalment in the Nativity film series.
The film stars Martin Freeman and Ashley Jensen.
In the film, teacher Paul Maddens (Freeman) lies to his rival that Hollywood is coming to watch his school's Christmas nativity, but after the lie gets out of hand, he must resolve the issue fast.
The film was written by its director, Debbie Isitt, but was also partially improvised.

The "Juke In The Back" focuses on the " soul that came before rock n' roll," the records that inspired Elvis, Buddy Holly, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and countless others.
The "Juke In The Back" begins a 2 part Holiday Music Extravaganza with a tribute to Santa Claus. This week, we find the "man in red" doing the boogie woogie, the mambo and just plain ol' rockin' his way into song. We'll pour some nog and dig on some vintage Rhythm & Blues Santa songs you know and some you might be hearing for the first time.