Recorded periodically between 2008 and 2013, "We Wish You a Merry ROCKIN' Christmas" began as a series of demo recordings originally intended to serve as the musical foundation for the annual "Rockin' Around the Town Square" Christmas concerts held each year at the Main Street Theater in Columbiana, Ohio.
After 6 consecutive years of holiday concerts, Christopher Lee Bayda decided to add some new polish to the original demo recordings and release them.
While the majority of the instrumentation is performed by Bayda, the album also features the talent of several musicians who lend their unique influence to the finished recordings. Among those who are prominently featured are Greg and Natalie Sprouse, a father-daughter team that provides dynamic lead and harmony vocals throughout the entire album. In addition, drummer Roger Lewis provides a rock-solid foundation around which the rest of the instrumentation is built. Several other friends also contributed additional keyboards, harmony vocals, and guitar solos to provide further depth and variety. Stylistically, "We Wish You a Merry ROCKIN' Christmas" uniquely blends together elements of many musical styles including rock, metal, blues, gospel, and classical music. It is an upbeat album with a heavy focus on melody, harmony, AND crunch... and, ultimately, the true meaning of Christmas. "We Wish You a Merry ROCKIN' Christmas" contains something for most music lovers to enjoy, from pristine vocals to driving rhythm and harmonized lead guitars to thundering drums - and everything in between. While "We Wish You a Merry ROCKIN' Christmas" consists mainly of traditional Christmas carols, it sounds nothing like a traditional Christmas album!
1. Jingle Bells (instrumental)
2. Angels We Have Heard On High
3. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
4. Jingle Bell Rock
5. We Three Kings (instrumental)
6. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
7. The First Noel
8. Away In A Manger (instrumental)
9. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
10. What Child Is This?
11. O Come All Ye Faithful
12. O Holy Night (a cappella)
13. Joy To The World
14. Winter Voyage (Sleigh Bell Jam) (instrumental)
15. Little Drummer Boy
16. Deck The Halls With Hallelujah (instrumental)
17. We Wish You A Merry Christmas
18. Raised On Rock (instrumental bonus track)
Christopher Lee Bayda (guitar, bass, keyboards, backing vocals)
Greg Sprouse (vocals)
Natalie Sprouse (vocals)
Roger Lewis (drums)
Jim Couchenour (keyboards)
Dawn Arthurs (keyboards)
Martha Rogowsky (keyboards)
Chris Pruitt (guitar)
Stephen Timko (guitar)
Jacob T.H. Henry (backing vocals)
Derek Mason (backing vocals)
Christopher Lee Bayda – We Wish You A Merry Rockin Christmas (2013)
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