It’s getting very merry on the CoolCLE Show this week as we are joined by Michael McFarland, the creator and curator of a series of ListenCLE mix tapes on Spotify.
McFarland is a very active local musician and artist in Cleveland and surrounding areas. 2019 has been a big year for him, with the release of new music, the launch of an underground music venue in his home and now curating a series of mood-based playlists featuring nothing but local Cleveland and Northeast Ohio bands & songwriters — both old and new. The latest of these playlists is called “Holiday Vibes” and it features 11 Christmas and wintery tunes.
We’re talking to him about how and why he embarked on this new task and where he sees it going in the future. We also are featuring four of the songs on the playlist.
First up is Meg and the Magnetosphere, an ethereal alt-rock band inspired by the lyrics & melodies of frontwoman Meganne Stepka, with its 2019 remix of “Glow”.
Then, The Modern Electric with its very popular local holiday release, “Northcoast Christmas.” They say they play “cinematic rock to soundtrack your cinematic life.”
The Fair Dowells‘ “Christmas for Two” is the penultimate track. This Cleveland duo was recently featured on NPR’s Applause Performances and features beautiful harmonies, acoustic guitar & ukulele, and powerful, heartfelt songwriting.
And finally, a track from Shawn and Shelby — Shawn Brewster on acoustic guitar and vocals and Shelby Sangdahl on cello — with “Christmas and Whiskey.”
