Dance like a conifer, baby.

Eau Clairian Andy Plank is a huge fan of Christmas, and not just on Facebook. For the last four years Plank has been organizing local musicians to record Christmas songs; he then releases the tunes in a compilation. He’s brought together artists such as Trevor Ives (Meridene), Kyle Flater (Laarks), Mages, and Feathe to record their joyful yuletide greetings for all to enjoy. When asked by a cynical journalist if this is the antithesis to the Muzak of Christmas, Plank firmly denies that it is. He even goes so far as to say that he enjoys that genre of music as a whole. When he describes why he conceived the idea, he says, “I thought it would be cool to put together a compilation by local artists so I could listen to it. This is for me, here.” Since the first year of producing this mix-tape, it has grown from three artists in 2007 to seven in 2009. The title of the new compilation is Eau Clairesmas Tree. (Try to say it and not get at least a little bit of Christmas cheer.) Highlights include The First Noel by Plank, I Wonder as I Wander by Conrad Plymouth, and even a rendition of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas by a local radio personality. Like last year, the album will be free to download on VolumeOne.org/XmasTunes. And, as we all know, getting free Christmas music makes the season just a little brighter.