Never stop believing in Santa Claus is the metaphor for never stop believing in the power of our capacity to bring kindness to each other and in this action... love rules all!!!!
We are excited to introduce you and your song to our readers.
Thank you! Answering below are three of the four collaborators on this song, Jocelyn Mackenzie, Stan Satlin, and Marty Allen (JM, SS, + MA)
If you could, please introduce yourself to those who may not have heard your music yet.
JM: I'm a musician, maker, and psychic medium based in Brooklyn, NY. Music is my favorite language. I love trying new things, exploring all types of creativity, and connecting with people.
What made you choose music, or did it choose you?
JM: Music for sure chose me! I knew I wanted to be a rock star ever since I was a little girl, inspired by artists like Cyndi Lauper who I would watch on MTV nonstop. I started writing songs at age 3 and haven't stopped since!
What Genre best fits you?
JM:I love writing genuine pop music, which in its true definition means that the song is structured in a Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Chorus, Chorus format. Within those creative constraints, my songs have sounded like ballads, barbershop quartets, like punk, folk, and soul music. I love to play all kinds of music... play being the operative word!
And ofcourse this is a Christmas Blog... What gives you the Christmas feels?
JM: Living in Brooklyn, I love getting to walk past the stands of Christmas trees out on the streets and soak in that pine smell! I love trimming a tree and coming up with a theme for the decorations... this year we did a red and white color palette, and I'm now making some homemade citrus garland to hang as well!
What is your Favorite Christmas memory?
JM: I laugh every time I think about the year my Grandma Dolores gave my high school boyfriend Sam a paper shredder as a Christmas gift. He was 18 at the time, and we were all baffled... what teenager wants a paper shredder!? But he seemed to really love it!
And now let's talk about your track 'Never Stop Believing in Santa Claus'
What are you drawing from for inspiration on the song? Is there a story behind why you created it?
SS: I am usually inspired by words, especially by those coming from iconic individuals... Walt Whitman, Mark Twain, Tom Paine, et.al. Something they would say would aid and inspire me to bring on a song. In those words, there would be a melody from which a song would emerge. I like to think I remain true to the telling of those folks and I am always grateful to them.
However, with Santa, the song emerged totally different and it lingered a few years before it came to being. The melody came to me first, then soon after the first 8 lines all coming not from elsewhere but from the creative mystery that lives in all of us. I knew that Santa was the embodiment of giving and that notion rang forcefully in my psyche and I always knew if I felt I wasn't getting what I deserved, the remedy to my getting was to give more! This came from many readings of a spiritual nature and I always trusted this even though I might not have always lived up to the teaching.
In time, the words to the rest of the song came to me and soon after, upon meeting Jocelyn and Marty and upon sharing the song with them, the song was brought to life!
What was the process for creating it, did you find it easier or more difficult from non holiday music?
JM: Stan played his demo for me and Marty, and we couldn't get it out of our heads! We were thrilled when he asked us to produce his song and bring it to life in the studio, so we brought in fellow Uncle Monsterface member, Emmy-nominated sound engineer Dan Brennan. Between the three of us, we massaged Stan's original melody into a fully structured song, and Dan did an incredible job playing every single instrument, engineering, and mixing the track. As Stan said, this song really wrote itself!
SS: Although Santa and the spirit of giving comes forth especially in the Christmas season, that spirit energy is needed throughout the year for healing to occur and for us to know the true meaning of happiness!!! Never stop believing in Santa Claus is the metaphor for never stop believing in the power of our capacity to bring kindness to each other and in this action... love rules all!!!!
And of course, we must talk about the music video
You've taken some very vintage Christmas images and gave them life, - I'm just reminded of the innocence of the song paired with the almost creepiness of the vintage 'talking' images. What were you drawing inspiration from? Is there a story behind how this video was conceived?
MA: As it happens, I have a weirdly robust collection of old-school designs and etchings from advertising-days-gone-by. The moment we put forward the idea of a video for this joyous song, all of the wonderful designs from the past that I have in my collection popped into my mind, and I wanted to bring them to life. "Never Stop Believing!" evokes a timeless quality, a sense of being blinded by Christmas lights and cheer, but through a kind of hysterical and wonderful modern lens. It evokes so much joy and nostalgia, referencing classic songs while also feeling modern. By turning these images into kinds of puppets, I just felt like it captured the spirit of the song. And gosh it was fun.
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