The Vandals

Christmas albums are as unavoidable as the awkward family gatherings and office holiday parties that everyone suffers through every December. No fewer than 30 different Yuletide CDs will be hitting shelves and iTunes this month, including discs from Bob Dylan, Andrea Bocelli, Tori Amos, Michael McDonald, and even the most...

By Benjamin Leatherman

December 10, 2009

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18478561",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "16759093",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759092",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759094",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        }
      ]

Christmas albums are as unavoidable as the awkward family gatherings and office holiday parties that everyone suffers through every December. No fewer than 30 different Yuletide CDs will be hitting shelves and iTunes this month, including discs from Bob Dylan, Andrea Bocelli, Tori Amos, Michael McDonald, and even the most recent cast of American Idol. But if you'd prefer a more fractured take on the Santa season, find a copy of 1996's Christmas with the Vandals: Oi to the World!, wherein the stalwart Orange County punk act performs a major mindfuck on "the most wonderful time of the year" with such bizarre and satire-laced tracks as "Hang Myself from the Tree" and "Christmas Time for My Penis." It's likely many of the same songs you'll hear when the band presents it annual "Christmas Formal" this weekend in Tempe. The SoCal skankers of Voodoo Glow Skulls (who have their own Latino holiday hymn in the bombastic "Feliz Navidad") and Knock-Out will also perform. We guarantee plenty of mistletoe mayhem will take place.

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.

Benjamin Leatherman is a staff writer for Phoenix New Times where he focuses primarily on arts, culture, music, and nightlife. He began writing for New Times in 2003 and joined the staff full-time in 2005. Prior to that, he contributed to magazines such as Tips & Tricks and The Wrestler. Benjamin has earned multiple awards from the Arizona Press Club including an award for sports enterprise reporting in 2009 and an award for statewide arts reporting in 2014. He holds a bachelor’s of arts in journalism from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Contact: Benjamin Leatherman

Follow:

Twitter: @partycrasheraz

Instagram: @partycrasheraz