Your Next Favorite Band Presents – 5th Annual Winter WonderJam Celebrating Jim Henson’s Beloved Television Classic, Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas | Featuring an Ensemble Cast with Alex Radus and George Hrab of The Christmas Sweaters, Bobby Siegfried, Cass Noelle, and Jon and Jesse Braun with Jenny Founds of Ruby Dear

Some holiday traditions are worth revisiting, and this one comes with a whole lot of music!

Your Next Favorite Band returns for its 5th Annual Winter WonderJam with a special tribute to Jim Henson’s beloved Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas. Seven outstanding musicians – Alex Radus, George Hrab, Bobby Siegfried, Cass Noelle, Jon Braun, Jesse Braun and Jenny Founds – come together to perform the complete musical score by acclaimed songwriter Paul Williams, in its original sequence, with the musicians bringing their own personalities and artistry to William's compositions.

Expect banjo, cigar box guitar, washboard, kazoo and plenty of musical personality as this talented ensemble brings a holiday favorite to life in its own way. Hosted by Phillip Reese, the evening also celebrates the generosity, family and community spirit at the heart of this enduring Christmas classic!


Please Note, Godfrey Daniels Members: Membership discount codes cannot be applied to this performance. Thank you!

5th Annual Winter WonderJam Celebrates Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas at Godfrey Daniels

Seven exceptional musicians come together to perform the complete musical score from Jim Henson's beloved holiday classic, featuring the music of Paul Williams.

There's something special about the traditions we carry with us, particularly those that remind us what the holiday season is really about. On Sunday, December 6, Your Next Favorite Band will celebrate its 5th annual Winter WonderJam with a very special musical tribute to Jim Henson's beloved television classic, Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas. The evening takes place at the legendary Godfrey Daniels in Bethlehem, with doors opening at 6:30 PM and music beginning at 7:00 PM.

Originally released in 1977, Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas has charmed generations with its heartwarming story of a mother and son, their musical talents, and the extraordinary generosity that can emerge when people put others before themselves. Equally memorable is the music, written by acclaimed songwriter Paul Williams, whose compositions have become an enduring part of the holiday season for countless fans.

For Your Next Favorite Band creator and host Phillip Reese, the choice was a deeply personal one - "I've been watching Emmet Otter with my family for as long as I can remember. It's a tradition that goes all the way back to my childhood, and one I've happily carried on with my own family. It's a genuinely sweet story about generosity and family, and the music is absolutely incredible, too. Add in the wonderful puppetry and the world that Jim Henson and Paul Williams created, and it's something that has always stayed with me. I thought it would be a really special experience to bring that music to life with some of the most talented musicians I know."

Reese has curated an ensemble of seven brilliant performers, each bringing their own distinctive talents and musical sensibilities to the project: Alex Radus, George Hrab, Bobby Siegfried, Cass Noelle, Jenny Founds, Jon Braun and Jesse Braun.

The ensemble brings some musical connections of its own: Alex Radus and George Hrab perform together as The Christmas Sweaters, Bobby Siegfried previously produced Cass Noelle's recent EP, while Jenny Founds, Jon Braun and Jesse Braun share stages together in the rock power trio Ruby Dear and the world-renowned Talking Heads tribute band Start Making Sense.  However this special combination of all seven together is an entirely new beautiful endeavor.

The evening will feature the complete musical collection from the television special, performed in its original sequence. Rather than attempting to recreate the characters or imitate the original performances, the musicians will bring their own personalities and artistry to Williams' compositions. Traditional instruments including banjo, cigar box guitar, washboard and kazoo will help capture the spirit of the original jug-band sound.

Throughout the main performance, Reese will weave in brief narrative elements from the story, providing context for the songs while allowing the music itself to take center stage.

Now in its 5th year, NextFavBand’s Winter WonderJam has become an annual opportunity for the community to gather, celebrate music and reflect on the year and how much we have to be grateful for. 

"We're incredibly fortunate to be able to share music, spend time together and celebrate the things we love. Winter WonderJam is a chance to honor that, while also remembering that there are people in our own communities who could use a little generosity and kindness, especially this time of year."

Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas is a 70s TV special whose source material is a children’s book written by Russell Hoban and illustrated by his wife Lillian. Directed by Jim Henson and starring a cast of new muppet characters, it first aired on Canadian television in 1977 and then a year later on HBO.

WATCH THE FULL TELEVISION SPECIAL ON YOUTUBE.COM: Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas | FULL MOVIE | Jim Henson, Frank Oz

Read the Wikipedia for Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas

Read SyFy.com's Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas Oral History: Behind the Scenes of Jim Henson's Holiday Classic 'Tis the season to remember the enduring legacy of this classic 1977 holiday special.

Your Next Favorite Band Podcast | nextfavband.com

Welcome to…Your Next Favorite Band! That’s both the show title and our promise to you. We are tireless in our pursuit of finding incredible, genre-defiant artists who are a hot, up-and-coming band or a group who have been delivering for years but have flown under the radar. We will bring you livestreams, podcasts, and perhaps even a live concert where you can listen to the stories and hear the music of artists personally curated by us based what we feel will be worthy of your time.

thechristmassweaters.com

Hailing from The Christmas City, Bethlehem, Pa., singer-songwriters  Alex Radus and George Hrab are seasonally known as “The Christmas Sweaters.” The boys have penned a series of brand new, delightfully awful, so-bad-they’re-good holiday tunes for your merriment.

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soundcloud.com/bobby-siegfried

A musical artist based in the Lehigh Valley, Bobby has been playing professionally in and around the region for well-over a decade as both a solo artist and as part of several local bands at venues such from coffee houses and restaurants to small festivals and theatres to carnivals and fairs to and larger musical festivals such as Musikfest. His soulful blend of pop/rock and contagious R&B is as creative as it is engaging. As a singer/songwriter, his music is inspiring and instantly memorable. His performances are inviting, fun, full of energy, and features a wide-array of well-known covers, including some you don’t hear often, across multiple decades and genres in addition to original material. Bobby performs solo, with a duo, trio, or his full band.

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cassnoellemusic.com

Cass Noelle grew up listening to the great female troubadours of our time. Revered artists like Brandi Carlile, Joni Mitchell, The Cranberries, and Jewel were among her first inspirations to pick up a guitar at age 12. The eastern Pennsylvania native’s influences stretch beyond the “chick folk” of her formative years. Cass draws inspiration from a vast array of artists, from megastar showmen like David Bowie and Billy Joel to architects of “beautifully sad” compositions, like The Civil Wars and Over the Rhine. Through it all, Cass's influences all share a common thread: they willfully leave an enduring imprint on the hearts of their listeners. “I like music that evokes something in your spirit,” she states. It is a similar affinity for human connection that helps Cass communicate her own imperfect journey through songwriting. Having experienced both overwhelming love and devastating loss, she has come to understand human beings as messy, complicated creatures, and writes songs that encourage listeners to find inspiration in their own stories. “I tend to write songs of hope and strength, while paying homage to the feelings that bring us there,” Cass says. “It doesn’t matter if someone’s situation is the same as mine. Whatever mud you’re trudging through, you’ll get there and you’re not alone.”

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rubydearmusic.com

Jenny Founds // Guitar & Vocals

Jesse Braun // Bass & Vocals

Jon Braun // Drums & Vocals

There is a door, a door you unlock with a key. This key comes in the form of a band. A band from another dimension - a dimension of not only sight and sound but of mind. This band takes you into a land of both shadow and substance, through the smallest crack in the sidewalk that is our consciousness - the gray space which is the middle ground between light and shadow, science and superstition. This band lies between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge. This band, is Ruby Dear.

Her name, Jenny Founds. Her occupation: singing siren wielding an axe of lead fronting Ruby Dear. At present: plotting domination over the worlds consciousness through conjuring simultaneous head banging and internal reflection throughout man kind. 

His name, Jesse Braun. His occupation: hypnosis through low end vibrations of the rock variety. At present: absorbing incredible amounts of information on the human condition through documentarian research in the quest of changing the landscape of human music consumption. 

His name, Jonny Braun. His occupation: detonating percussive explosives in the ears of the general public with the goal of minor fatalities. At present: traveling the globe feeding the affliction of viral curiosity to regurgitate his experiential souvenirs in the form of life shattering grooves. 

A rock band. A trio. A sound like no other.


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