It's hard to get in the holiday mood when it's 70-plus degrees outside. But that's how the retro-hip guys in Big Bad Voodoo Daddy spent their summer vacations -- recording songs for the new Everything You Want for Christmas CD. "It was total golf weather every single day," says leader Scotty Morris. "But we rehearsed in this dingy old theater, and it was kinda cold in there. We could see out the window that it was beautiful outside, but inside, we were wearing sweaters."
The record mixes standards ("Jingle Bells"), should-be standards ("Mr. Heatmiser" from The Year Without Santa Claus), and originals. "I wanted it to be a fun party record," says Morris.
The horn-fueled band is on the road with a holiday show (tossing in some non-seasonal favorites as well). Morris thinks of it as his Christmas break. "You have carte blanche to do anything you want to do, because it's Christmas music," he figures. "If [listeners] don't get it or like it, [at least] we got a vacation from the same-old same-old." Big Bad Voodoo Daddy is at House of Blues (308 Euclid Avenue) at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Tickets are $22, available by calling 216-241-5555. -- Michael Gallucci
Twin Spins
Rockers double up for club's amateur DJ night.
THU 12/9
Ex-Signoffs bandmates Sim and Chris Churavy get their turns this week to Rock and Roll Over the DJ booth of the Hi-Fi Club. Every Thursday since mid-September, pairs of rock musicians, radio jocks, and music writers have spun records in an attempt to boost booze sales at the club. Next week, results are tallied, and the pair with the highest cash-register total wins new stereos. But don't expect the same song spins week after week; it's ranged from punk and pop to hardcore and classic rock from artist Derek Hess and 92.3-FM DJ Warlock. "Their night was a little harsher, whereas the Agora girls are big fans of the Emo scene," says promoter Denise Kozlowski. "Either way, they come up with their promotional gimmicks to get people in the door." Rock and Roll Over is from 10 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. at the Hi-Fi Club, 11729 Detroit Avenue in Lakewood. Admission is free. Call 216-521-8878 for more information. -- Cris Glaser
Fashion Backward
Exhibit looks at style through the ages.
12/9-3/26
"When people think of the past, they imagine it in black and white," says Kimberly Kenney. "Nothing could be further from the truth." Kenney is curator of the William McKinley Museum's Accessorize!, which culls colorful fashion from the 1860s to the 1980s to document the history of style with shoes, jewelry, hats, and more. "Each piece exemplifies the essence of the decade in which it was created," says Kenney. "We could have this exhibit every year for a decade, and it would be different every time." Accessorize! is at the William McKinley Museum (800 McKinley Monument Drive in Canton) through March 26. It's open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free; call 330-455-7043. -- Lucy McKernan
The Woof Is on Fire
12/9-12/12
Crown Classic Dog Show participants sure are crafty. "A dog once jumped an obstacle, left the ring, took a bite out of a sandwich someone was holding, came back in the ring, and finished the course," recalls spokeswoman Sonia Collander. "Never missed a beat." The show happens from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday to Sunday at the I-X Center, 6200 Riverside Drive. Admission is $6, $3 for kids; call 216-265-7000. -- Lucy McKernan
