When Ohio City Singers, the local ensemble that plays Christmas music, first formed in 2003, the group took a very low-key approach.
“I hosted a party at my house in Ohio City,” says band leader Chris Allen one recent afternoon over beers at the Beer Engine in Lakewood. “Me and my sister put together a party to record a Christmas album for my parents as a surprise Christmas present. Me and [local singer-songwriter] Doug McKean wrote some songs, and we invited all of my musician friends. We recorded the party. The house was packed.”
The first song the group played was the call-and-response tune “Real Good Christmas Time,” which it still performs. They handed out backing vocal lyric sheets to the people who showed up for the festivities.
“It was really cool,” says Allen. “That house had three entrances, and all of a sudden, people just started coming in, and the house was rocking. We made enough copies of that recording so that everyone in the band could give a copy to their families.”
Decades later, the band is still at it and will perform on December 10, 11 and 12 at the Oucalt Theatre, making its Playhouse Square debut after years of performing around town at small rock clubs.
“Our first public gig was at the House of Blues Cambridge Room, and we had to rent the room because we were an unknown commodity,” says Allen. “That was the first real show. We only did one show that year.”
Then, the group started playing shows at Around the Corner and Vosh in Lakewood. A show at the Happy Dog served as a turning point.
“We showed up and everyone was dressed in Christmas outfits,” says Allen. “I thought we invaded someone’s party. I didn’t realize the crowd was there to see us. It was so cool.”
Shows at venues such as Music Box Supper Club and Akron Civic Theatre would follow. The group also played a number of private parties. Sometimes, people at those events got it, and sometimes they didn’t.
“Corporate parties often think they’re going to get cover songs, and we don’t really do that,” Allen says. “We did one in Oberlin and people were like, ‘What are you playing?’ You kind of have to be in the joke. But the energy of the band usually wins people over, even though it didn’t that night.”
Last year, as the band was doing its usual thing and playing a family friendly show at the Music Box, representatives from Playhouse Square came to the venue to check the group out. They loved the show and talked to Allen about bringing his talents to Outcalt Theatre.
“They loved it,” says Allen. “It was the same thing that [the late Plain Dealer columnist] Michael Heaton told me. He didn’t know what to expect but he came into the back room at the club after he saw us there and said, ‘I get it. I get it.’ There was so much energy and so many people singing.”
They didn’t know if the group would be interested in just doing one location, but Allen said it was something the band had been interested in doing for a long time.
“And they know it’s a party,” says Allen. “They know that there is a lot of interaction between us and audience.”
The theater is seated, but there will plenty of room for folks to get up and dance.
“We worked out the details for an exclusive three-night run,” says Allen. “Last year, we added some new stuff and solidified the main set. We’ll do two sets. We have to stage it too.”
They bought Christmas trees and a Santa and reindeer. Allen’s next-door neighbor had them from the old Higbee’s.
“It’ll be a fun stage show,” says Allen.
The band has released a handful of albums since its formation all those years ago and is at work on new material for 2027. Allen says the mission of spreading good vibes has not shifted.
“In some ways, it hasn’t evolved,” says Allen. “It’s still that Christmas party in my living room. We have kept that spirit pretty true. Songs have come and gone and some band members. When you only do something once a year, it’s always fun and fresh. Even the first rehearsal of the year is a blast. Our collective memory gets better and better. We’ve been tightening up transitions to make it theater friendly. We’re just trying to bring ’70s Christmas to the modern-day era.”
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