For many, the music of the Christmas means Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole or The Boston Pops Orchestra. A “Zuultide Christmas” Friday, Dec. 16 will add a dose of punk and synthesizers to the mix.
The Memphis-based psych/punk band Ex-Cult will be featured in the holiday show at the Elbow Room in downtown Columbus. The event is being put together by brothers Toby and Maxx Hartleroad, and Miles Jordan — all members of the Columbus band Hartle Road. On Friday, however, they will perform as Zuul, a side project heavy on synths and drum machines.
Oxford’s Jim Barrett is also on the bill. Barrett, on pause from the indie psych-pop group Young Buffalo, is currently releasing music under a new moniker, Swear Tapes.
“Ex-Cult is the supreme punk band of the South,” said Toby Hartleroad. “But I fear the term punk might underestimate just how weird they get.” In September, Ex-Cult released “Negative Growth,” a nine-track collection recorded in Los Angeles and out on In The Red Records. It’s the group’s third full-length album.
Swear Tapes also has new music out, by way of the digital album “Cherish the Cabin” released in August on Oxford’s Muscle Beach label.
“Jim Barrett is extremely solid, melodic songwriting,” said Hartleroad, who also commented on the inspiration for the holiday show.
“The idea is just to bring good art to Columbus, Mississippi,” said Hartleroad. “We’ve been slowly but surely integrating other arts/music scenes from around the country with what we are building here in Columbus.”
How to go
Cover charge for “Zuultide Christmas” is $7 — $5 if you wear a Christmas sweater. The tentative schedule calls for Barrett to go on at 9 p.m., Zuul at 10 p.m. and Ex-Cult at 11 p.m.
The Elbow Room is located at 418 Second Ave. N.
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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