Band of Merrymakers

Band of Merrymakers
Background information
Genres	Holiday
Years active	2014–present
Labels	The End Records, Sony Masterworks
Associated acts	Lady Antebellum, Neon Trees, Sugar Ray, Fitz & The Tantrums, 311, Better Than Ezra, 3OH!3, Smallpools, The Mowglis, Sinclair, The Honeymoons
Website	Official website

Band of Merrymakers is a rotating-cast holiday supergroup created by hit songwriters Sam Hollander and Kevin Griffin in 2014. The group was established with the philanthropic goal of raising awareness and donations for non-profit organizations and charities. The group's debut album, Welcome to Our Christmas Party, was released October 23, 2015, through Sony Masterworks.

Conception

Songwriters Sam Hollander and Kevin Griffin were deep in a summer songwriting session in 2014 when they wandered into the topic of holiday music. They both suddenly wondered: where had all the holiday musical philanthropy gone? Where were all the original songs? They immediately set out to replicate the holiday splendor of records like Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas" & Lifebeat's A Very Special Christmas series.

Release and Promotion

Release

The group's debut album, Welcome to Our Christmas Party, was released October 23, 2015, through Sony Masterworks. The album features guest appearances from Christina Perri, Mark McGrath (Sugar Ray), Alex & Sierra, Natasha Bedingfield, Michael Fitzpatrick (Fitz & The Tantrums), Tyler Glenn of Neon Trees, Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum, Owl City, Bebe Rexha, Nick Hexum of 311, Andrew McMahon, Jason Wade (Lifehouse), David Ryan Harris, David Hodges (Evanescence), The Mowglis, Street Corner Symphony, 3OH!3, Dan Wilson (Semisonic), and Firekid, along with writer/producers Sam Hollander and Kevin Griffin (Better Than Ezra).^[1]

Promotion

The band has performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC), Christmas in Rockefeller Center (NBC), The TODAY Show (NBC), Hollywood Christmas Parade (CW), The Home and Family Show (Hallmark), Pop Up Santa (ABC Family) and Extra (NBC).

Charts

Welcome to Our Christmas Party reached #9 on the iTunes Holiday Charts.

Reviews

- “Catchy? Undoubtedly. Anthemic? Yep. But even more important, despite coming from a handful of adults…it captures the childish delight of getting in the holiday spirit.” – Entertainment Weekly

- “The irresistibly catchy song is bound to be stuck in your head all day, but in the good way – the chorus is fun and upbeat and will definitely get you into the holiday spirit.” – PopSugar

- "Thankfully, we’re super into Holiday music and we’ve actually already started to find some new tunes to transition into Winter! One of our faves so far has to be Band of Merrymakers' debut album, Welcome to our Christmas Party — especially their lead single Snow Snow Snow!" - Perez Hilton

Charity

A portion of the proceeds went to the MusiCares Foundation.^[2]

References