Back in August of this year, Robert Earl Keen announced the schedule for his yearly holiday concert series. This year’s theme honors the 50th anniversary of the landing of Apollo 11 on the moon. “COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS: Lunar Tunes & Looney Times,” as the event is titled, features Keen and his band, among other musical greats, holding this holiday fun concert series over 15 dates, the last of which is scheduled for Fort Worth on December 30, 2019. Among the setlists is a Texas Christmas classic, as far as we’re concerned. A recording session at Paste Studios in New York captured the essence of “Merry Christmas From the Family,” and we tend to play it at full blast here at the office!
Recorded in December 2017, this version of “Merry Christmas From the Family” features Keen flanked by his accompaniment, surrounded by a veritable library of what we can only assume are great words of wisdom Paste Magazine has previously shared with its readership. Take a listen to the great tones and intonations, inside jokes, and relatable quips in the song below, and if this doesn’t make your annual holiday playlist, we’ll be just as shocked as the next Lone Star Stater.
