The Round Table

Fans of bands such as Carbon Leaf, Indigo Girls and the Watson Twins – and singers like Shawn Mullins (yeah!) and Matt Nathanson – might already be familiar with Vanguard Records. It’s an independent label based in New York, with about 50 years of music history stacked in its vaults. In that time, they’ve covered released music ranging from Blues Traveler to Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.

This year, in honor of the season, Vanguard has released a 16-track holiday sampler – featuring a range of Vanguard artists, as well as some friends of the family. Of special interest to this music fan is the live version of “Wildfires” by Josh “The Man” Ritter. You also get some Meiko, Joshua Radin, Joe Purdy, Dar Williams and a slew of other artists.

The best part of this holiday sampler, as far is I’m concerned, is the fact that there are precious few holiday songs. Actually, there’s just one and that’s not even a real holiday song, per se. Not that I have anything against the season, but I can only hear “Winter Wonderland” about five more times before I flip out and put a sword through my radio.

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