December 4-10, 2003
Good Times
Santa Cruz, Ca

By Amanda Martinez
Music Editor

Despite its widespread exposure as the "merriest" time of year, the hustle and bustle of the holiday season can be a harrowing few weeks filled with cutthroat shoppers, inclement weather, familial tensions and soaring credit debt. In the face of all that stress, nothing sedates holiday-induced woes like the lazy ukulele and supine vocals of Hawaiian slack key stud, Patrick Landeza. Forget snow and earmuffs, chapped lips and static cling. Landeza's Hawaiian Christmas-themed Christmas to Me album transports you to the warm, sunny islands, where chestnuts roast in the open sun and Santa wears shorts. "Mele Kalikimaka," the first of several traditional Hawaiian Christmas tunes, starts the recording with the sound of a conch shell being blown over the customary jingle bells. In his liner notes, Landeza writes: "I saw Santa blowing the shell, announcing he's coming to town." A true visionary, Landeza boldly penned a few original Christmas melodies featuring the strange, but charmingly-libidinal request, "Hula Girl Christmas" bearing the lyrics: "Santa, Santa, Santa, bring a hula girl for me. If you have no more room upon your sleigh, then put her on a reindeer." Landeza throws in a few revamped classics for the traditionalists including history's most placid version of "Silent Night," a latin-themed "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" and an easy, breezy, Island-enhanced cover of kiddie classic "The Chipmunk Song." Landeza plays at Henfling's this Wednesday.

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