BREWSTER – Christmas is a holiday of extremes. In a frenzied explosion of giving stuff, the simple joys of the season can be all but forgotten and many people are left with a feeling of vast emptiness. There may be memories of family members lost and that grief is mixed in with sepia images of childhood when Christmas always felt full of joy.
Chandler Travis
In his annual Cape Cod Christmas Cavalcade for the Homeless, musician Chandler Travis, the vortex around which dozens of other Cape musicians revolve, seems to have found a way to make the season’s contradictions tolerable by creating an evening of purely joyful local listening.
The Christmas Cavalcade For the Homeless raises money for the Housing Assistance Corporation and their work with homeless individuals and families.
The concert is all Christmas and holiday music performed by mostly Outer and Lower Cape musicians. Funny, sad, goofy and often heart-tuggingly poignant, the evening can’t help but melt the hearts of even the crankiest Christmas grinch.
At this year’s concert which took place last Sunday at a new venue, Ocean Edge Resort in Brewster, Chandler played magician as well as musician and ringmaster in organizing the concert on a particularly tight time schedule.
Like at all Cavalcades, there were lush surprises, like Jake Bautista going into old-fashioned blues mode to sing Bessie Smith’s “At The Christmas Ball” and Kami Lyle’s original spoof on what she terms a rotten year with her goof, “Sharks Don’t Bite (They Just Want to Kiss You)”.
But with more than two dozen musicians and bands performing—not to mention Trevor the Juggler and a local troupe of belly dancers—there were really too many high points to list.
This slide show gives you a taste of the Cavalcade but for the full experience, you’ll need to show up next year. It’s already booked for December 10 at Ocean Edge. See you there.
– Please like us on Facebook.
See also Johnny Spampinato Christmas Instrumental, “Sleigh Bells” VIDEO
See also Jake Bautista Plays Bessie Smith’s “At The Christmas Ball” – VIDEO
See also Kami Lyle “Sharks Don’t Bite (They Just Want To Kiss You)”
