“To see all these guys come together to do this in and of itself shows how special the community is here,” Hall says. “The genesis of the Drugs in the 2000s was born out of everybody playing in each other bands and propping each other up and creating a scene that was loving and supportive and not competitive and cutthroat.” And whereas he had by no means performed with the blokes from Hooters earlier than, Hall says working with them was like assembly previous associates. “Rob’s enthusiasm and playfulness was so inspiring to me. This is a guy who fucking wrote ‘Time After Time,’ so to me, he’s like a god,” Hall laughs. “There was nothing phoned-in at all.”
A Philly Special Christmas was recorded in three completely different studios throughout the Philadelphia space in the course of the summer time. The musicians laid down many of the backing tracks first, after which it was time for the Kelce, Johnson, and Mailatta to come back in and lay down their vocals. While these burly offensive linemen might seem like they’re about to launch a file by way of Deathwish, they’re the true deal on the subject of music. Johnson and Kelce bond over singing previous nation songs within the locker room or within the automobile after video games, ready for site visitors in South Philly to subside. Kelce even writes his personal music on the facet and as soon as coated Jason Isbell’s “Cover Me Up” reside on WXPN.
The musical star of the trio, nevertheless, is the 6’8″ Australian offensive deal with Jordan Mailatta. Mailatta, who just lately carried out on FOX’s The Masked Singer, is sure to shock plenty of listeners as a result of holy shit, this large dude can actually sing! “He’s just unfairly talented at a lot of things,” says Zach Miller, keyboardist for Dr. Dog and one of many featured musicians concerned in A Philly Special Christmas. “He would just go around with a guitar and play these beautiful, soulful songs, and then he’d sit at the piano playing this Stevie Wonder stuff, just singing his heart out. He’s a supremely talented guy.” Just hearken to his silky falsetto on “White Christmas.” If he wasn’t enjoying soccer, he could possibly be on the market crooning with the perfect of them. He sings with such ease and beauty for somebody whose day job includes pushing equally giant folks to the bottom.
Along with Kelce and Johnson, Mailatta had by no means been in an actual recording studio earlier than, and he says that engaged on this file with these musicians was a dream come true. “It was surreal,” Mailatta tells me. “I’ve always thought about recording an album because I know how to sing, and sharing this experience with Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson, Connor and Charlie, it was such an awesome experience. Once in a lifetime… well, hopefully not once in a lifetime.”
Recording in an expert setting could be a daunting process, so naturally there have been some nerves, even for individuals who have performed in a Super Bowl towards Tom Brady (and received). This was the place the musicians stepped in and put the gamers comfy. Eliza Hardy Jones, who the gamers affectionately known as “Coach E,” put the linemen by some drills to heat up their vocal cords and maintain them free, one thing that the gamers actually appreciated. “Coach E made us feel comfortable, especially Lane and Kelce,” recollects Mailatta. “They were really nervous, and she got them really comfortable, giving them a routine because that usually helps professional athletes. A routine helps us focus more and get rid of the nerves.”
After some warmup workout routines and slightly little bit of whiskey, the gamers and musicians obtained alongside like previous associates. “It really was the most joyful recording session you could imagine” Hardy Jones says. “People were just high-fiving and cheering each other on and being so supportive, not just of each other but of the new people they were meeting and the musicians coming in.” Her bandmate Robbie Bennett says he was “bowled over” from working with the gamers and seeing firsthand how honest they had been all through the method. “Jason Kelce is well-known as being a major heart-on-his-sleeve personality. At one point, he wanted to talk to me about what Christmas meant to me, just off the cuff in the kitchen, and I don’t think anyone ever tried to do that to me,” recollects Bennett with fun. “I would’ve told you before this that music was my happy escape from sports, a world where I didn’t feel like I was included, but those guys made me feel like, you know what, nobody is trying to exclude anyone.”
“Everything was just imbued with fun and love and laughter,” Hall remembers. “And [the athletes] were just game for it. I can’t stress that enough. That was one of the things that just blew me away, about how game they were for anything. One of the many really special things was watching how they encouraged, respected, and loved each other. It was just so much fun.”
There’s a professionalism on right here that you just may not count on from what at first look would possibly seem to be a novelty album, however Hall says each the athletes and musicians handled the mission with a seriousness and respect that it deserved. “That’s why they’re professionals at what they do,” Hall says. “They treated this kind of the same way – wanting to be the best at it that they can be — and they were.” From the Hawaiian and oddly extraterrestrial sounds of “Blue Christmas” to the solemn a cappella choir in “Silent Night” to the joyous Springsteenian nearer “Santa Claus is Coming To Town,” the extent of element on A Philly Special Christmas is astounding. “The Super Bowl Shuffle” this isn’t. There is actual chemistry at play right here on either side of the sector.
“It says a lot about the power of music as a connective tissue,” Hall says. “Of course, sports do the same thing. There’s something about a team and the bond that you form. They’re all working towards the same objective, and there’s some deep camaraderie that comes from that. The same is true with music. There’s a deep camaraderie that comes from being a part of something that’s bigger than you.”
“Both sides are really fans of each other and it’s great to see them come together and create something really special,” Barwin provides. “It was great to watch everybody work together from what you would think would be totally different worlds, but they actually have a lot more similarities than we all anticipated.”
And that’s what the vacations are all about, proper? People coming collectively within the title of affection, pleasure, and laughter. Against all odds, this odd pairing of soccer gamers and achieved musicians united and created one thing distinctive and lasting for his or her metropolis. Sure, Philadelphia is probably not excellent. What metropolis is? Let town with out faults solid the primary snowball at Santa Claus. But any group that may put Marshall Allen on the identical file as the person who did this is alright in my guide. If something, A Philly Special Christmas is proof that when two very completely different worlds collide, widespread floor is sure to be found, and that’s a win-win for everyone.