Bah & the Humbugs: Bigger Than Santa - Icicle Light Orchestra

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BAH & THE HUMBUGS: BIGGER THAN SANTA
A 25th Anniversary Humbug Tribute

Featuring Humbugs songs performed by the following bands:

ICICLE LIGHT ORCHESTRA

Mr. Big Christmas

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When singer Pete Wurst quit The Standstill, complaining that the critically-acclaimed Toronto indie band "wasn't going anywhere," they didn't have to look far for his replacement. Pete's roommate Reg Tiltwistle auditioned and was chosen as his replacement. Soon Tiltwistle and bandleader Dusty Lens concocted a bold plan that would transform the radio-friendly quartet into a entirely new band, an experimental ensemble that they dubbed Icicle Light Orchestra. The group's unique new sound was created by meticulously carving all of their instruments out of blocks of solid ice. As soon as the weather dropped below the freezing mark, they set to work.

After months of careful preparation and rehearsal, Icicle Light Orchestra's first gig was an utter disaster. The enthusiastic crowd and stage lights generated enough heat to melt all of the ice instruments! But failure turned into overnight success thanks to a viral video of the dramatic onstage meltdown. The band soon inked a deal with Chrysamis Records.

Icicle Light Orchestra kept their new name, but abandoned their experimental plans and reverted to the bright, commercial sound that fans of The Standstill were familiar with. Clearly, it was a winning strategy. Their first single "Snowdown" hit the top ten, and more hits quickly followed: "Turn to Ice," "Freezin' Thing," and "Last Train to Iceland." Then three years passed with no new material, prompting rumors that the band had broken up or had become The Standstill again. Anxious fans cheered Icicle Light Orchestra's return to the studio to record this cover version of Bah & the Humbugs' "Mr. Big Christmas." The new rumor: a followup ILO album is in the works.

Mr. Big Christmas

(Nordquist)

In other news, analysts are calling for a big Christmas this year...

Santa Claus is on my list
Of favorite famous friends who don't exist
(in spite of all his advertisin')

He's on my speed dial just in case
But I'm fairly sure that call would go to waste
(and I'd still have to pay Verizon)

So who's that on my rooftop?
Have the squirrels been taking steroids?
Could it be the Rooftop Strangler?
Oh, if Drop Dead Fred were here he'd say "Chill out! You're being paranoid!"

It's gonna be a big (Big Christmas)
Big Christmas (Big Christmas)
It's bigger than ever
With twice as much weather
It's a big (Big Christmas)
Big Christmas (Big Christmas)
Took years to create it
And you can't deflate it
With your small-thinking, microbrew, bean-counting, scaredy-cat business
It's gotta be a big, big Christmas

This town was built on shares of stock
The town fell down and left us all in shock
(a wolf just repossessed the door)

So who's that on my rooftop
Like a plague of Scottish dancers?
Did a flash mob pick my numbers?
Oh, if Right Said Fred were here they'd be too sexy for this anecdote

It's gonna be a big (Big Christmas)
Big Christmas (Big Christmas)
It's bigger than Elvis
With maximum pelvis
It's a big (Big Christmas)
Big Christmas (Big Christmas)
It's got a big middle
That you can't belittle
With your slim-down, cut-and-run, lentil-soup, skinny-boy fitness
It's gotta be a big, big, big, big—woo!
Big Christmas!
Big, big, big, big—woo!
Big Christmas!
It's got a big finish
That you can't diminish
With your small-time, small-town, downsized, nanoscale business
It's gotta be a big, big, big, big, big, big, big!