The Christmas Chronicles: A Year in the Life of Jeff Lake
Jeff Lake released his debut EP "Field of Grass" on August 20, 2021. Since then he has amassed over 200k streams on Spotify, and over 275k views on YouTube with his bluegrass cover of Janis Ian's "Better Times Will Come" leading the way with 120k views. His new album "Seven Days" is scheduled for release early next year.
So what do you do in the meantime? If you're Jeff Lake, what else? You write a new Christmas show! "The Christmas Chronicles" featuring Jeff Lake & Cellophane Flowers will be debuting with back-to-back performances at The Belfry Music Theater in Delavan, WI on Wednesday, 11/30, and Thursday, 12/1, with additional shows to follow on Sunday, 12/4, at The Gracie Theatre in Bangor, ME, Saturday, 12/10 at The Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia, PA, and Saturday, 12/17 at the Kings Point Theatre in Delray, FL.
"The Christmas Chronicles" reveals the true meaning of Christmas in a series of visually-stunning, intertwined, seasonal vignettes. Tales of love and magic around the globe and through the ages are told through the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., Emily Dickinson, Chief Seattle, Henry V, interpretive dance, and the music of Peter Lynch Tchaikovsky, Ludwig van Beethoven, Lennon/McCartney, George Harrison, as well as original music by Jeff Lake.
The first release from the show soundtrack "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" is now available on Spotify and all the major services.
The release is the first by Jeff Lake & Cellophane Flowers since the 2020 album release "Penny Lane" which is available on CD and digital outlets worldwide. Lake does not stray far from the Lennon/Ono classic; but, his voice does soar on the higher vocal lines sung by Yoko Ono on the choruses of the original version. This plus a simple score for guitar and string trio make this holiday classic worthy of a listen.
The idea for the "The Christmas Chronicles" was conceived in 2019 while Lake was singing in church choir during Christmas Eve mass. "Pastor Sallie began speaking of the Christmas Day Truce in 1914 during World War I." says Lake. "I'm a huge history buff and Beatles fan so I immediately connected the dots to John & Yoko's song. In that moment, 'The Christmas Chronicles' were born".
Narrator Scout Ford (x-TSO) tells the story: "British and German troops emerged from their trenches exchanging hand shakes and small souvenirs... and in that one magical moment, the war was over!"
