JIMMY iENNER , JR .
STORY BY BENJAMIN LERNER
R . Fells Foster speaks on his fun and funky new Christmas album , “ Rock the House with Love !”, his creative process , and his favorite Vermont holiday memories
The Holiday season is the perfect time to gather together and enjoy a festive celebration with some great music . If you find yourself in need of some refreshing tunes that perfectly capture the spirit of the Holiday season , look no further than R . Fells Foster ’ s new full-length Christmas LP , “ Rock the House with Love !” Foster ’ s new album features songs that span a wide range of genres and musical influences , offering a musical experience that redefines Christmas music in a contemporary context . “ Rock the House with Love !” was entirely workshopped , recorded , produced , and mixed at Old Mill Road Recording in East Arlington , Vermont . In the weeks leading up to the Holiday season , Foster sat down with VERMONT Magazine to share the stories behind the songs , and the creative process that went into making “ Rock The House with Love !
Q : Thanks for joining us , Foster ! Your new album , “ Rock the House with Love !” is a fantastic addition to the Holiday music canon . How did the album first come to be , and what inspired its creation ?
A : When I was 14 , I saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show , which changed my life . I started learning Beatles songs on the guitar , and I began writing songs almost immediately . Over the years , I studied all of the great songwriters , including John
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Lennon , Paul McCartney , Elvis Presley , Jazz and Broadway songwriters , such as Rodgers and Hammerstein and Irving Berlin , and Soul songwriters and performers , like The Reverend Al Green , Wilson Pickett , and Aretha Franklin . I wrote my first Christmas song in the 1980s , and it ended up serving as the inspiration for the song that eventually became “ It ’ s Christmas ” on “ Rock the House with Love !” At the time , I was living with a girl in central California . Her parents lived in Southern California , and they threw amazing Christmas parties that were better than anything I had experienced at Christmastime in my childhood . They would have their whole family sitting around the table , and they would serve three or four courses with everyone partying , laughing , and enjoying conversation . One year , my girlfriend and I had a big argument right before Christmas , and I remember saying , “ I ’ m not going down to see your parents for