Vancouver Indie Scene Comes Together for Holiday Compilation, Web Series

Not that there's anything wrong with decking the halls, rocking around the Christmas tree or mommy making out with Santa Claus -- and no offence to ol' Rudolph or Frosty -- but these time-honoured holiday jingles don't pack the punch they once did.

Thankfully, Cameron Reed has taken it upon himself to rectify the current carol crisis.

Joining forces with fellow Vancouverite Conor Holler of Bronx Cheer Comedy, Reed (co-director of Music Waste festival and dubstep artist Babe Rainbow) hopes to reinvigorate the airwaves with 'The Eggnog Experience.'

Featuring thirty notable acts from Vancouver's indie music scene, 'The Eggnog Experience' is a heart-warming, holiday-themed compilation filled with traditional Christmas songs, new takes on beloved classics and a few originals to get carolers crooning.

"We have some awesome bands lined up for the compilation," Reed tells Spinner during a recent conversation at a Vancouver café. "I'm really excited that we got Rose Melberg -- indie pop darling and K Records superstar -- and Nick Krgovich, of P:ano and No Kids, to do an amazing cover of 'Coldest Night of the Year'. Lightning Dust recorded an original called 'Ho Ho Ho', which is really cute, and we have Apollo Ghosts doing a really great Chuck Berry cover of 'Run Run Rudolph'."

As for what inspired Reed and Holler to embark on the ultra-ambitious project, which also includes the Holler-helmed comedic web series 'Mental Beast' depicting a radio station on the verge of collapse, Reed points to the opportunity to push Vancouver's vibrant arts community into the limelight.

"We have this twelve-episode comedy series and this album and they can work together to promote each other and draw that much more attention on the creative communities in the city," Reed says. "We want the bands to get exposure and we want the actors and writers to get exposure, and just generally get some [talent] out there as the world looks on during the 2010 Olympics."

With radio stations chomping at the bit for a fresh batch of festive tunes, you've got to wonder if there's a chance the 'Eggnog Experience' will be able to infiltrate the malls. Just imagine the relief of frazzled holiday shoppers if they were spared the horror of a 'Jingle Bells' marathon in favour of Vancougar's 'Dysfunctional Family Christmas' or Brasstronaut's 'Diwali Time.'

Download Brasstronaut's 'Diwali Time'

'The Eggnog Experience' compilation will be available as a free download on December 17 and the 'Mental Beast' web series begins this week, both available through www.mentalbeast.com