Andy Beisel and The Buccaneers

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Badass sweaters for the bit chin' Buccaneers

Badass sweaters for the bitchin’ Buccaneers/ Andy Beisel and the Buccaneers

One Bitchin’ Christmas brought to you by the boys

Do you want to ignore the fact that Christmas is a month away until you emerge from the despairing depths of finals and term papers? Well, sorry folks, you have to face the music. Literally, put on your outlandish holiday knits and get ready for festive tunes because Andy Beisel & The Buccaneers are ready to rock you around the Christmas tree!

This Christmas band plays their show, “One Bitchin’ Christmas,” once a year at Christmas time. The Christmas rock show is a nice break for those who are looking for festive tunes that are a different from the popular music that takes over shopping malls and turns any sensible person into a hypnotized, glittery, Christmas fool.

When I asked their drummer, Ian Cameron, what he thought of popular Christmas music, he responded pretty enthusiastically.

“It’s the worst! It’s so bad! I don’t know how those people go into the studio and make this serious, beautiful Christmas music. It’s so much more fun just to make it wild, just to do silly things. It’s fun as a musician because Andy, Pohl, and I all play in more serious bands. With this, it’s like, ‘let’s just have fun!’”

The band really began in 2008, when Andy Beisel showed his friends Ian Cameron and Pohl Bogodan [not actual name] demo tapes of him playing Christmas music. Eventually, he invited the two to create a band with him and they put on their now annual “One Bitchin’ Christmas” concert.

“It started out as a Christmas concert for our parents the first year, and then we started collecting food donations as admission, and the whole thing has kind of grown over the last four years. This is the first year I’ve sent out a media release. It has always been a bit of a joke, and it still is a joke, but this year we’re just trying to do it a bit better, a bit nicer,” says Cameron.

Cameron plays drums and steel drums, Bogodan plays guitar, and bandleader Beisel is on bass and vocals, and they like to have honorary Buccaneers (a.k.a. musical guests) play with them. In addition to the show, the three friends release a self-produced record every year and their music is available to stream or download online — the price is yours to decide.

So what is the deal with these guys? Are they Christmas fanatics? It turns out that they are not; they just like having a good time.

“We can’t even get in the mood until middle of November,” says Cameron, as he explained their last-minute preparations. “We’re not Christmas fanatics. We just like hanging out and making ridiculous Christmas music around Christmas. It’s a fun break from all of the family stuff you have to do.”

Audiences have grown over the years, and Cameron says people really enjoy the show.

“A lot of my friends who say they don’t like Christmas music are like, ‘Yea, I’m really looking forward to One Bitchin’ Christmas,’” says Cameron.

If you are looking for a festive and fun Christmas concert, check out Andy Beisel & the Buccaneers on Dec. 23 at the German Club. Bring a nonperishable food item as admission and get ready for a good time! You may be surprised how much you enjoy Christmas music.

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