A Holy, Cozy Night of Christmas Songs at Burlap and Bean

Newtown Square–Just as how Christmas is 12 months in the making for children trying to get on the "nice" list, Burlap and Bean's holiday show Dec. 17 was also 12 months in the making, if not more.

Brad Almond of the band Clive, one of the performer's for Friday's holiday show, said last year's holiday show was cancelled due to one of the massive snowstorms that hit the area.  

The idea for the holiday show at Burlap and Bean stemmed from a Christmas duet with Almond and Clive's keyboardist and accordion player Michael Reaves, who had performed a holiday show.

Through word of mouth, it was only a matter of time for the cozy coffeehouse in Newtown Square to have their very own special Christmas show featuring Almond and the band Clive, Nancy Micciulla and Dawn Iulg.

Philly girl Nancy Micciulla was first up on the show's bill Friday night. Although her music is self-described as "acoustic pop," Micciulla has an underlying sense of sorrow in her lyrics that over powers her simple acoustic guitar work. Micciulla's music also carries a sense of imagery in her lyrics.

Micciulla performed a beautiful combination of her own songs and fun, pop Christmas tunes. She told the audience, "I love Christmas because it can be so cheesy."
   
Mixed in with a break-up song or two were contemporary favorites such as "Santa Baby," Billy Squire's "Christmas is the Time to Say I Love You," and even the haunting rendition of Joni Mitchell's "River."  For the more traditional set, she performed "White Christmas."

Micciulla's thoughts on one of her favorite gifts of the holiday season, "I'm a very sentimental person, and I think most people close to me know that. I love anything that's thoughtful or homemade."

"Last year, my aunt gave me some Christmas photos of her and me from when I was a toddler," said Micciulla. "They weren't really meant to be a gift–she'd just come across them and stuck them in an envelope to give to me when she saw me but I cherish them, and they're now framed and prominently displayed."

Micciulla said she is looking forward to the New Year. She crossed her fingers when she excitedly described her new recordings and an East Coast tour that is in her musical horizon for 2011.

Clive's drummer Steve said the band has known each other since they were kids growing up together in church. The members dispersed when they went away to college, but they all found their way back home to Wilmington, DE, only to form Clive again.  

Almond, lead singer and guitarist of Clive, explained the members of the band work collaboratively together. Almond said he tends to come up with the music and ideas, but rarely the specifics. He'll give them a performer or sound he is looking for and the rest of the members fill in the blanks.     

Their uplifting set was sprinkled with Christmas tunes and Christian-influenced music. Their unique take on "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" had a unique sound with hints of Spanish-style guitar playing. Almond commented how he was very excited about this interpretation. He said he has always been fascinated with this particular hymn because of its dark nature and minor key.

Dawn Iulg, headliner for the show, was born in New York but perhaps it was the time she spent growing up in South New Jersey, where she found that pitch-perfect Patsy Cline voice. Iulg's blend of folk and country has won her accolades, including winner of the Philadelphia Songwriters Project and XPN's "Pick of the Day."

Iulg has been playing music a majority of her life, spending many hours in church or with the school choir. For the past few years, Iulg has been sharing her gift with her family and friends around the holidays by making them CDs for gifts.  

 "The first Christmas, I was able to give my parents and family original recordings made just for them," said Iulg. "It was a lot of work, but they were so surprised and happy to receive it. It was way better than any gift I could've bought and felt a lot more genuine too. Now the holiday CDs have become more of a tradition, but I still love giving them," she said.
   
The upcoming year is a big one for Iulg. She has been able to focus more on her musical career recently, which has already led to some big plans. Iulg hopes to complete a hymn album that she has been working on her the past year and a half.  She also has a lot of new material to record that involves a whole new sound. And then, there's the wedding; she recently got engaged to her bassist Jeff Hiatt.

"I'm marrying the band," she proudly gushed. 

Missed the show at Burlap and Bean? Check out past performances here.