Local hip-hop artist Kasp is one of the artists featured on a new compilation CD featuring musicians from across the country performing Christmas songs.
A Moose in a Maple Tree is the brainchild of Troy Townsin, who invited Kasp (Rob Sawan) in specially to do a hip-hop version of his latest children’s book, The Night Before a Canadian Christmas.
“He was the hip-hop artist that I wanted to get. I’d seen him on MuchMusic and I have heard a few of his songs,” said Townsin, who also has two other Christmas books: Canadian Jingle Bells and Moose in a Maple Tree. “Two of them are songs, one of them is a poem and I wanted to get some of my favourite Canadian artists to perform them.”
Kasp was right on board, according to Townsin.
“He loved it and wanted to be a part of it,” said Townsin, adding that the CD is also a fundraiser for the Coalition for Music Education, a non-profit group advocating musical awareness in education in schools across the country.
“That was something he was right into as well,” said Townsin. “He thought that was a good idea so he jumped at it.”
Kasp is in good company. Townsin recruited Toronto reggae artist Chris Murray for A Moose in a Maple Tree, while Victoria’s The Turnpike Bandits take on Canadian Jingle Bells.
“There are 12 different musical artists, 12 different musical genres,” said Townsin. Besides the musical renditions of his books, Townsin has included some more traditional Christmas fare: Tegan and Sara perform The Chipmunk Song and Kathy Gislason sings the Huron Carol. “It’s really a wide range of artists from across the country.”
“We wanted the kids to have center stage, but we wanted the adults to enjoy the CD, too,” said Townsin. “We had great fun bringing together all kinds of very different musicians to offer a smorgasbord of holiday music. We wanted it all Canadian, too, and that meant including French and English, Cree and Huron, brand new and tried and true. All the artists are Canadian and the CDs were even pressed here in Canada.”
Townsin has even included a very rare Canadian Christmas song, like the one recorded by goalie Johnny Bower, who helped the Toronto Maple Leafs to four Stanley Cups in the ‘60s.
“He released a song back in the ‘60s called Honky the Christmas Goose. It got to No. 29 on the Billboard charts and has never been heard of since,” said Townsin. “I had them digging in the archives for months to find me a copy of this song. We ended up getting it and put it on the CD as well.”
Townsin, who normally writes about food and wine, wrote his first book, A Moose in a Maple Tree, a Canadian version of The 12 Days of Christmas when he became a Canadian citizen in 2008.
“Because I was becoming a Canadian citizen at Christmas, it just seemed like a nice thing to do, a fun thing to do,” said Townsin, who is originally from Australia. The book was a fundraiser for the Make-a-Wish Foundation. It took off and topped the B.C. bestsellers’ list that year, and has continued to do so each Christmas.
In fact, all three books, which feature humourous illustrations by Jennifer Harrington, have claimed the top three spots on the list of B.C.’s best-selling children’s books. The list, published last month, by the Association of Book Publishers of B.C., puts A Moose in a Maple Tree in first place, followed by The Night before a Canadian Christmas and Canadian Jingle Bells. All three books are from Polyglot Publishing, while the compilation CD is distributed by Warner.
