Aubrey Edwards
Graham Reynolds: multiple award-winning composer for film, dance, and theatre; artistic director of maverick classical ensemble Golden Hornet; proprietor of genre-defying instrumentalists Golden Arm Trio – essentially Austin’s composer-in-residence. Also, Graham Reynolds: Austin’s foremost musical Scrooge. For the eighth time, Reynolds and his custom-assembled big band put the holiday classics through the emotional wringer, reharmonizing them into brooding ballads and repressed psychopathy. It’s all in good fun, of course, like giving ugly ties for Xmas, or serving spoiled turkey at dinner. Pedal steel ace Ricky Davis, a previous co-conspirator, adds the world’s saddest instrument to the punch bowl. You’ll never hear “Deck the Halls” and “Jingle Bells” the same way again. – Michael Toland