Quick, what means the opposite of prima donnas? Whatever it is, that’s how you’d summarize Relient K, a Christian rock group that has just put out one of the sleeper holiday albums of the year, “Let it Snow Baby… Let It Reindeer.”
“We actually had a lot of the songs done several years ago, but we didn’t release them,” said guitarist Matt Hoopes. “We just wanted to have fun doing some songs.”
The album is a mix of holiday classics and songs written by frontman Matt Thiessen. It does for music what the films “Home for the Holidays” and more recently “Pursuit of Happyness” did for holiday movies: update the classic, heartwarming themes.
There’s little doubt the quintet had fun making the holiday album. They were on tour when word came that photos were needed for the album. No problem, said the band members as they pulled into a Sears in Denver, shopped for outfits, and had the photos taken.
Now that the band is teamed with Switchfoot for the “Appetite for Construction” tour, the holiday theme has taken on an even more poignant meaning. Not only did Relient K have a major bus fire recently, but Switchfoot’s home town of San Diego was hit by wildfires. The devastation prompted the members to pitch in for charity. Efforts include donating $1 of each ticket sale to Habitat for Humanity.
