Let’s face it…the holidays can suck. In addition to the relatives you often don’t know and have to pretend you do, in addition to the Black Friday mobs, there’s the looming, omnipresent shadow of crappy holiday music (as if crappy radio tunes weren’t enough).
But here are 5 bands we can be thankful for after the Perry Como/classical music has been turned off and the in-laws have crowded into their rental cars/minivans and driven far, far away. Grab a leftover bottle of wine, sit back and enjoy.

5. Laura Shigihara is adorable. Now that the obvious is out of the way, there are plenty of reasons to love her.
Technically she’s a classically-trained musician, but it’s her love of old school pop culture memes — like the Duck Tales theme, and a tribute to The Legend of Zelda — which garner her the love she deserves. Here’s her theme song and animated video for Plants vs. Zombies, which has garnered over 10 million hits on YouTube.
What we’re thankful for: Between her tribute to Minecraft and the Plants vs. Zombies theme, we’ve only got more to look forward to (at least according to her blog).

4. Porcupine Tree - Maybe the best thing to happen to progressive music since Radiohead, singer Steve Wilson and Porcupine Tree combine the old school prog of Pink Floyd with trip hop, indie, and folk.
He’s finally been able to bring it to a bit more of a mainstream level after his Coachella appearance, but without sacrificing any of the 20 + years of hard work he’s put into his creation.
What we’re thankful for: “Fear of a Blank Planet” perfectly captures becoming numb in a world of X-Boxes and ‘net porn, and who can’t relate to that?

3. Devin Townsend – Devin Townsend is one of those guys who should be metal but isn’t, just because he’s really too mellow. Alternating between the head-in-a-jet-engine sludge of Strapping Young Lad and the ambiance of his solo project, The Devin Townsend Project captures that certain ‘wall of sound’ production quality that have so many comparing him to legendary Beatles producer Phil Spector.
What we’re thankful for: “Bend It Like Bender” is a tribute to losing yourself in the world of games like Call of Duty and Battlefield and worshiping the gaming goddess we all prostrate ourselves before.

2. Charles Hamilton - There’s something odd and unsettling about Charles Hamilton. It’s not just his erratic personality or rebellious antics, or the fact that he adores Sonic the Hedgehog and sings his praises in so many of his songs. But all of these weird little pieces do form a part of the bigger puzzle. His rhymes capture everything from Paperboy to the wonderful world of all things Sega Genesis in “Sega Music: Last of the Mauritians.”
What we’re thankful for: He’s one of the few who’s made it okay to be as nerdy as you want. Not many people as badass as him so proudly wear the color pink. We’re still trying to figure him out, but in the meantime, enjoy the mystery.

1. Mike Patton - Now in the throes of a highly successful reunion tour with Faith no More, General Patton has loaned his vocal talents to films like I Am Legend, video games like The Darkness II and Bionic Commando, and music to films like A Perfect Place. He’s also dueted with everyone from Slayer to Bjork to Norah Jones to Massive Attack. Currently he’s in charge of about 4 different bands — Fantomas, Peeping Tom, Tomahawk, and his own solo stuff, the most recent album of which featured him singing Italian Opera with a full orchestra.
What we’re thankful for: No matter what genre you prefer, he’s done it pretty much perfectly already.
Jeff Nau – who has written 1264 posts on The Jace Hall Show.
Jeff Nau is a main contributor to the Jace Hall Show covering pop culture and music trends in the nerd community. He has contributed to San Diego City Beat, 944, and Ill Literature, amongst others, and spends his spare time working as an artist and photographer.

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