Welcome to the special year end edition of BLUES JUNCTION. This month’s ezine has a festive holiday flair to it. In keeping with the spirit of the season we hope our loyal readers look upon this December publication as our gift to you. Let's get started with the roll call.

First up, our December monthly artist spotlight is Santa Claus. Claus is not a musician, but from time to time we like to visit with entrepreneurs who help make our lives so enjoyable. Claus fits squarely in this category. Many of us feel like we have come to know his Cringleness through literature, television and film but sitting down with him as I did and visiting with the man revealed some sides to this multi-faceted philanthropist many may not have considered. Enjoy our Monthly Artist Spotlight Feature with Santa Claus: The BLUES JUNCTION Interview.

In keeping with the spirit of the season, we queue up twelve songs from twelve Christmas albums that we listen to this time of year. Like many of you, I am so sick of Christmas music I could scream. As we head into those sometimes choppy, familial waters this time of year, having these CDs tucked under your arms when you arrive at a relative’s home might help get you through the day.

As the year comes to a close, there are two very special features that I would like to bring to your attention. One is that we have gathered together 40 recordings, all released in 2012, that I happen to like very much. These 40 tunes on the 2012 Jukebox at the JUNCTION (Part 1 & Part 2) have been spinning with great regularity here way out west. They are pulled from 40 different albums which represent a wide variety of blue styles. They come from artists young and not so young. They are also recordings from some very dedicated musicians from not only all over the U.S., but all over the world. As has been previously noted, we only listen to music we love around here and only write about music we listen to. So it should come as no surprise many of these recordings and the musicians who made them have been the subject of features, interviews and reviews in the past twelve months. We have made notations of this that accompany the information related to these recordings.

Another year end feature in our December ezine is entitled, The Best of the BLUES JUNCTION interviews. Read highlights from some of our most interesting conversations.

We also have a photo essay that looks back on the 2012 World Class Blues Shows that took place at the world famous Tiki Bar in Costa Mesa, California. Enjoy a photo essay by Alex Gardner, Mike Lovato and Chris Corbett.

As many of our readers have known for some time now, Alex has expanded his skill set and is emerging as an interesting writer and multi-talented journalist. Read an interesting interview that Alex conducted on this fall’s Legendary Blues Cruise with percussionist Mike Tempo. You can find this under the tab that reads, More Than Just a Drum.

I conducted two interviews with two men from two coasts who both have two new albums that have been released in the past few months. Enjoy conversations I had with New Jersey’s own Dennis Gruenling and Oakland, California resident John Nemeth.

As always we keep you apprised of upcoming events from the folks at Straight up Blues Productions. Check this out under the tab that reads, Holiday Ball.

As the year comes to a close I have thought about how special the past twelve months have been. It continues to be an honor and a privilege to spend so much time in the company of so many talented, hard working, dedicated and soulful people. It is humbling that so many of you read this ezine each and every month. Our little corner of the cyber world has become a junction if you will where like minded individuals can celebrate the quintessential American music that is the blues. Thank all of you for your continued support of our endeavors here at BLUES JUNCTION. We are grateful that you have sought out this special place where we celebrate this very special music and the exceptional people who make it. Have a wonderful holiday season and best wishes for a happy and fulfilling new year.

Be well and be in touch.

- David Mac