Today marks the release of Bay Area songstress Anna Karney AKA KARNEY’s new holiday song, “Ring in the Holidays.” KARNEY has performed across the country and released an incredible catalog of chart-topping and critically acclaimed music throughout her diverse career. With “Ring in the Holidays” as the latest.
Read more: KARNEY Rings in the Holidays with Festive New SongTaking the traditional jingle bell sounds of the season and mixing them with a dash of punk a la The Ramones, KARNEY created the track during a workshop session with her students, where she’s a choral teacher and conductor for middle and high schoolers, furthering music education in the San Francisco public school system. Each year she works with her students on holiday songs as part of their annual fundraising activities. She has been steeped in the classics year after year, and “Ring in the Holidays” emerged nearly complete after someone told her she should write a holiday sing-along. With images of bells in her head—Silver Bells, Ukrainian Bells, and of course Jingle Bells to name a few, KARNEY added a dash of The Ramones and presto! She had a rockin’ new holiday classic, just in time for the 2025 holidays.
“Ring in the Holidays” follows her summer album release, ONE TRUE SONG, which featured several prominent Bay Area musicians, showcasing an extraordinary blend of soulful folk rock and alternative singer/songwriter acoustic arrangements. Featured on the album were James Deprato (Chuck Prophet Band) who plays electric and acoustic guitar and is the featured lead player across the album. This is guitarist Erik Smyth’s third album with KARNEY, and he also accompanies her live as The Karney Acoustic Duo. ONE TRUE SONG features bassists Kevin White (Chuck Prophet Band) and Uriah Duffy (Fantastic Negrito, Whitesnake), drummer and percussionist Kyle Capistra (Mercy and the Heartbeats), Phillip Bennet (Jefferson Starship) on Hammond organ and keys, and band newcomers violinist Anthony Blea (John Santos Sextet) and Faisal Sedan (The Qadim Ensemble) on darbuka drum, Arabic riq, and frame drum.
Perhaps even more impressively, and speaking to the team she’s assembled for One True Song, the songs were conceived by KARNEY on acoustic guitar, true to her raw singer/songwriter vibe, and brought to life in part by the full band.From the gentle sound of “Suspended,” to the driving rhythms of “Gave My Guitar Away” and “Out of Body,” KARNEY lets her imagination go where it wants without trying to adhere to any particular genre. Musical influences that can be heard throughout the album include Woody Guthrie, The Pretenders, and Pharoah Sanders as KARNEY explores mystical topics like Eos the Greek sun goddess, or on her unvarnished social justice song “Freedom Summer.”
Anna Karney’s lyrical content offers an impassioned and straightforward approach to many of the issues facing people today. Her influences include Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Patti Smith, John Lennon, Sheryl Crow, Chrissie Hynde, and Joni Mitchell. As an arranger, pianist, and guitarist, she has worked with artists such as George Clinton, Linda Perry, and Dennis Bovell.
“Ring in the Holidays” sees Karney recording all the instruments herself, with co-production, mixing, and mastering by Michael Rosen at East Bay Recorders. Follow Karney at:
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(Photo credit: Tanja Nixx, holiday edits by Anna Karney)
