​Christmas is a lame holiday celebrating the fake birthday of some guy who probably never even existed. And that's just one reason why it sucks, which is why January 8 is a way better day to get your party on.

For those who don't know, January 8 is Elvis Presley's birthday. Depending on which camp you reside in, either Elvis would have been 77 years young this Sunday or he is turning 77 years young (by that, I mean either you think he died Aug. 16, 1977, or you think he is still alive). Personally, no straight man on this planet loves the King of Rock 'n' Roll more than I do (although rumor has it Elvis is even more popular on Uranus), but even I don't think he's still living. I sure as hell wish he was, but that's another story. 

A few years ago, some friends coined a term called "Elvismas" and instantly I knew they were onto something. As a total atheist-leaning agnostic who hates standing in crowded lines at the mall even more than he hates all the religious aspects of Christmas, instantly I knew that Elvismas was something I could get behind.

I understand this holiday is new to you, so to help I'm offering these five tips that will get you in the Elvismas spirit. And if none of these work, you could always fall back on the unspoken sixth rule, which more or less equates to getting shitty drunk until you pass out. But I guess you don't really need Elvismas to do that.
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​So many big names, so little time. Have you ever seen this many gigantic parties in Orange County happening on the same weekend? Sure, the OC Fair's annual New Year's Eve block party is always loads of fun, but Tiesto is performing in Santa Ana. White Wonderland (with Paul van Dyk and Kaskade) will be at Anaheim. Even KCRW's Jason Bentley will be deejaying at the Detroit Bar! What the heck? Check out what else is happening this weekend after the jump. 
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Sterling Taylor

​One of our favorite discoveries of 2011, the very retro chamber-folksters the Loom, have just released their version of "Auld Lang Syne." Why? They said, "When choosing a holiday song to record, we were looking for something secular that also felt in keeping with the spirit of our music. Well-trodden as this song is, we feel we recorded a version that achieves that sonically, and that lyrically also expresses a sentiment of appreciation, which kind of feels like what we'd like to say at this time of year." Listen to it after the jump. More >>

​We get a lot of free music here at the Heard Mentality offices on a regular basis, but this holiday season, record labels want us the share and gift that music with impunity. Which is great, because if you're anything like me, you're a sucker for good Christmas songs but don't always know how to seek them out. Here are five great new ones that are going to be on permanent rotation--from the funny country music duo Joey+Rory, a free song from the Spinto Band, alt-rock band Diamond's cover of "Christmastime is Here,"  electro-pop quartet Body Language's "Holiday" to Seattle songwriter Shelby Earl's sweet "This Christmas is for Us."
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Myspace.com

The first of our bands to cover the hymn "O Holy Night," Florida natives Go Radio tear into the piece with an anthemic, My Chemical Romance-like gusto. Originally released just last month on Fearless Records' holiday compilation 'Tis the Season to Be Fearless, the amped-up carol features slashing guitars, melodic piano, martial drums and angelic backing vocals that add up to an emo-tinged Christmas slammer. It may not be the way Adolphe Adam pictured his compostion over 150 years ago, but it's suitably epic for the occasion.More >>

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​This year, OC/LB bands have come together to provide us with a smokin' holiday soundtrack called the White Elephant Mix. Wildboys clearly enjoy a party, so the holidays afford them many opportunities to do what they do best. "Clubbin' Around the Christmas Tree" is a funky electro splice job that features snippets of several Yuletide classics.More >>

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​(Click on the band's picture to hear their new holiday tune!) More >>