PORT TOWNSEND — With “Santa Don’t Do It (Shave on Christmas Eve),” “Rockin’ the Nativity Scene” and NPR’s 2002 Christmas song of the year, “Santa Lost a Ho” in the repertoire, it should be a highly irreverent time at the old playhouse this Tuesday night.
That’s when Paul Rogers brings his show, Holiday Hi-Jinx, into the joint, complete with his Christmas Jug Band songs and hum-alongs. With a full band behind him, Rogers will get started at 7:30 p.m. at the Key City Playhouse, 419 Washington St. Tickets are $20 for this Key City Cabaret concert via (360) 385-5278 and www.keycitypublictheatre.org.
Last year’s show sold out, Rogers noted, so he advises buying tickets ahead of time. Christmas attire is strongly encouraged.
The singer-songwriter, who’s played not only with the Christmas Jug Band of San Francisco but also served as the frontman for Those Darn Accordions, is promising to bring his sackful of original holiday numbers, plus Dirk Anderson on bass, Tom Svornich on drums, Kurt Festinger on saxophone and clarinet, George Rezendes on guitar and special guest Carla Main.
As for that “Santa Lost a Ho” business, Rogers says it all began quite innocently.
“When I first got the idea,” he remembers, “it was all about the call and answer between the lead vocal and the background. I was so caught up with coming up with a catchy, sing-songy chorus that it didn’t occur to me right away that the chorus lyrics had some double entendre hidden in them.
“Once I had the first verse and chorus done, I realized where the tune was headed, and decided to just go ahead and stick with the somewhat ribald implications.”
The song pretty much wrote itself after that, with double meanings all over the place.
“It continues to be a song that is enjoyed by little kids and adults alike,” adds Rogers, who adds that it’s taken him places: This past week he flew to Los Angeles to play “Santa’s Lost a Ho” and other selections at a holiday party put on by Comedy Central.
The Holiday Hi-Jinx show is a chance to play songs Rogers has written for the Christmas Jug Band over the past 30 years.
“The catalog has gotten pretty big, and there are some time-tested favorites,” he says.
“It’s all about putting a smile on folks’ faces.”