If it’s Christmas at You Ain’t No Picasso, that means it’s Mixmas! These twelve days give me a chance to turn You Ain’t No Picasso over to the musicians I cover and allow them to showcase some of their favorite songs through a themed mix.

MP3: Bishop Allen – Click Click Click

If you were a regular or even casual reader of You Ain’t No Picasso any time since I started it in 2004, then you’ve no doubt heard me talk all about Bishop Allen. They’re a great band and one that always gives me something to be excited about. The newest is their third LP, Grr…, out in March on Dead Oceans.

“Mixmas-a-Go-Go: A Video Playlist” by Justin Rice of Bishop Allen

Need some new dance moves for 2009? Try these guaranteed winners.

YOUTUBE: Shirley Ellis – The Clapping Song
Find some friends. Wear striped shirts. Kick your legs. Clap, slap. Shirley guides you through it at 1:26. “Take the tops of your palms and slap your thighs and watch the fun materialize.”

YT: The Castaways – Liar, Liar
Try anything with your arms. Egg beater. Bus stop. Wiggle, wiggle. Howl. Sing falsetto. Add a bendy guitar.

YT: We 5 – You Were On My Mind
Start mellow. Save it for the key change and the end. Bopping works. Arm swinging. Everybody sing. Use your jagged teeth.

YT: Del Shannon – Runaway
Dance circles around Del, but only after you get an amazing hairdo. Note that he looks out of place, like he’s from a different era, but that it works for him. When the organ comes in at 1:06, it will all make sense.

YT: Box Tops – The Letter
This one is weird. Start with a bumbling constable werewolf. Wait until 1:28 for the music. Where’s the band? Uncomfortable in the background. Sixteen-year-old Alex Chilton, why are you hiding? Pick a costume: Cleopatra, nurse, cowboy, witch. Stop the music at 3:20 for an awkward interview and a pumpkin giveaway. Start the song again at 8:26. Finish the dance you started earlier.

YT: The Knickerbockers – Lies
Anything goes. Swing your hair like crazy. Big arm crawls. Let the sax player sing. Focus on him a lot. Again: swing your hair like crazy. Stand in front of the band while you do it.

YT: Beau Brummels – Laugh, Laugh
Couples dance. Put more in with your elbows than the song expects. Those three girls in the back, are they professionals? Indeed.

YT: The Shangri-Las – Right Now and Not Later
Introduce people with jibber-jabber. Try leather pantsuits. Maybe vinyl. Couple lasso and ballerina moves. Clap. And scream! Believe in the Shangri-Las.

YT: The Seeds – Pushin’ Too Hard
Work on your silhouette. High up in a balcony, do something like calisthenics. Try plaid pants, a long wig with bangs, or an Indian brave feather. When the instrumental kicks in at 1:01, bring it all together. Never let up.

YT: Hollywood a Go Go Opening and Closing
It’s strange to imagine that variety shows like this played on network TV. Around 1965, teen dance parties were all the rage. For the next hour the word is “the go go”? Booker T and the MGs as the house band? Studio audiences whistling, clapping, shaking, and shouting? Dance moves abounded. Amazing bands played amazing songs.

You Ain’t No Picasso Mixmas 2008
Ivana XL | Henry Clay People | These United States | Cotton Jones | The Bicycles | Pas/Cal | Parenthetical Girls | BOAT | The Boy Least Likely To | Peelander-Z