Joel Jerome has released a rollicking version of Jose Feliciano’s holiday classic “Feliz Navidad,” infusing it with his joyful brand of Psychedelic Folk Pop. A pervasive if low-key fixture on the Los Angeles indie scene, Jerome is broadly respected and widely beloved as “equal parts singer-songwriter, producer, mentor, svengali and force of nature” (Buzzbands LA) since founding his esteemed indie band dios (malos) from the South Bay in the late nineties.
“‘Feliz Navidad’ has been a staple of my childhood and Christmas memories going back as far as I can remember,” says Jerome. “Truly the most perfect song, simple, memorable and catchy as hell. I recorded it with love in my home studio Joelpetto’s Workshop with constantly revolving vintage and new gear and it gave me the opportunity to use some synths that I recently acquired. Funny thing is I recorded and mixed the song over 2 days on the hottest weekend I can ever remember, a Christmas song in the midst of an evil heatwave.”
Releasing music as a solo artist since 2010, Jerome’s unique strain of psychedelic folk pop shimmers with the warm glow of 60’s harmonic nostalgia. As a prolific producer, Jerome has guided up and coming LA artists such as Cherry Glazerr, La Sera, and Froth and served as mentor and adviser to countless other young bands.
Since its release in 1970, “Feliz Navidad” has become an integral part of the United States cultural fabric and one of the most played Christmas songs of all time in the United States.