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This past summer a demo writing and recording project took place at London Public Library's central branch. Six artists participated in the pilot program and produced 3 themed songs. To push the artists creative boundaries they were tasked with writing a holiday song. The result are three unique, catchy tunes. The musicians gathered in the Central Library’s Music Rooms to co-write a song then worked with a Fanshawe College Graduate & Audio Engineer in Library London's The LABS to record a demo track. 

'Don't Tell Me It's Christmas' is a co-write featuring Londoners Julia Haggarty & Charlie Weber (of Charlie Weber & The Glorious Failures) .

Singer-songwriters Julia Haggarty (Country) and Charlie Weber (Folk/Rock) come together to tell the tale of two star crossed lovers in their original song "Don't Tell Me It's Christmas". A reluctant Christmas story that tugs at the heart strings, “Don't Tell Me It's Christmas” captures the essence of the Christmas spirit, and how hollow the holidays can be when you can’t spend it with the one you love. “Because a holiday without you is no holiday at all”

JULIA HAGGARTY || Facebook | Instagram | Spotify 

It felt very natural for me to write about being away from home, away from those things that you’ve known and loved since you were a child. As a performer, I've experienced firsthand how valuable time is from being on the road, missing out on special occasions - birthdays, thanksgivings, and yes - even Christmases. It’s a song that I really relate to, and I hope others will too; especially anyone who might be missing that someone special during this holiday season.

CHARLIE WEBER || Facebook | Instagram | Spotify 

I have a tradition of writing holiday songs every other year. Generally, I stick to Christmas movies and niche celebrations like “Festivus” to be my muse but this year I wanted to focus on paying tribute to the melancholy of wartime era songs like “White Christmas” or “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” but with a modern scope. Having the character torn apart by their own ambitions rather than something they couldn’t control.

I walked into the library with an opening line “Don’t Tell Me it’s Christmas” and Julia just ran with it. With her sense of sentimentality and twangy charm, I think we created a Christmas song that not only pays homage to wartime era songs but also brings something new to the table. Producer Alex Emrich made it easy to bounce ideas around and masterfully organized our thoughts helping us realize our vision.