“Mrs. Claus” Song Release Party at Nanola

Sax-O-Claus and Josh the Elf came to Nanola Sunday night to present their latest “present” to friends, family, and special guests; “Mrs. Claus”.

Yes, Mrs. Claus (played by Kimberly Slater) was present handing out winter and holiday face masks to guests entering the heated tent. It is she, who inspires Sax-O-Claus to be the best in spreading musical cheer and holiday greetings to people throughout the Capital Region and beyond. Mrs. Claus makes sure that Santa Claus has what he needs before he flies on his magical sled to deliver his presents on Christmas Eve. Although Mrs. Claus makes sure that Santa Claus is being taken care of all year, has there ever been a song written about his wife?! No, not until 2020.

(l-r) Josh the Elf (Josh Greenberg), Kaitlyn (vocals), Sax-O-Claus (Luke McNamee), Michael Kelley (piano/vocals), Sonny Speed (Sound Engineer of the song at Son Spot Studio), and Gene Gerome (drums). Photo by Amy Modesti.

“Mrs. Claus” was written by Sax-O-Claus (Luke McNamee) and Josh the Elf (Josh Greenberg). Additional musicians who took part in the making of the song also include Michael Kelley (piano/vocals), Gene Gerome (drums), Don Young (bass/vocals), Johnny Rabb (vocals), Kaitlin, a teenager dressed as an elf for the song release party, and three other child singers who sung on the title track. It was engineered and produced by Sonny Speed of Son Spot Studio in Saratoga Springs.

The story behind “Mrs. Claus” began last year when Sax-O-Claus performed some holiday music to area seniors at a nursing home one snowy night. Upon opening with his first song, he introduced himself to the seniors and told them that he was going to perform songs about a red-nosed reindeer, a jingling bell, a snowman, Santa Claus, and a song about Mrs. Claus. But there was not anything written about Mrs. Claus. A 90-year-old senior told Sax-O-Claus, “Santa, that’s not right! Mrs. Claus should have a song for her, think of all the things that she’s done for you over the years. Every Christmas she makes sure things run right and on time. If she doesn’t have a song already, you should write her one.”

Sax-O-Claus, back home from his show, was shoveling snow at his home the next day. Ideas of song lyrics came popping out to him for this song after the senior told him that Mrs. Claus should have her own song. Sax-O-Claus typed the lyrics on his phone and sent over his song draft to his musical partner, Josh the Elf in a matter of days. With his musical expertise, Josh the Elf cleaned up the draft and began his work to polish the lyrics and added in the melodies and harmonies that would help make the song come to life. The song was written in dedication to Sax-O-Claus’ wife, Kimberly, who’s a nurse and mother who goes out of her way to make sure that everything comes together during Christmas time and year-round. It’s also dedicated to all women who truly deserve the credit they do to keep things together in life and thank them for what they do all the time.

Free food and beverages were provided and served to guests by the Nanola staff. One by one, Sax-O-Claus let guests come up by table to wait their turn to be served their macaroni and cheese, macaroni and tomato sauce, chicken wings, vegetables, chicken tenders, and later on, cake. Sax-O-Claus and Josh the Elf introduced another special guest to join them on stage; Art Fredette, station manager and Radio DJ for RadioRadioX. Fredette debuted “Mrs. Claus” to radio listeners Monday afternoon on his online-only station during the “Local Lunch” hour at noontime.

Sax-O-Claus. Photo by Amy Modesti.

Sax-O-Claus and Josh the Elf kicked off the party with their own renditions of Christmas classics, “Walking in a Winter Wonderland” and “Sleigh Bells”. Following the renditions, Michael Kelley and Gene Gerome joined them on stage to perform their own sing-along versions of “ Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”, “Jingle Bells”, “Frosty the Snowman”, and “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”

No sooner than those tunes were played came the debut of “Mrs. Claus”. Guests were listening to the song recording while finishing up their dinner and dessert. “Mrs. Claus” is a cute and catchy. The playing of the saxophones combined with the marching drum made you feel like you were listening to it in New Orleans with the Cajun flair. Greenberg pays homage to Rudolph, Frosty the Snowman, and Jingle Bells in the opening verse and later continues the dedication to the main star of the song, Mrs. Claus. With its moving parts, “Mrs. Claus” is cute, fun, and catchy. It’s a great tune for the entire family to enjoy on Christmas!!

“Mrs. Claus” can be heard on YouTube and Spotify and can be purchased on music platforms, Amazon Music, Google Play, iTunes, and Apple Music. Seasons Greetings and Happy Holidays to all from Sax-O-Claus & Josh the Elf.