• Track Listing

A Jockey's Christmas | Willy Vlautin Willy Vlautin, novelist and singer/songwriter for the Americana band Richmond Fontaine, has produced his first spoken word CD. A Jockey's Christmas is a dark comedy about JD, a misfit, overweight, alcoholic jockey whose career has dried up. The story chronicles his adventures on a journey home to Reno to spend the Christmas holiday with his family. A Jockey's Christmas is told in Vlautin's signature style-compassionate, spare, bleak, hilarious-and melds his two loves, music and letters. Running 33 minutes, Vlautin's narrative is accompanied by Paul Brainard's (Richmond Fontaine) pedal steel and Vlautin's acoustic guitar, as well as noted Portland musician Ralph Huntley on accordion. It plays like an old-time radio show, with music woven into the story. A Jockey's Christmas is divided up into seven chapters and is followed by two race-themed bonus songs, each telling the story of the same race from two dramatically different perspectives. Chapters 1. Trying to Get Back Home 2. Dinner With Mom 3. The Brother-in-Law 4. The Drunk Uncle 5. The Crying Sisters 6. The Roofers & The Casinos 7. Christmas Dinner With a Broken Nose Bonus Songs 8. The Track 9. The 5th Race Players Willy Vlautin | vocals, guitar Ralph Huntley | accordion, keyboards Paul Brainard | pedal steel Farnell Newton | trumpet Vlautin's critically acclaimed debut novel, The Motel Life (2007), won the Nevada Silver Pen Award and also has been shortlisted for the Ken Kesey Award for Fiction. His second novel, Northline (2008), is set to be adapted for the screen and directed by Courtney Hunt, whose film Frozen River won top honors at this year's Sundance Film Festival. Vlautin's band, Richmond Fontaine, has been praised internationally for their releases Winnemucca, Post to Wire, The Fitzgerald, and Thirteen Cities. For additional information please contact: El Cortez Records.