The Holly Bears a Berry video from Cup O’Joe

Irish grassers Cup O’Joe have released a music video for one of the songs on their new Christmas EP, Christmas Kin.

The group includes siblings Benjamin, Ruben, and Tabitha Agnew of Co. Armagh in Northern Ireland, along with Tabitha’s husband, David Benedict, of South Carolina. Benjamin, the eldest, is on bass, with Reuben on guitar, Tabitha on banjo, and David on mandolin. Niall Murphy provides guest fiddle on two tracks.

Christmas Kin consists of their arrangements of six holiday favorites from both the US and the British Isles. For the music video they have chosen the opening track, The Holly Bears A Berry, a Cornish carol believed to have emerged around the turn of the 20th century. Tabitha sings the lead and plays second guitar on this one. It’s simply lovely, as is the rest of the project.

Dog lovers will also get to see Tabitha’s pups, one in the US and other back home in Ireland.

Check it out…

A complete track listing for Christmas Kin includes:

  • The Holly Bears a Berry
  • Christmas Time’s a Comin’
  • In the Bleak Midwinter
  • Sussex Carol
  • Holly Jolly Christmas

The EP can be purchased on CD or as a download from the Cup O’Joe bandcamp page, where you can hear each of the tracks in its entirety.

You can check out all the Christmas bluegrass music we have covered at Bluegrass Today by following this link.

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About the Author

John Lawless

John had served as primary author and editor for The Bluegrass Blog from its launch in 2004 until being folded into Bluegrass Today in September of 2011. He continues in that capacity here, managing a strong team of columnists and correspondents.