Folk Angel's Comfort & Joy Earns Billboard's Number Four Folk Album, Offers Free Download

By Daniel Hopkins Wed., Nov. 30 2011 at 3:33 PM

Categories: DFW Music News

A typical day at Folk Angel's house.

If you're searching iTunes for Christmas music, because who isn't at this time of year (avoids eye contact with office Hanukkah observers), it won't take long before you run across North Texas' Folk Angel and their new album Comfort & Joy. Less than two weeks after its November 15 release, the record has landed in the number four position on Billboard's Folk Albums chart.

Pretty impressive for four dads with 9 to 5 jobs.

For Hunter Hall, Caleb Carruth, Jeff Capps and Ryan Duckworth, the project is a labor of love -- one that is beginning to pay off handsomely, especially considering they recorded it over the course of a few nights a week throughout October. It's nothing new for them, though. They've been making Christmas music together for a while.

Every year since 2009, the band has digitally released a record of lo-fi, folky Christmas music to increasingly warm reception, which explains why this year's 11-song offering -- the first two were only EPs -- is the band's biggest yet. Each recording offers different takes on old holiday jams along with an original song. They generally draw from the public domain because the songs are classics and, well, free to use.

It seems to be paying off nicely. When asked how the album was selling in a recent DC9 interview, Hall joked, "I'm gonna get platinum teeth." Ah, yes. The spirit of Christmas is strong with Folk Angel.

Hit the jump for a free download of "The Christmas Tree," Comfort & Joy's single original song.

Folk Angel - "The Christmas Tree"