Nick Lowe guests with Los Straitjackets at Monty Hall in Jersey City (WATCH VIDEOS)

by JAY LUSTIG
Nick Lowe, Los Straitjackets

Nick Lowe performs with Los Straitjackets at Monty Hall in Jersey City, Dec. 8.

Los Straitjackets‘ Dec. 8 concert at WFMU-FM’s Monty Hall in Jersey City was billed as a “Holiday Bash,” and it lived up to its name with a surprise appearance by Nick Lowe.

Introduced by Los Straitjackets’ Eddie Angel as “Señor Nick Lowe,” he performed four songs with the surf-rock group, including a swinging romp through the holiday standard “Let It Snow” and a slow version of “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding” (most famous as recorded by Elvis Costello & the Attractions, though Lowe wrote it). You can watch videos of both songs, below.

Los Straitjackets released an album featuring instrumental versions of Lowe’s songs, What’s So Funny About Peace, Love and … Los Straitjackets, earlier this year. Lowe and Los Straitjackets also toured together in 2014.

In a press release announcing the release of What’s So Funny About Peace, Love and … Los Straitjackets, Angel said: “Recording these songs reminded me what a great melodist Nick is. Everybody knows that he writes great lyrics, but he doesn’t always get credit for his amazing melodies. The fact that the songs stand up as instrumentals is proof of that. And I think that we managed to bring something new to the songs, which is what you hope to do when you’re covering other people’s material.”

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