It’s beginning to sound a lot like Christmas, thanks to a new album compiling holiday recordings by Virginia artists.

“Xmas in VA” is the latest release from 12/23 Records, which was founded as part of the Nancy Langhorne Foundation’s mission to harness the season’s spirit of giving to raise funds for cancer research and screenings. With a blend of original compositions and cover tunes — and a heaping helping of Richmond artists, including Deau Eyes, [former RVA-based] DJ Williams, R4ND4ZZO BIGB4ND and Prabir Mehta, among others — “Xmas in VA” is as groovy as it is altruistic.

“We’re trying to do good for people, but we’re also having fun,” says Richard Langhorne Jr., president of the Nancy Langhorne Foundation.

Langhorne’s mother is the foundation’s namesake; her 2017 death from pancreatic cancer was the catalyst for Richard’s decision to take his training and contacts from his time at the VCU Brandcenter and venture into the fundraising realm. Over the past seven years, he’s helped raise more than $70,000, and the foundation was awarded a citation of merit from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for outstanding dedication to patient care, research and education.

“Unfortunately, we weren’t able to save my mom,” Langhorne says. “But through all this money we’ve raised maybe we can save someone else’s through early detection or research.”

Concerts for a cause

The organization’s early efforts at generating funds with festive tunes took the form of a benefit concert held in Norfolk, where Langhorne grew up. Though Nancy Langhorne earned good-natured ribbing during her life for having a limited musical palate — “It pretty much started and ended with Jimmy Buffet,” Richard jokes — her son is fervent fan. He’s been collecting vinyl since he was a student at Maury High School, and he has fond memories of digging in the basement of Plan 9’s prior location across Cary Street while studying at VCU. Another musical highlight from his 2000s tenure as a Richmond resident? The now-legendary Tuesday night DJ Williams Projekt gigs at Café Diem. When it came time to plan the first fundraiser, Langhorne called Williams up out of the blue.

“I’m always looking for ways to give back and use my platform to bring some good in what can seem like a very dark world sometimes,” Williams says. The guitarist, bandleader and former Richmonder didn’t just say yes; he’s showed up year after year, regularly headlining what’s become an Norfolk tradition. “I hope he kind of thinks of the show as his own thing, too,” Langhorne says of Williams.

This year’s event will take place at Smartmouth Brewing Co. on Saturday, Dec. 21 with Williams at the top of a bill that also includes jazz trombonist Natalie Cressman and Grateful Jed, the Norfolk-based Grateful Dead cover band that’s been a lineup pillar since the event’s second year. It’s grown into a family affair, and Williams values the sense of connection.

“It’s already a holiday,” he says, “so you already have that feeling of [being] wrapped up around doing something positive, and the sense of community, I think, is what I enjoy the most about this event.”

A pandemic pivot

So what happens when that community can’t commune? “What are we going to do,” Langhorne remembers thinking when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. “How long are we not going to be able to do this?”

Enter 12/23 Records. Not wanting to lose the momentum his foundation had established, Langhorne pitched Williams on another avenue for fundraising: tapping vinyl collectors’ love of limited-run releases. Once again, Williams said yes.

“No matter what I asked him to do, he’s usually like, ‘Sure.’ He’s always up for anything, which is great.” Langhorne says of Williams. The two started with an EP pressed to seven-inch vinyl. Released in 2021, “Almost Christmas” contains four songs, each giving Williams an opportunity to put his own spin on holiday sounds.

“The ones I wanted to do were ones that, in my mind, I could modernize a little bit,” he says. Side A starts with “Drummer Boi,” Williams’ take on the Christmas classic originally known as “Carol of the Drum.” “I wanted to [bring] that lo-fi, hip-hop vibe to it, to bring a modern, fresh take on songs that have been iconic for so many years.”

That’s just what drummer Kelli Strawbridge did when contributing to “Xmas in VA.” Strawbridge, who assumes the moniker of tan.gent when releasing solo material, has participated in multiple benefit shows, both as part of Williams’ backing band and with Richmond-based rock band Prabir Trio. Strawbridge says he was “blown away” when Langhorne asked him to contribute to the compilation, a request he fulfilled by tracking an updated version of the Jackie DeShannon hit, “Put A Little Love In Your Heart.”

The song doesn’t mention snow or Santa, yet its heart-warming message shines more brightly this time of year, and Strawbridge was struck by the way it bridges the religious and secular eras in the career arc of Al Green. The soul legend reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 duetting with Annie Lennox on “Put A Little Love In Your Heart” in 1988.

“That was how I got introduced to Al Green,” Strawbridge says, “along with some of his gospel records that my parents had… There’s a really intriguing history with that song and with the artists that are involved with it,” he adds. “So I was like, ‘Man, no brainer.’”

The original tunes on “Xmas in VA” capture history in a different way, each giving a glimpse of what Christmas looks like for its composer. Prabir Mehta’s “Xmas Time in Jackson Ward” draws a lyrical map of the spots where you might find Mehta during a secularly festive jaunt around Richmond. “Wishlist,” the swaggering opening track from DJ Williams Projekt drummer Dusty Ray Simmons, sounds like flipping through a velvet-bound photo album of meaningful yuletide moments.

A legacy of impact

There’s extra meaning in the EP 12/23 Records pressed in 2022 featuring James Casey, known in jam circles for his work with Trey Anastasio Band. Casey and Langhorne connected via shared contacts in New York City, where Langhorne has lived for 15 years, and Casey started making the trip to Norfolk for the annual benefit concerts. Casey’s holiday EP, titled “A Little Something For Everyone,” was released amid the saxophonist’s three-year battle with colon cancer. He died in August 2023.

“With James passing away, that added fuel to the fire of the foundation,” Langhorne says.

These days, that fire burns all year long. “Doing this nonprofit for like seven years now, a lot of our stuff — between the records and the concerts — all revolves around Christmas. So oddly, my spare time seems to be 24-7 Christmas.” Coordinating with pressing plants, getting recordings mastered, booking the benefit lineup — Langhorne is never far removed from the carols that typically hibernate until the last six weeks of each year, re-emerging to catalyze season’s cheer.

“It is interesting that these records get worked into a family’s tradition,” Langhorne says. “If you’re a Christmas music family or person, it’s something you look forward to busting out every year, and more so than a normal record, it becomes something that infiltrates their family tradition.”

Langhorne himself is drawn to holiday songs that have gathered some dust over the years — obscure country compositions, for example — and he likes that 12/23 Records can play a part in giving them new life. Multiple artists take up the country mantle on “Xmas in VA.” Ali Thibodeau of Deau Eyes turned in a harmony-coated cover of Dolly Parton’s “Smoky Mountain Christmas,” from the 1986 movie of the same name. Charlottesville jam outfit Kendall Street Company delivered a brass-bolstered take on the jaunty 1973 Red Simpson ode to overland transportation, “Truckin’ Trees For Christmas.”

Vinyl variety

If you’re thinking of spinning these seasonal sounds at home, you’ll find kaleidoscopic color possibilities. Langhorne’s love of vinyl is reflected in the choice of “Xmas in VA” variants, including black, white and clear-splatter options. The first pressing of James Casey’s “A Little Something for Everyone” was on blue vinyl, the second on white. The label’s 2024 output includes “bay rock holiday vibes” on gold vinyl via Grahame Lesh’s “A California Christmas” seven-inch EP. (Grahame’s father, Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead, passed away in October having battled cancer multiple times in his latter years.) Throw in red and green colorways with DJ Williams’ visage on the cover and a scroll through the 12/23 store is nearly as delightful as the music itself.

Langhorne hopes to one day add a live album culled from benefit show soundboard recordings. One notable live recording that made the “Xmas in VA” track list is R4ND4ZZO BIGB4ND’s “SK8N.” The rendition of the classic from “A Charlie Brown Christmas” was performed at Vagabond in 2017. The rest of the album was largely either self-recorded or tracked in studios willing to donate production time. DJ Williams Projekt bassist Todd Herrington contributed a pair of instrumental interludes, while Williams sent in a reverently swinging solo acoustic take on “Joy to the World.” It’s an eclectic mix befitting any living room in which wrapping paper is being torn.

The full album, including contributions from Hampton Roads musicians like Peter Pope and Grateful Jed vocalist Lena Klett, goes online Friday, Dec. 6. Vinyl orders are already live, so fans of physical media should act fast; 12/23 releases do tend to sell out, and Langhorne has indicated that “Xmas in VA” will be a one-time pressing.

“It’s so exciting to see it all come to life,” he says. “I feel like there’s something special about every song on there.”

To hear and purchase “Xmas in VA,” visit 1223records.com. Proceeds benefit cancer research and screenings. Xmas Benefit 2024 will take place at Smartmouth Brewing Co. in Norfolk on Saturday, Dec. 21. DJ Williams Projekt, Natalie Cressman and Grateful Jed will perform. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and music starts at 7 p.m. To buy tickets or make a donation, visit nancylanghornefoundation.com.