Saturday evening, 3rd and Lindsley will host the 13th annual edition of Mike Farris’ The Soul of Christmas show. The Nashville soul man and his hot 12-person backing band take traditional Christmas songs — such as “Silent Night,” “Merry Christmas Baby” and fan favorite “Winter Wonderland” — and give them Memphis soul and funk arrangements. At Saturday’s show, Farris will be accompanied by guitarist-vocalist Kevin Clayborn, bassist Jonathan Nixon, keyboardist Jeremy Nixon, drummer Jordan Hymon, percussionist Giovanni Rodriguez, tenor saxophonist Chris West, trombonist Varney Green, trumpeter Crystal Howard, baritone saxophonist Adrian Barnett and vocalists Sonya Clayborn, Samson White and Kimmi Mont. “It’s hard to describe the show properly, because nobody’s ever done a Christmas show like this,” Farris tells the Scene. “I’ve never heard of a show where somebody’s taken all the Christmas standards and turned them into Memphis soul music. All it takes is for people to come see the show one time, and it’s over.” While The Soul of Christmas shows have become an annual tradition for many fans, Farris doesn’t perform the same set each year. “I look at a whole list of songs every year.”
8 p.m. at 3rd and Lindsley
818 Third Ave. S.
