Migrant Motel Tells all in Christmas Interview

Today we are happy to be joined by Migrant Motel’s David Stewart, JR. – (Vocals/Guitar/Bass); Chava Ilizaliturri – (Drums). Thank you guys for giving us your ear for a few minutes to chat about Santa, Decorating, and more, so let’s get started!

Hot chocolate, Eggnog, or Apple Cider?

D: Hot chocolate (with a shot of Bailey’s 😏)

C: Hot chocolate 🙂

Do you have a favorite holiday scent?

D: I have 2 – Christmas trees and Honey Baked Ham!

C: No, not really I like all the various scents of Christmas.

What are you most thankful for this year?

D: These might sound Cheesy, but they are sincere: I’m Thankful for my family, my friends, and this new banging team we have for the band!

C: I can say the same thing to be honest – great friends, my parents doing well and I am always Thankful to be part of our beautiful band and blessed to be making music with my brother, David.

Do you enjoy decorating?

D: Yes but I get very lazy, I have a wreath up in my apartment and that’s about it! 😁

C: Haha, Nope. But my girlfriend does – so I go along.

Let’s settle the debate: does the Christmas tree go up after Halloween or after Thanksgiving

D: After Halloween 100%! And it should be left up until Valentine’s day, LOL

C: We do not celebrate Thanksgiving in Mexico – but I late November/early December, for sure.

Do you have any Christmas traditions? If not, are there any that you would like to try or start?

D: Tons! We wait until Midnight to eat, and then open some Presents early. Then we stay awake as long as we can, waiting for Santa to come… 😉

C: I don’t have many Christmas traditions. The one I do have is a nice dinner with my lifelong friends every year, those are always very special and create great memories.

How long did you believe in Santa?

D: I still do.

C: Till I was 10, I believe.

Do you do your Christmas shopping early, or are you a last second shopper?

D: I try to do it early – Thanks for the reminder, will do it right after this interview.

C: I am such a grinc here – but I do not like that part of Christmas – I think it is overly consumer focused. I think it takes away from what should be the true meaning of the holiday, which is just sharing time with your loved ones and appreciating each other. I’m not much of a Christmas shopper.

What does Christmas mean to you?

D: A special time to enjoy with loved ones, focus on appreciation and gratitude.

C: Same here – spending time with friends and family. 🙂

We all know Christmas dinners mean some of the dishes that we’ve been craving like homemade dressing, grandma’s turkey and ham. What is the dish you are most looking forward to digging into come Christmas dinner?

D: Peruvian tamales are the MUST have.

C: In Mexico we have turkey as well, but I prefer some of our traditional dishes such as Racalao (fish) and Romeritos (a dish which is hard to explain, but it is made by a mix of Romero leaves and sauces). I do have to say, I dream of having a big ass bucket of KFC for Christmas someday!

What are your plans this year for Christmas?

D: Spending time at home with my family! Wear pajamas for a few days and eat tamales until I’m stuffed.

C: Just chill with my parents, nothing fancy – eating lots of good food and watching some Christmas movies such as Jingle All The Way, and more, HA HA!

Do you have to have snow to really make it feel Christmas or could you live without it?

D: Not at all! I grew up in Florida and now I’m in Los Angeles. I don’t need cold weather to make it feel Christmassy.

C: I have lived without snow all my life – it doesn’t snow in Mexico City, so I am used to it.

Are there any Christmas tunes you like to put on to set the Christmas mood?

D: The classic Peruvian Villancicos are amazing! They’re a bunch of minor tonal children’s choir songs that out of context sound super creepy… But I grew up listening to them on the holidays – so they are a MUST for me at Christmas.

C: Yes, absolutely, we play the usual Christmas classics from the anglo world but in our “posadas” (pre-christmasparties in Mexico) we always play the traditional “villancicos”, which are our Christmas tunes songs such as “Los Peces en el Río”, “El Burrito Sabanero” to name a couple. I also always play the album “Navidades’ by Luis Miguel (Legendary Mexican Pop Singer) which are basically the Classic Christmas songs everyone knows but sung in Spanish. He has an iconic voice.

We see it every year, something new is made smelling or tasting like pumpkin spice. What are your thoughts? Overkill, bring it on, or really do not care?

D: BRING. IT. ON!

C: Haha, I do not really care – but I do enjoy some Christmas versions of hot chocolate or coffee that are sold during the season.

Do you have any memorable Christmas memories from your childhood or recent that make Christmas a memorable time of year?

D: Honestly the memories haven’t changed all that much from when I was growing up! Mostly Panettone, amazing food, hanging out until past midnight and just sharing nice moments.

C: Spending time with my parents – that was always the best part of Christmas for me.

From The Grinch, Santa Claus, Home Alone, there’s tons of Christmas movies to get into the Christmas spirit, Rank your top 5 Christmas movies.

D: ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’; ‘A Christmas Carol’; The ‘Home Alone’ series, ‘Jingle All the Way’, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.

C: I like is watching the classic Christmas movies, “Jingle All The Way”, “Home Alone”, “Elf” ; The Santa Clause series, and so on.

Who would win a fight: Santa or The Grinch?

D: 100% the Grinch – more specifically Jim Carey’s Grinch.

C: I agree with David, The Grinch for sure. But I do like South Park’s version of Santa. I can totally see him beating the shit out of the grinch! 🤣

We want to thank David and Chava for joining us! Migrant Motel is got off the release of their single Shame, the Offical music video can be watched below, also connect with the band and follow them on all social media platforms at their links 👇