A Jockey's Christmas (CD) -- signed

Special Offer: Order any of Willy's books and get the CD for only $5.00! SHBS will deduct the $5.00 when processing your order.

Willy Vlautin, novelist and singer/songwriter for the Americana band Richmond Fontaine, has produced his frist spoken word CD. "A Jockey's Christmas" is a dark comedy about JD, a misfit, overweight, alcoholic jockey whose career has dried up. The story chronicles his adventures on a journey home to Reno to spend the Christmas holiday with his family. "A Jockey's Christmas" is told in Vlautin's signature style - compassionate, spare, bleak, hilarious - and melds his two loves, music and letters.

Running 33 minutes, Vlautin's narrative is accompanied by Paul Brainard's (Richmond Fontaine) pedal steel and Vlautin's acoustic guitar, as well as noted Portland musician Ralph Huntley on accordion. It plays like an old-time radio show, with music woven into the story. "A Jockey's Christmas" is divided up into seven chapters and is followed by two race-themed bonus songs, each telling the story of the same race from two dramatically different perspectives.