Get in the Holiday Spirit With Sixpence None the Richer

It’s that time of the year again: Thanksgiving dinner is still being digested, but the waning month of 2024 and final countdown to 2025 has begun. Only Christmas and New Year’s Eve await now.

While Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is sure to tighten its stranglehold as the unofficial soundtrack of the season, Sixpence None the Richer recently released its rendition of Greg Lake’s 1977 hit “I Believe in Father Christmas” as part of the deluxe reissue of 2008 Yuletide cover album The Dawn of Grace. The somber lyrics just feel a little more relatable and realistic at the moment, founding guitarist Matt Slocum explains.

“We thought that Greg Lake tune was just great. It’s classic, really, but has an interesting take on Christmas, which is very relevant and fresh right now,” he says. “I’m stoked that that’s on this project because it’s just such a different view on the commercial side of Christmas. Our Christmas record was already pretty moody and pessimistic anyway, on some levels, so it fits in.” A Black Friday Record Store Day offering, The Dawn of Grace redux also includes new song “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear,” originally a nineteenth-century carol.

The original 2008 album holds a special place in Sixpence None the Richer history, as it served as a quasi-comeback record after the Texas band returned in 2007 following a three-year break. Breathing fresh breath into it felt like the right thing to do, according to Slocum, especially since the group felt The Dawn of Grace initially didn’t get its due credit.

“We’re really proud of it and loved it, but the release kind of fell flat. It really didn’t do a whole lot. When we decided to re-engage and crank up the band again, we got the masters back free and clear,” he adds. “Then we were like, ‘Why don’t we record two new songs and rerelease it on vinyl and give it a proper release?’ So that project is having a second chance.”

But Sixpence None the Richer, which blew up after its 1997 self-titled album with single “Kiss Me” climbed the charts and earned two Grammy nominations, is not content with resting on its laurels. In October, the Christian pop-rockers shared an EP, Rosemary Hill. Slocum, angelic vocalist Leigh Nash, longtime bassist Justin Cary and enduring drummer Dale Baker plan to drop a live album sometime in the spring, recorded at Gruene Hall in the band’s hometown of New Braunfels. “That’s a really big deal for us, because that’s where we grew up and an iconic venue,” Slocum says, adding the release will be part of Record Store Day 2025 on April 12.

But right now, Slocum and company are busy with a national tour, which lands in Denver on Monday, December 2, at the Bluebird Theater; local opener Megan Burtt is also on the bill. “We’re playing extremely early stuff and extremely new stuff. The set list is spanning a wide berth of our catalogue,” shares Slocum, who is also the quartet’s primary songwriter. “With The Dawn of Grace project coming out, we’re including some Christmas music, so there’s a couple tracks off there.”

Sixpence None the Richer is experiencing a renaissance of sorts, thanks to pop star Sabrina Carpenter and rapper LISA from K-pop group Blackpink, both of whom have reimagined “Kiss Me” on TikTok. “It's like we’re getting another go-around in that universe just based on that past success, which is awesome,” Slocum says of the social media effect.

The breakthrough 1997 album was the third release from the band, which formed in 1992; back then, before the global reach of the World Wide Web, radio play and physical album sales determined success, and it took longer to build up momentum. “The industry was completely different then — the way bands broke into the industry and the way they became successful,” Slocum says. "We really slogged it out for years touring in a van and just playing small clubs and working so hard. I think we even had a That Thing You Do! moment. We were rolling down the highway in a van and our music came on the radio....

“Those type of hits we’re really thankful for, because it did put us on the map and people know who we are around the world,” he continues. “People grew up with those songs and are even reinterpreting them in pop culture, which has given us a bit of generational jump.”

Today, a song like “Kiss Me” feels like it “plays itself in the show,” Slocum notes. But it’s also evident that having such a hit and platinum-selling album serves as a nice gateway into a still very active Sixpence None the Richer.

“We ultimately love looking forward and making new music and expressing ourselves the way we want to express ourselves,” Slocum concludes.

Sixpence None the Richer, with Megan Burtt, 7 p.m. Monday, December 2, Bluebird Theater, 3317 East Colfax Avenue. Tickets are $51.