LUSTRA’s J. Adams Re-emerges As Old Grey Horror for New Potty-mouthed Festive Favorite “Sh*t Christmas” (XOFF Records)

Old Grey Horror’s J. Adams in character for the “Sh*t Christmas” music video (CREDIT: David Pitcher, @pitcherpictures)

Jason “J.” Adams was the guitarist of LUSTRA (FKA Seventeen) from about 1998-2006 and again in 2008 after a brief hiatus and co-wrote their big claim to fame, "Scotty Doesn't Know," which was prominently showcased within 2004 Teen S*x Comedy EuroTrip. The film features actors Scott “Scotty” Mechlowicz, Michelle Trachtenberg (RIP,) Lucy “Xena” Lawless, Diedrich Bader, Kristin Kreuk, and Matt Damon, amongst others. Adams has since been earnestly working on readying his own solo project/band, Old Grey Horror, and released its sprawling concept album, THE TOWER, back in 2022. Old Grey Horror has now followed up THE TOWER with “Sh*t Christmas,” which evokes a similar energy to what LUSTRA harnessed on “Scotty Doesn't Know” with some holiday flare and sh*t mixed in for good measure. I’ll let Adams take it from here. Old Grey Horror’s “Sh*t Christmas” is now available on Spotify and like-minded digital streaming services and the companion music video is available to view in all of its nearly 7-minute glory right here.

“How does one follow up a cult classic hit song?” I've thought for years I should try and capitalize on the success of [LUSTRA’s] “Scotty Doesn't Know” [“S.D.K.,”] which has been streamed 320 million times on Spotify alone. I was held back by a few things:

1.) … as much as I love “S.D.K.,” the Pop-punk style is a bit facile, and the concept is pretty crass.
2.) … what on Earth would I write about?
3.) … how on Earth could I match its production quality?

“I was greatly encouraged by the recent uptick in popularity of “S.D.K.,” but these concerns still held me back—until I had a raft of terrible news in December 2024, followed by the LA Fires in January 2025. These bad developments were so sudden and relentless, I felt I just HAD to write about it. And, then, I remembered back to when we were trying to think of a name for our band in college. We didn't know it at the time, but the members of this band would become a sort of who's-who of successful entertainment industry heavyweights. One of them, Jon Baird (author and film/TV writer) suggested we all our band Sh*t Christmas. We didn't adopt this name, but roundly agreed it was a really funny phrase. I started writing the song. This was actually a pretty academic and meticulous process. I really wanted it to feel like a “creepy old Christmas song,” but, also, be something singable. I made a very careful study of famous Christmas songs and Medieval Folk songs. I analyzed tempos, chords, melodies, song structure of the biggest Christmas songs. I counted words and syllables. I very carefully emulated the style and structure of “S.D.K.,” using certain tropes, but careful to use different keys and intervals and meter. I ran it by Scott Riebling, who recorded “S.D.K.” and he was very encouraging and helpful. I contacted Zac Morris (formerly of Ugly Kid Joe, currently with HU3M3N) to play drums. He's so good. He played a handful of songs for me on [Old Grey Horror’s] THE TOWER (2022,) but this time, I had him tune the drums as he liked. I borrowed and bought fancy new mics and a new speaker cabinet. I, also, dragged in Brad Dujmovic to play some piano on the bridge. He mixed THE TOWER for me and is one of the most brilliantly musical people I know. I wrote gobs of lyrics and tweaked and refined them relentlessly under the advice of my writer friends. I was very lucky to get Paul Hager to mix the song. He's worked with tons of big names and he's SOOOO good. I had it mastered by GRAMMY [Award-]winner Emily Lazar.”

“I'm enormously proud of the result. It's like a dark, raging “S.D.K.” Like “S.D.K.” on steroids. The main riff is bigger and meaner, the guitars are crunchy and sugary, like a Mexican Coke. And I believe it speaks to a lot of people experiencing common holiday stresses: family tensions, health trouble, terrible travel delays, [and] natural disasters. Celebration of The Winter Solstice is a truly ancient tradition. It's all about celebrating that turning point when The Sun starts to come back to us and the days get longer. The ancients built [The] Pyramids and Stonehenge and stuff to help them know when they could, maybe, tap into their food stores, maybe, sacrifice some livestock and party a little. I feel [Old Grey Horror’s] “Sh*t Christmas” is a litany of grievance and rage set to a bouncy and irresistible groove. I think people will be able to relate—especially, that stressed out person hiding in a dive bar to get away from their crazy family situation. I, also, made a ridiculous video. My friend, David Pitcher (@pitcherpictures on Instagram) and I have worked unceasingly for weeks on an impossible schedule to finish it. I wanted to do something like those videos from the Golden Age of “big event” videos in the 80’s and 90’s. It's self-indulgent and dark, but, also, slapstick and funny and fun. I hope it makes people laugh. Lastly, I want folks to have a care for others who might be having a hard time. Some folks are having a terrible time during the holidays and they need all the help we can give them. If anyone is feeling suicidal or badly depressed, there's help available—consider visiting Crisis Text Line for free, confidential mental health support.”