Having released one of the year’s most celebrated rock albums and dazzled ecstatic fans across America, Titus Andronicus have much to celebrate. Today, they are cranking up the festive mood yet another notch with the release of their first-ever standalone holiday single, “Drummer Boy,” and the sharing of plans to ring in the new year with additional tour dates across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland.

“Drummer Boy” takes the music of Billy Joel's evergreen anthem “Piano Man” and uses it to tell the story of the nativity from the perspective of “The Little Drummer Boy,” made famous in the 1958 Christmas classic of the same name by the Harry Simeone Chorale. The result is an instantly memorable new addition to the winter holiday canon, sure to please not only fans of Titus Andronicus and Billy Joel, but also “Weird Al” Yankovic and even the Peanuts gang, as bassist R.J. Gordon recites the passage from The Gospel of Luke which was immortalized by Linus in A Charlie Brown Christmas to stirring effect.

“I first connected the dots between the great Billy Joel song and the beloved Christmas standard several years ago, but it got tossed onto the pile with so many of my other crazy ideas,” singer-songwriter Patrick Stickles explains. “Things being how they are, though, I may not have the luxury of time to execute all those crazy ideas, so when we had two days off in Montreal on our recent tour, we figured we’d grab the reindeer by the antlers and cross this one off the list, so as to avoid the pain of eternal regret. Also, I’ve noticed a lot of discourse recently about what constitutes a legitimate ‘parody’ lately, and I’d like to get a piece of that action.”

To create this sterling new addition to the Christmas canon, Titus Andronicus reunited with The Will to Live producer Howard Bilerman at his Hotel 2 Tango recording studio in Montreal, QC, adding a dash of jingling cheer to the “Ultimate Rock” sound which earned The Will to Live such acclaim. Also contributing to the wholesome fun are members of the Canadian rock band Partner, as well as once-and-future Titus Andronicus tour companions Country Westerns.

To make things even cozier, “Drummer Boy” comes packaged in an official lyric video that doubles as a “fireplace for the home,” ensuring that no listener will go without a proper hearth this holiday.

The celebration does not end once the wrapping paper and pine needles are swept away, however, as Titus Andronicus will resume their rigorous touring schedule in February, undertaking an already-announced run of concerts in the UK and Ireland (beginning February 2nd in Limerick), and a brand new heap of North American concert appearances which will carry the Rock Fan’s Rock Band from sea to shining sea (beginning February 28th in Pittsburgh). Tickets for all these dates will go on sale Friday, November 18th at 10:00 AM ET.

Concert tickets are the perfect gift for the Titus Andronicus fan in yr life, but if you are feeling particularly generous, there are plenty more options to be found at Merge Records or the official Titus Andronicus internet store.

Titus Andronicus on tour:
Feb 03 Limerick, IE – Pharmacia
Feb 04 Dublin, IE – The Grand Social
Feb 07 Edinburgh, UK – The Mash House
Feb 08 Glasgow, UK – Broadcast
Feb 09 Manchester, UK – YES (Pink Room)
Feb 10 Leeds, UK – Belgrave Music Hall
Feb 11 Sunderland, UK – Pop Recs
Feb 13 Nottingham, UK – Bodega
Feb 14 Birmingham, UK – Hare and Hounds
Feb 15 Cardiff, UK – Clwb Ifor Bach
Feb 16 Brighton, UK – The Hope and Ruin
Feb 17 London, UK – Moth Club
Feb 18 London, UK – Moth Club
Feb 28 Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird
Mar 01 Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop
Mar 02 Chicago, IL – Bottom Lounge
Mar 03 Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon
Mar 04 St. Paul, MN – Turf Club
Mar 05 Fargo, ND – Aquarium
Mar 07 Great Falls, MT – Newberry
Mar 08 Spokane, WA – Lucky You Lounge
Mar 09 Vancouver, BC – Fox Theater
Mar 10 Seattle, WA – Sunset Tavern
Mar 11 Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
Mar 14 Sacramento, CA – Harlow’s
Mar 15 San Francisco, CA – The Chapel
Mar 16 Santa Cruz, CA – Catalyst
Mar 17 Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom
Mar 18 San Diego, CA – The Casbah
Mar 21 Phoenix, AZ – Rebel Lounge
Mar 22 Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad
Mar 23 Denver, CO – Globe Hall
Mar 28 Omaha, NE – Slowdown
Mar 29 Iowa City, IA – Gabe’s
Mar 31 Bloomington, IN – Bishop
Apr 01 Columbus, OH – Big Room Bar
Apr 02 Richmond, VA – Richmond Music Hall
Apr 04 Washington, DC – Black Cat
Apr 05 Baltimore, MD – Ottobar
Apr 07 Asbury Park, NJ – Asbury Lanes
Apr 08 Brooklyn, NY – Elsewhere (Hall)
Jun 01 McGill, NV – Schellraiser Festival