Photo: Jason Stoltzfus

Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country presented a seasonal celebration this past weekend. Dubbed Christmas Jam, the two-night musical event launched on Friday, Dec. 5, with a roster of special guests that included Ronnie McCoury, Maggie Rose, Kris Myers, Lindsay Lou, Kyle Tuttle and more, performing original songs, jam classics, and Yuletide odes on the Brooklyn Bowl Nashville stage. Over two nights, continuing on Saturday, December 6, the ensemble of Music City vets queued up a series of debuts, collaborations, and longform musical moments custom-tailored to the audience’s liking. 

Friday started with Mike Drassler on steel guitar and Jon Radford lending assistance with percussion during set one opener, “Rose In A Garden,” from Cosmic Country’s 2023 LP Reflector. The guests remained on stage, helping the four-piece with an original, “Broadside Ballad” fused with the traditional, “Hangman’s Reel.” The previously mentioned number helped broaden the evening’s book of music through the arrival of Doc Watson-associated “Darlin’ Cory,” which subsequently doubled as Kyser George’s entrance. The guest picker remained on stage for a first-time cover of Tony Rice’s “Cattle in the Cane,” and the Grateful Dead played “Jack-a-Roe.” 

Next, Kyle Tuttle took the stage, joining the group and adding banjo and vocals during the night’s debut of Charlie Monroe’s “Bringing in the Georgia Mail,” and Junior Parker’s “Mystery Train.” During Donato’s initial live performances of “Lonesome Feeling,” he picked up the acoustic guitar, with Tuttle accompanying him on banjo and Lou on lead vocals during the Osborne Brothers tune. For the next song, Donato, Tuttle, and Lou gathered around a single mic for the traditional “Banks of the Ohio” and a first-time take on John Prine’s “Christmas in Prison.” For their last feature of set one, the group went with a cover of “Hard to Handle.”

Friday’s second set kept the good times and debuts coming, including the first “Rocky Raccoon” by The Beatles, and The Band’s “Up on Cripple Creek.” Also included was a fiery sequence of Allman Brothers material, “Blue Sky” into “Jessica” with added percussive aid from Myers, who also stuck around for Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire.” Before ending the night, the group returned to originals via “Luck of the Draw” into “Sugar Leg Rag.” And, they punctuated the event with a holiday exclamation point on “Run Run Rudolph,” a song the Dead also covered on Dec. 10, 1971. 

Night two continued the spirit of the 2025 Christmas Jam opener with the heater “Angel From Montgomery” featuring Maggie Rose and Peter Levin, who continued their stage time by helping with a first-time cover of “Sugaree.” Hank Williams’ “Lost Highway” also represented a debut. As for originals, Donato treated the crowd to a new song he’s been working on, “Up The Creek.” Subtle moments with significant impact included a stunning rendition of “Wayside (Back in Time)” and “I’ll Fly Away.” The latter signaled the end of set one. 

Set two was a relatively standard affair, with no debuts. Instead, the band opted for mostly originals, “Fortunate Sparrow,” “Forgotten Days,” and “Valhalla,” before busting into a stream of covers that included “Boogie Man,” lyrically shifted to “Santa Claus,” and the Ricky Skaggs-associated “Country Boy,” before their own material took them to the end of the frame. Without pausing, the night’s encore consisted of “Half Moon Night” into Hank Williams’ “I Saw The Light” and a reprise of the segment starter to shut down the two-night occasion. 

Before the year comes to an end, Donato will participate in Warren Haynes’ Xmas Jam at the Exploreasheville.com Arena in Asheville, N.C., on December 13. Tickets remain on sale.

Daniel Donato’s Christmas Jam 2025 

Brooklyn Bowl Nashville – Nashville, Tenn.

Dec. 5, 2025

Set I: Rose In A Garden 1 2, Broadside Ballad > 1 2, Hangman’s Reel 1 2, Darlin’ Cory 1 2 3, Cattle in the Cane (FTP) 1 2 3, Jack-A-Roe 1 2 3, Brining in the Georgia Mail (FTP) 1 2 3 4, Mystery Train 1 2 3 4, Lonesome Feeling (FTP) 1 2 5 6 7, Banks Of The Ohio 8, Christmas in Prison (FTP) 8 9, Hard to Handle (FTP) 1 2 5

Set II: Blame The Train 1 2, Cosmic Country Gardens 1 2, Passin Through (FTP) 1 2 7 10, Kentucky Mando Jam 1 2 7 11, Rocky Raccoon (FTP) 1 2 7 11, Daniel Prayed (FTP) 1 2 7 10, Up On Cripple Creek (FTP) 1 12, Blue sky > 1 13, Jessica 1 13, Fire 1 13 14, Luck Of The Draw > 1 2, Sugar Leg Rag 1 2

Enc.: Run Run Rudolph 1 2

Notes: 

[1] Mike Drassler On Steel Guitar 

[2] Jon Radford On Percussion 

[3] Kyser George On Acoustic Guitar

[4] Kyle Tuttle On Vocals And Banjo

[5] Lindsay Lou On Lead Vocals

[6] Kyle Tuttle On Banjo 

[7] Daniel On Acoustic Guitar

[8] Single Mic With Daniel On Acoustic/Vocals, Kyle Tuttle On Banjo/Vocals, And Linsey Lou On Vocals

[9] Nathan Aronowitz On Harmonica 

[10] Ronnie McCoury On Mandolin And Vocals

[11] Ronnie McCoury On Mandolin 

[12] Kris Meyers On Vocals And Drums 

[13] Kris Meyers On Drums 

[14] Nathan Aronowitz On Lead Vocals And Guitar

Daniel Donato’s Christmas Jam 2025 

Brooklyn Bowl Nashville – Nashville, Tenn.

Dec. 6, 2025

Set I: Sunshine In The Rain (Strange Presence), Angel From Montgomery > 3 4 5, Sugaree (FTP) > 3 4 5, Angel From Montgomery (Reprise) 3 4 5, Lost Highway (FTP) 6, Ooh, Las Vegas 7, Up The Creek (FTP) 8, Sugar (FTP) 8, Me And Jesus (FTP) 8, Wayside (Back in Time) 9 10, Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down (FTP) > 9 10, Reuben’s Train 9 10, I’ll Fly Away (FTP) 9 10

Set II: Fortunate Sparrow, Forgotten Days > , Valhalla > , Boogie Man 11, Country Boy, Faded Lovin’, Dance In The Desert 12 13

Enc.: Half Moon Night > , I Saw The Light > , Half Moon Night (Reprise)

Notes: 

[1] Mike Drassler On Steel Guitar (Set)

[2] Jon Radford On Percussion (Set)

[3] Maggie Rose On Lead Vocals 

[4] Peter Levin On Keys 

[5] Nathan Aronowitz On Guitar 

[6] Alicia Blue On Acoustic Guitar And Vocals 

[7] Alicia Blue On Vocals

[8] Dee White On Acoustic Guitar And Vocals 

[9] Willow Osbourne On Banjo And Vocals 

[10] Daniel On Acoustic Guitar 

[11] Replaced “Boogie Man” With “Santa Claus” 

[12] Drum Solo Intro 

[13] Nathan Aronowitz On Guitar And Keys

Setlists and notes via danielbase.com.