In the past I've only mentioned Krampus in passing. But seeing how it's the holiday season once again and Krampus-mania has seemingly reached critical mass. I figured that the time was finally right to dedicate an entire episode to this once obscure figure.

There is one night a year when the mythical creature known as the Krampus comes out. It is called Krampusnacht and happens on December 5th. Though the event I attended happened a few days earlier, I found myself at Annabell's in Akron Ohio for their annual KRAMPUSNACHT which found a gaggle of Krampuses, or also maybe refered to as a pride of Krampi, parading down the mean streets of Akron looking for naught girls and boys. Not only was it visually captivating, but the incredible sounds of the bells and chains was almost deafening at times. The regular group that usually assembles for the annual KRAMPUSNACHT was joined this year by Krampus of Cleveland which was lead by Brian Karn from Beards Of The Old Northwest. There were some really intricate masks and costumes that were constructed by each individual who participated as their own personal "Krampus" . It was a interesting experience to say the least and was full of a lot of education on the history of the Krampus.

I would like to thank my fellow beard club member Brian Karn for having me down to witness my first KRAMPUSNACHT. I was able to talk with him and hear how he got interested in the world of Krampus tradition and how it has evolved into a family passion. Joined by his brother Jerry Karn and nephews, the family has really got behind this Austrian tradition which is now sweeping the nation. I was also able to talk to other participants that were at the event in their portrayal of this horned goat beast. I got various stories on how each got involved and learned a little back story on where the tradition came from.

When I arrived home after the event I still had a lot of questions that needed to be answered. I went to search the web for information pertaining to the Krampus and where it came from. I watched a bunch of YouTube videos on the subject but wasn't impressed on the information provided. I finally came across a very informative, well spoken history of the Krampus. It was presented by a guy named Phil Albertelli who does a great podcast called The Week in Doubt Podcast. The video had some really great images and pretty in depth historical information that I was looking for. I reached out to Phil to see if I could share his material with The Beardcaster audience and he graciously, and gladly, said yes. I used the audio in my podcast to help share the history, tradition, and current trend of the Krampus. I thank Phil for letting me share his hard work with you all and hope you also learned something exciting as well! Please consider checking his podcast out by clicking here and subscribing.

An additional cool thing that happened was that one of the people I interviewed of the street happened to be someone who I had ties to from many years ago. You will hear me talk to a guy named Joe, who was with a girl named Jenn. We caught up later in the evening after and talked about the music scene around the area and he told me about his current band, Something Involving a Monkey, and gave me a CD. I asked if I could play it if I thought it was good and he said sure. Well, I listened to the disc 2-3 times on the way home, I thought it was great!!! I end the show with a track from their newest album, Dive Into The Great Blue Waffle, called EYE. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, I know it is a little different but enjoy!