Michael Maloney, a UMB student double-majoring in music and health science, is no stranger to making music. He has already recorded one album and is currently in the process of recording his second. Maloney describes his music as autobiographical. “I am an optimistic person, an ‘up’ person, so my music is usually happy and uplifting,” Maloney says. “My music is inspired by the world around me. I like to go for a walk, get out of my room, and be stimulated by the sights and sounds that surround me and the people in my life.”
Combined with this love for music is his love for Christmas. While he can be counted among the thousands, perhaps millions, who claim Christmas as their favorite holiday, he is even more fanatical than most. This past August, Maloney got the idea to write an original Christmas song.
In keeping with the reason for the season, Maloney decided to sell his song and donate 100 percent of the proceeds to Boston Children’s Hospital. Maloney notes, “I was just kind of pondering the upcoming months and was overcome with excitement for the holiday season.” He added, “I got the notion to do a scaled-down version of Band Aid and the whole ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ thing.”
At a very young age, Maloney himself was a patient at Children’s Hospital. He was diagnosed with Legg-Perthes, a degenerative disease causing the underdevelopment of the hip joint. Maloney was told that he would need hip replacement surgery before he finished puberty. However, with the help of the nurses and doctors at Boston Children’s Hospital, Maloney did not require surgery and is now an able-bodied 21-year-old. This is his way of giving back to the hospital that helped him, and will help so many others. Says Maloney, “They have done so much for me; they encouraged me through my physical therapy. I still meet with my orthopedic surgeon every two years. He has been great, and I just wanted to give back to the place that has done so much for me.”
While he originally had only one song in mind, he ended up writing three holiday songs, and soon after recorded the “Maybe This Christmas” EP. Wanting his music to appeal to as many people as possible, he recorded three songs that fit the seasonal motif: “Maybe This Christmas,” “Snowfall” and “Rockin’ Rudolph.”
“When it comes to the three songs, I didn’t want to rush into it,” Maloney said. “I concentrated on one song at a time. ‘Maybe this Christmas’ was the first one I wrote. I wanted it to be successful and make it appealing to as many people as possible.” “Rockin’ Rudolph” is a ‘50s era rock-style song. Meant to appeal to youngsters, it is about Rudolf getting an electric guitar from Santa and rocking. “Snowfall” is an even more secular tune. It is about cuddling up on a cold night with the one you love and enjoying the moment.
As noted on the EP’s Facebook page, “All of the proceeds from these songs will be donated to Children’s Hospital. The funds raised will help pay the medical costs of patients whose families cannot afford care, purchase essential medical equipment, support pediatric research, and provide training for incoming pediatricians.”
You can buy one song (99 cents), two songs ($1.98), or all three ($2.97) from iTunes, Napster, Rhapsody, Tradebit, and Zune. If you are unable to make a digital contribution, or would like to make a donation, you can email Maloney at [email protected]. For more information you can also check out his Facebook page: www.facebook.com/michaelmmusic.
