Premiere: Band of Merrymakers' 'Must Be Christmas'

In the tradition of Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas? and the A Very Special Christmas compilations comes Band of Merrymakers, a new holiday supergroup.

Must Be Christmas, the brainchild of Better Than Ezra singer/guitarist Kevin Griffin and songwriter/producer Sam Hollander, premieres at USA TODAY. The track features Griffin, Lady Antebellum's Charles Kelley, Neon Trees' Tyler Glenn, 311's Nick Hexum and Fitz of Fitz and the Tantrums, as well as members of The Mowgli's, 3OH!3, Smallpools, Sinclair and The Honeymoons.

The single will be available for digital download beginning Nov. 17 from The End Records, and portion of proceeds from the single's sale will benefit the MusiCares Foundation, a charitable arm of The Recording Academy that provides a safety net of critical assistance for music people during times of need.

"I jumped at the opportunity" to participate, Fitz said in a news release, "because I believe so deeply in what (MusiCares does) to try and help musicians. They have helped so many of my friends."

Griffin and Hollander, the co-writer of Train's Marry Me and co-writer/producer of We the Kings' Check Yes Juliet, created the Band of Merrymakers project as a way to raise money and awareness for causes and charities important to them. They envision Band of Merrymakers as a rotating Yuletide supergroup, with members changing each year.