So this past Friday I was invited by my aunt and cousins to join them at the Taylor Swift Concert at Gillette Stadium. When my cousin first asked me if I wanted to go, my initial reaction was "I really want to say no....but I won't," and now after having seen her live, I can honestly say, T Swift...you were alright.
I've been to many concerts, probably not as many as other people, but enough to know when an artist is being truly genuine when thanking the audience for attending and paying A LOT of money for tickets. This concert, especially, was gratitude worthy because it rained for the entire show. Not pouring, but enough to make you wet and sort of uncomfortable. These things being said, I sort of felt like Swift was too good for it. I don't know, it just really rubbed me the wrong way that she never really said thank you genuinely.
The joke is really on me, though, because what did I do as soon as I got home? Why, I completed my Red album, of course! Those songs are just SO G D catchy! Curse you, Taylor Swift, I will continue to listen to your music because it's fun, but not because I like you.
p.s. no 22 year old feels that way about being 22....go fill your own gas tank and tell me how you feel when you can't get a full gallon out of the spare change in your car. that's what 22 feels like.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Newport Folk Fest
Unfortunately I won't be in the audience of this year's Newport Folk Fest. Ticket prices, poor timing, you name it, it happened and the dreams of attending this year's sold out weekend festival of folk have been dashed once more. I happened to be lamenting the loss of the upcoming weekend today when I was on NPR's Special Blog Series dedicated to the fest. They are a great source of music, especially for this festival, because they sponsor it! Anyway, I was checking out the line-up for the weekend and found some bands that are MUST listens if you are into folk music. Maybe it's just because I'm older now and feel more comfortable about embracing my music choices, but I really feel like folk is making huge strides in the mainstream and I think that it has a lot to do with the "Homegrown" movement. No matter the reason, I'm a huge fan. Here is a list of some of the performers that people who are lucky enough to be going to the Folk Fest should take the time to see:
Shovels & Rope - This should be a band that True Blood features in their next episode...just sayin'. Anyway, one listen to their title track O' Be Joyful and you will be hooked. It's a southern rock that few bands can nail down, but they've managed it and have managed to sound modern at the same time. Sometimes folk can sound too steeped in the past, not Shovels & Rope. They bring it to the present with catchy drum beats and a more garage-y sound.
Hurray for the Riff Raff - I can't even begin to describe how in love with this band I am. People have told me that I rarely give bad reviews of bands on my blogs, that's because I'm not in this to talk about how I don't like people. I'm here to tell you what I love and can't stop listening to. This is a band that I cannot. stop. listening to.
Spirit Family Reunion - A band that I am truly devastated that I won't be able to see this weekend, they are a truly incredible band. There are so many moving pieces in this group; instruments, people, voices, harmonies, melodies, and so much more...passion? I know that they love this life and they love making music. Oh yea, did I mention they have a washboard?!
Shovels & Rope - This should be a band that True Blood features in their next episode...just sayin'. Anyway, one listen to their title track O' Be Joyful and you will be hooked. It's a southern rock that few bands can nail down, but they've managed it and have managed to sound modern at the same time. Sometimes folk can sound too steeped in the past, not Shovels & Rope. They bring it to the present with catchy drum beats and a more garage-y sound.
Hurray for the Riff Raff - I can't even begin to describe how in love with this band I am. People have told me that I rarely give bad reviews of bands on my blogs, that's because I'm not in this to talk about how I don't like people. I'm here to tell you what I love and can't stop listening to. This is a band that I cannot. stop. listening to.
Spirit Family Reunion - A band that I am truly devastated that I won't be able to see this weekend, they are a truly incredible band. There are so many moving pieces in this group; instruments, people, voices, harmonies, melodies, and so much more...passion? I know that they love this life and they love making music. Oh yea, did I mention they have a washboard?!
Jake Bugg
Definitely worth it to listen to this 19 year old. This kid will probably be called the next Bob Dylan, but that's just because his voice is vaguely similar, other than that I really don't think that he's anything like Mr. Dylan. I find him to be more of a British Buddy Holly.
Bugg gives off the feel that he just rolled out of bed and decided he was going to be a musician that day, in the way that only a 19 year old could. He plays his guitar with passion and precision, showing audiences and fans that he isn't just a cool voice, but also a talented musician.
By no means am I the first to break the news on Jake Bugg, but for those that read I felt that I would have been remiss not to mention this kid's rising star. That and I'm really digging his album!
Bugg gives off the feel that he just rolled out of bed and decided he was going to be a musician that day, in the way that only a 19 year old could. He plays his guitar with passion and precision, showing audiences and fans that he isn't just a cool voice, but also a talented musician.
By no means am I the first to break the news on Jake Bugg, but for those that read I felt that I would have been remiss not to mention this kid's rising star. That and I'm really digging his album!
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Current Obsessions
I get obsessed with things relatively quickly, but it never lasts long. It really ties in with the fact that I am such an impulsive person and like to try new things in bursts. Music is not exempted from this way of thinking, I am always getting on kicks of listening to a particular artist or genre for days straight. The same really goes for my movie choices; I don't think it's a surprise that I once watched The Goonies every day after school for a month straight!
Here is a list of my current obsession:
Vampire Weekend: the entire new Modern Vampires the of the City album - When I first purchased this album I was only listening to it in the car and wasn't really appreciating the music at hand. I was constantly being distracted by driving (what?!) and getting in and out of the car while in the middle of a song. I like taking the first few listens of a new album to decide whether or not I like something, and I wasn't really giving myself the chance. I decided to listen to the album while I was baking. It would give me plenty of time to hear everything in its entirety and also to listen to it loudly; who doesn't blast music while baking for friends? Anyway, all of that being said, I fell in love with this album and haven't stopped listening to it since!
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis: Same Love - This song gives me the chills, I love it so much! I believe in equality for everyone, and even though this song really only hits at the issues that the country is currently having regarding same sex marriages, I think that it extends beyond that. Every civil rights movement has music to help it along, and this song and artist are really climbing the charts with a message of change for the better.
Kanye West: The entire Graduation album - This probably should have been posted in my previous post about revisiting your music, but man. I cannot stop listening to this album. I've always really liked how Kanye collaborates with a lot of different musicians and is constantly using new sounds and samples for his songs, it makes his music interesting and fun to listen to.
BOY: Little Numbers - I often contribute my musical findings to NPR and urge people to go onto their website whenever possible to check out All Songs Considered. BOY came to my attention through a sort of "up and coming artist" post and now I can't help myself. I listen to this song a couple of times a day and haven't gotten sick of it yet! It's light and breezy, which makes for a great summer song.
The Avett Brothers - 2009 live performance from Newport Folk Fest: Again, NPR, thank you for being such a huge part of my musical education. I first found out about The Avett Bros through my friend Kendra, she had sent me a song called "If It's the Beaches," and since listening to that one song I have become an enormous fan. I haven't made it to the NFF yet, but I really hope that they are playing when I do, because this live performance from a few years ago is the definition of awesome.
Those are my obsessions for right now, but tomorrow they might change. What are the things you are listening to/obsessed with right now? Do you listen to them on repeat until you can't take it anymore? It's a slippery slope! Beware!
Friday, July 12, 2013
revisiting
Music is a huge part of my life. I sing, pretend to play a lot of instruments, and listen to music almost every minute of the day. I realize that seems like a lot, but I'm constantly listening to my iPod, Pandora, GrooveShark, or (GASP) the radio! Given that I'm constantly trying to find new music, sometimes the older music that I have doesn't get played as often. Inspired by this, I decided to whip out a couple of bands that I love listening to, but tend to save for special occasions....a.k.a. me trying to impress people with a cool music collection....
The first of two bands that I've reclaimed listening to is a band that I'd heard, but then forgot about. I didn't even remember them on my own, it was because this one single kept playing when I was catching up on Parks and Rec on NBC. It wasn't even FOR Parks and Rec, it was for the new show on Showtime! Anyway, the song is by a band called Dead Man's Bones. What you say? Zach Shields and Ryan Gosling's band? Uhrrrmmm YES. This is amazing, and creepy, and bold. And I love it! The specific song Lose Your Soul is absolutely bone chilling, but eerily beautiful at the same time. I sort of feel like I'm listening to Halloween (the holiday, not the movie). The clapping and slow build up in the beginning of the song lead into quite soulful vocals. Ryan Gosling makes a surprisingly great lead man and really knew how to bring his personal vibe to this band. I once read an interview with Gosling in Esquire about how he loved growing up in Disney World, mainly because he was fascinated with the lives of the people that played the real life Disney characters. I'm clearly paraphrasing here, but how cool and interesting would it be to hangout with Mickey when he has his body, but not his head on? It give me chills to think about the childhood dreams that you must have to get over pretty quickly in that setting. I digress, the entire album is full and well rounded, and I definitely recommend giving this 2009 release a listen.
The next band is Elbow. They are a British band that can date back as far as 1998 (not exactly the stone age, but I was in 4th grade if that gives you some perspective). Anyway, as stated in previous posts, I love U2; I have for quite some time. It should come as no surprise to anyone that I also really love Coldplay and Oasis....and pretty much every other alternative band that has come tumbling out of Great Britain. I started listening to these guys about a year ago at the recommendation of one of my sister's closest friends. At first I was hesitant, not because I don't love getting music recommendations, but because their band name is Elbow. For real, guy? I set my naming differences aside finally and was impressed with the bands use of string instruments. I wish that I heard a violin or a cello more often in modern music, especially in an uplifting way. There is a reason why those two instruments are popular picks for weddings, IT'S BECAUSE THEY MAKE BEAUTIFUL MUSIC. Sorry. The long and short of it is that Elbow has mastered the use of strings and your everyday rock band to form something unique. Once you hear them you'll get it and you will probably be just as hooked as I am! Take a listen to their most recent album here!
The first of two bands that I've reclaimed listening to is a band that I'd heard, but then forgot about. I didn't even remember them on my own, it was because this one single kept playing when I was catching up on Parks and Rec on NBC. It wasn't even FOR Parks and Rec, it was for the new show on Showtime! Anyway, the song is by a band called Dead Man's Bones. What you say? Zach Shields and Ryan Gosling's band? Uhrrrmmm YES. This is amazing, and creepy, and bold. And I love it! The specific song Lose Your Soul is absolutely bone chilling, but eerily beautiful at the same time. I sort of feel like I'm listening to Halloween (the holiday, not the movie). The clapping and slow build up in the beginning of the song lead into quite soulful vocals. Ryan Gosling makes a surprisingly great lead man and really knew how to bring his personal vibe to this band. I once read an interview with Gosling in Esquire about how he loved growing up in Disney World, mainly because he was fascinated with the lives of the people that played the real life Disney characters. I'm clearly paraphrasing here, but how cool and interesting would it be to hangout with Mickey when he has his body, but not his head on? It give me chills to think about the childhood dreams that you must have to get over pretty quickly in that setting. I digress, the entire album is full and well rounded, and I definitely recommend giving this 2009 release a listen.
The next band is Elbow. They are a British band that can date back as far as 1998 (not exactly the stone age, but I was in 4th grade if that gives you some perspective). Anyway, as stated in previous posts, I love U2; I have for quite some time. It should come as no surprise to anyone that I also really love Coldplay and Oasis....and pretty much every other alternative band that has come tumbling out of Great Britain. I started listening to these guys about a year ago at the recommendation of one of my sister's closest friends. At first I was hesitant, not because I don't love getting music recommendations, but because their band name is Elbow. For real, guy? I set my naming differences aside finally and was impressed with the bands use of string instruments. I wish that I heard a violin or a cello more often in modern music, especially in an uplifting way. There is a reason why those two instruments are popular picks for weddings, IT'S BECAUSE THEY MAKE BEAUTIFUL MUSIC. Sorry. The long and short of it is that Elbow has mastered the use of strings and your everyday rock band to form something unique. Once you hear them you'll get it and you will probably be just as hooked as I am! Take a listen to their most recent album here!
Monday, July 8, 2013
Working Out
It's no surprise that I usually make a new playlist every time I workout. I find it dull and sort of monotonous to constantly have the same few songs playing for days upon days, so I like to mix it up. I do have a couple of tracks that are my go-to's, especially because they really pump me up, but I try to bring a new flavor to my workouts when I can.
This is what my playlist consists of for today (or tomorrow's) workout:
Young The Giant- My Body
The Violent Femmes- No Sleep Tonight
Jimmy Eat World- The Middle
La Roux- Bulletproof
Icona Pop- I Love It
Calvin Harris Ft. Ellie Goulding- I Need Your Love
Kanye West & Jay Z Ft. Frank Ocean- No Church in the Wild
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Ray Dalton- Can't Hold Us
Kanye West- Stronger
Little Mix- Wings
Foo Fighters- Best of U
Green Day- Brain Stew
The Strokes- Last Nite
Sugababes- Untouched
There's no real order to how I listen to these, but I will start a run on My Body only because it makes me feel like if I can get through at least a 3 minute song than I can keep up the momentum for another.
What's on your workout list? I'm always up for new things to listen to for motivation!
This is what my playlist consists of for today (or tomorrow's) workout:
Young The Giant- My Body
The Violent Femmes- No Sleep Tonight
Jimmy Eat World- The Middle
La Roux- Bulletproof
Icona Pop- I Love It
Calvin Harris Ft. Ellie Goulding- I Need Your Love
Kanye West & Jay Z Ft. Frank Ocean- No Church in the Wild
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Ray Dalton- Can't Hold Us
Kanye West- Stronger
Little Mix- Wings
Foo Fighters- Best of U
Green Day- Brain Stew
The Strokes- Last Nite
Sugababes- Untouched
There's no real order to how I listen to these, but I will start a run on My Body only because it makes me feel like if I can get through at least a 3 minute song than I can keep up the momentum for another.
What's on your workout list? I'm always up for new things to listen to for motivation!
Monday, July 1, 2013
Summer Tracks Part II
What with this not being my full time job (unfortunately), I had to take a break the last couple of weeks from posting. Mostly because my job was driving me nuts, but also because I hadn't had time to experience much new music. This weekend I made the effort to do some research and find a couple of bands that I hadn't heard before and also update the Summer Tracks playlist that I have on Grooveshark (take a listen here)!
Again, I didn't have a ton of time, but I was able to take some suggestions from friends and listen to:
Rhye
The Mowgli's
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
Though I wasn't able to do a whole lot of research on these guys, I know that I really dig all three sounds. None of these bands are similar, at all, and that is why I like them so much. Listening to them back to back to back made me really appreciate each one separately.
In other news, this weekend was spent with friends that I don't see often enough and also with family whom I I will never be able to see enough of. Saturday, the friends and I, went out in Allston and were able to do some fun exploration of the locals restaurants and bars. I'm always hyper aware of the music in the venues that I hang out in, so it was fun to hear 3 different establishment's take on what was Saturday night music. The first place we went to we were serenaded with some seriously rad punk music (I'm talking The Ramones, Sex Pistols, Patti Smith, etc..), then we went to a pretty normal Saturday night bar where Journey was being remixed with a Neyo song, finally we topped it off with some classic rock/nothing that could ever offend anyone at the last bar we went to. Though we weren't there for the music, I had a great time hopping from genre to genre!
I hope that everyone listens to American History Rock (School House Rock) at least once through this week, I know I will! Have a Happy 4th of July, Everyone!!
Again, I didn't have a ton of time, but I was able to take some suggestions from friends and listen to:
Rhye
The Mowgli's
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
Though I wasn't able to do a whole lot of research on these guys, I know that I really dig all three sounds. None of these bands are similar, at all, and that is why I like them so much. Listening to them back to back to back made me really appreciate each one separately.
In other news, this weekend was spent with friends that I don't see often enough and also with family whom I I will never be able to see enough of. Saturday, the friends and I, went out in Allston and were able to do some fun exploration of the locals restaurants and bars. I'm always hyper aware of the music in the venues that I hang out in, so it was fun to hear 3 different establishment's take on what was Saturday night music. The first place we went to we were serenaded with some seriously rad punk music (I'm talking The Ramones, Sex Pistols, Patti Smith, etc..), then we went to a pretty normal Saturday night bar where Journey was being remixed with a Neyo song, finally we topped it off with some classic rock/nothing that could ever offend anyone at the last bar we went to. Though we weren't there for the music, I had a great time hopping from genre to genre!
I hope that everyone listens to American History Rock (School House Rock) at least once through this week, I know I will! Have a Happy 4th of July, Everyone!!
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