Today I want to celebrate my little sister on her birthday. On birthdays, I like to look forward to the year ahead while celebrating the year that just passed. That is why I chose this song today for her birthday and as my wish for her to have joy in the upcoming year. It has been a crazy and challenging year, but I know that the future looks good. 🙂
Having sisters is a gift and I was blessed with 3 of them! I am the third of four girls, and my little sister was a distant fourth … almost 5 years younger than me. For her birthday today, I have to share (probably to her horror!) one of my favorite music memories of her.
Back in the day, my little sister lovedMadonna and Michael Jackson. She loved the song “Beat It” SO much that she recorded it on a cassette tape over and over again. I did not know this until we got into the car for a family road trip. As we sat in the back of the van, on this fabulous bed that my dad had built, she blasted on the boom box “Beat It” over and over and over again. I can tell you that I wanted to BEAT her. I am not sure that I ever really liked that song again after that trip. To be honest, I am not sure she did either. 😉
As for today’s song, OneRepublic is probably one of my very favorite bands. I don’t think there is anyone quite as cool or talented as Ryan Tedder, and there is not a song that I don’t like. This song is from their 2016 album, Oh My My.I have been lucky enough to see OneRepublic in concert several times and they never disappoint. They are truly even better live than recorded.
It’s Throwback Thursday! Today’s #tbt song is from the 1993 album Sister Sweetly by Big Head Todd and the Monsters.
I love this song! It is so incredibly soulful.
I was first introduced to this song at a yoga class taught by Alex Austin at At One Yoga while I was living in Arizona. What an amazing song for yoga and Alex was an amazing yoga instructor. (I still miss his classes)
The reason I decided on this song today is that I was just able to see Big Head Todd and the Monsters perform a few weeks ago at the Greenwich Wine+Food Festival and I was totally excited to hear this song live. (In fact, I think I cracked Todd up because I was right at the edge of the stage singing my heart out! lol)
Big Head Todd and the Monsters – happy they played my song! 🙂
The song was as great as I remembered and I have now, once again, been listening to it all the time. Don’t you find that you sometimes need a song reminder? My iTunes library has over 2500 songs and then you add my Spotify library to that list … I could listen to music every single day and never hit the same song twice. I was thrilled to get this reminder.
I hope you enjoy this easygoing, soulful song by a band that has been performing for over 30 years together. In case you wondered, Big Head Todd and the Monsters can still rock! 🙂
It’s Throwback Thursday! Today’s #tbt song is by one of my favorite groups and is the perfect song for today in China!
I am feeling very lucky to get to be with my Princessin China, and today we are off to see the jewel of China.
We are heading out to hike the Great Wall of China. We are not going to the refurbished, tourist section of the wall, but instead we have hired a guide to take us out climbing and hiking in a much more rugged area. I did a lot of research and our guide came highly recommended by many people who I spoke with from all over the world. (That, in itself, was fun! I reached out to people from all over the world regarding a shared experience and we instantly connected. Friends are everywhere!) Anyway, this sounds like the perfect adventure for me and my daughter. I am so excited and imagine I will have some great pictures to share.
Today’s song just resonated with me for an adventure day in China. I am so excited to be here and the video is an awesome look into the romance and allure of China. “Princess of China” is from Coldplay’s 2011 album, Mylo Xyloto. We saw Coldplay in concert following this album. It was the second time the entire family went to see Coldplay in concert – the first time was at Wembley Stadium in London in 2009 and the second time was in Dallas in 2012 – and so Coldplay is always at the top of my list as a family favorite.
Off to conquer the wall and marvel at a wonder of the world. I am feeling blessed today.
I have not been very good at keeping up with my blog over the last few weeks. Funny how life gets in the way of things.
Amazingly, I have been at this blog now for an entire year! It has been such an interesting adventure. What I thought would be an easy undertaking was not always quite as easy as I thought it would be. Sometimes it became overwhelming and I have to admit I avoided it, but mostly it has been a fun experiment, a great way to share and explore my passion, and an incredible learning experience. As I evaluate the blogging experience of the last year, I can now begin to set new goals and work on improving.
Thank you for sharing this adventure with me. I hope that you have enjoyed the ride as much as I have, and I appreciate you hanging in there with me. New things are on the horizon. I can’t promise how quickly they will come, but they are coming … just as soon as I get this thing called life under control. 🙂 Speaking of which … so much to share with you in my next blog posts.
I am sharing a fabulous song with you today. It is one that I have liked for a long time from Oklahoma native Samantha Crain‘s 2013 album, Kid Face. I love her voice and her natural sound with that guitar. The words to this song are perfect!
Last weekend I made a very spontaneous decision after learning that my husband’s flight would be coming in late. I grabbed my purse and walked down the street to see a concert at the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC. It is a renowned venue in the city and one that I had not been to yet. A show was playing there that night that I had wanted to see and so I was glad that I got the opportunity. Samantha Crain was the opening act and she was delightful. She is a small person and it was just her and her guitar on that huge stage; however, she was able to warm up that audience with her humorous stories, great songs, and fabulous music. Her music was captivating and enjoyable. I loved hearing the songs that I already knew and I heard many new ones that I can’t wait to have released. Enjoy.
Just a quick note tonight before the clock turns to midnight and it is no longer Throwback Thursday. I just got home from a fabulous concert. I will write more about it tomorrow, but Matt Nathanson played an acoustic set and I just had to post one of my very favorite songs by him. He performed this song tonight and it just reminded me once again how much I love it. He was his usual fantastic self on stage – part comedy, part sexy dancer, all fabulous musician.
Last week I had the privilege of seeing Vance Joy live in concert. Sirius XM Radio hosted a private concert in The Studio at Webster Hall – a very small, intimate venue. The concert was amazing! I absolutely loved the venue, the intimate setting was incredible, and the sound was fabulous. (Pictures below include the setlist which was taped to the floor by the microphone and the stage setup prior to Vance Joy taking the stage.)
Vance Joy (real name James Keogh) is just what you would expect from a strapping young Australian – tall, dark, and handsome. 🙂 He is actually just adorable. He has this gorgeous curly dark hair and a very shy, serious face that intimates all of his emotions when he sings. When he cracks a smile, it melts the room.
He seemed a little shy on the stage and was not a big talker, but certainly kept the music flowing and the audience entertained. He has a great band, all of whom seem to be enjoying themselves, particularly the drummer. I loved watching the drummer; there were certain songs when I looked at him and he had the biggest smile on his face that I have ever seen – it looked like pure joy.
One of my very favorite things about live shows, particularly when it is just an artist and their guitar (essentially), is to listen to the clarity of the voice. Vance Joy did not disappoint! What an incredible voice, the instruments were just a nice accompaniment to him.
I invited a friend to accompany me for this show and we stood right at the stage edge immediately in front of the microphone. Seriously, my purse sat on the stage at Vance Joy’s feet. We literally could not have been any closer! There were moments when I wanted to reach up and strum the guitar. Not really, but you know that feeling when you think, “… if I just reached up I could ….” Some people feel that way about jumping off the edge of a cliff … not me, I just want to reach up and play the guitar. 🙂
I posted Vance Joy‘s most popular song, “Riptide” as the Song of the Day back on August 2, 2014. Since that time, the song has grown in popularity and his debut album, ‘dream your life away‘ was released earlier this month (in fact, it was on September 9 in the US – the day of this concert). The album is fantastic and is loaded with great songs. I highly recommend checking out the entire album; it has a lot of variety and I think all of the songs warrant attention. It is hard for me to just recommend a couple of songs, but if I had to pick a couple in addition to “Riptide” and today’s song, I would definitely recommend checking out “Mess Is Mine” (odd video, but cool song) and “My Kind Of Man” (if you want to see pure emotion from a singer and an incredible voice, check out this video!).
I love today’s song and the title really resonated with me this week. No wasted time going on in this home right now – we are in what you would call M-O-T-I-O-N! Enjoy the video and Vance Joy‘s music. Keep your eye on this young man from Melbourne, Australia, he is certainly a rising star! If you get a chance to see him live, particularly in an intimate venue, I would strongly recommend it.
The last two weeks have been incredibly action packed. My daughter finished up her second year of college and moved home, we flew to Arizona for my niece’s wedding, my daughter moved to D.C. for the summer for an internship, AND my son just got cleared to return to golf by his surgeon late last week.
All of it has been very exciting, but it was such a happy day when my son got cleared to play golf after the devastating injury he experienced on March 28 when he broke his left wrist just as golf season was beginning. He has been a trooper during the whole ordeal and has remained incredibly positive. He worked very hard with his therapist and his improvement is amazing – they say he is at 85% of flexibility and strength, which means he can begin to play. Hooray! Because he broke two bones and hyperextended the other area of his wrist, tearing all his ligaments, the doctor told him he will probably experience pain in the area of the hyperextension for 6-10 months! Yikes!
He essentially missed the entire high school golf season, but he was able to participate in a school golf tournament qualifier last Wednesday. It was his first real golf match since February, and the first time he had picked up a club in 9 weeks. He still has soreness and gets swollen when he plays, but he was anxious to get out there. He played amazingly well for his first real round of golf, but he missed qualifying for the tournament by one stroke. Pretty amazing for a kid who hasn’t played all season! He was obviously a little disappointed about being the 5th man, but he understood how difficult it is going to be to work his way back into his game.
The next morning, however, he got a text from his golf coach saying, “You are in! Early release at 1:45 for the tournament.” My son had been selected to play in the tournament after all. He thought maybe one of the other guys had a conflict for some reason, but what he discovered was even more amazing. The Captain of the golf team – a senior – had given up his spot to let him have the opportunity to play in a school tournament this season. The entire team was disappointed when my son got injured because they knew he was an asset for the team; however, this was one of the kindest things that I have seen a teenager do for someone else. He was thrilled to get the opportunity and went out and played that day shooting the second best score on his team and the third best score overall at the tournament. Nothing like a little motivation to help with your Mojo! 😉 Hopefully this is the beginning of my son’s “Comeback Story.”
With all the crazy and mean things that go on with teenagers today, I just really wanted to highlight something wonderful. I hope this young man who gave up playing that day for his younger teammate realizes how much he positively impacted my son, and what an incredible example he set for all those who saw his act of kindness. I think it speaks volumes about this young man’s character and I wish him the very best as he heads out of high school and onto his next adventure.
This song is from Kings of Leon. While living in London I really fell in love with the music of Kings of Leon … they were huge in the UK, much more so than they were in the US. It is really in the UK where they first experienced success with their music. Unfortunately, it was just a few years later in 2011, after I had moved to Dallas, that they had their infamous disaster show in Dallas where frontman – Caleb Followill – walked off stage and they did not finish the show.
The band is composed of three Followill brothers – Caleb (lead vocals & guitar), Nathan (drums), and Jared (bass) – along with their cousin, Matthew Followill (lead guitar). They just put out a new album – their 6th! – in September of last year called Mechanical Bull. This song is from that album and I really like it; the perfect song for today. I would love to see that they have pulled themselves together and can continue making the great music they are known for, rather than being known for all the rockstar party drama that has surrounded them since their initial success. We shall see, but hopefully this great song off their new album is, in fact, their “Comeback Story.”
I walk a mile in your shoes … And now I’m a mile away … And I’ve got your shoes.
I am so excited! Tonight I am off to see Sting and Paul Simon in concert at Madison Square Garden. I have had the tickets for months, and I am really looking forward to finally getting to see them live. I have been a fan of these two artists nearly my entire life, and their music holds a special place in my heart.
It was difficult to pick just one song today because I love so much of the music from both of these men … both as soloists and in their previous groups. Who doesn’t love Simon & Garfunkel and The Police? I grew up on that music and still love it. I finally decided to pick my very favorite song by Sting. I know you probably know this song, but I hope you won’t mind listening to it again. I think it is one of the most beautiful songs ever written and I love the haunting sound and lyrics. I think Sting is one of the coolest guys in the music industry.
Okay, heading to the train in about 10 minutes … so excited!
Well, the GRAMMY awards are over and now back to recognizing ALL the good music that is out there. I find the awards interesting; there are so many artists that are incredible that never get any recognition. I would love to understand how the voters pick their nominees and how the voting process occurs. I find it funny that they honor lots of “old-timers” in current shows because they never actually won a GRAMMY back in the day when they should have been honored. Oh well, I guess it is just one method of honoring artists … the other is a celebration by us, as music lovers and fans, as we honor and enjoy the wide range of musical talents and genres. So, back to the music …
Today, I am sharing a song from one of my favorite bands (I know, I have a lot of favorites ;)!) The Script is an Irish band that I have been in love with for many years. I distinctly remember when I first discovered them. It was 2008 and we were living in London. I was on the high street getting my hair cut. The salon was pretty hip and they had a great radio station playing. Suddenly this song starts to play and I immediately love it! So, the whole time I am sitting there getting my hair finished, I am trying to remember all the words to the song because I had not been paying attention when they introduced it and said who it was or the name of the song.
I walked home and immediately told my kids: “I just heard the best song and I need to figure out who it is! The song was about a guy who is sitting on a corner and he has a sign …” My daughter rolled her eyes at me, sat down at the computer, and said, “I’m probably going to need more to go on than that.” But we begin googling new songs, new artists and some of the words I could remember and sure enough … we figured it out! It was “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved” by The Script. It was then, and still is, one of my favorite songs.
The Script is comprised of three Irish guys (a self proclaimed Celtic Trio) – Danny O’Donoghue, Mark Sheehan, and Glen Power – who are incredibly talented song-writers, musicians, and singers. They are great storytellers and write a lot about their life and love. Some of the topics they have covered are the death of parents (The End Where I Begin, If You Could See Me Now), and troubles that friends and family were having, particularly during the economic downturn in Ireland (For the First Time, If You Ever Come Back). They have released three albums: The Script (2008), Science & Faith (2010), and #3 (2012). Based on that history, I am hoping for a new album this year. All three albums are fantastic and very different from each other, but I tend to have a stronger connection to the first two albums even though I love several songs on #3. Check out all their music because I can’t even begin to list the songs I would recommend. Today’s song is from #3 and I love the word play that they use – “Six Degrees of Separation.”
I did not get to see The Script perform live while I was living in London, but I have seen them 3 times back here in the States! They are incredible live! They are funny, personable, down-to-earth, and sound even better live than recorded. They have opened for some incredibly big names, such as Paul McCartney and U2, both of whom personally sought them out because they were so impressed with their talent.
With that background, I have some exciting news! The Script is touring with OneRepublic this year … two of my all time favorite bands together! Does it get any better than that?!! I am thrilled and can’t wait for the concert. My entire family loves both bands so it will be a great family show. I have to say that The Script and OneRepublic are two of only a handful of bands that I wouldn’t have to beg my husband to attend with me. To top it off, American Authors will also be touring with them. 🙂
Today I am posting a song by one of my favorite musicians. Ryan Star is a true artist and I find his music just incredibly beautiful, unique, and full of some of the most intense emotion that I have ever heard.
Ryan is from Brooklyn, New York and is performing tonight in NYC for his new album release “party.” Luckily, I get to see him at a private show in the city on Thursday night. I have been waiting months for this performance and I am incredibly excited to see him perform in a very intimate setting.
I saw Ryan Star live in concert in February 2012 at The House of Blues in Dallas when he was touring with Andy Grammer. I was lucky enough to get an opportunity to meet him and spend a few minutes chatting. He is one of the nicest guys I have had the pleasure to meet.
With this album, Ryan broke from his big recording label and turned to his fans to help fund production of the album with Pledge Music. It is a credit to him that he reached – and then exceeded – 100% of his goal with the support of his faithful fans (of which I am one!).
I hope you enjoy this song, but if you are not familiar with his music, I would strongly encourage you to take a few minutes to explore his songs. You will probably find a song or two that you might have heard before, but did not realize was him, and you will definitely find some music that you will love. I literally like nearly all of his music so it is hard for me to pick just a few to recommend, but I would suggest “Last Train Home,” “Stay Awhile,” “Losing Your Memory,” “Breathe” and “Start A Fire.” I told you it would be hard for me to pick just a few – believe me there are more I could list. 😉
I will definitely post some more photos of the event on Thursday night and will hopefully have a few interesting tidbits to share about Ryan himself.
Big Head Todd and the Monsters – happy they played my song! 🙂
