Summer Update

Hello music lovers everywhere!

There was a storm so we had to take shelter in the
Cold Spring distribution center. Lucky us, we got
stuck with the LoCash Cowboys!

Today I was lucky enough to get my hours cut at work so I got to leave 5 hours early!! Then again, I really need the money, but with working at the rink AND at the fabric store last week, I got in over 45 hours. Along with working at the magazine this week, I'm okay with a little break! What did I do with 5 extra hours you ask?! I was on YouTube!! I watched a lot of concert videos of the LoCash Cowboys because after seeing & meeting them on Saturday, I am definitely now a big fan of theirs! They're kind of like a weird blend of Justin Moore, Jason Aldean, and Love and Theft. Their music is country-rock, but they also have some really heartfelt songs that are quite emotional. Any band that can be both "bad" and emotional is quite talented and should be well respected, in my opinion. The LoCash Cowboys (Preston and Chris) are also two extremely nice and funny guys. I'm going to have to see them live again (and this time actually know some of their songs!). And uh... I kind of have a thing for Preston now ;)

Along with watching LoCash videos, I uploaded my own videos from past concerts this summer! I even created a new YouTube page just for my concert videos that coordinates with this blog. the URL is www.youtube.com/MyConcertPlaylist. Check it out for concert videos from Taylor Swift, NKOTBSB, and Ingram Hill! These are all three concerts that I still have yet to write about for this blog. I will get to it someday.

This summer has been the absolute BEST summer for concerts EVER! I have seen all of my all-time favorite bands and artists (minus two--Shania Twain & Justin Moore). I have even seen some bands and artists that I wasn't expecting to like, but now I'm a fan! I only have two concerts planned for the rest of the summer now; The Band Perry at the Iowa State Fair (we're going to make this concert into a mini-vacation because we're going camping afterward!) and then Hunter Hayes at Toby Keith's Bar & Grill in St. Louis Park! It's quite ironic that my first concert of the summer was Hunter and he will also be my last concert of the summer.

For the rest of this entry, I have some songs that are currently ON REPEAT in my iTunes:

1. "Home Life" - John Mayer
I heard this song play at my work one day and I had to have it! It's got such a cool sound and has very different lyrics. It's especially a good driving song.

2. "The Luxury of Knowing" - Keith Urban

Just... wow. Truthfully, I have yet to get Keith's "Get Closer" album, so I never heard of this song before until Hunter Hayes tweeted about it! This song just comes straight from the soul.

3. "Don't Stop Dancing" - Matthew Morrison

If you're down in the dumps and need a feel good song, listen to this! It really does make me want to dance. I love the high notes Matthew hits in this song. It sounds like a song from the 90's but with a current hip guitar. I think it's Matthew's former LMNT boy band voice that makes me feel like it could be from the 90's--but that's not a bad thing at all! It makes the song even sexier ;) I am also fond of this song because the first time I heard it was LIVE when Matthew opened for NKOTBSB (see the video I took below!) and at the end of his song, he did a dance tribute to his three heros; Gene Kelly, Patrick Swayze, and Michael Jackson. Matthew was able to capture the joy and magic of dance from three different genres. It doesn't get any better than that.

Josh Groban: He has to be an Alien

Josh Groban | with opening act, Elew | Minneapolis, MN | Target Center | Friday, July 8th, 2011

*All pictures (minus the last one) in this blog were taken by me*

It was my first Josh Groban concert and words cannot do it justice. It was one of those concerts that only one can process in the moment, as you’re experiencing it.



Josh during his opening
song, "Changing Colors."

Let me lay try to lay it out for you this way: Compared to the extravagance of the Taylor Swift concert, Josh’s concert was so much more stripped down, mature, classy, yet entertaining and moving all at the same time. It was a perfect blend for all age groups in his audience (my friend Megan and I were the only gals in the late teens in our section! Ha! It showed because we were the only people with glowsticks). I still can’t comprehend how one person can be all of those things. Afterward, Megan and I speculated on the boyfriend potential of Josh Groban. “He is gorgeous, romantic, deep, generous with his charity work, and downright hilarious. How can one guy be THIS PERFECT?” The only answer we have to that question is that Josh must be an alien. I mean, really…what 17 year old with messy hair can be a stand-in for Andrea Bocelli in a duet with Celine Dion at the Grammy’s?! IT’S NOT HUMAN!

On that note, if Josh really is an alien, then I would describe his concert on the “Straight to You” tour as OUT OF THIS WORLD. He sang in multiple languages that night. “Voce Existe Em Mim” is in Portuguese, which isn’t a commonly used language to sing in (unlike Italian, Spanish, French, etc). Even without knowing the languages of some of the songs, Josh’s voice and facial expressions as he sings convey the story and meaning for the audience. I was worried that at his concerts he wouldn’t be as whole-heartedly into a performance. After all, what’s one little concert in Minneapolis versus singing at Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies, award shows, for the Oprah Winfrey show, or at the White House? Josh proved that no matter where he is, he can move an audience with his voice. Josh did make us Minnesotans feel a little special when he talked about how he was “especially” excited to be playing in Minneapolis because he wrote 6 of his songs on his new album here. I wondered how many stores and restaurants he visited that I often go to… hmm…



Josh singing "You Are Loved."
We had SUCH good seats!

The only way I can now describe seeing Josh live is with another analogy. So, here I go. Women—you know that feeling when you are having terrible PMS symptoms and want nothing more than that one food you crave? For me, it's usually chocolate. Well, the Josh Groban concert was like a 2 hour indulgence that finally satisfied that craving. Yes, I am comparing Josh Groban to the smooth heavenly bite of a piece of Dove Chocolate. Though his wrapping may be sparkly, formal and fancy, if you opened him up, the inside of his wrapper would probably say something witty or even inappropriate! Throughout the night he cracked jokes and sometimes made surprisingly obscene remarks. After a woman hugged Josh and gave him multiple kisses, Josh fanned his face with the paper he was holding and then fanned his "down under" and said, "You gave me something to bring with me." Ha! I can see the rumors now...Josh Groban: pervert! (Only joking, folks!) For a man that sang the most beautiful music I have ever heard that night, this was so un-called for, yet so strangely fitting (it’s because he’s an alien!). And during the audience Q & A part of the show, he was asked what his favorite pick-up line is. After honestly admitting that saying "Hi, I'm Josh Groban" sometimes works as a pick-up line, he then said, "Are your jeans from outer space? Because your butt is out of this world!" The audience roared with laughter.

So it seems that I have concluded that Josh is an edible alien that will satisfy my PMS cravings. Ooookay. I think I might stop with these analogies now!


Josh on the main stage at the front.

At the beginning of this post I said that Josh’s concert is one you must actually GO to in order to receive the overall affect and be in the moment, but it’s also important that you have a previous appreciation for his music. I used to be a figure skater and I actually did a routine to “Remember” that Josh sang from the movie “Troy.” Skating to a song that Josh sang brought my skating to a new level. His voice has so much emotion and range, so when I skated to “Remember” I tried to make my movements reflect the power and meaning of the song. After this experience, I began listening to music in a new way. So when I was at his concert and was able to hear him sing LIVE, I was a mess full of emotions from getting so moved by the music. Josh is a musical genius in my eyes. He is one of my top 5 ALL TIME FAVORITE artists. He is the only one I had yet to see in person. I actually have it written on my bucket list that I wanted to see Josh live before I die. I can now check that off!!


Another cool thing that happened
was that Josh walked RIGHT by us!

During Josh’s first song “Changing Colors,” after a very informal, yet “rock star” entrance running through the crowd (see Star Tribune’s review), I couldn’t breathe. I have been to a lot of concerts, but I have only felt this way once before when I saw the Backstreet Boys when I was 9 years old. I stood there clenching my heart and watched him from literally 10 feet away (we were SO close to the center stage! I felt like I had to pee when we first got to our seats!). I only heard this song a couple times before but after seeing it live, it became my favorite song. I downloaded the live version of it that night and I can’t get enough of it. I started tearing up during this song because 1) It was FREAKING JOSH GROBAN IN REAL LIFE. 2) I was afraid of getting abducted by him since he’s an alien. 3) Josh was the most delicious piece of Dove Chocolate ever. 4) I went through a really hard time in my life last winter and things have finally changed for me. I am back to being me and I am truly happy once again. “Changing Colors” is about not being afraid of change. For me, the change I experienced gave me new insight to what being happy really means. Even though it was the hardest time of my life so far, it was a time I cherish because I learned so much.


My favorite picture that I
took of Josh that night.

Throughout the night, I continued to be in awe. I watched the alien present his artwork as he captivated us and transported us to places that don’t exist on earth. After every performance I turned to Megan and just said, “Wow.” The goose bumps…well, they never went away. During “War at Home” I had to choke down my tears. I have never heard this song before (I admit, I have yet to buy Josh’s most recent album, “Illuminations”) so it hit me hard. The song made me think about my grandpa who was in WWII and suffered the last couple years of his life from being so sick. I miss him dearly. Other highlights from the night included the songs "February Song," "Alla Luce Dal Sole" (which is my favorite song from Josh's debut album), "You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)," and especially "Weeping" and "Machine" were incredible live! From songs I wasn't very familiar with, I fell in love with "Galileo" and "Bells of New York City." A nice extra was when Josh invited a guy from the audience up on stage to sing with him. This guy, Matt, asked to sing "Remember When it Rained" which is without a doubt one of my top favorite Josh Groban songs. Josh added some harmonies while Matt sang the melody and I have to say, it was GOOD! I was also happy to hear this song live, even if it was just for a rough minute.

Though the entire night was amazing, I do have some complaints. Josh didn’t sing “Awake.” I saw it on a set-list from the Josh Groban message board and I was SOOO looking forward to it. My mom bought the album for me when I was 14 years old and “Awake” was the first song I ever cried to. After I listened to the song and dabbed my tears away with a tissue, I knew that I wanted to live with the sentiments of that song in my heart forever. When I turned 18 and I had the possibility of getting a tattoo and that lyric was my first choice. I still have yet to get the tattoo, but the song will always be permanently a part of me whether it’s written on my rib or not! Josh, if you’re reading this, I would like a private performance and you can sing “Awake” to me personally, okay? In fact, Josh didn’t sing most of my favorite songs that night, but that didn’t change my impression of the concert! My second complaint is that I didn’t get to text in a question. Megan and I didn’t see where the information was posted. Apparently, it was scrolling on the ticker tape throughout the arena. We even watched it for a couple minutes to see if info would appear but it never did. I had some good questions to ask too!! Oh well. Next time… :) My last complaint is that Josh should have chosen me as the single lady to watch him from on stage. I love milk, I love inflatable couches, I bought a new dress just for that night so I was lookin’ hot (egotistical humor), I know all the words to “Broken Vow,” and I would have given the audience something to watch because I almost cried during “Per Te.” 

Josh during the encore: "You Raise Me Up."

Despite these few and insignificant complaints, it was one of the best concerts I will ever go to. It’s rare I feel this way after a concert, but I was actually sad because I didn’t want to leave. I wanted more! Josh Groban really is an alien because there is no one else like him in this world. He is in a league of his own. I might add that he is MORE delicious than a Dove Chocolate. Despite the extremely expensive ticket prices (I didn’t mind though since the tickets were a birthday gift!), I would see Josh again in a heartbeat.

By the way, Josh’s shoes were siiiick! I liked that they didn’t even go with his outfit! It shows that he’s not conforming to what most people think a “classical” singer should wear or how they should act. Josh is just…Josh! He may be a classical singer, but he can still wear frickin’ awesome shoes.
Here’s a pic from one of the fans on joshgroban.com:

And for dessert, here's a video from the concert I was at of Josh singing "Changing Colors." We were right on the side of the stage!! Booya! SO cool. This video does not even capture what it was like being there live, though.

P.S. In a Star Tribune article I read where they interviewed Josh, he expressed wanting to be more involved in the world of acting and comedy. After this night, I totally agree!! Josh Groban as host on SNL may be a good start. Who agrees? Let's tweet! #JGonSNL....

On Repeat - Nick Carter "Love Can't Wait"

I am writing tomorrow. I swear. I promise. TOMORROW! The past two Fridays I went to two of the best concerts I have ever been to in my life (and they will be hard to match). Friday the 8th I saw JOSH GROBAN!! And Friday the 15th I saw NKOTBSB. I had the time of my LIFE at NKOTBSB. That will be a fun blog to write about because my childhood dreams were fulfilled. I still feel like I'm going to wake up and realize it was a dream...but it was REAL LIFE!!

I'm still in awe of Friday and can't stop thinking about it. Thus, I have been listening to Backstreet Boys nonstop, especially this song by Nick Carter. It's called "Love Can't Wait" and it's not on iTunes. I have no idea if it's new or what the story is of it, but I came across this song when I was searching for BSB videos on YouTube. I CANNOT STOP LISTENING TO IT! Nick's voice has always been extremely attractive to me. I'm not a fan of songs with the synthesized, club-type of music, but the beat in this song makes me happy and Nick's voice is quite convincing and makes me want to say, "Okay, Nick. Let's NOT wait for love!!" Yes, it's a love song, but it's not super cheesy, and it actually has a great message...just GO for it!

Here's a high quality version of it off of YouTube. Enjoy :)

Caroline County: From YouTube to Minnesota!

Woah. I started this blog thinking that this would be a slow summer so I would have plenty of time to write…well, I was soooo wrong! But I’m not complaining! I’m so thankful to have multiple jobs and to have already made lots of great memories with family and friends this summer. So far, summer 2011 is looking like one of the best!

I will post about the Taylor Swift concert eventually (I know…it’s been almost 3 weeks!). I have the post written, but it’s too long because the concert was so amazing so I’ll have to edit it a little. For now, I would like to tell you all about a concert I just went to on Tuesday, June 28^th: Caroline County at the Garage in Burnsville, MN. (I went to this concert as an early celebration for my 20^th birthday which was the next day!)

Caroline County is a duo featuring Julia Sheer and Matthew McGinn. Julia Sheer is best known for her duets with Tyler Ward. Julia is also my “girl crush” haha! I don’t normally like female singers, but there’s just something special about Julia. Anyway, I don’t know why, but she stopped working with Tyler and began doing duets with other male singers. After Tuesday night though, I think Julia can stop experimenting with duet partners, because ding ding ding! Matthew is the winner!

The big “problem” that people are having about CC is that *gasp* Julia isn’t singing with Tyler! HOW DARE SHE!! (This is sarcasm, by the way.) I am a fan of Tyler Ward, but it’s none of my business as to why he and Julia are no longer doing duets together and frankly, I don’t mind because the work she has done with Matthew is so much better! Because they are leaning towards the country genre, I have found that I have a better connection to their songs since they have stripped down to raw acoustics which highlights their unique vocals. All of their covers are better than the originals. "Kiss Me or Not" was their first cover song together that they posted on YouTube and it is absolutely gorgeous. I like the original of this song by Thompson Square, but CC slowed it down with a simple acoustic guitar (and mandolin, I believe) and now I LOVE this song. Julia has a special way of using her voice to give even more meaning to a song. Her cover of Taylor Swift’s "Sparks Fly" is one of my most played songs on my iPod. It wasn’t until I heard Julia’s version that I actually understood what the song was about! Swift’s version seems happy, but Julia transformed it into an emotional piece. Only a true artist can achieve that. And now that Julia has Matthew, their voices together will give you goose bumps.

At The Garage on Tuesday night, it was only the duet’s second show with their full band. I never heard about The Garage before, but it is actually a teen center where young bands go to play. Kayla and I sat through TWO hours of teenage bands before CC took the stage. It was…interesting. Some were terrible and some were okay, but compared to Caroline County, these young bands have a lot of work to do! The only exception to these opening acts was Patrick Picard. He is CC’s guitar player and he did a solo set before CC took the stage. He is dang talented! I am going to look him up and get some of his songs for sure! He reminded me of The Script. And I believe all the songs he played he wrote himself. They were fresh and innovative songs; unlike the other (excuse my French) crap we heard that night from the teenagers.

Back to CC. On YouTube, some people complained on the “Kiss Me or Not” YouTube video that Matthew and Julia didn’t have “a connection like Julia and Tyler had.” I want to tell these people to go to one of CC’s live shows because I definitely felt the connection. They didn’t have to be smiling and gazing into each other’s eyes at every moment, but musically, they were so emotionally involved in the songs and this is where the connection took place. This artistic quality is something I felt that Tyler lacked. Julia always outshined Tyler, but now she and Matthew gracefully share the stage together. Even though I didn’t know most of the songs they played that night, I totally got into the music! The song about sleeping alone was one I could closely relate too (Ugggg. That’s a whole other blog post. Ha!) Both Julia and Matthew are songwriters. I’m not sure if they have actually written one together yet but when they do, I have no doubt that with both of their talents, they could write a hit!

Two songs I did know were "Better With You" and Julia's YouTube hit, "Airliner". For me, the highlight of the night was when they sang Matthew’s song "Madeline." When I first heard about Julia pairing up with Matthew, I checked out his music and this song quickly grabbed my attention because it felt like this song could have been about me! I also featured "Madeline" in a blog post about break up songs because it's about what every girl wants to hear… that despite heartbreaks, they will eventually find love. The song makes even more sense now when Matthew said it was about his best friend. I think it was very fitting that I sent this song to one of my best friends when she was going through her breakup. It’s hard to tell your friend that everything will be okay, but music has the ability of reaching your heart and “Madeline” is one of those powerful songs.



Julia, myself, and Matthew! By the way, I JUST got
 a perm that day. Thus, the wild curls.



Besides the music, Matthew and Julia are complete goof balls with great personalities! And if you are female, then I’m sure you have noticed that Matthew is pretty sexy! In between songs they laughed at each other and were very personable to the audience. It was a small audience, but that makes concerts even better! Afterward they sold merchandise (I pre-ordered Caroline County’s first EP.) They also signed stuff for people and talked with everyone who came out.

I am soooooo glad Kayla and I decided to brave the rush hour traffic and go! I am rooting for Caroline County to make it to country radio someday, have music videos on CMT, and be able to play at bigger venues than The Garage. Regardless of the size of the audience, they are extremely talented artists and I’m pumped to get their songs in my itunes!!! The only complaint I have from the night is that they needed to play a longer set!

Ready. Set. GO check them out!!

Caroline County's YouTube
Caroline County’s Twitter
Caroline County’s Facebook
Julia Sheer's YouTube
Matthew McGinn's YouTube

And here's a little dessert! I took this video of "Madeline." I am working on getting a YouTube account JUST for posting my concert videos on this blog, until then, it's on my personal YouTube page.

Just for fun... I freaking love Minneapolis <3 Took this on our drive home off of I-94!

SO FREAKING EXCITED!

Tomorrow is....

THE TAYLOR SWIFT CONCERT WITH NEEDTOBREATHE AND RANDY MONTANA!!!!

I'm just a tad excited. Just a little. Not too much...Okay. I'm flipping ecstatic! First of all, I have been wanting to see Randy Montana for over a year now! I knew about him before he even came on the radio, and now I finally get to see him! It's even cooler that I get to see him at a HUGE venue like the Xcel Energy Center.


PROOF that I did skate at the
Xcel Energy Center!

The Xcel and I have a beautiful past together <3 I actually got to skate on the ice there when they needed figure skaters to be in a promotional news segment for the 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Getting to skate at the Xcel was an experience I will never forget! I also spent the ENTIRE day at Xcel when I went to see the Men's Freeskate and Exhibition of Champions. It was there I met Evan Lysacek. The corner where I met him is my favorite spot in the entire building haha! I have also been to other figure skating events there (and got to go backstage for some of those as well!) and I have also been to many concerts there. Every time I passed the Xcel on the way to my internship downtown during my freshman year of college, I am reminded of all my favorite memories! To me, it's the best venue in the world! The location by the Mississippi River in St. Paul gives a beautiful view and parking at the RiverCentre is usually cheap and always works out quite nicely. The staff there are always super nice and patient, and of course, the crowds are always so enthusiastic (but that's just because Minnesotans are awesome!) I haven't been to a big stadium concert since fall of 2009 when I saw Rascal Flatts (I'm a poor college student--I can't afford these big concerts!) so I'm glad I get to make a return to the Xcel tomorrow night. I was at the Xcel for the Rascal Flatts ABC special taping, but there were only a couple hundred people there so I don't count it as my last stadium concert. (Interesting fact, I am in the "Won't Let Go" music video! There's a shot of me at 17 seconds into the video singing the lyrics "it feels like that." Pretty cool, huh?)

And I also get to see someone else for the first time tomorrow...a young lady by the name of TAYLOR SWIFT! Yes, it is my first time seeing her. I was never that big of a fan, but I fell in love with her "Speak Now" album. "Never Grow Up" is one of my favorite songs of all time and I couldn't stop crying when I first listened to it. I hope that someday I can get back into figure skating so I can do a routine to that song. Especially since I'm at the time in my life where I am needing my parents less and less and I'm trying to let go of my childhood, this song is close to my heart. I am so blessed to have had such an incredible childhood, but it was SO good that it makes me miss it more than I should! "Sparks Fly" is my other favorite song from the album. A couple of months ago, this song fit a situation I was in PERFECTLY. "My mind forgets to remind me you're a bad idea" pretty much sums up that whole situation I was in! And of course, "Mean" is a song that the music industry has been needing! Taylor is so honest when writing her lyrics and I think this song not only has the most honest lyrics, but it promotes confidence and the music is wonderful! It is the most country-sounding song on her album with the use of a banjo, which gets bonus points from me.

My favorite picture of THE
"Hey Stephen" and myself!

As I fell more in love with the album, I actually started to appreciate more of her music from her past albums. "Love Story" and "You Belong With Me" were my two favorites of hers already, but I soon discovered that I liked less popular songs such as "Change," "The Outside," and "Invisible." And of course, the song "Hey Stephen" is a favorite of mine because well, it's written about my boy Stephen Barker Liles!!

Speaking of Stephen, his band Love and Theft is my favorite band and I actually have Taylor Swift to thank for that! If it weren't for Taylor bringing the guys out on tour with her in 2008, they might have never gotten the recognition they deserved. Now Taylor is bringing two of my newest favorite artists out on the road with her; Randy Montana and Hunter Hayes. I have to say, Taylor has impeccable taste in country artists!

But one question: Why the heck is she bringing Needtobreathe on tour with her?!?! I dig their music and everything, but they're not country. Well, I'm interested to see their set tomorrow! I'm trying to learn more of their songs right now as I type.

I also found out that she has a thing called a "Tea Party" after her concert. Taylor has "people" that walk around the concert to find people to join this "Tea Party" and they get to meet Taylor and everything! Umm...that sounds like a DREAM COME TRUE! I might make a poster or something... I really want to see if I'm taller than Taylor haha! I'd also like to let her know that people figure skate to her songs ALL the time. That might be an interesting tid-bit she doesn't know about! Well, I'm not going to expect anything like that tomorrow though... I do hope it works out to meet Randy Montana! :)
One more thing: HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAYLA!!! Kayla is going with me tomorrow! My parents gave me these tickets as a birthday present (but my bday isn't until June 29th) so I decided to give the other ticket to Kayla as her bday present as well. This is her first big stadium concert, so I'm excited to see her reaction. I know she's going to have a BLAST. Now, what do I wear?!

Break Up Songs

Breakups are inevitable. Recently, one of my best friends has been going through an EXTREMELY difficult one. This friend was there for me during the hardest time of my life last winter, and so I have been trying to be there for her 100% as she's been going through this. This breakup is not only bad, but the timing is absolutely awful. If this happened during the school year, I could be there for her 24/7, but now we are 45 minutes apart :( My stomach has been in knots thinking about what she must be feeling and I want to be able to make everything better, but no matter what I say or do, things like this will only take TIME. The coping process of a breakup is not easy, but when any sucky event happens in life, music can help heal. I have decided to make a list of a few songs I want this friend to listen to and to help her through this process. (And by the way, I LOVE YOU!!)

1. First of all, Shania Twain has a new single! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! It's been 6 years, but one of my all-time favorites is back in the game! It's an incredibly motivating song, especially knowing that Shania has her own personal connection with it and has been able to rise up from her husband cheating on her. She was able to over come it, though! So, listen to "Today Is Your Day"  by Shania Twain :)
2. Martina McBride is the champion at singing songs to empower women. On that note, both of these songs are perfect for any breakup situation, or even if you just need a confidence boost. "This One's for the Girls" shows that you're not alone in feeling the way you're feeling. And "Wrong Baby Wrong" is the song I would sing to you because it's about a friend helping her friend see that she doesn't need him and you that she WILL be alright. "If you think you'll never move on, you're wrong baby wrong!"
3. Sara Evans is also a great country artist with empowering songs. This one in particular is about slowly getting over him and realizing that each day, you get a "A Little Bit Stronger."
4. I apologize for all the country songs I am choosing for you, but I think you will like "Best Days of Your Life" by Kellie Pickler. The music video is hilarious! Another song by Kellie that is one of my personal favorites is "Don't You Know You're Beautiful." Because, you ARE beautiful and always will be :)
5. "Madeline" by Matthew McGinn. This is a beautiful song about a girl that just doesn't have any luck when it comes to love, but she is being told that love will eventually come her way. "Don't let that darkness go and cloud your eyes. Leave this all behind. Love will find you if you just give it time."
6. The chorus of "Stronger Woman" by Jewel says it all: "I'm going to love myself more than anyone else. Believe in me even if someone can't see a stronger woman in me..."
7. Another way to handle a breakup is to have fun for a day or a night, because then you don't even have time to think about him. You just gotta "Love Today!!" (song by Mika) And girl, we will get together for a girls night soon!!
8. "I Don't Wanna Be" by Gavin DeGraw. 'Nuff said.
9. This song choice is not based off the lyrics. Here are my directions for you when listening to "Lady Marmalade" (the Christina Aguileria, Lil' Kim, May, and Pink version). 1) Turn this song up LOUD. 2) Put on some booty shorts so you have freedom to dance around the room. 3) Grab a hairbrush or water bottle to act as your microphone. 4) Make sure no one is watching. 5) Sing your heart out and let out your frustration and your worries! Just get lost in the song.
10. Lastly, "Never Say Never" by the good ol' Biebs. Yes, this one is a joke and meant to make you laugh! But the message is actually a good one! :)

I know there are thousands, probably millions of songs about breaking up out there, but these are the ones I picked specifically for my friend and because I think they are the BEST!! If you have any other favorite breakup songs, please let me know :)

6 Songs I Keep On Repeat

This purpose of this blog is to get out all my excitement over some songs that have been highly played on my iPod within the past 2 or 3 days. Ready…Go!

#1: “Paper Airplane” by Alison Krauss & Union Station.

I listened to this over 20 times in a row last night as I was trying to fall asleep. This song has such an eerie tone, yet it is absolutely beautiful. I first saw the music video for this and with the imagery of the video combined with the song, I got goosebumps. Plus, this song is just very pessimistic about love with the last line being “our love will die, I know” and I don’t think there can ever be enough pessimistic love songs! Once I finally find the so-called “love of my life” then I will welcome more mushy-gushy love songs, but for now, “Paper Airplane” is the appropriate love song for me.

#2: “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” by John Mayer

About 2 weeks ago at the beginning of the summer I sat outside with two of my friends on a beautiful evening. As we caught up with each other after being away at different schools for awhile, a selection of John Mayer songs was playing in the background. This song caught my attention. I love the guitar in it and I love the slow groove it has going on; it’s a sexy song. Lately, I have really been digging the electric guitar, so that’s probably why this song has been on repeat. (P.S. Check out that guitar!)

#3: “Daydreaming” by Attwater

One of my facebook friends who really likes country music posted this song. It was a free download on their website. I actually downloaded it before I listened to it, but once I did listen to it, I couldn’t stop! “Everybody tells me nothing is for certain. Life is just a game, it must be played. If all we have our dreams, I’m bursting at the seams, won’t let a single moment get away…. I daydream of a time where everything is perfectly fine.” These are beautiful lyrics. I also love the simplicity and country rawness of the song. The banjo and fiddle are my two favorite instruments in country music, and this song has both of them. They match the optimistic mood of the song and makes you want to tap your feet. Attwater included all the best elements of country music in this song, and I’m looking forward to hearing more from them! Their single and video of "Never Gonna Happen" debuts June 7^th, which is today! It's a free download on Attwater's website! ("Daydreaming" isn't on YouTube. Check it out on their myspace page.)

#4: “Wanna Take You Home” by Gloriana

I wouldn’t call myself a huge fan of Gloriana, but I have loved all the singles they have put out. Perhaps I should check out the rest of their music as well? The thing I have loved about all their singles is that you can dance to them. Country music isn’t always the best music to dance to. Most country songs you either slow dance to, moderately sway your hips to, line dance to, or fist pump and bob your head to. Today as I was put on hold while trying to make an appointment through the phone, this song came on the radio and I lost control of my body. I just started flailing my arms and shimmying my shoulders. I was out of breath when the person finally came back on the phone. This song is my instant happy pill! It will also make a great addition to a summer playlist.

#5: “Flower” by Amos Lee

This was a free music video on iTunes last week (or the week before, I don’t remember). Amos Lee is my best friend’s favorite artist and we are hoping to see him at a festival coming up (if we win tickets). I have heard his songs before and they were usually too mellow and boring for me, but this song puts me in a good place. “I know that by tomorrow, I’m going to be alright…My heart is a flower that blooms every hour. I believe in the power of love.” I actually made this into a ringtone that I use for my alarm to get up in the morning because that lyric is so powerful and is a great message to live by. I also like how the song has a tempo change into the chorus. It keeps me interested in the song. Amos’ voice is soulful and passionate and this song showcases that.

#6: “Rainy Season” by Hunter Hayes

Well, I don’t have this song on my iPod because Hunter has not released his album yet (grr), but I have still been playing it on my computer A LOT. This video appeared on my YouTube homepage and I got so excited because I’ve never heard this song by him before. It is an absolutely GORGEOUS song. In fact, it’s my favorite song that I’ve ever heard him sing/play. I think it’s because this is a very mature song--it’s sexy; whereas Hunter’s single “Storm Warning” is just cute. Hunter's vocals are incredible in this song as well. Those high notes...damn! SO GOOD! Many people have said that Hunter’s voice is similar to Gary LeVox’s (Rascal Flatts), but there is no way Gary could sing this song as powerful as Hunter. What I like most about it is Hunter’s guitar playing; it is very John Mayer-esque. He even makes some of the same facial expressions as John does when he plays! The lyrics are simple and so it gives a chance for the instruments, especially the guitar, to be the highlight of the song. I can see Hunter being the next Keith Urban or Brad Paisley of country music jamming on his guitar in front of thousands of people at the LP Field during CMAfest pretty darn soon…

“Best Summer Mix Eva” according to Kenzie

Yesterday I wrote about MY summer playlist. Well, today I saw one of my best friends of about 9 years (holy moly that seems like such a long time!) and though it was a short visit, it was lovely. We go to colleges that are over 4 hours apart, so I’m always so happy to see her! As we were driving in her car, I noticed the awesome music that was playing on her mixed cd called the “best summer mix eva..” Because she is an amazing friend, she let me borrow it! I have never heard most of these songs before, but I really like them! There’s not even a single country song on it. I will definitely be adding some of these songs to my own summer playlist.

Here are the songs on Kenzie’s “best summer mix eva” (the ones with stars are my favorites)

1. Talons – Napolean Dynamite soundtrack (Nice intro!)

2. Surfin’ USA – The Beach Boys

3. Giving Up the Gun – Vampire Weekend

4. Heartbreak Warfare – John Mayer**

5. Let’s Go – Cartel*

6. Lazy Song – Bruno Mars

7. Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa – Vampire Weekend

8. Lucky – Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat

9. Roll Away Your Stone – Mumford and Sons*

10. Holly (Would You Turn Me On?) – All Time Low

11. Damn You Look Good and I'm Drunk (Scandalous) [feat. V.I.P.] – Cobra Starship*

12. Say Hey (I Love You) – Michael Franti & Spearhead

13. Campus – Vampire Weekend*

14. Haven’t Met You Yet – Michael Bublé

15. Don’t Worry, Be Happy – Bobby McFerrin

16. Lemonade – Chris Rice*

17. Runaway Baby – Bruno Mars*

18. One of Those Days – Joy Williams

19. Spaceman – The Killers

20. The World Has Its Shine [But I would Drop It On a Dime] – Cobra Starship

21. Faster Ride – Cartel**

22. You Don’t Know Me – Ben Folds & Regina Spektor**

23. Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) – Shakira

What a great playlist! It’s got good music to rock out to, it’s got happy songs, & it has mellow songs as well. The subject matter of some of these songs are also quite applicable to my life (I'll leave you guessing as to which ones!). My favorite songs though are the ones by Cartel and “Runaway Baby” by Bruno Mars. I’ve never heard this song until today & it caught my attention right away. LOVE IT. The “Scandalous” song by Cobra Starship makes me giggle.

A random side-story: While I was visiting with Kenzie, I had an interesting conversation with her brother. He is becoming a pretty good drummer as a 7^th grader. We talked about he & his future band can “make it big” and I laid out an entire plan for him. Since I began getting into music, I feel like I have a much better understanding of how the music business works. Kenzie said she was surprised I’m not majoring in music business and this made me think a little bit…I would love a job in music!! Promotion, managing, talent-scouting, or especially writing about musical artists would be a dream job.

Hey Rolling Stone magazine or Country Weekly, if any editors are reading this, I’m going to need a job in 2 years. Keep a spot open for me, okay? Or if you have an internship position open right now, that'd be great. Sincerely, Valerie.

Summer 2011 Playlist

Today was such a wonderful day! For those who live in or near the Twin Cities, you know that Grand Old Day is a pretty big event. For my best friend Lynden and I, it has become a tradition to go every year and so it never truly feels like summer until this event. It is a mini-version of a state fair that runs down Grand Avenue in St. Paul with over-priced but scrumptious deep-fried food, companies giving away free stuff to advertise, games and family activities, and bands (which you have to be 21+ to get into so we just listened from outside the fence). This was our third year going and it was probably the best year yet! The weather was PERFECT and we took part in many fun activities that we have never done before. (Be on the lookout for a YouTube video that Lynden and I made for a contest to win tickets to the Cities 97 Basilica Block Party!)

On the drive back with blisters on our feet and burnt shoulders, we played songs from my summer playlist. Music makes summer even more enjoyable for me, especially songs that hold memories from past summers. If you need some additions to your new Summer 2011 playlist, here are my top picks for you! Some of them are quite obvious as to why they are summer songs, and others may seem quite random. The main thing I look for when choosing a quality summer song is that the lyrics are about having fun or being in the sun. It should also be upbeat and easy to sing along with. As a warning, country music is my favorite genre and is THE BEST kind of summer music, so you will mostly only see country songs. I will also try to avoid including cliché summer songs or songs with the word “summer” in them  (if I do include a song like this though, that means it’s a REALLY good summer song).

My 5 all-time favorite summer songs

»   “All I Want To Do” – Sugarland
My best friend Lynden and I sang this song when we drove to Valley Fair together after our junior year of high school. We consider it “our” song :)

»   “Wild at Heart” – Gloriana

Other than getting the most severe
sun burn of my life, Florida
treated me quite well.

This song holds a lot of memories from my trip to Florida 2 years ago. Unfortunately, I am no longer friends with the person I went on this trip with, but that hasn’t changed my love for this song! “Stick your hand into my back pocket, light me up like a bottle rocket” is my favorite lyric from the song. It’s all about being young and lovin’ life!

»    “Perfect Day” – Lady Antebellum

This song talks about blue skies, country music, driving in a “jacked-up jeep,” a lake, the hot sun, swimming, losing track of time, being with friends, bonfires, dancing, and being “wild and free.” I say “Perfect Day” is the perfect summer song!

»   “Amarillo Sky” – Jason Aldean
This was the first Jason Aldean song I fell in love with. The song reminds me of the people I talk to when I visit my family in their small town of 310 people in the boondocks of Minnesota.

A perfect day at the beach! We
 were in Albert Lea, MN to see
 Love & Theft and Justin Moore
at the Freeborn County Fair.

»   “Santa Monicas Smile” – Stephen Barker Liles of Love and Theft
Unless you’re a thefthead, you probably have never heard this song before. It is unreleased, but is on Stephen's myspace. You can also listen to it on YouTube here. (I have heard that this song may be on Love and Theft’s next album, but there were some lyric changes. I hope this rumor is true!) This song I played on repeat when Lynden and I went down to southern MN for a music festival last summer. I specifically remember lying on the beach as this song was playing. All I can say is that it was pure bliss and set the mood for a great day at the beach.

Other COUNTRY songs I recommend for your summer playlist
Chattahoochee – Alan Jackson

Sounds So Good – Ashton Shepard

Ticks – Brad Paisley

Sideways – Dierks Bentley

Up On the Ridge – Dierks Bentley

Fishing in the Dark – Emerson Drive version

Smoke a Little Smoke – Eric Church

Storm Warning – Hunter Hayes (my favorite new artist!)

Groovy Little Summer Song – James Otto

Hicktown – Jason Aldean

Found – Josh Gracin

All Over Me – Josh Turner

Hank It – Justin Moore

Backwoods – Justin Moore

Somebody Like You – Keith Urban

Days Go By – Keith Urban (I have about 10 Keith songs in my summer playlist, but these are my 2 favorites)

Country Standard Time – Matt Haynes (He's not a well known artist, but I have some friends who found him through twitter & they shared his music with me! This song has a lot of plays on my iPod. Check out Matt's myspace with more music.)

My Kinda Country – Randy Houser

Summer Nights – Rascal Flatts

Mayberry – Rascal Flatts

Man I Feel Like a Woman – Shania Twain (Men, please don’t put this in your summer playlist. You can add “I’m Still a Guy” by Brad Paisley.)

Something Like That– Tim McGraw

Rollin’ Through the Sunshine – Trailer Choir

Skinny Dippin’ – Whitney Duncan

Non-country songs for your summer playlist (this list represents the wide-spectrum of music I like)

Thunderstruck – ACDC

Bass Head – Bassnector (If you’ve never heard of dubstep music, you HAVE to check this song out! I literally threw my neck out while I was jamming out to it in my friend's car & I had to go to the chiropractor the next day. Sad story, I know.)

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club – The Beatles

Headlight Disco – The Click Five

Beauty of Letting Go – Green River Ordinance

Here (In Your Arms) – Hellogoodbye

I’m Yours – Jason Mraz

Body Language – Jesse McCartney

Love Stoned/I Think She Knows Interlude – Justin Timberlake

Whine Up – Kat DeLuna

Day & Night – Kid Cudi

Everything’s Right – Matt Wertz (For those of you with summer loves!)

Room On the 3^rd Floor – McFly

Time to Pretend – MGMT (I know this is a weird song, but I included it in this playlist because of the memories I have associated with it…and it does have a good beat you can bob your head to)

Here It Goes Again – Ok Go

Shut Up and Let Me Go – The Ting Tings

Roundabout – Yes (My father would be proud of this choice)

What do you all have on your summer playlist(s)? Are there any songs that you associate summer memories with?

How this blog works

I know, I know. It’s Friday night. It’s summer. I’m 19 years old. I should be out getting my crazy on. Sometimes though, even young college kids need to relax by dipping strawberries in gooey chocolate and watching country music videos with their dad on a Friday night!

Anyway, because I am itching to start writing REAL posts for this blog, I first need to explain how this blog is going to work.

There will be three main categories that my posts will fall under. In each post, I will put a label as to what category it belongs in, but I will also copy and paste the URL of the post into one of the tabs at the top of the blog so it’s easier to find a particular post. I bet you are dying to know what the three categories are though, right? Here they are:

1) My Story Playlist: The explanation for this category will need its own post. My entire blog is titled “My Story Playlist” because this is essentially the most important part of my blog and it is also the most meaningful part because it tells my story. For now, as a brief introduction, I will just tell you that I have been keeping a playlist in my iTunes library called “My Story Playlist” since August of 2009. Every song I chose to go in that playlist describes what was going on in my life at that moment. With all these songs together, they tell my story. And hence, the name “My Story Playlislt.” Some of these posts will get very personal, but I think this is the best way to demonstrate my love for music and the impact it has in my life.

2) Concert Reviews: I go to quite a few concerts! Even before I began this blog, I wrote about concerts I went to and emailed the reviews to friends who couldn’t be there. I hope to vary my writing style in the reviews. Some may be more of an analysis of the concert (likes, dislikes), others will be a simple summary of what happened, and other reviews may be a 3 page detailed story of the road trip to the show, what we did beforehand, how we met the band, and what happened after the concert. I have no doubt that some of my reviews will get very lengthy!

3) Artist Reviews: There are some musical artists that I ABSOLUTLY LOVE!! I can tell you right now my top 5 all-time favorite bands/artists (see my “About Me” tab) and I want to promote them, so I hope to do that with this blog. I will also discuss artists that I may not necessarily like because I have to admit, I do enjoy finding different ways to call a song or band a pile of spoiled refried beans on a moldy burrito (aka…bad!). Even though country music is my favorite genre, my goal is to branch out to all different genres. I’m hoping that through doing this I will push myself to learn about some new artists as well!

Sorry, I lied. There are actually four main categories, but this fourth one does not get its own special tab at the top of my blog so that’s why I didn’t include it with the categories above. This fourth category can be called whatever you want: Random thoughts, interesting tidbits, beautiful sentiments, crazy ramblings, etc. They will act as sort of my own personal blog. I may talk about how excited I am for a concert, a conversation I had with someone about something music-related, how I wish I had Whitney Duncan’s beautiful blonde hair, or how a certain song played a part in my life that day. These things may come close to one of the three categories above, but will just be less formal. I will be sure to include labels if I talk about an artist in a post though.

Stay tuned for more posts very soon!

My very first post!!

Hello World Wide Web!!

I am SO excited to have this blog! I have actually dreamed about having a blog for years. Even though it is quite easy to have a blog and it's not usually something people DREAM about, it was difficult for me to start a blog. Last summer I signed up for blogger and brainstormed ideas. After months of thinking about it, I finally came up with a theme (I needed a theme because there was NO WAY I was going to keep a general blog that every college student keeps where I discuss outrageous student loans and my diet of Ramen Noodles). The theme soon became obvious to me. Music <3 So, you ask, why didn't I start this blog last summer? Well, I tried to design the layout for it, and I couldn't get it right. I am a perfectionist and I didn't want mediocre work to be public, so I gave up. I also worked on other projects throughout the summer that kept me busy.

After months of going to concerts without having a place to tell how amazing or sucky they were and after keeping opinions about certain musical artists to myself, I decided that it was finally time to share these things and I NEEDED TO START THIS BLOG GOSH DARN IT! (I would use more inappropriate words, but I decided to keep this blog at least PG-13). I am also double majoring in Journalism and English, so it feels as if I am breaking a law by not having a blog. Most people are surprised to hear I don't have a blog (but I have had a twitter for 2 years #SocialMediaExpert). Even if I couldn't get my layout just right, I told myself I would start this blog. Luckily, it only took me about 2 days to create a header and background I love (though I may not have HTML skills, I am luckily a Photoshop veteran). The look is very simple and I like it. That way, nothing will distract from what I have to say.

I do want to apologize for any mishaps that may happen. This is my VERY FIRST post after all. I haven't worked out all the bugs yet nor have I figured out exactly how to use blogger. I'm excited to begin learning and experimenting (and with experiments come mistakes so I apologize again!).

Every post I have will be in one of three categories, however this post doesn't fit in any category so it's just going to float around for awhile. Before I bid you all adieu, I am going to make a list of things I hope to accomplish with this blog. (I am forewarning you that I am a list person. This will not be the last list you see.)

• Write succinctly (I think I've already failed on this one!). One of my weaknesses when it comes to my writing is that I include too many unnecessary details, drift off into another topic, or somehow I can talk about absolutely nothing. It is an excellent and highly valued skill to have for BS-ing history essays in college, but not for a blog!
• Get some sort of online photo account (like Picasa web albums or something) so I can post ALL my concert pictures and share them with all of you especially becuase I stopped posting photo albums on Facebook (don't ask).
• Possibly create coordinating Twitter and YouTube accounts so this blog seems super legit. That YouTube account would come in handy for posting concert videos too. It would also be a great way to get more viewers for my blog I think.
• Shameless self-promotion. I am actually a pretty shy and modest person but I want this blog to get views, baby! I'm going to privately message people about this blog, use Facebook, Twitter, email, and every way I can to get people to read.
• Use creativity! I hope that all my posts vary in the writing methods I use. I don't want every post to have the same format. BORRRRING. I won't become a better writer that way either.
• On that note, I also want to play around with my tone. I'm not sure whether to be serious, sarcastic, funny, use proper news AP style, use slang, or if I should use sexual innuendos. As of right now, I believe I will write according to how I feel at the time and given the nature of the blog post.
• Maybe in the future, my blog will be so awesome and have so many views that I will be able to interview musical artists! Okay...that's dreaming a little too big now. One step at a time, Val. This is only your first blog post.
• Take time to edit my posts and read over them...I'm not going to do that with this one though. (I know, off to a great start! That's an example of the sarcasm I will often be using.)
• Be honest and not hide who I am. Another reason I didn't start my blog last summer was because I was hesitant to share myself with the world. Who knows who might see this. But, I would be a hypocrite if I didn't write about myself publicly when I want my career to be based on writing about other people's stories.
• Write every day (which won't be a problem because of one of the main themes of blog has already given me over 100 post ideas, which I will explain in a the next post).

That's all I have for now. I am not going to promote my blog quite yet. I want to polish it up a little more. But yay for the first post!