Last week I got the chance to see Circle//Circle down at Cafe Nine in New Haven, CT thanks to one of my friends who was playing with them. They're a local group that I'm pretty excited about. Two gals, Emily and Kayla, handle lead vocals while strumming away on their ukulele and banjo. Chris is also on guitar and with the three of them they form some awesome harmonies.
You will not regret checking out their latest album, Guts. Go ahead, have a listen!
Genre: Alternative hip hop, comedy hip hop
First Listen: Yesterday
Released: August 2012
Found out through: My sister
Listen to this while you: sift through racks at the thrift store
This song has already hit KC101 (our local clear channel radio station; i.e. Z100 for you NYC folk) and I don't even care; this song is effing awesome. My sister was hesitant to show it to me but she said "I found this song you might like....you might not like their other stuff but this song is about thrifting and it's really funny soooo....."
She was so right about this track. Added bonus: I like their other stuff too! "Thrift Shop" has this kinda swanky sax riff for the loop with a nice, easy beat. The lyrics are clever, relatable, and absolutely hilarious if you frequent Goodwill. Wanz singing the chorus is the cherry on top.
HEY GUESS WHO'S IN THE SPIRIT?! I am! Finally! I took my hardest final today and I'm finally relieved of a ton of work. Not that finals are over, but I can officially relax. And this particular show went smashing; probably my best show to date.
Not a typical show I should add. I went over this list of top 5 things NOT to do in NYC, and some nifty gift ideas, some from this site here and some I've either done or want to do. Here's the list!
Secret compartment book - This is super inexpensive and great for anyone! I actually made a tutorial a while ago for this too.
Themed gift basket - It can really make a gift fun, give you direction, and if you're on a budget it could be within your price range!
Date Jar - purchase gift certificates, gift cards, and/or write down some "freebies" like go for a hike and put them in a jar with a pretty ribbon. So next time your boo asks "What do you want to do tonight?" BOOM decided.
From-Scratch cookies in a jar (dry ingredients) - I did this a couple of years ago and it was a really yummy idea, especially for some one who enjoys really good cookies but isn't so great at baking.
Memory Jar - This one requires some planning, but it seems worth it. Gather photos and/or little stories from as many people as you can for lets say grandma. So everyone who knew granny submits something to you, you print out the memories on small cards and if you have 365 memories, you'll have one for every day for granny to cherish.
Gift hotsauces! there's so many different types! anyone who likes it spicy would love this, and they average around $4 a bottle.
Tea cup candles - Nice DIY, I'm not sure if it makes a cool christmas gift, but I can dig it.
Experiences are always more fun than objects, in my opinion. Concert tickets, a cooking class, and a hot air balloon ride were some of the things the blog post mentioned that I'd be into.
P L A Y L I S T
I'm really proud of this play list! I did cut a few songs so maybe later I'll have this playlist in it's entirety up on spotify for all to listen? We'll see.
IT'S BEEN SO LONG I MISS DOING MY SHOW ;~; Super storm Sandy came by the week of Halloween, then it was the freak nor'easter last wednesday, so here I am two weeks later with a shortened show because I have to do homework ughh what is that.
T O P I C S :
A Cleveland judge sentenced a woman to hold a sign that reads "Only an idiot would drive on the sidewalk to avoid a school bus" for ~you guessed it~ driving on the sidewalk to avoid a school bus.
Cursive is on it's way out from school curriculums--say it ain't so! Three states already gave it the boot. Is this a no no? Or is cursive becoming too archaic?
There's a petition that's gaining traction to get Macy's to dump Donald Trump. I think this would be a good move. No one likes him and he's a meanie (among other things, like sexist, racist, and in denial). What do you think?
The WSIN webpage is now a blogging tumblr with posts about show times, artists we support, events we're doing...stuff like that. So excited! have a tumblr? go follow! Also, if you click the listen button on the sidebar, not only can you creep on the DJ during the show, but you can comment in the chat box on the side! as long as you're logged into your facebook you can chat away.
M U S I C:
Next week the campus is closed for thanksgiving break so I will not be having my show. HOWEVER I'll be using that time to upload some past shows onto spreaker.com! You'll be able to download podcasts via itunes or just listen on spreaker, so that's exciting.
Excited to be back on the radio! Yesterday was my first show for the semester :O) It airs every wednesdays from 6 pm to 8 pm (EST) on WSIN radio. I play alternative music of the groovy nature (mixed with other genres, of course) and I talk about current events, off beat news and topics, and functions on and off campus (for those online listeners, typically CT or NYC events). I'll be posting the recaps here like I did last semester after every show; hopefully not this late!
The Red Hot Chili Peppers concerts I went to this past May were amazing.
Newly discovered ancient text that involves key terms "Jesus" and "Wife." It was written at least 100 years after his death and he often referred the church as his bride so no, this doesn't prove he was married; but I still think it's cool that there's still ancient text to be found.
Violent protests continue over the video that mocks Mohammed, but there are photos circulating of peaceful, nonviolentprotests against the attacks with signs like "Thugs and killers don't represent Benghazi nor Islam" and "Sorry people of America this is not the behavior of our Islam and prophet." I feel these should at least be mentioned in main stream media to represent the people of Benghazi (and other muslim nations for that matter). If all we see are the extremists it's just not fair to the entire group of people.
After a seven day strike, teachers of Chicago returned to school this week. The teachers had concerns of the new evaluating system they had in place that bases teacher jobs on the standardized test scores of their students. If you had anything like CAPT, where for two months your curriculum HAULTS and they teach you how to take a stupid test rather than actual pertinent information for the class you're in, you would understand why this would concern teachers. Also, I just don't like standardized tests.
E V E N T S:
Vintage Steel: Art exhibit at the Fair Haven Furniture Store in Fair Haven, CT, now till January 11th. Features x-rayed guitars. I went to the reception; can't wait to tell you all more about it in an official post!
Stay in the Dark: Photography art show at SCSU from October 8th through the 14th. Features photography only from the dark room to show it's importance.
Durham Fair! 28th - 30th. I hear it's loads of fun with really great food. I'm going for the first time this year :)
M U S I C:
Trying something new! I'm posting the playlists I make for my show on spotify. This particular one features some live tracks from the shows I went to, so those you won't be able to hear (sorry!) But if you're interested, here it is! Eventually I'll become more spotify savvy but for now, this'll do :)
I leave NPR on in my car all the time. When they play music, it tends to be pretty rare, but pretty awesome. I was so stoked to hear Regina Spektor and I had no idea she has a new album out! "All the Rowboats" is from What We Saw From the Cheap Seats. I haven't gotten the chance to hear the whole album yet, but this song captivated me.
"All the Rowboats" is layered with driving riffs, dark undertones, and imagery in abundance. Her classical training definitely shines but what I love is the percussive noises she makes with her mouth throughout the track. You can tell she has evolved as an artist since Begin to Hope. I can't wait to hear the rest of the album!
Genre: Alternative, neo-psychedelia, lo-fi, indie rock
Favorite track: "Southern Point"
First listen: April 2010
Released: May 2009
Found out through: Last.fm recommendations
Listen to this while you're: dreaming
Funny story about Grizzly Bear. In 2008, Zack a couple of his friends and I went to see Radiohead. The venue was about two or three hours away. We were about two thirds of the way there when we realized we left the tickets at home. We make a very panicked u-turn and called his aunt to see if she could look up any way to get in without the tickets or have her meet us half way or ANYTHING really. We thought we were screwed. She called us back and said to show the card used to purchase the tickets at the booth and they'll print us new ones. Wiping the sweat off our brow, we make another u-turn and make it to our seats just in time to hear Radiohead open with "Reckoner." We missed the opening band but we didn't care! We didn't miss anything Radiohead did.
Almost two years later I stumble Upon Grizzly Bear. I'm really diggin' Veckatimest--like on repeat pretty heavy--and I mention it to Zack.
"Oh yeah, they were the opening band we missed when we went to see Radiohead,"says fiancé ever so nonchalantly.
I cried on the inside. All I could think is IF ONLY.... *Le sigh*
Found out through: NYLON Mag free playlist download
Listen to this while you're: at the beach.... :)
"King of the Beach" from Wavves' album King of the Beach certainly sounds like it belongs on the beach. With hints of The Beach Boys, this track is fun, energetic, and has a dgaf attitude...kinda like the cat/dog/animal thing on the cover. I don't know any other songs by Wavves, since this song was one of twenty four freebies offered by NYLON magazine. I'm always on the look out for free music (legally!!)
I picked this song for today because...you guessed it! I'm going to the beach today!
OK SOOO You all already know I love Radiohead right? Well what better way to celebrate the London 2012 Olympics on my blog than by talking about my favorite UK Band?! I toyed with the idea for a while and talking about an entire radiohead album seemed like an overwhelmingly daunting task, so I'm going with one song, picked solely for the title, "The National Anthem."
Everyone, Everyone around here, Everyone is so near, It's holdin' on
That's the gist of the lyrics in the song, which were randomly picked out of a hat (all the lyrics for the songs on Kid A were done that way). So I don't think there's any meaning behind it, although there can be especially when talking about the olympics amirite??? This is just a badass song, with the most addictive bass line I know. It's the type of song that gets me pumped. For what? No idea. The entire song is one big crescendo with a climax of several horn solos going on all at once, then brought together at the end. Of course my favorite of the horns that I can pick out is the bari sax. IT'S JUST SO GOOD. The space noises in the beginning and media clips at the end really point out the direction radiohead was going at the time; prior to Kid A was OK Computer and The Bends and I suppose I'll mention Pablo Honey--not too much of that electronic stuffon those albums.
I'll admit, this track isn't for everyone. My sister thinks it's too weird and creepy to listen to. I'm alright with that.
Found out through: flicking channels, She did mtv's Unplugged
Listen to this when you're: enjoying a rainy day
Lykke Li's sound is exotic and mysterious, yet soulful. It's almost like she's lurring you into her world, the beat of the drums driving you further and further in. It's hard to pinpoint the vibe of this album because each track evokes it's own emotion. For example, "Get Some" awakens an inner vixen, while "I Know Places"is a small tear drop rolling on the side of her cheek. This Swedish artist is truly a musician who is dedicated to her work.
