I've mentioned before that I love making music mixes. Technology advances have limited my need for burning cds, but I still love putting together a good seasonal mix on Grooveshark or iTunes. I made this holiday mix and wanted to share it with you all. Simply hit play below and keep your browser open to enjoy some mellow merry music! (These aren't the typical songs you hear on the radio for the most part - thought it would be more fun to introduce you to some different types of tunes.)
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Josh Ritter came to Milwaukee this week and played at the beautiful Pabst Theater. Paul and I went to the concert with some friends to celebrate his birthday, and we had a blast. I love going to see shows at the Pabst; the musicians usually make comments about how much they enjoy playing there, and I like to think that improves the quality of their performance. I think Josh Ritter smiled through his whole performance. He was so happy! The show had a great energy, their set was really long, and it was super fun to hear our favorite songs live.
This is his song "Kathleen": if you haven't heard it, I recommend taking a few minutes to listen. It's good stuff! These cute little guys are here to bring you a summer music mix! Woot! I had a lot of fun putting this mix together for you all. I even made it under 80 minutes long in case you want to get nostalgic and burn it onto a CD! Or you could take the more modern route and put them into a mix on spotify or grooveshark. Either way, I highly recommend these songs (and in these order, they gel well)! (If you know of any tricky ways to upload a mix directly into a post, please let me know!)
1. Simple Song by the Shins 2. Bright Whites by Kishi Bashi 3. Little Talks by Of Monsters and Men 4. Emmylou by First Aid Kit 5. You and I by Ingrid Michaelson 6. Rivers and Roads by The Head and the Heart 7. Folding Chair by Regina Spektor 8. Wedding Song by Anais Mitchell & Justin Vernon 9. Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) by Arcade Fire 10. We Are the Tide by Blind Pilot 11. One Two Three Four by Feist 12. Kiss by Prince 13. 1901 by Phoenix 14. I Know What I Know by Paul Simon 15. Tony the Tripper by The Fruit Bats 16. Oh Very Young One by Cat Stevens 17. Ho Hey by The Lumineers 18. This Must Be the Place by Talking Heads 19. I Can't Help Myself by the Four Tops 20. Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People 21. Midnight City by M83 Hoped you enjoyed! All songs are available on i-tunes for purchase. What music have you been listening to this summer? I always love checking out new music and artists so let me know if you have any recommendations! Last night we saw Blind Pilot and their opener Rivercity Extension at the Pasbt Theater. It was our first time at the concert hall, and it was breath taking. The theater was built in 1895 by Captain Frederick Pabst (of brewing fame), and its since become a Milwaukee landmark and a Wisconsin historical site. Before we went into the concert, we saw Blind Pilot's touring bus: a big teal blue school bus. We even got a glimpse of what looked like bunk beds in the bus. This band is hard core. Supposedly they rode their bikes around the west coast for their first tour. Apparently, they upgraded for their cross country tour. I feel like opening bands are a lot like drinking milk just past its expiration date: it's only going be good about 50% of the time. But we totally lucked out seeing Rivercity Extension -- I LOVED them. They put on a fantastic show with SUCH great energy! They have an folk-rock vibe but had some songs that sounded more blue-grassy and others that had more of a 50s pop sound to them. They announced during their show that they would be emailing out free downloads of their album since they sold out of their albums on their tour. We signed up for the album after the show and gave them an unsolicited donation for the album, and Mr Cash (see below) said "that's gas money!" So glad I got to see this group and meet a few of them in person; I think it's so cool to see people -- talented ones at that -- going after their dreams. (Go to their website and start by listening to Pittsburgh, promise you won't be disappointed!) Blind Pilot also rocked my socks off. They have a really easy going sound to their albums, and they have an even better energy live. I love bands that sound better live; I think it's a sign of truly talented musicians. We also counted about twelve instruments that were played by the six band members throughout the concert. The band members themselves seemed so humble and genuine in the concert; if they lived in Milwaukee, I would want them to be my friends. They ended the show with an acoustic version of one of my favorite songs (Three Rounds and a Sound). SO magical. Pretty sure I had a smile on my face through their whole show.
What music is inspiring you right now? Paul and I are going to see this band tomorrow night with a couple of good friends. CAN'T WAIT. I think it will definitely help with my Michigan withdrawal. When you watch this video, you may think to yourself "is that a xylophone?" Why yes, that is a xylophone. Blind Pilot is awesome enough to have a xylophone player in their midst. And I will get to see him TOMORROW. Love the magic of live music.
You are almost to the weekend. To celebrate, here's one of my favorite songs from Corrine Bailey Rae: Paris Nights and New York Mornings. It makes me want to travel, want to have a crazy date night, and want to dance all at once. Also: makes me want that dress! Hope you enjoy!
Paul sent me a link to this song yesterday. Paul has been discerning lately what he wants to do with life. He's got the general idea, but he may be changing some of the specifics that he thought he already had figured out. When he sent me this song, I knew he was feeling better and had a sense that everything was going to be ok. Its the type of memory that you forget once everything has been worked out and is in all in place; its easy to forget the little steps from the journey that brought you to where you are. Yay for finding joy on the journey!
Promise this song by Kishi Bashi will have your shoulders bouncing, your hips swaying, and your lovely lips smiling. While you're dancing, listen for the idioms (i.e. "break a leg" at 2:51) in the song. Apparently there's over 50 in the songs and a contest going at kishibashi.com for trying to find all of them! Happy Friday! |