Slow Animals and Highly Suspect

It's been far far too long and I have a lot I'd like to say on here, but for now I'm gonna stick to a few basics.

First of all, I'm in Nashville for the summer working at Vandy! So happy to be able to stay in this city for just a while longer. Since I have been working, I've invested in Spotify and lately I've just been listening to a playlist I made that consists of The Strokes' entire catalogue. Today, my favourite is "Slow Animals" from Comedown Machine.

In other news, Highly Suspect are going places guys! Saw these fellas last summer opening for Chevelle and (being the asshole that I am, I normally don't enjoy openers all that much) but this band completely enthralled me. Since, I've been eager for more music and finally it's coming: July 17th is the release of their first full-length album. Until then, I've been relying on singles to get me through. "Lydia" and "Bath Salts" will remain my favourites though, I think. The thing that I love about Highly Suspect besides their amazing stage presence and the incredible integrity in their music is that you can just see IT in these guys. They want IT. They are just starting out (relatively) and they just love making music and jamming. Those are the marks of a good band. I don't care what anyone says, if you're in it for anything but the music, you're kidding yourself. And these guys mean it. They FEEL it. The late night rambles that Johnny, their frontman, posts online are soul-awakening kinds of things that make you realize what being HUMAN means. Just please do yourself a huge favour and check these people out. #MCID

Anyway, there's a lot more I'd like to write but I'm out of time.

(Laters, baby) -- please get this joke

10 Songs Right Now

It's been too long since I've posted on here, but I've been busy this semester!

I am in the midst of studying for finals and just had a busy Thanksgiving Break. Now I'm just waiting for the 13th so that I can go back home and relax for Christmas!

I thought I'd just shout out a few of my favourite songs at the moment. Some are part of my all-time favourite list, but others are just some I'm into right now. I'm numbering them but they aren't in any particular order. Hope you find some new music to dig out of this list!

1) Flashed Junk Mind - Milky Chance
2) Jawbreaker - Chevelle
3) Dialysis - It's Alive
4) Bittersweet Symphony - The Verve
5) R U Mine? - Arctic Monkeys
6) Minus the Machine - 10 Years
7) Creep - Radiohead
8) The Way You Make Me Feel - Michael Jackson
9) Dangerous - Big Data
10) Boneless - Steve Aoki

Updates

This is going to be short and to the point.

It's been several months since I've blogged on here. However, I wasn't completely inactive in the blog world. My sister and I went on a summer tour through the Northeast for SP (the last time that will happen) and we blogged about our adventures here -->    http://concerttravelerconfessions.blogspot.com/

Believe me, reading that is worth the drama. To put it in a few words: we said some things that were true, Shim took it the wrong way, the truth came out. And here we are. Their new album is honestly shit (minus about 2 gems) compared to the old stuff and I'm (well WE) are over it. The music is pop...not what I signed up for. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I'm sure they've sold their once musical, naive souls to the record deal gods to become successful. And it fucking sucks. But whatever.

Anyway, I'm in Nashville at Vanderbilt. AND I LOVE IT. Nashville is amazing, Vandy is amazing. I miss NYU a little sometimes but not enough to ever question my decision to transfer.

There's so much more to say and catch up on but I'm busy procrastinating right now. So until next time,

Stay Quiche (J'Amie: Private School Girl reference)

So.....

Qué pasa everybody? Today is cinco de mayo and I'm celebrating by watching television and reading a book for class about Bostwana! The last few weeks have been a little hectic with some lingering midterms and term papers being due. But I managed to finish everything on time and now only have 3 papers and 3 exams left until I'm finished with my final semester at NYU! That's right, I said "FINAL SEMESTER AT NYU" I've been agonizing for close to a year about transferring to a place that's in the Midwest and I've finally heard back from one school I applied to and...I got into Vanderbilt!! I'm still waiting to hear back from others in lovely Chicago but Vanderbilt is a big possibility for me. I think I'll miss New York once I'm gone but I know that it was never the right place for me. I've tried to soak up all that I can though in these past few weeks though (museum trips, central park visits, going grocery shopping at the TJs in Chelsea). And I've met a few good friends while I've been here; but enough about all that.

I go home in 11 days!! I can't wait! Not only will I be home but it will finally be summer! And I already have a few things to look forward to (aka 5/13 and 7/19)...so we'll see how that goes. Amanda and I are also ready for tour again. It's been too long and we have a few things that need to be crossed off our bucket list like KV13 and San Bernardino. So I'm sure we'll at least accomplish those while driving through the desert in style. I'm also working on a playlist for the summer. At the top of my list right now is "I Need Your Love" - Calvin Harris ft. Ellie Goulding. It's perfect for summer!

Must go back to life now, PEACE out girl SCOUT

P.S. So...... (snobby)

Fiz what?

It's been awhile but....

I'm just gonna jump right in with a few random thoughts:

Every week, I watch Parenthood and seriously end up crying. Not always at sad things, but the show is just such an emotional roller coaster.

Also, Chevelle just released a new song called Fizgig. That sounds weird, but just look it up. I've listened to it on YouTube about 4 times and I love it. I'm not quite sure how to put it but everything about the song almost sounds wrong or off which is what makes it so interesting to listen to.

Speaking of new music, I may be crazy but I always love discovering something new and how it feels foreign. I'm always a little sad when I become desensitized to a song or an artist or whatever. Does anyone else ever think this?

By the way, 16 days until I go home for a month for Winter break! Between now and then I have several papers, finals, and readings that I have to get through.

Well, Until next time...

Oh, Sandy...

Hey, how ya goin?

Right now I'm avoiding reading as much as I can. So, that obviously leads to me writing a new post.

Last week was a bit of a whirlwind. Hurricane Sandy hit and New York City freaked out. Luckily where I am didn't get hit too hard. We did lose power for a week which led to me staying at a friend's in New Jersey until Sunday. While it was nice to have a week off from school, living in the middle ages was not amazing. I'm glad to be back in my room now with electricity and water.

I'm listening to a very weird playlist right now that I made. Currently playing "All the Things She Said" by TATU. Instead of reading I've gotten coffee, made a study schedule, and cleaned up my email inbox. I'm only 14 days away from going home for Thanksgiving! Is it sad that I'm already excited for next summer?

I'd like to say I'm going to read now but we all know I'm probably going to end up on Youtube.

P.S. Don't forget to VOTE tomorrow! I sent in my absentee ballot weeks ago!

P.P.S Here's a clip about Sandy from my favourite movie.

Albums you need to hear (or at least give a chance)

Here are a few albums that I can listen to all the way through. For me, it's kind of rare to find an album where you can listen to every song and legitimately like the entire album. I picked a couple of songs off of each one that I love, but the fact that I'm saying the whole album is great kind of counters the fave song idea. I just thought I'd give a sample though.

1. In Utero - Nirvana: This album is one of the first albums I ever listened to when I first got into rock music. I could probably go ahead and say that every Nirvana album is just as good (in different ways) but for some reason, this album has always been my favourite of their's. The album starts off with "Serve the Servants." The opening line to this song is one of my favourites as well: "Teenage angst has paid off well, now I'm bored and old." Kurt Cobain was a lyrical genius in my opinion. I've listened to this album 1000 times but the songs that stick out to me a lot are "Very Ape" and "Milk It." I also think having "All Apologies" as the final track just ties the whole album together.

2.  This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In) - Chevelle: There's a long story about how I've gotten into Chevelle. But, with where I've ended up, these brothers are my favourite band now. I debated between which of their albums I love most but I picked this album because it is so innovative and the songs are heavy. Pete's an incredible lyricist anyway (if you haven't figured it out, I'm big on lyrics) but this album especially is unique because Pete and Sam decided to avoid rhyming in order to challenge themselves with writing. The guitar sound has a lot of drop tuning which gives the album an almost sad, pretty vibe. The drumming is a ton of double bass kick which I'm a huge fan of. Also with Chevelle in general, melody is HUGE. The melodies are so addicting. You may think you don't like Chevelle (I originally disliked them for several reasons) but seriously give this album a listen. My favourites include "Another Know It All," "Breach Birth," and "Get Some."

3.  The Fame Monster - Lady Gaga: I've been a fan of Gaga for awhile. I have my sister to blame for that. I know a lot of people don't like her, but I think not only is her music catchy (obviously) but she writes her own stuff, which is rare these days and she's truly a full-on performance artist. This album isn't just another pop album. I've read that each song is supposed to represent a different monster in her life, whether that be drinking or a person or whatever. The album is only 8 songs, but each one is eerie and complex. I would argue that Bad Romance is one of the greatest songs ever written (and the video is amazing). I think it's interesting that she'd write about someone loving everything ugly in someone else. Don't dismiss this just because it's Gaga. Listen to it. Faves: "Bad Romance" & "Teeth."

4. Human Resources - It's Alive: I met IA on a tour in 2010. I became friends with the guys and still remember buying this album for $10 from Clay (the guitarist) at Bogart's in Cincinnati after the show. My sister and I were following that tour (for another band) and were driving from Cincinnati to Cleveland that night. We popped the album into our Scion's CD player and literally played it on repeat during the entire drive. We were going through something that night and this album was saying what we wanted to hear. We would pick up certain lyrics and begin analyzing. That summer, I listened to this album nonstop. The stories behind the songs are intense. There's something about this album that I just can't quite put into words. I do know that every time I go back and listen to songs off of it though, I remember exactly how I felt the first time I heard it. This album is simply incredible. Favourites here are "Questions," "Dialysis," and "Fool For You."

5. No Name No Color - Middle Class Rut: This album was a more recent find for me. I heard the single "New Low" when it first came out in 2010 and my sister got super into this album. Then, we finally had the chance to see these guys (who are a 2-man band btw) this year twice in a 7-day period. After I saw them, I started listening to the album. My sister told me that they wrote these songs and then recorded them immediately so that they didn't lose the urgency behind them. When you listen to the music, you can hear that. The music is so odd, but the fact that Zack and Sean both sing is quite interesting. The lyrics are also so honest. This album just has a lot of emotion behind it. It also doesn't hurt that I have a huge crush on Zack. I go through phases, but right now I'm digging the song "I Guess You Could Say" (which I'm currently listening to). Other faves are: "Busy Bein' Born," "Sad to Know," and "Cornbred."

6. Nox Aeris - Janus: I met these guys back in 2010. I've now developed an interesting friendship with them after seeing them countless times. I loved a lot off of their first album and they're good live. Then this album came out. It's twice as heavy as the last album. I love everything about it. The music is strange and interesting. And I had the pleasure of hearing the stories behind all the songs from David (the singer). The single "Stains" is unexpected sounding but so intense. A couple of my favourite songs are "Waive" and "Lifeless." This band and this album are really unlike anything else and require a certain kind of taste. But once you like it, you'll love it.

"Get Some" Mexican Sun

Hey hey! So I decided that it was time to write again because a) it's been awhile and b) I read 4 chapters of biology today, so I earned it. As you may have guessed, I'm back at school at NYU in NYC. Classes started Tuesday and that's about all that's interesting about that. Right now, I'm not sure how much longer I'll be here in NYC as I am possibly having a change of plans in the near-ish future.

Anyway, since the last time I posted I went to Mexico! I went with my mom, stepdad, and some family friends. It was so much fun and so beautiful but let's be real: me and my hair don't like that Caribbean humidity. Plus most of the drinks (water, milk, juice) were warm...eww. But we got to do a lot of fun shit, including my favorite thing: seeing the ruins of Tulum.

 The beach of Riviera Maya

Tulum

I'm still peeling from my sunburn BTW. Also, my sister, Amanda, and I are only 9 days and 1.5 hours from what is going to be an "interesting" day at worst. I'll let you know how that concert goes after I start breathing again. Kidding, but seriously, going from seeing someone on a regular basis to twice in the past year is obviously going to make that whole shindig interesting. At least if anything goes badly, Amanda and I will be in our favourite city in the world, CHICAGO! 

At some point, I'm going to post another list-like entry that sums up some of my favourite albums...but for now, I must go. 

P.S. I think it's important that you know I'm currently listening to "Forfeit (Live)" and smiling. Just listen and you'll know why. You can't miss out on the voice of a sexy sheep!

Drama-rama

I'm so seriously over this it's not even funny, but I'm obligated to blog about what happened. This is the last time I'm going to talk about what happened with Fair to Midland, so read it here.

Last night my sister, Amanda, and I went to the 10 Years show at Pop's in St. Louis. We really needed a concert to go to and we've always liked 10 Years shows. The first band was local. They weren't anything special. Then, Kyng played. We weren't really into them either but we sat through their set. Then Fair to Midland came on. Besides the fact that they were probably on acid and cocaine, they were rude and arrogant people. The lead singer was stumbling around onstage acting like he didn't give a shit. After the first song, he told the crowd that they were "the worst crowd they'd ever played for and they didn't even want to finish their show." Then he continued to call the crowd stupid motherfuckers at every chance he got. Obviously, this didn't make me like them.

I'd like to point out that there were probably 3 people in the venue that gave a shit that FTM was even there so everyone else in the crowd was silently staring at the stage, just like Amanda and I were. But about halfway through the set, the drummer started mimicking how Amanda was standing and began to make fun of the two of us. We started playing around back just to pass the time. We were jokingly flipping each other off and smiling throughout the entire set. Then the bassist and guitarist came down into our faces and made fun of us too because we weren't smiling. After the set, the drummer bent down over the stage as he was taking apart his drum kit and told Amanda and I that we were "so ridiculously unattractive that it's embarrassing to look at." I told him to come down to the barricade jokingly and he flipped me off and said "Fuck you, I'm too embarrassed to even look at you." This is the point when we realized this guy was actually pissed. Then a guy from Kyng walked by and flipped us off too. (WTF did he have to do with any of this??) 

Ten Years finally came on and their set was amazing. The show was great, (Wasteland acoustic). After the set we hung around waiting to talk to Jesse from 10 Years and we saw the guy from Kyng making eye contact with Amanda and me while telling some random people how terrible we are and how much we suck. After we got home, we told some people what had been said to us and a good friend made us realize how ridiculous the whole situation was. (Thanks Amir). Then we went on twitter and facebook and people were posting to FTM about how sorry they were for our behavior. People were literally up in arms about us being rude? A few people said they couldn't believe how mainstream we were and how funny it was that two girls got yelled at by FTM. Are you kidding me?? After responding to one person's post about how stupid we were, Amanda received a message from the bassist of FTM telling her to kill herself and jump of a bridge because she was a stupid cunt.

I realize that was long and dramatic, but I had to tell the story from my point of view. I guess the whole thing was a little more serious to the band than we thought it was. But now I've had my fill of STL for awhile and Amanda and I can happily go to Springfield, IL next week to see our friends in Chevelle one last time before summer's end.

So who wants to go see Fair to Midland with us again?

Matte Days

Right now I wish I was at Summerfest in Milwaukee. How dumb is that? I hate festivals, but God what I would give to be there. Anyway, since the last post life has been a little more low key (by that I mean we've stayed mostly in Missouri). After coming home from Chicago, I've just been working and hanging out. For 4th of July Amanda, her husband Devon, and our parents made our way to Cloud 9 for the annual fireworks. We chilled and burned by the pool, sat outdoors on an indoor couch, bought some '50s furniture, and met my future husband. Now we're back home. We went to see the Katy Perry movie the other day. Amanda and I don't even really like her that much, but somehow we both ended up sobbing by the end of the movie.

It rained today for the first time since like May (seriously). My nails are currently painted matte teal. Amanda's are matte grey and pink. We're trying to figure out the rest of our summer plans. We've got an Atlantic City/Boston concert trip in the works but we still have some major details to work out there. We're also figuring out the details on how we're both getting to Chicago in September for a show. However, we get to see some good friends in a few weeks so that should be fun! And we've finally made some way with names for our venue. I don't want to give them away just yet though.

Cobblestone, Concerts, and Chicago

I don't even know where to begin on this one. When I last posted, I was pissed because the tours I was expecting to happen this summer are non-existent. That's still the case. My sister, Amanda, and I decided to go to an outdoor show anyway though because we just needed to.

We made our way to Burlington, IA which is in the middle of a few cornfields. The town itself was awesome: tons of cobblestone, abandoned buildings, and fallout shelters. The day was a high stress situation to say the least. But alas, we ended up front row center for the show, thanks to Chevelle and Janus. The concert itself was fantastic. We were also lucky enough to see Pop Evil at the show. From the picture below, do you think we got along with them? ......

No.

Chevelle

After the show, we said a quick goodbye to a few of the guys. The overall experience was what was expected I guess. It was no Blue Note, but we kind of knew it wouldn't be. It was basically a mini-festival (not my cup of tea). But I'm glad we went because I would've died being at home. 

                 Straight Mosh Pit Chillin                      Soundcheck

After that we drove to Chicago to see a few "sights" and hang out. We got to spend the day basically chilling in Millennium Park, having lunch at Navy Pier, and walking around. Then we headed to the Laugh Factory on Broadway for the Chris D'Elia comedy show. That guy is a fucking riot. And now we have a few more quotes thanks to him: "It is what it is...you do the math." The next day we met downtown with our family architect, Mike, to discuss some future building plans. Before we left we of course shopped at The Brown Elephant on Halsted. Then we were homeward bound.

Chicago

Chris D'Elia

Now I'm left with that "I wish I was still there having the time of my life with people that I love" feeling. Don't get me wrong, I love being home but being on the road is a fucking good time. On the bright side, it seems things are less awkward with Janus now. Hopefully Amanda and I will get to see some of our guys again and a few more of our favorite assholes this summer. Fingers crossed. And I mean Amanda just reached her 555th tweet, so I think fate is on our side again.

VIPs and Venues

Why are my 2 favourite bands on the worst possible tour/not touring at all this summer? I'm extremely meticulous about the concerts that I actually decide to go to. I hate festivals. Outdoor venues suck. I like small clubs with one entrance. No VIP system for retards who didn't wait in line all day. Instead of these kinds of places, I'm forced to go to a venue I know I won't like. This blows. It's honestly a miracle that I've had better than great experiences at the multitude of concerts that I have gone to, since I need so many factors to be perfect in the first place.

At this point I'm just trying to squeeze any ounce of concert out of this summer as I can. Small clubs or not. So far I'm 1 for 2. The first one was better than my imagination could've ever come up with. The second was awkward (as expected). So I think I'm due for a good one next.

Get ready for a stretch analogy: They say it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. So I guess it's better that I go to some average concerts than not go to any at all, right?