the van sessions

i went through a period of time in life where i was CONVINCED that i was going to the next fiona apple. i’d grown up taking piano and voice lessons, and after being accepted to my high school’s a capella group, i started dabbling in guitar as well. during my freshman and junior years of high school, hormones raging, i wrote many an emo deadjournal post (to think that those were the original days of blogging blows my mind) and even more emo songs. i didn’t grow up to be fiona apple; despite a few local open mic nights in high school, i learned that while i was okay, good even, i wasn’t great – and let’s face it, you have to be great to make it.

that being said, i can remember being infatuated with music from an early, early age. my mother has a pretty good voice, though she’d never tell you that herself, and i think i got it from her. she, too, loves music, to her core. put on a good song, and she is literally incapable of NOT tapping her feet, or shaking her shoulders (my current signature move, thanks mama), or moving her head from side to side with the beat.  it’s a quality we share.

my mother, however, doesn’t have my soft spot for vocal competition shows, for obscure youtube videos of cover songs, for backseat jam sessions like the ones below. she’ll tolerate me and watch them, saying, “pretty good” – but she’s not transfixed the way i am.

i came across these videos on jamie meares’ blog, and proceeded to watch about 10 in a row. i CANNOT get enough. nicki bluhm and the gramblers, consider me a brand new fan. now, who wants to rent a van and drive cross country with me so we can make music videos like these? folks with musical experience preferred, but all seatmates welcome.

happy weekend!

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ah, weekend! i am so, so happy friday is here – mostly because it means that i’m officially on vacation. AHHHHH. that’s my big ass sigh of relief. tomorrow morning, i head to rhode island to spend five days on the beach with my family. a whole lot of ice cream eating, tanning and book-reading (i downloaded THREE new books on my kindle!) is about to begin. then it’s back to new york, where i’ll be hitting up central park summerstage for a gavin degraw concert weds night (haters, hush, i can’t wait), a single full day at work, and out to montauk for more beach time. a good august, indeed.

what do you have planned for this lovely weekend? and ps: where did summer go?!

fuck you. pay me. a great read on freelancing, and gettin’ those benjamins like you deserve.

imagine if the subway was a spa. too good, too funny, and too freaking ON POINT. this stunt was conducted by an improv group, but it’s actually a genius idea for a skincare company looking to make a splash with their out of home advertising.

i cannot get enough of this song lately. sam hunt, you do it so good. those drums in the background, that sweet like molasses voice. if you want me to have your babies, i will.

sometimes i think about where i’ll live when i’m a real grownup. you know, because i don’t think i could raise my kids in the city – i want them to have a real yard and i want a garden and maybe even a garage (gasp!). and because i can’t imagine living in connecticut (eek, so conservative!) or westchester (eek, too moneyed), i tend to imagine myself in the hudson valley. and why not? there’s so much good there.

this story, of two women playing a soccer game to choose which last name they’ll use post marriage is amazing, hilarious and heartwarming.

i’m OBSESSED with this video of the lion king cast surprising a crowded A train with the circle of life. so good, and such an ILOVENY moment. i would seriously shit my pants if this happened to me. that, or cry tears of musical geek happiness.

and, in case you missed it:

a story about anxiety, and trying to sleep + homemade almond vanilla granola 

spring playlist: april 2014

|click here to listen|

yesterday was one of those perfect spring sundays. the city came alive, the sun came out to play, and everywhere you looked, bare legs saluted the warm air in shorts and sandals. nothing compares to new york city in the spring, i tell you. the trees begin to bud, and the flowers spring up around us, and just like that, our bitter, cranky, winter-hating hearts are thawed and we’re all happy again. i get such a kick out of walking around the city in the 70 degree weather, earbuds in and music cranked up. this music, to be precise. above is my spring playlist – a mishmash of new to me music, and oldies but goodies that i can never get enough of once the weather warms up (dispatch, i’m looking at you). happy listening!

happy (end of the) weekend!

well, the weekend is over, and though i meant to publish this post on friday, here it is, sunday night, and i’m just going through my drafts and making it happen. alas, time simply got away from me. maybe it was the fact that both yesterday and today, the weather was positively glorious, and i simply couldn’t think of sitting at home. after what has felt like the longest winter ever, new yorkers were out in FULL FORCE today, soaking up the sunshine, dabbling in coatless outfits and sipping iced coffees like there was no tomorrow. i always forget how wonderful spring is here in new york, how the city literally comes alive again. the grass comes up greener than it did last time around, the daffodils seem to peek through the soil and wink at you on your way to work, the trees grow lush and full. and as nature reboots itself, so too do the denizens of the concrete jungle. i swear, it’s like seeing signs of spring reinvigorates our love for the city and all those who live within its borders. everyone who was out and about this weekend just seemed so darn HAPPY. there was a spring in their step. literally. oh, spring, i’m just so happy you’re here.

so, the weekend: mine was pretty low-key; highlights included a deliciously lazy brunch with some of my oldest girlfriends at edi and the wolf (bacon aioli. that’s all i’m going to say.), and a backstreet boys vs n*sync theme ride at soulcycle. i’ve got a busy few weeks coming up, so i’m trying my best to get my life in order and take it semi easy before things kick into high gear. i happily got my taxes out of the way last weekend, paid my dues (thanks, freelance gods), and now can start saving for my next adventure. i’ve got my eyes on tulum, as mentioned here, and i’m pretty sure i convinced my girlfriends to come with me over bloody marys yesterday. funny how some vodka and tomato juice can work magic like that.

speaking of vodka, i spent friday night drinking a few too many sweet tea vodkas at double wide, where i was celebrating my friend katie’s 28th birthday (god damn, we’re getting old!). katie is, like me, a HUGE fan of SVU, and her best friend amber had the genius idea to make her surprise party SVU-themed. there were life-size cardboard cutouts of liv and elliot in attendance, which was pretty much the best thing ever. or at least, it was until the bartender told us that the ACTUAL OLIVIA BENSON (okay, i know her name is mariska in real life, but you know what i mean) had been at double wide the weekend before. that’s right folks, detective benson likes to throw ’em back at double wide. if i wasn’t already a fan of the bar, lord knows i am now. if you enjoy yourself some sweet tea vodka, or are jonesing for a benson sighting, get your booty over to 12th and A. stat.

in other unrelated news, here are the things i loved this week:

a connecticut landmark purchased by mario buatta falls into disrepair. this was brought to my attention by one of my absolute favorite bloggers (and writers, actually), erin gates. this gorgeous connecticut home was purchased by revered interior decorator mario buatta, who started fixing it up only to let it fall into serious disrepair. now, according to the times, it may be torn down, and residents of the town are fighting to save it. gorgeous architecture like this is hard to come by these days – it makes me sad to think such a beautiful space could be replaced with yet another mcmansion.

james franco tried to pick up a 17 year old girl on instagram. you guys, this made me feel ALL OF THE FEELINGS. the first feeling was “ew, james franco is a dirty old man.” but that feeling was immediately replaced with, “i would so say yes if james franco hit on me on instagram.” it’s kind of disgusting how hard he goes after this girl, but i have to admit, it gave me hope that my one night celebrity stand might just come true if i show up to a performance of of mice and men. (just kidding) (sort of)

miley broke down at her boston concert while singing landslide. in college, i was a HUGE miley cyrus fan. my friend jess and i went through a phase where we (i can’t believe i’m admitting this on the internet) smoked a bowl each night after we finished our work and watched the 11pm showing of disney’s hannah montana, on which miley and her real life dad billy ray cracked ridiculous jokes and sang honky tonk country songs. mary jane or no mary jane, we could not get enough of miss miley. and when she released “see you again”… forget it. i have an insanely vivid memory of the night i first heard that song played in a bar, out in public. i lost my shit. that song, to this day, makes me so happy, as does hannah montana‘s “nobody’s perfect.” over the years, miley’s image has soured, and i can’t lie – i don’t love her new music as much as i loved the pure pop perfection of “party in the USA” – but i still consider myself a pretty diehard miley fan. weird haircuts and weird performances aside, the girl has a SERIOUS set of pipes, and when you strip away all the strange hollywood bullshit and just listen to her sing (take, for example, this cover she did of “jolene”), goosebumps ensue. not convinced? watch her singing “landslide” in boston last week. it’s incredible. if you don’t tear up a bit, you’re not human.

and with that, this human is going to start paying attention to the ACM awards (#teamtaylor), and get ready for bed. here’s to a good monday!

 

who do you love?

if you haven’t checked out john mayer’s new album, paradise valley, yet, you’re missing out. it’s quite a masterpiece, if i do say so myself. the perfect mix of mellow tunes.

my personal favorite?

who do you love, a duet with mayer’s girlfriend, katy perry. listen hard to this one, folks. the lyrics are beautiful, and her voice sounds ethereal and amazing on the track.

lyrics:

“My boy, he ain’t the one that I saw coming

And some have said his heart’s too hard to hold

And it takes a little time, but you should see him when he shines

‘Cause you’d never want to let that feeling go”

listen now, thank me later

 

the red tour

for those of you just joining us, you should know: i love taylor swift. i am a diehard fan. i know every word to every song, and i sing them at the top of my lungs – while i’m baking in my kitchen, while i’m shampooing in the shower, while i’m driving on the highway…

i’ve now seen her live twice: a few years ago when she played the speak now tour at MSG, and this july at meadowlands, where she brought her red tour, along with ed sheeran (love him) and austin mahone (he was fun, i could totally be a mahomie). swift puts on an incredible live show that manages to be entertaining without being ludicrously over the top (i’m looking at you, bieber). she always includes a short acoustic set, which i love (at ours, she did “shouldn’t said no” which is, incidentally, the song that kicked off my tswift obsession), and always has a special guest or two at her shows (ours was fall out boy; back in 2011, it was the goo goo dolls).

she generally pulls out the big guns for her new york shows, or at least, so i thought, until i heard who she got for her sold out week at the staples center in los angeles. i pretty much died when i heard she sang “brave” with sara bareilles (who i am also obsessed with). then i heard she brought in tegan and sara (who i loved in high school before they were cool).

and then i saw this compilation video go up today, where she performed “her hairbrush song” (jenny from the block) with jennifer lopez. i mean…i die. how much do you want to be at that show singing along to “used to have a little now i have a lot no matta where i go i know where i came from!”

because i really, really, want to be there. oh tswift. you sure know the way to my heart. enjoy, folks.

only miss the sun when it starts to snow

i’m pretty sure i’m late to the game on this passenger song, but we’ve been stretching to it at bar method, and i’m certifiably obsessed with it. i love singer mike rosenberg’s soulful but slightly ragged voice, and the twinkly piano at the beginning is perfect. the lyrics ain’t half bad either. go ahead, try and listen to it and not put it on repeat.

it makes me want to do one of two things:
walk along central park with my hands in the faded jeans of someone who knows my idiosyncrasies like the back of his hand

snuggle with a big cozy blanket and a steaming mug of tea in a log cabin while snow falls softly outside and christmas lights sparkle in the windows

let’s see which one comes true first.

currently listening: march into april 2013

today, spring finally came out to play in new york city. and just like that, the streets were full of people. teenagers jostled each other, playfully linking arms on the 6 train. spring street was full of tourists stopping for photos in front of balthazar. couples roamed the union square flea market. fresh flowers are out in every bodega on every corner. i purchased a giant bunch of oriental lilies for a mere $20.

spring always makes me yearn for new music – and i crave fun, poppy beats with a hint of electronica. you know, the kind of music you want to listen to with your windows down. the kind you want to blast on the beach while you sip a lemonade and vodka. we’re almost there, folks. i have a feeling april is going to be a good month.

and in that spirit, here’s what i’m currently listening to on repeat.

ps: lest most of this music make me seem even slightly cool, there’s the demi lovato track i know every single word and riff to in there too for good measure. don’t diss the demi, folks. this shit is a JAM. go ahead, try and listen to it WITHOUT bobbing your head. it can’t be done.

pps: like everyone else, i am still listening to the entire lumineers album on repeat. especially ho hey. so sue me!