Category Archives: Music

Sep28

Man Crush Monday: Spencer Krug Edition

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Man Crush Monday: Spencer Krug Edition

Helloooo everyone and welcome to the newest edition of Man Crush Monday – Spencer Krug style! My #MCM is one of my most beloved musician crushes. As the front man for some of my favorite bands such as Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown, and Swan Lake as well as being in association with Frog Eyes, it only seemed appropriate to finally show some love to this multi talented artist. Take a listen to one of the most well known songs by Wolf Parade and then let’s discuss:

Dear Spencer Krug,

Oh Spencer, sweet sweet Spencer. I’ll never forget the first time my older brother introduced me to your music by playing Wolf Parade’s “I’ll Believe In Anything”. I was so blown away by your unique voice and your incredible ability to invoke emotion in all of your songs. The way that you can go from soft crooning to rocker howls at the drop of a hat keeps me on my toes and makes me feel firey passion deep in my loins. I would give anything to see one of your many bands in concert and I’ll forever be jealous of my brother for seeing Wolf Parade perform when they opened for Arcade Fire during their “Us Kids Know” tour. Your unmistakable voice and thought provoking lyrics are well matched to your staggering good looks. Hubba hubba, sir. If there’s one thing mama loves, it’s a good looking man who has musical talent – which basically sums you up in a nut shell. Whether your hair is long or short and no matter what band you’re currently repping, you are a stud and a half. The day that I can see you perform live is the day I can die happy. I LOVE YOU!!!!!!

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^^^ Oh my dear lord…he’s perfect!

So there you have it, this week’s Man Crush Monday: Spencer Krug Edition! Who is everyone’s #MCM this week? What is your favorite band that my man crush is associated with? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep27

Recipe of Life

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Recipe of Life

Heyyy everyone and welcome to a very special post about one of my new music obsessions, Recipe of Life. ROL is made up of two darling girls, Shelby and Ariel, who are both full of sunny personalities and sweet voices to match. I have been hunting these girls down for months trying to feature their ukulele duo on http://www.lifewithlilred.com and it’s finally happening!

I seriously couldn’t be more excited to shed some light on such a talented group, especially considering they just wrapped up their Lake Erie Shore Tour on top of releasing a new single “Are You Ready?” which is now available on their iTunes, Spotify, Rhapsody, and bandcamp page. “Are You Ready?” is such an addictive song it should be illegal, so check it out and get hooked! (I, for one, am ready! And all of the links to the mentioned sites can be found at the end of the post!)

Recipe of Life debuted their first full length album The Secret Ingredient in 2014 and now I would love to take some time to discuss my personal favorites off of it with you! The Secret Ingredient can be found on all of ROL’s music pages and can be purchased for ten dollars. So click the link and listen along as I offer my humble Lil Red opinion on the album! And make sure you stay tuned after for an exclusive interview with the ROL duo, Shelby and Ariel! Let’s get to it:

Love You Today: This is the first song off of The Secret Ingredient and I absolutely love it. I was listening to this while laying in bed and I kid you not, my notes on the song were “this reminds me of how I feel when I have a crush on someone”. So many of Recipe of Life’s tracks have this ability to bring on the butterflies of being googly eyed over that special someone and “Love You Today” sums that up perfectly. Such a sweet and strong opener!

If the Shoe Fits: Obviously this song is one of my go to’s considering the title is the same as one of my segments on lifewithlilred. 😉 I really like the harmonies that the ROL gals have going on in this track and the lyrics are cute as can be. When I first heard Recipe of Life’s music, I was honestly shocked that I liked it so much. I’m such an alternative and indie girl at heart but it’s impossible to not appreciate this band. All of the emotions in their songs are so honest and relateable. I can’t think of one person who hasn’t wished for a romance that Shelby and Ariel are swooning about in “If the Shoe Fits”.

Spot On: If you guys have read my music reviews before, then you’ll know that this song had me at the opening “doo doo doo’s”. I LOVE THEM! What I think is so memorable about this song is how much fun the girls are having with it. Their little laughs throughout “Spot On” made me smile each time and this is the type of tune that should be played with all of the windows down on a bright day. At the beginning of this post I described Shelby and Ariel’s personalities as “sunny” and you can definitely see why after listening to this little ditty.

Unlovable: This is my favorite song off of The Secret Ingredient, hands down. Honestly, “Unlovable” describes some very real feelings for me, especially with their lyric “Why do you thank me? When there’s nothing to thank me for”. Ugh, I love that. “Unlovable” is the second track off of The Secret Ingredient and I think that it’s such a solid follow up to the opener “Love You Today”. “Unlovable” is the longest song on the album at 4:39 but I wish it could have gone on forever.

The End: Appropriately titled, “The End” is the closing song on The Secret Ingredient and I will seriously be a monkey’s uncle if it isn’t a song in a Disney movie. Literally all I could think about while I listened to this song was a Disney prince and princess serenading each other…Judge me for it. “The End” is a beautiful song to wrap up a beautiful album, so bravo!

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I had the opportunity to sit down with the lovely Shelby to chat about the band, boys, and everything in between. Unfortunately, the other half of the Recipe of Life duo, Ariel, is away at college and was unable to attend the interview – but fear not! I was lucky enough to “speak” with her via email to get her input. Thanks to the ROL girls, I have the answers to the questions that I’m sure you’re all dying to know, so take a look:

  • Lil Red: So how did your duo come into being?
  • Shelby: Ariel and I became friends our sophomore year of high school. We became Facebook friends because she was friends with my boyfriend, Jimmy, throughout freshman year, so we both figured we should be friends!
  • Ariel: Shortly after our friendship started we made a cover video of YouTube musician, Orla Gartland’s, song “All The Little Details.” The video got one thousand plus views and we were shocked! That’s when we thought “Hmm. Maybe this music-y thing could go somewhere”. After that pleasant surprise we decided to perform as a duet for the Battle Of The Bands at our high school.
  • LR: I’m positive that my readers will be curious about where the name Recipe of Life came from, because I definitely am. Is there a story behind the band name?
  • S: When we were preparing to compete for BOTB, we realized we needed a name! We turned to the internet for inspiration and found a quote that said “Friendship is the most important ingredient in the recipe of life” and it stuck. We thought that it might be too cheesy, but we never changed it!
  • LR: Would you agree that friendship is the most important ingredient?
  • S&A: Yes!!
  • LR: So how did Recipe of Life do in the Battle Of The Bands competition?
  • S: We won! It was so exciting. We performed two cover songs and the first song that I ever wrote “Forever Yours”, which can be heard on our album.
  • LR: I noticed that a common theme in your songs is the “perfect” guy, where does the inspiration for this stem from?
  • S: Definitely my boyfriend, Jimmy. We’ve been dating for six years and I feel like literally all of my songs are about him. Ariel and her mom always were pushing me to write outside of my comfort zone, so the first song I wrote that wasn’t about love was a huge deal!
  • A: Sometimes my songs are inspired by a relationship – but not as often as Shelby’s! Although, the first song that I wrote about a significant other, “Spot On”, is about the same guy that I’ve been with to this day, three years later! I’m still trying to figure myself and life out, so this gives me a lot of situations to draw from when I write a song. A general curiosity for life helps when I’m trying to put pen to paper.
  • LR: Six and three years is a long time! My longest relationship was two weeks…ANYWAYS, sometimes I’m shocked by the people who I find out read my blog. Have you ladies ever been surprised by anyone who you found out was a Recipe of Life fan?
  • S: Our usual demographic is sixteen to twenty-five year old girls, so we were both definitely shocked by our following of middle aged men who were musicians in college!
  • A: Middle aged adults was definitely unexpected! We also get quite a bit of attention from Christian audiences as well, which I think is interesting. Someone that we were both taken aback by was when Orla Gartland commented on our video for “All The Little Details” saying that she loved it. Like, what?!
  • LR: Middle aged people is not what I was expecting to hear! But hey, a fans a fan! And now for the interview cliche question, where do you girls see Recipe of Life in two years?
  • S: Hopefully on tour with a new album out. We would really like to branch out our audience and perform in a bunch of new locations.
  • A: I would love to hear us on the radio someday so maybe two years is enough time to get that ball rolling! But our next goal as of now is making another full length album.

You heard it first on lifewithlilred! It was so fun having a chit chat with Shelby and Ariel! If you would like to read more of our interview, let me know in the comment section so I can make it happen!

Like it? Love it? Want more of it? You can show love to Recipe of Life by:

  • Liking them on Facebook
  • Purchasing The Secret Ingredient off of their music pages like bandcamp and iTunes
  • Snagging their new single “Are You Ready?”
  • Checking out their website
  • Shooting them an email
  • Commenting on this post so I can relay the message

Here are all of the links to the websites mentioned above:

It has been a complete blast getting to know the Recipe of Life girls, Shelby and Ariel. They are certainly a ukulele strumming duo to watch out for, so be on the look out! How do you feel about Recipe of Life’s music? Do you have any constructive criticism or advice for Shelby and Ariel? We wanna hear from all of you, so leave us a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep25

Hawthorne Heights Concert!

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Hawthorne Heights Concert!

Heyyy guys and TGIF! I’m actually prewriting this post before I leave for my boyfriend’s for the night because I won’t have a lot of time tomorrow to fill you in on the exciting day! My friends at Millstone will be the opening act for Hawthorne Heights’ show at The Outpost in Kent, Ohio and we’re all very excited! Make sure you check out my article about Millstone on http://www.lifewithlilred.com and enjoy this classic Hawthorne Heights emo kid anthem:

So yes, Millstone, a band who I’ve worked with and a band who Kyle knows very personally considering the lead singer is his best friend will be opening for my angsty teen favorite, Hawthorne Heights. I actually met the guys of HH when I was sixteen or so when they played at Musica in Akron and they were awesome. All of them were so sweet and genuine and I still have the pictures, my autographed Silence In Black and White album, and the guitar pick belonging to the lead singer, JT, to this day. Not only were they a joy to chat with, but they killed their set as well!

Kyle and I are both thrilled for our Millstone friends and we’re going to arrive at the venue early to help in any way we can, so we’re gonna have a busy day tomorrow! But fear not, I’ll be back for the usual Monday Update and Man Crush Monday segments, so make sure you tune back in with me on the twenty-eighth for more of the latest and greatest! Until then, what is everyone up to this weekend? Any concerts or big plans? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep21

Man Crush Monday: Craig Nicholls Edition

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Man Crush Monday: Craig Nicholls Edition

Heyyy everyone and welcome to the newest edition of Man Crush Monday – Craig Nicholls style! The front man of one of my favorite bands, The Vines, has been one of my celebrity crushes since I was ten years old. His eccentric antics and quirky looks stole my heart and I don’t think I’ll be getting it back anytime soon! Take a listen to one of my favorite songs by The Vines and then let’s discuss:

Dear Craig Nicholls,

Oh, Craig. Sweet and a tiny bit over the top Craig. “Ride”, the track I chose to honor you with will always be one of my go to jams. My brother introduced the song to me along with the super cool music video and I was hooked ever since. I have all of the albums by The Vines safely stored on my iPod and I play them frequently to get me hyped for school, auditions, or just running around doing errands. What instantly made me attracted to you was your wild personality. Usually I’m more of a fan of the sensitive, brooding types of guys but there was something special about you. Your blatant “who gives a fuck” lifestyle wasn’t something that you put on for publicity – it was who you are and I really liked that. It was and still is refreshing to see someone in the public eye who refuses to change despite the posh and pristine Hollywood image that’s constantly shoved down everyone’s throats. There are so many things that I love about The Vines but I think my favorite thing about them is your voice! Your slightly stoned and surfer boy vocals are seriously perfect and I can’t get enough! Not only are you amazingly talented but you’re also amazingly handsome! Hubba hubba to you, sir. Your disheveled hair, extreme facial expressions, and pursed mouth that’s constantly dragging on a cigarette rev my engine. You are truly one of my dream men and I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!

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^^^ He’s a babe! SHWING!!

So there you have it, this week’s Man Crush Monday: Craig Nicholls Edition! Who is everyone’s #MCM this week? What is your favorite song by The Vines? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep14

Man Crush Monday: Davey Havok Edition

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Man Crush Monday: Davey Havok Edition

Howdy everyone and welcome to the newest edition of Man Crush Monday – Davey Havok style! My #MCM this week is one that I’m quite shocked I haven’t wrote about sooner because I’ve had a crush on him since I was nine years old! Davey Havok will always hold a special place in my heart as one of my first love interests so it only seems appropriate to finally feature him! Take a listen to my all time favorite AFI song, “Silver And Cold”, and then let’s discuss:

Dear Davey Havok,

Oh, Davey. Davey, Davey, Davey. My older brother introduced me to the song I chose to honor you with when I was nine years old. After that fateful introduction, I became a hardcore AFI fan. In fact, AFI’s album, “Sing The Sorrow”, was the first CD I ever purchased. I still have it to this day, twelve years later, and I still love it just the same. Your music has gotten me through some of the darkest times of my life and for that I thank you. Your music has also helped me see the joy that can come out of dark situations and for that I also thank you. To put it lightly Davey, I am insanely infatuated with you. Your voice, your perfect face, your gorgeous hair! Hubba hubba, sir. But seriously, you have the most incredible voice no matter what you do with it – somber crooning, screaming, or that slightly high pitched singing that you do so well…It’s all nothing short of amazing. And can we please talk about your hair?! Please?! Black, blue, long, short, or angular which was stunning with your striking features – I love it all equally. You can do no wrong and once again I thank you so much for sharing your soul with the world. I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!

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^^^ Perfection. Pure and utter perfection. ❤

So there you have it, this week’s Man Crush Monday: Davey Havok Edition! Who is everyone’s #MCM this week? What is your all time favorite AFI song or Davey Havok hair style? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep9

Woman Crush Wednesday: Alison Mosshart Edition

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Woman Crush Wednesday: Alison Mosshart Edition

Hellooo everyone and welcome to the newest edition of Woman Crush Wednesday – Alison Mosshart style!! Here’s the thing…I hate music with female vocalists. Don’t ask me why, I just do. BUT Alison Mosshart is one of the very rare women whose voice doesn’t annoy the living hell out of me, which is why she’s my #WCW. Yes, this makes me sound hella musically sexist. No, I don’t care. Let’s discuss:

Dear Alison Mosshart,

Oh Alison, you little pack a punch powerhouse, I just adore you. “Sour Cherry”, the song I picked to honor you with was the first track I ever heard from The Kills and after that, I was hooked. I loved your edgy, devil may care attitude, along with the ability you had to make your voice go from poppy fun to a rocker howl in no time. Before I knew it, you were becoming my favorite female front woman, which as I mentioned earlier, is quite a rarity. Just when I thought you couldn’t get any better, you surprised me again by becoming the leading lady of one of Jack White’s bands, The Dead Weather. I’ll never forget hearing “So Far From Your Weapon” for the first time. It was dark, bluesy, gruff, and everything that I gravitate towards when I’m looking for new music to play. The vocal ranges you have truly are amazing because you sound great singing any style, which leaves me coming back for more again and again. I could ramble about my adoration of your music for another ten paragraphs but I’d also really like to discuss your gorgeous looks! Hubba hubba, chick – because you’re a stunner! You’re so beautiful no matter what your hair color or your outfit…You could wear a paper bag and still look incredible. You remind me so much of a young Joan Jett and I seriously can’t handle your perfection. I LOVE YOU!!!!!

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^^^ Ugh. She’s flawless!!! ❤

So there you have it, this week’s Woman Crush Wednesday: Alison Mosshart Edition! Who is your #WCW this week? What is your favorite creative endeavor by my woman crush? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug28

iTunes Shuffle Challenge: Epic Failure

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iTunes Shuffle Challenge: Epic Failure

Heyyy everyone and TGIF! About a month or so ago, I wrote an article about my desire to play all of the over 8,000 songs on my iPod the entire way through on shuffle. (See: “iTunes Shuffle Challenge”) Unfortunately, I only made it to song 1,000. I seriously couldn’t handle not being able to hear my go to jams whenever I wanted, so thanks to a few of my favorite songs, the score is as follows:

  • Sarah: 0
  • iTunes Shuffle Challenge: 7496833058

Now it’s time to share with you the funky time jams that made the iTunes Shuffle Challenge triumph over Lil Red:

Wild For The Night – A$AP Rocky (ft. Skrillix, Birdy Nam Nam): Yes, the lyrics in this song are vulgar to the point that it’s almost shameful. No, I don’t care. This song is my fucking jam. Whenever I’m in the mood to blast rap music at the highest volume possible in the Little Red Love Machine (which is very often), this is my first choice. It’s so damn catchy and I have the biggest, weirdest crush on A$AP Rocky. Ain’t no shame in my game. 😉 #ihatemyself

One Time – K-Os: Oh yes, I looooove me some K-Os and “One Time” is one of my all time favorites by him. This track is so sexy it’s unreal and it’s another one of Lil Red’s go to driving jams. If you haven’t noticed already, a common theme in this post is that these songs are all ones that I like to drive to. Sue me for it. By the time I got about a month into the iTunes Shuffle Challenge, I was so over not being able to hear my favorite driving songs. Everyone has those certain tracks that put them in the best mood while driving and it was very difficult to live without them. But I digress. K-Os came out with a new album recently and I’m very excited to give it a listen…Also, give “One Time” a try. It’s the tits.

Wake Up – AWOLNATION: Obviously AWOLNATION is going to be on this list considering how much I freaking love them. (See: “AWOLNATION Concert” and “Man Crush Monday: Aaron Bruno Edition) AWOL is one of my favorite bands to drive to because their music is so fast paced and upbeat. Around song 500 on my Shuffle Challenge “Like People, Like Plastic” played and I freaked out with happiness and then spiraled into a depression because I couldn’t rock out to any more of their music. It seriously killed me. #neardeathexperiences

That Black Bat Licorice – Jack White: Once again, obviously my main man, Jack White, is going to be on this list. (See: “Man Crush Monday: Jack White Edition) I love playing anything and everything with Mr. White in it, so consider this part of the list an all inclusive blurb for all of Jack White’s past and present bands. Such a beautiful, talented, hunka hunk of burning love. I also really like the music video for this song!

Avocado, Baby – Los Campesinos!: I like this song a lot. Like a lot a lot. I’ve been a Los Campesinos! fan for years and this track is no exception. It’s cool, it’s catchy, and I play it in the Little Red Love Machine at least ten times per week. #MVP

Don’t Save Me – HAIM: Whenever I’m feeling sassy, which is very often, I loves me some HAIM. I’m a big fan of their entire album Days Are Gone and “Don’t Save Me” is probably one of my favorite tracks. I like to play HAIM when I’m in need of a heaping helping of girl power and best believe I’m singing poorly the entire time. Oh, what I wouldn’t do to be a member of that sisterhood (of the traveling pants).

Burnin’ Up – Jonas Brothers: Hahaha…haha…ha. JUDGE ME FOR IT!!! Whenever I’m driving with my sister, this is one of the songs that we like to belt at the top of our lungs. For that reason, “Burnin’ Up” was an accomplice to my iTunes Shuffle Challenge failure. You guys have no idea how hard it was to tell my big sis that she couldn’t play our JoBros anthem because I couldn’t stray away from my shuffle streak. I made a lot of musical sacrifices for the Shuffle Challenge, and not playing “Burnin’ Up” was one of the most difficult ones I had to make. #truestory

So there you have it, the tunes that turned my iTunes Shuffle Challenge into an Epic Failure. What are some of your go to driving songs? How many songs do you have on your iPod and do you think you could succeed at a Shuffle Challenge of your own? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul17

iTunes Shuffle Challenge

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iTunes Shuffle Challenge

Whatsup everyone and TGIF! So for the past two or so weeks I’ve been dedicated to listening to the 7952 songs on my iPod on shuffle in its entirety. I’m five hundred songs in and it has been an absolute blast so far. I’ve rediscovered a love for some long forgotten songs and stumbled upon music that I didn’t even know I had. Here’s a few of the highlights of my shuffle journey so far:

Breathe Carolina – Velvet: Flippin judge me for it. This song came on yesterday when I was in the Little Red Love Machine and I was SO excited about it. Hearing “Velvet” brought me back to my angsty teenage days so I guess it only seemed appropriate that an angsty twenty-one year old played it four times in a row. I don’t care what anyone says, this song is catchy as hell.

The Front Bottoms – Maps: I’ve always adored The Front Bottoms. I think that their sound is so unique and their lyrics speak to my soul – all of them are so raw and nitty gritty and I really dig that. “Maps” actually came on after my binge listening fest of “Velvet” so the shuffle gods were definitely smiling upon me. I would really like to see these guys in concert but for now I’ll just fan girl over the music video which is actually pretty rad. ONE DAY YOU’LL BE WASHING YOURSELF WITH HAND SOAP IN A PUBLIC BATHROOM!!!

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Buried Alive (Ft. Dr. Octagon): First things first, I’m a big Yeah Yeah Yeahs fan so I was simply thrilled when “Buried Alive” came on as I was getting ready for the day this morning. Karen O’s voice is intoxicating as usual and Dr. Octagon gives a really unexpected and cool touch to the song. It’s seriously a perfect collaboration and I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love it. I hope that these two powerhouses do another collab in the future because I think they were really on to something with this track.

Missy Elliott – Get Ur Freak On: I have a wide range of favorite songs from different genres and “Get Ur Freak On” is definitely one of my hip hop favorites. Missy Elliott can do no wrong in my opinion and her and Timbaland are a creative match made in heaven. My day has been full of great music so far because this track came on as I was looking over some math homework and I legitimately had to stop my studies so I could enjoy “Get Ur Freak On” in all of its glory from my humble iPod. I’m not the biggest music video fan but the video for this song is always fun to watch!

The Black Keys – Your Touch: I didn’t care too much for The Black Keys’ album Magic Potion but I really enjoy this track. There’s nothing better than when a song comes on by the Akron, Ohio duo who hit the big time fresh out of my neck of the woods. It’s so wild to think that they used to play at small venues like Musica in Akron and now they’re winning Grammys and doing the damn thing. #RESPECT!!!

The Dead Weather – 60 Feet Tall: A shout out to a song by The Dead Weather wouldn’t be complete without expressing my love for Jack White, so here it goes: Jack White, you beautiful man, I love you SO MUCH. Anyways, I am so glad that The Dead Weather exists because it might just be one of my favorite musical endeavors by Mr. White. Not only is my dream man in the band but I’ve also always adored Alison Mosshart because I’m a big fan of The Kills. I seriously can’t get enough of her sexy bluesy voice – it’s the definition of perfection. I hate using the word “cool” to describe a band but The Dead Weather is the epitome of a cool as hell rock n’ roll group. I enjoy literally every song by them and “60 Feet Tall” is obviously no exception! So SO good.

We Are Scientists – Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt: I used to really like We Are Scientists until I introduced them to my evil ex-boyfriend who cheated on me with a stripper – but that’s neither here nor there. ANYWAYS, after the discovery was made that he was an asshole, I wasn’t in the mood to hear We Are Scientists anymore. I’ve kept them on my iPod for whatever reason and “Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt” came on a few days ago. Hearing this wicked good track for the first time in years made me remember why I liked We Are Scientists so much in the first place. My love for them definitely was rekindled thanks to the power of the iTunes Shuffle Challenge!

Gorillaz – Dirty Harry: My journey through shuffle-land has been so musically rewarding thus far and one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had was when “Dirty Harry” came on. This song played in the early days of the challenge and I just remember being so happy when I heard the unmistakable intro to the track as I was driving in the Little Red Love Machine. It was a gorgeous sunny day and I had the windows down and my music playing at the loudest possible volume…It was perfect. There’s something about this song that makes me feel so genuinely good, probably because it holds a lot of sentimental value for me. I used to play “Dirty Harry” a lot to hype me up for skating competitions or auditions and it always worked like a charm. This track and I go way back and it will forever be one of my favorites.

So there you have it, the best of the best of my iTunes Shuffle Challenge so far! How many songs do you have on your iTunes? What do you think about starting a shuffle challenge of your own? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul1

AWOLNATION Concert!!!!

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AWOLNATION Concert!!!!

Heyyy everyone and happy Hump Day! So last night was the AWOLNATION concert at the House Of Blues in Cleveland and it was seriously the best night of my life. I was accompanied by my beloved big sis, Kristen, thanks to the two tickets that my oldest brother bought me for my birthday!! From beginning to end my night was perfect…Allow me to explain. 😉

So the doors for the show opened at seven and Kristen and I arrived at the venue around twenty after six. The line was already pretty long when we got there, but we were still fairly close to the door. I’m just happy that we got there when we did because literally five minutes after we showed up the line started to stretch all the way down the street – talk about lucky! The doors finally opened and after we had our bags checked and tickets scanned, I rushed into the venue to get the best standing spot humanly possible…and I did! I was about three feet away from the stage and had an INCREDIBLE view of the entire show! As I mentioned yesterday in my post, Family Of The Year was one of the openers for the show, but I had no clue who the other opener was – and I still don’t!

The first opener started promptly at eight which was nice because by the time we got situated we only had to wait about a half hour or so for the show to start. I didn’t care for the first opener at all, whomever they were. Their lyrics were so completely stupid and I’m pretty confident that they were playing on pre-recorded tracks because there was sure a lot of music heard when none of the band mates were playing their instruments. Either way, I didn’t like them and thankfully they were only on for like a half hour. But for that entire time, I definitely had Resting Bitch Face Syndrome.

Family Of The Year came on at nine and I was very excited to hear them play because I enjoy their music. It’s not like I know all of the lyrics to their songs or anything, but I’m glad I got to see them perform. I heard many people complain about how Family Of The Year’s beachy vibe didn’t really fit in with AWOLNATION’s style and I actually have to agree. They put on a lovely, chill performance however it really did nothing to amp people up for the headlining act. If I had to choose an opening act for the Run tour, I think I would have gone with someone like Everything Everything or Miike Snow because of their vaguely techno sound as well as the fact that they’re much more upbeat. Does this critique take away from Family Of The Year giving a great performance last night? No, I still really liked it. Would I have preferred to hear a different band before seeing AWOLNATION perform? Yes.

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Family Of The Year crooned until about nine forty-five and AWOLNATION’s set started right at ten. Needless to say, I was freaking the fuck out. They began their hour and fifteen minute long performance with “Run” and before I get hella into detail about the show, check out the lighting that kicked off the night:

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^^^ So rad!!!

So yes, AWOLNATION blasted off their dance party production with “Run” and the rest of the night was all a mesmerizing blur of terrific music, lighting, and a whole lot of dancing and jumping around from there. I’ve heard from friends who have seen AWOLNATION live and from different reviews that the front man, Aaron Bruno, is an amazing performer – and I one hundred times agree. His showmanship was an honor to witness. I’ve heard many times that Aaron is a fan of random screaming and dancing maniacally on stage and he provided us with nothing less last night. He had this insanely brilliant ability to make everyone in the audience feel welcome – even my sister who had never heard one of their songs before. By the end of the night she was in the crowd dancing and screaming along with the rest of us. And that, boys and girls, is what makes an incredible lead singer.

The set list contained basically everything that I hoped would be performed, which included: Run, Not Your Fault, Windows, KOOKSEVERYWHERE!!!, Hollow Moon (Bad Wolf), Sail, Jump On My Shoulders, Kill Your Heroes, I Am, Burn It Down, All I Need, Dreamers, Like People, Like Plastic, and a special full length performance of Knights of Shame. The songs listed was what my night consisted of in it’s entirety but not in that order. How lucky am I? Very. What I liked the most about this set was that it contained only upbeat songs. I mean none of AWOLNATION’s music by any means is low key, even their slower songs, but because those weren’t included in the set the night was filled with constant energy and a whole lot of fun. I couldn’t have picked a better line up of songs if I tried, however, I am slightly disappointed that “Wake Up”, “Jailbreak”, and “Soul Wars” wasn’t included. Honestly, I just wish they would have performed both of their albums back to back! I think one of my favorite songs of the night was hearing “Knights Of Shame” in its entirety – I especially loved hearing Aaron performing the rapped part of the song!

Another major highlight of the night was when AWOLNATION did “Not Your Fault”. Aside from “Sail”, that was the first song my brother introduced me to by them and it still remains one of my all time favorites to this day. Everyone in the band performed incredibly well and they were all so fun to watch. Kristen and I were discussing after the show about the athlete quality stamina that the AWOLNATION guys must have – I mean I know I was exhausted after dancing for an hour and fifteen minutes straight, but I couldn’t imagine how they feel after a show! I seriously don’t think I stopped moving at one point during the concert…This bitch was dancing, jumping, head banging, singing, and screaming up a storm. I just couldn’t help it though! There’s something so magical about being able to sing along with one of your favorite bands and I was just overjoyed. This childlike euphoria kept myself going for the duration of the show, but by the time it was over I was literally drenched in sweat and the only thing that kept me going on the three block walk back to the parking garage was the promise of Taco Bell and water shortly after!

Seeing AWOLNATION live was absolutely everything that I hoped it would be. They sounded simply incredible live, I daresay even better than on their albums. It was also so fun to hear Aaron pepper all of the songs with his random screaming. I’ve been imagining last night for a very long time and it exceeded my expectations by a long shot. For the one hour and fifteen minute concert I felt unashamed to scream out my frustrations during “Windows” and dance like a crazy person during “Burn It Down”. It was like I was in this safe haven where no judgement was being passed because everyone was cutting loose and allowing the amazing music and positive messages to take control. It was one of the best nights of my life. Seriously. I got to spend an evening listening to my favorite band with my favorite person AND I got to eat my favorite food after the concert! What more could a girl ask for? (And BTW, the TBell was magnificent!)

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^^^ As you can see from the pics, the lighting during the show was awesome! And Aaron Bruno and the rest of the guys are all a bunch of babes. Hubba hubba.

After an amazing night at the show, eating in the Taco Bell parking lot, and a forty-five minute drive home Kristen and I ended our festivities with some sweet, sweet cuddling. Best. Night. Ever! I hope all of you had as much fun reading this as I did writing it and if you have the opportunity to see AWOLNATION live, then I would jump on that immediately! What was the last concert you went to? Are you going to any shows or festivals this summer? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun30

AWOLNATION Concert Excitement!!!!

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AWOLNATION Concert Excitement!!!!

Heyyy everyone and happy Tuesday! I hope you’re all having a great day so far! So after an entire month of waiting, tonight is finally the night of the AWOLNATION concert at the House Of Blues in Cleveland!!! I’m seriously SO excited I could cry! After notifying my older brother that one of my favorite bands was going to be in Cleveland, he bought me two tickets for my birthday…What a guy. Family Of The Year and some other band is opening and I’m actually really looking forward to that too because I like Family Of The Year a lot. I’m definitely curious about who the other opener is going to be! My sister is such a champ because she’s coming with me to the show even though she doesn’t know one song by AWOLNATION. I’m so happy that she’s coming with me because she’s the only one who I feel comfortable going super hard with – and I plan on it! Hella screaming, hella jumping around, and hella dancing my ass off. If I were to bring a friend with me, I would probably end up feeling pretty self conscious about my fan girling and end up just standing there looking like a goon. -_-

This will be my third night out at the House Of Blues in a month and a half since I recently saw The Used and Glass Animals performing there. I’m a big fan of HOB because it’s such an intimate venue so I’m really hoping that if my sister and I show up early enough that we’ll be able to get pretty close to the stage. The doors open at seven and I plan on leaving around five fifteen or so to make the forty-five minute drive up there. I have no problem waiting in line for an hour if that means that I’ll get a good standing area…Now I just have to convince sissy to be down with that plan! #SAIL

I can’t wait for tonight. I’m already counting down the hours! I’ll be looking forward to telling you guys all about it tomorrow! Until then, have you been to any concerts recently? Who did you see? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah