Hey guys and TGIF! I recently went through my seasonal purge of my closet to prepare for fall and there were three particular dresses that I really do love but just don’t do it for me anymore. I wanted to give all of you lovelies the opportunity to add one or all of them to your wardrobe because they really are cute as can be! Take a look and if you’re interested in any of them, please shoot me an email at sarah.mush6794@gmail.com so we can negotiate a price and shipping:
Dress #1) Modcloth, Hot & Delicious, size M. This sweet little number is honestly one of my all time favorites but it unfortunately does not fit as well as it used to in the bust. I love the bubble skirt and it’s in wonderful condition, however, there is a slight ring of color on the inside of the collar from hair dye/makeup. #fakehaircolorproblems
Dress #2) PacSun, LA Hearts, size S. Once again, I really like this dress as well but the fit is just not up to par on my body type. Usually if things don’t fit just so, I shrug it off, but I’m becoming such a stickler for fit that if it isn’t perfection then I won’t stand for it! But it’s a sweet summer dress in great condition. #fashionistaproblems
Dress #3) PacSun, O’Neil, size M. The fit issue on this dress is actually all my fault. I bought this beauty without trying it on and naturally the size was too big and I never bothered fixing it. Because I rarely wore this, it’s in awesome condition! #lazygirlproblems
As I said, I think these dresses are just too darling to not try and hand them off to the capable hands of one of my very stylish readers! And as I also mentioned, you can reach me at sarah.mush6794@gmail.com, leave me a comment, or friend me on Facebook at Sarah Mushenheim if you are interested! THANKS. ❤
Hi hi hi everyone and happy Friday! So as you guys know by now, I’m an avid American Horror Story fan but unfortunately, I was very underwhelmed with the season premiere of Hotel which occurred this past Wednesday. There were a few things that really rubbed me the wrong way so let’s discuss:
It was SO jumpy: The season premiere, “Checking In” jumped around so much to the point that it was dare I say, unenjoyable. We were moving from different years, characters, and locations quicker than you could even get used to the people being introduced. I think what I loved so much about season one, Murder House, was how well it flowed. Each episode and story line developed so nicely into one another and I wish that AHS would fall into a more simple but effective story line. I’m not saying tone it down by any means – I’m saying that they shouldn’t bite off more than they can chew for each episode. Am I still thrilled for the future episodes of this season? Hell yes, but the premiere just missed the mark for me. It was hard to establish the tone of each character and at least some semblance of a cohesive plot…Whomp whomp.
The blood orgy: Yeah, yeah maybe I’m a prude BUT the graphicness of the sex filled blood bath between The Countess, Donovan, and their victims just seemed so unnecessary. And here’s the thing, AHS has gone graphic before but it wasn’t something that they just threw a character into willy nilly. I get that they wanted an edgy “here I am” scene to debut Lady Gaga’s arrival as the Hotel leading lady but it could have been done differently. I feel like the “here’s my butt and boobs, let’s have a romp” scene cheapened Gaga’s character and she didn’t even have any lines. Just my opinion!
Scarlett Lowe entering a crime scene house: Seriously, AHS? SERIOUSLY?!!! A child following after his or her daddy detective into a crime scene is SO overdone that I was kind of shocked that they went for it. I actually feel like a lot of the images and narratives of the episode were things that I’ve seen before. Like the Ten Commandments Killer who John Lowe was probably speaking to on the phone after he read to his daughter…Hello! That’s fresh out of Zodiac. And yes, I have to bring up The Shining even though I’m sure everyone has already. As the saying goes, “steal from the best and make it your own” and AHS really did nothing to make The Shining-esque scenes that they copy-catted unique. When I think of American Horror Story, I think of a show that creatively pushes the envelope and there didn’t really seem to be any “wow that was crazy” moments in the premiere…Just a lot of moments that were worthy of an eye roll.
Was the episode “Checking In” completely awful? No, it was still quite good. Was it totally awesome? No, not even close. So all in all, I would give the season premiere two and a half stars. I think that everyone got a little too over zealous with episode one. I’m really hoping that in the future episodes the plot will be more cohesive and the extreme Shining vibe will disappear.
I Told You What I Thought, What I Really Really Thought and now it’s your turn! How did everyone feel about the season premiere of American Horror Story: Hotel? Did anyone have opinions similar to the ones I mentioned? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Alright guys, as promised here’s my review and synopsis of the season premiere of American Horror Story: Hotel with the episode, “Checking In”. I think the best way to go about discussing the premiere is simply by introducing the characters who we had the pleasure of meeting tonight and outlining their role so far in the hotel. There were a lot of things that I liked and of course things that I didn’t care for, so let’s get to it:
Agie & Vandela: “Checking In” starts with the arrival of two twenty-something German girls who are in California to vacation at Universal Studios. However, as soon as they walk into the Cortez they instantly get the creeps and are put off by the fact that it’s farther away than expected to all of their vacation destinations. They ask Iris (Kathy Bates) if they could have a refund on their deposit to which she responds with a firm “no”. The girls are forced to stay in the hotel for the night but unfortunately they won’t even make it until then. In their hotel room Vandela and Agie discover a rotten smell which one of them describes as being like a “dead animal”. The girls realize that the smell is coming from the mattress and once they pull back the blankets they find crude stitching going all the way down the middle. They rip it open with scissors and out pops a badly blistered man with white eyes and horse teeth who is contorting and writhing in a most disturbing manner. A complaint to Iris gets the girls a new room and some questionable cleansing methods…
Iris (Kathy Bates): Fan favorite, Kathy Bates, returns this season as Iris, the hotel manager. With a short and brisk attitude we learn that Iris is a pro at covering up all of the dirty secrets of the Cortez. She also has an eye on the handsome John Lowe (Wes Bentley) which comes from the beautiful line she mutters upon meeting him, “woof”. Iris is the mother to the lover of The Countess (Lady Gaga). Her son’s name is Donovan (Matt Bomer) and thanks to a flashback we find out that he was a heroin addict who enjoyed shooting up with Sally (Sarah Paulson). After some stealthy detective work from Iris, she tracks down her doped up son and supplier in a room of the Cortez. Her son appears to be dead or near death and Sally begins to exit the premises only to be followed by Iris and pushed out of a window, falling to her demise. Iris then returns to the room where her son lies to find The Countess lounging beside him on the bed, preparing to turn him and his staggering good looks.
We learn in the premiere that not only is Iris a murderer but she’s also in charge of keeping the blood of the victims who fall to The Countess nice and clean. After Agie and Vandela get a new room from Iris (Room 64) things go all bad. One of the girls is found by the other lying on the bathroom floor with a sweet blonde child cowering over her with a blood soaked mouth. They end up in a chamber trapped in individual metal cages where Iris condemns them for the prescription pills she found in their luggage. She then tries to force the girls to drink a smoothie concocted from oysters, chicken liver, kidneys, and white wine to clean their blood for the consumption of The Countess. What a lady!
Sally (Sarah Paulson): One of my AHS all star favorites has to be Miss Paulson so I was very pleased to hear that she was coming back as a primary player in the Cortez, Sally. Because we know that Iris pushed her out of a window but she’s still somehow alive, I’m assuming that she’s a vampire as well. Sally is a heroin addict who has a soft spot for the captured girls, Vandela and Agie. She releases Vandela and unfortunately she falls right into the clutches of The Countess. In an extremely off putting scene where a doped up young man gets anally raped by a man yielding a spiraled pointed dildo who had latex-like skin, Sally appears. “The more you scream the more he likes it” she warns the stranger. I get the feeling that she has never had anyone in her life that truly loved her considering she begged the victim to “say ‘I love you Sally’ and it will all go away”.
The Countess (Lady Gaga) & Donovan (Matt Bomer): In “Checking In” we are introduced to Donovan and The Countess after a close up on a sign that says “Why aren’t we having sex right now?” The couple is preparing for a night on the town by applying makeup, snorting cocaine, and dressing to the nines. They go to a movie playing at a park where they attract the attention of a young couple. The first major scene to show off Lady Gaga’s acting chops ends up being a full on orgy turned blood bath after her and Donovan slit their throats with their rings with sharp talons attached. The scene closes with the couple lying in the blood of their victims and Donovan says “it’s not the getting ready, it’s the cleaning up” to which The Countess replies, “call housekeeping”. SASSY! I, for one, did not care for that scene at all but that’s just me. We learn that The Countess also has a brood of beautiful blonde haired children whom she’s kidnapped and turned. One of her “children” will definitely be playing an important role in the show, which leads me to discussing his father, John Lowe.
John Lowe (Wes Bentley): John Lowe is a father, husband (to wife, Alex, played by Chloe Sevigny), and detective. He has a daughter named Scarlett and had a young son named Holden. We follow John onto some of the gruesome crime scenes he’s investigating, which I’m assuming are linked to the Ten Commandments Killer. He is a dedicated father though, as we can see when he reads Little Women with his daughter via FaceTime. As he reads to Scarlett he gets a phone call and tells his assistant to take a message. Once he calls the number back we hear a man’s voice on the phone saying that he will be at the Cortez hotel and will kill again. He makes his way over to the hotel and is directed to Room 64 in which he ends up falling asleep and has a vision of his son, Holden, who was kidnapped in 2010. We see a flashback to this moment when the family was at a carnival and John took his son to ride the carousel. He gets Holden safely onto a horse and takes a phone call but when he returns, his boy is no longer there.
A lot of curious incidents happened to John in tonight’s episode like when his sushi dinner with Scarlett was interrupted by a text from his wife’s phone giving an address and saying she needs help. He rushes to the house with Scarlett in the car and leaves her there, telling a cop to keep an eye on her. He ends up in the pitch black home with his daughter following him shortly after. John approaches a man dressed all in black with what appears to be a top hat on his head but then he hears Scarlett scream. He finds her in a room with men hanging from their bed posts with their intestines hanging out of their stomachs. Yum! Due to Alex’s fear that whomever has been contacting her husband will harm their daughter, they both agree that he should go away for a while and the episode ends with John checking into the Cortez in Room 64.
Liz Taylor (Denis O’Hare): Known for his weird as hell characters on AHS, Denis O’Hare returns as cross dresser, Liz Taylor. He pops up everywhere in the hotel – the hallways, behind the front desk, ect. I’m confident that he knows a lot of the hotel’s dark secrets so I’ll be looking forward to the further development of this character!
Will Drake (Cheyenne Jackson): Will Drake is a fashion designer from New York who arrives at the Cortez with his young son and the intention to buy the hotel. His son is befriended by The Countess who asks him if she can show him something he might enjoy. She leads him to a hallway with a trap door that opens into a futuristic room filled with wall length Tetris boards and candy dispensers all being used by her brood of bloodsucking children.
So there you have it, the lowdown on the characters introduced to us on the season premiere of American Horror Story: Hotel. The episode “Checking In” brought us a unique cast of dwellers in the Cortez and an interesting story line so I can’t wait to see what next week’s episode will be like! How did everyone feel about the season premiere? Who loved Lady Gaga’s AHS debut? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hey there everyone and sorry for my absence yesterday – it was a busy day! But I’m back and it’s time for another edition of Woman Crush Wednesday – Jessica Lange style! With American Horror Story: Hotel premiering tonight with a new leading lady, Lady Gaga, it only seems right to pay homage to the original AHS queen bee, Jessica Lange. Take a look at a fan favorite video of J-Lange performing as Elsa Mars in AHS: Freak Show and then let’s discuss:
Dear Jessica Lange:
Oh Jessica, you incredibly amazingly talented woman, you. Your performances on seasons one through four of American Horror Story go unmatched by anyone on the show. Episode after episode you stunned us faithful viewers with singing, tear jerking moments, and a butt load of sassafras to the nth degree. My personal favorite character you played has to be from season one, though. In Murder House you played Constance Langdon, which skyrocketed your AHS career with a bang, winning you Emmy’s and the respect of all of your fans and colleagues. I’ll never forget being blown away by your outright bitchiness that made me love to hate you throughout the season. Although Lady Gaga is taking your place this season on Hotel, there is no replacing you. I, as well as a vast majority of AHS fanatics, so wish that you were returning to take your rightful place as the star of the show. As I said, your talent is unreal, but your beauty is off the charts as well! You have aged with such poise and grace and I would be more than happy to date you because everyone loves a cougar! Hubba hubba! I LOVE YOU and please PLEASE come back to American Horror Story soon!
^^^ Wtf even? She’s drop dead gorgeous.
So there you have it, this week’s Woman Crush Wednesday: Jessica Lange Edition! Make sure you tune in with lifewithlilred for a synopsis of the premiere episode of American Horror Story: Hotel! Who’s excited for the season premiere? How do you feel about my woman crush not being in Hotel? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Helloooo everyone and Happy Monday!! Thanks to a fantastically lazy weekend, I’m feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready to go! My week days are always so crazy now so this weekend I finally got to do exactly what I wanted…nothing! There were lots of things that made my weekend great, like not having to drive, catching up on leisure reading, and lots and lots of sleep! Take a listen to the Bruno Mars theme song to my weekend and then let’s discuss:
During the week I’m constantly on the run in the Little Red Love Machine, driving siblings, driving to school, driving to boyfriend, meeting clients, and running errands. So needless to say, one of the best parts of this weekend was that I didn’t have to get behind the wheel of my car one time! It. Was. AWESOME!! My parents handled all of the driving this weekend and I handled the laying in my bed doing nothing this weekend. 😉
But seriously, you never really realize how nice it is to have someone else drive you until your tucked away in the backseat of one of your parent’s cars. For example, we went to see the new Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro movie, TheIntern, and the movie theater was less than five minutes away but even the smallest amount of chauffeuring was great! The movie was so cute and funny, too – I just love Anne Hathaway and her and De Niro made a great pair. The Intern was kind of like a more lighthearted version of The Devil Wears Prada and I really enjoyed it.
My favorite part of the weekend, however, was finally catching up on my pleasure reading! During the past few weeks I’ve been so exhausted before bed that I could barely finish two or three chapters in my book, Night Film, before falling asleep. Usually I’m a ridiculously fast reader – I can finish a five hundred page book in three days flat easily, so the whole “reading barely one hundred pages in one week” thing killed me!
Lucky for me, this weekend I had no school work to worry about so I was a free woman! I got to spend my afternoons snuggled under my blankets for hours on end and was able to complete over one hundred pages each sitting, which is definitely more like it! Reading is one of my favorite past times so the fact that I got to have entire afternoons dedicated to relaxing and flipping through the pages of a book that I love so much made my lazy days perfect. (If you haven’t read Night Film, give it a try! It’s wonderful…so wonderful that one of my tattoos is a quote from the book!)
Last but not least, I got to sleep, sleep, sleep this weekend! If there’s one thing that I love, it’s not having to set an alarm in the morning. These past two days, I got to sleep in to my hearts desire without the incessant buzzing of my phone and iPod to wake me up. On Saturday I slept until 11:15 and it was absolutely amazing! I woke up around seven and nine that morning and it was so nice to be able to look at the time and realize that I could continue sleeping for as much as I wanted. By the time I woke up on Saturday, I decided that it was too late to bother with makeup so I’ve spent both of my weekend days au natural! I definitely could get used to this homebody thing!
So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: Lazy Weekend Edition! Now that I’m well rested, I’m ready to take on another crazy week! How was everyone’s weekend? Was it lazy like mine or jam packed with cool stuff? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Helloooo everyone and welcome to the newest edition of Man Crush Monday – Adam Scott style! Mr. Scott has made me swoon as douchebag brother, Derek, in Step Brothers and sweetheart soulmate to Leslie Knope on Parks and Recreation, Ben Wyatt. Take a look at the classic “Sweet Child O’ Mine” scene from Step Brothers and then let’s discuss:
Dear Adam Scott,
Oh Adam, you darling sensitive man, you! I was introduced to your cuteness and Vanilla Ice lip syncing self in Step Brothers and I have been so fond of you ever since. It was such a treat to see you in Hot Tub Time Machine 2, which my boyfriend and I watched recently – we replayed the scene of you majorly tripping so many times! And please, PLEASE don’t even get me started on my deep love for you on Parks & Rec. My mom and I freaking adore your character, Ben Wyatt. His adorable picture perfect relationship with Leslie Knope is the most precious thing on the planet. You play his sweet and incredibly nerdy character so well and you and Amy Poehler were absolute gold together. Not only are you an amazingly talented actor but you’re also amazingly handsome! Hubba hubba, sir. Your staggering good looks are unmatched and I can totally see why Leslie Knope has a strong yearning for your butt on Parks & Rec!! Keep being the funny, charming, gorgeous guy that you are and I think that your Hollywood career will be just fine! I LOVE YOU!!!
^^^ Oh-em-gee that hair!!!! ❤
So there you have it, this week’s Man Crush Monday: Adam Scott Edition! Who is everyone’s #MCM this week? What is your favorite cute moment between Ben and Leslie on Parks & Rec? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Helloooooo everyone and welcome to a new issue of If The Shoe Fits – Michael Kors style! In association with my post yesterday entitled “Fall Shopping Fun” these beautiful Michael Kors booties were also purchased with the intention of adding them to my cold weather wardrobe. Take a better look at my pretty new babies and then let’s discuss:
Alright, first let me just say that I am far from a label whore when it comes to my clothing. I don’t care for designer anything. I live for a good deal at Target, Kohl’s, or TJMaxx so it’s extremely out of the ordinary for me to own anything from what I consider a “high end” designer. BUT I saw these boots while shopping with my mom at TJ’s and I fell in love. So how did these MK buckle adorned beauties end up coming home with me? I’m so glad you asked!
I LOVE going to TJ’s with my mom. I can remember going shopping there with my grandma when I was really young and ever since I’ve been a die hard Maxxinista. Whenever my mom and I hit up our favorite store, we always always start in the shoe department. The past few times we’ve shopped at TJ’s we’ve been unimpressed with what they had to offer but not this time around! As I ambled through the aisles of boots, heels, and flats my eyes locked on the industrial style booties. I hurried over and plucked them off the shelf and immediately turned them over to inspect the price. When I saw the tag was far out of my normal price range, I realized that they were Michael Kors. “Oh, that explains it”, I thought to myself and put them back with a heavy heart.
Once my mom caught up to me she asked me if I saw anything that I liked and I pointed out the booties that I just recently returned to the shelf. “Well are you gonna try them on?” she asked. “No, they’re too expensive and I know that if I try them on I’m going to like them too much.” My mom didn’t argue with my logic and we continued to peruse the shoe department together. As my partner in crime tried on some cute new booties of her own, all I wanted to do was try on the Michael Kors. I voiced my insatiable desire deep in my loins to her and she urged me to give them a try. Well, she didn’t have to tell me twice. I rushed my sweet ass to the MK’s and snatched them so fast I was worried that I was going to break a nail. I brought them back to the benches to try them on for the moment of truth…
I sat my sweet tookus on the bench and slipped off my knee high tan riding boots all while thinking, “Sarah, you really shouldn’t be doing this”. But it was too late, my shoes were already off and the Michael Kors were sitting there, waiting patiently to join forces with my feet. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes tight, and shoved the right boot on. I zipped up the zipper on the side and told myself that “that wasn’t so bad” and pulled on the left shoe to complete the pair. I hoisted my sweet badonk off of the bench and walked slowly to the mirror. “Damnit,” I thought as I saw my reflection, “I love them”.
As soon as I saw them in all of their rocker chic glory I knew that I couldn’t leave the store without them. They. Were. Perfect. These Michael Kors booties have legitimately everything that I love. They’re black, buckled, zippered, and edgy as hell. As I previously mentioned, I don’t care about labels. In fact, I hate them. BUT for my first and only pair of designer shoes, I think that they hit the nail on the head!
I don’t plan on buying any more “high end” heels or boots to add to my collection because I really do think that they’re unnecessary. However, I deemed my purchase “worth it” because it really is a one time splurge and the only harm in that is to my wallet. Yes, I do have a lot of beautiful clothes, shoes, and accessories but 99% of them were purchased with price in mind. I’m a smart shopper, I always wait for the best deals, and I like to think that I ball on a budget – but I don’t know any girl that’s going to turn down a pair of Michael Kors booties that were literally made for you!
So there you have it, my latest purchase documented in If The Shoe Fits – Michael Kors Edition. With my amazing new booties and fun new shirt that you can see in “Fall Shopping Fun”, I think that I’ll take a break from the mall for a while…But I really do love both of my new editions to my wardrobe! What has been your favorite splurge purchase? What are you most looking forward to wearing this fall? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hi everyone and happy Thursday! I was going to save this friendly reminder post until Saturday but I have quite a bit to do today so I figured I’d keep my daily post short and sweet. What am I so busy with? Well I’m glad you asked! I have the pleasure of penning a new article for an incredibly talented artist fresh out of Ohio, Nelson Morris. His work on the “1000 Faces Project” will be on display at the Cleveland Ingenuity Festival this weekend as well as at the Waterloo Sculpture Garden. Yesterday I got to sit down over coffee with Nelson and chat away about his creative endeavors. I’d like to get a rough draft of the article done today while everything is fresh in my noggin so I don’t completely jack up describing all of the technicalities that Nelson told me about. This guy is the real deal so you’re all in for a real treat once the interview is published!
I’m not going to post Nelson’s contact info just yet but I do encourage you to show some love to the Facebook pages of yours truly, Recipe of Life, Millstone, and Daffodil Blue Photography! Please, please, please? 🙂
I don’t ask for much on the ol’ blog but I really would appreciate it if you guys took the time to give a quick “like” to any and all of these pages. Supporting local artists who use their talents to not only express themselves but relate to others is so important and I wouldn’t be doing my job properly if I didn’t showcase all of their amazing work on lifewithlilred. Thanks again!!
Alright everyone, it’s almost the weekend so hang tight for just a few more days! Does anyone have any big plans coming up? Who is one of your favorite local artists in your neck of the woods? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Heyyy everyone and welcome to the newest edition of Woman Crush Wednesday – Julianne Hough style! The darling and newly engaged Miss Hough has been the apple of my eye ever since her Dancing With The Stars debut so it only seems right to feature her as Lil Red’s #WCW. Take a look at my all time favorite dance that she ever performed on DWTS and then let’s discuss:
Dear Julianne Hough,
Oh Julianne, you precious tiny dancer, you. I admire your immense talent on the dance floor so very much. You make the most difficult dances look effortless and I had a blast watching you win the Dancing With The Stars mirror ball trophy with Apolo Anton Ohno and Helio Castroneves. It’s a family tradition over at casa da la Lil Red to watch DWTS together and we always rooted for you! I am so happy that you’re back on the show to share your expertise on the judges panel and to occasionally grace the dance floor with your presence. It has been such a joy to watch your transformation from a sweet young woman to a sassy and fabulous goddess! I love your elegant yet fierce style and your ever changing hair! You are just SO beautiful – hubba hubba, lady! Thank you for allowing your bubbly personality into our homes every Monday night during Dancing With The Stars. And most importantly, thank you for being such an amazing role model and inspiration to performers (and people in general) everywhere. I LOVE YOU!!!!
^^^ OMG, could that pic of Julianne cuddling a puppy be any more adorable?! I think not!
So there you have it, this week’s Woman Crush Wednesday: Julianne Hough Edition! Who is everyone’s #WCW this week? What is your all time favorite Julianne Hough moment on DWTS? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hiii guys! I hope you’re having an awesome start to your week so far! So on Friday I had the pleasure of seeing my friends in Millstone perform as the openers for Hawthorne Heights at The Outpost in Kent, Ohio. I got to spend the day with the band and my boyfriend, Kyle, and it was honestly one of the best times I’ve had in a long time. Take a listen to Millstone’s debut full length album, The Dreams We Don’t Remember, and then let’s discuss:
Kyle and I had a somewhat early day on Friday, because we had to drive from Canton to Highland Square in Akron to meet up with the Millstone boys to help assemble all of their equipment for the show. Lucky for me, since I was the only girl all I had to do was watch as the guys did all of the grunt work! I did carry a few guitars though, so I guess you can say that I helped. 😉 After a break for a late Chipotle lunch, we (and by we I mean everyone but me) gathered the last of the amps and instruments into various cars and headed for The Outpost.
Once we arrived at the venue, all of the gear had to be hauled out of the car and onto the stage so everything was ready for the big show. A lot of other local bands were performing as well so tons of musicians were already there preparing for their set upon our arrival. It was basically like being in a co-ed fraternity for musicians and their friends. Thanks to the helping hands of people at The Outpost and the adrenaline for the evening kicking in, we were able to unload the car in record speed, which left us enough time to get some margaritas at Salsita’s, a Mexican restaurant down the street.
It was so much fun hanging out with the band, mutual friends, and my man in such a relaxed environment after a semi stressful afternoon. We got hella pitchers of raspberry margaritas and enjoyed our time out until the Millstone members had to get back to the venue. By the time we got back to The Outpost, bands were already performing on the multiple stages in the building. Kyle and I opted for a spot out on the patio where we had some time to kill with friends for two or so hours until Millstone was ready for their set. We had a few more drinks and I got to meet a lot of Kyle’s friends who I’ve heard so much about, so that was awesome!
Millstone was due to perform at 9:30 and we were all getting really excited. By the time they were getting themselves together on stage, I was lightweight freaking out from happiness for them. The last time I wrote about Millstone, their guitarist, Adam, told me that he would love to have the band eventually open for Hawthorne Heights and here they were a few months later doing the damn thing! Millstone one hundred and fifty percent annihilated their set. They sounded so amazing and were so much fun to watch. It was so cool to see their music come to life off of their album and to see all of the guys let their individual personalities shine through on stage. Millstone killed it like no other and I was so proud to be watching them in the audience.
After an amazing performance by my friends, it was time for Hawthorne Heights to take the stage. As I mentioned before, I saw HH live when I was sixteen or so and it was awesome. All of my emo kid fantasies of meeting the band and crying to “Ohio Is For Lovers” came true that night, so needless to say, I was pretty fucking stoked to see them again…And then, Hawthorne Heights appeared on stage…Oh.
As soon as the guys came on, I only recognized two of the band mates who I originally saw all of those years ago, which was kind of disappointing – but don’t even get me started on their appearances. All of the Hawthorne Heights players looked old, overweight, and tired. They were not the energetic and charismatic guys I saw five years ago. Here’s the thing, I wouldn’t have been so upset about the guys not living up to my memories appearance-wise BUT their music didn’t sound very good either. They mostly played songs off of The Silence In Black And White but all of it sounded slow and toned down. It was like watching a really bad cover band competing in a battle of the bands competition…It was shameful.
About three songs into their set, I was bored to tears, I wasn’t anywhere near as emotional as I wanted to be, and I just really wanted to go home…And that’s what we did. After a long day and despite not even bothering to stick around for “Ohio Is For Lovers”, Kyle and I left The Outpost and returned back to his place for Taco Bell and an episode of Dexter before bed. A perfect end to a perfect day!
So there you have it, the Hawthorne Heights Concert Recap! What did you guys think of Millstone’s album that I posted the link for? Have any of you had an experience similar to what I described when I saw Hawthorne Heights perform again? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah