Scenes from Newport Folk Fest 2011

1. Playing catch on Block Island
2. Lobster nets at the Barking Crab
3 & 4. The Civil Wars
5. My franzz
6. The crowd on Fort Adams
7. Moon mats
8. A couple's commute home from the festival
9. The Freelance Whales & PS. 22 Chorus
10. The Civil Wars
11. Charity from the Head and the Heart
12. Freelance Whales & PS. 22
13. The Head and the Heart <3
14. View from the ferry home
15. ...and one of me enjoying myself, for good measure.

Theres plenty more on my tumblr.

My Favorite Songs of 2010

This year has been a fantastic one for me seeing concerts and hearing new musicians. I have also rediscovered old favorites. Basically, I've listened to a lot of music, because I tend to listen to it wherever I go. Whether it was walking to class in Boston or New York, driving in my car, riding on the subway, sitting on the bus, running on the treadmill, doing work on my computer, drawing while sitting on the floor in my room... I always have something on. Below is a list of my favorites, in no particular order. A lot of it is folky, and all of it you can sing along to.

Lua- Conor Oberst & Gillian Welch
The Suburbs- Arcade Fire
Sparrow- Scatteredtrees
Ambulance- Eisley
Janglin' - Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros
Pretty Girl at the Airport- The Avett Brothers
Mama Don't Like My Man- Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings
It's Only Me- Elvis Perkins
The Only Exception- Paramore
We Used to Wait- Arcade Fire
Home- Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros
Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) - Shakira
Friday I'm in Love- The Cure
Frankie's Gun- The Felice Brothers
Poison Oak- Bright Eyes
On Her Own- Ben Kweller
Homeward Bound- Ben Kweller
Living Life- Ben Kweller
White Blank Page- Mumford & Sons
Orphan Girl- Horse Feathers
The Gambler- Fun
Awake My Soul- Mumford & Sons
Shampoo- Elvis Perkins in Dearland

Yes there are a lot, but I listen to a lot of music. I'll probably add more. This was a big music year for me. Photos above: The Avett Brothers, Elvis Perkins and the What Cheer Brigade, Ben Kweller.

Horse Feathers

One great band that I came to love during the Newport Folk Festival was a band called Horse Feathers. The person who introduced them called them a "headache remedy in musical form." Which sums them up pretty much perfectly. We all sat there, became entranced, and then all continue to be listening to them nonstop on our ipods.

Right after their set, we walked back towards the main stage, and my friend Steve spots the violinist hanging out by one of the violin vendors, so of course we took the opportunity to tell him how much we loved their show, and also got a picture with him.

Bright Eyes Covers

This girl does some really good, really simple covers of Bright Eyes songs. This song (First Day of My Life) is actually where I got the name for this blog. I really like her covers of Poison Oak and Lua, as well.

Why I Choose Coffee Over Water

During the week, I hate to say that it's quite possible I consume more coffee in a day than I do water. I wake up, get ready for work, pour myself a coffee, and quite possibly buy myself another coffee as soon as I get to the office. And some days, like today, a pot of coffee is readily available in the office. My eco friendly reusable coffee mug doesn't help the cause. Nor do my busy nights and weekends.

Yesterday, for example, my friends and I went to a free concert in Central Park. Taking the train to the city can be quite the trek, and it was super hot out yesterday. So once we got to Summerstage to see Victor Deme, Trevor Hall, and Jimmy Cliff, we mostly just layed down on the tapestries we brought along and drank wine that comes in a carton (Bandit- awesome) and bottles of water.

We may or may not have also attempted to use free beach balls as pillows...somewhat unsuccessfully.


By the end of the day we were all tired and sweaty, but we came back with a favorite new song:
Deen Wolo Mousso by Victor Deme.
We have no idea what the lyrics mean but we love them.

I Love "Skins" So Much I Want No One Else To See It...

...but at the same time I want to share it with the world.

Seriously, Skins is the best show ever, amazing music.

Why the hell do they hardly show it in the states?

I first heard about it in England. It takes place in Bristol.

Maybe it's too edgy for the US networks? Either way, I highly recommend that you go on Hulu, or itunes, or streamskins.com (though I have difficulty accessing it in the US), and watch every single episode, series 1-3, and then 4 when it finally comes out.

Here's a link with a bunch of info on the cast, episodes, and of course, the music playlists for each episode.

The Keep Calm Playlist

So I recently decided that I needed to make a really chill, mellow playlist to put on while I am drawing or writing. These songs really get my creative juices flowing, and I highly suggest downloading each and every one of these songs if you haven't already. I figured it was about time I shared some music with you, I haven't really in a while.

The Keep Calm Playlist

White Winter Hymnal- The Fleet Foxes

I'm Your Puppet- Gregory and the Hawk

Gypsy Rose- Ben Kweller

Green Eyes- Coldplay

Boats & Birds- Gregory and the Hawk

World Keeps Turning- Brett Dennen

Classic Cars- Bright Eyes

A Lack of Color- Death Cab for Cutie

Banana Pancakes- Jack Johnson

Lua- Conor Oberst and Gillian Welch

Better Together- Jack Johnson

Train Song- Ben Gibbard and Feist

We Are Nowhere and It's Now- Bright Eyes

January Wedding- The Avett Brothers

At the Bottom of Everything- Bright Eyes

You Ain't Goin' Nowhere- Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova

Alameda- Elliot Smith

Maybe- Ingrid Michaelson

Ragged Wood- Fleet Foxes

Pretty Girl from Chile- The Avett Brothers

Closer to You- Brett Dennen

Real Love- John Lennon

Murder in the City- The Avett Brothers

First Day of My Life- Bright Eyes

Tiger Mountain Peasant Song- Fleet Foxes

Cape Canaveral- Conor Oberst

Shampoo- Elvis Perkins in Dearland

You and I- Ingrid Michaelson

Summer Skin- Death Cab for Cutie

Bottom of the Barrell- Amos Lee

Two of Us- The Beatles

The Moment I Said It- Imogen Heap

Ain't Gonna Lose You- Brett Dennen

Let It Be- The Beatles

To hear what I'm listening to and to see what I'm currently listening to, check out my

last.fm profile.

Just noticed...

It's kind of ridiculous how much the lead singer of Owl City wants to be Conor Oberst.
Observe:

Conor Oberst...

Owl City guy...

REALLY!!?

Does this amuse anyone else?
p.s. Conor Oberst pictures were taken years ago.

Hey, Soul Sister

I have been a fan of Train for a very long time, but I have to admit I lost track of them for a while. This song, "Hey, Soul Sister" reminds me how awesome they are. And it kinda feels like a fun summery song that makes me feel a bit warmer and sunnier on these cold December days. Enjoy!

Get Well Soon Rivers!

I was supposed to go to a Weezer, Jacks Mannequin, and Manchester Orchestra concert tonight.
But then this horrible thing happened!
On the way to Boston to give us a spectacular concert, the ice on the road caused Rivers Cuomo's tourbus to fishtail and crash into a ditch.
He and his assistant were injured, both with broken ribs and Rivers with some internal injuries, too.
Although I am really bummed, ( I was supposed to go backstage and meet Andrew McMahon, lead singer of Jack's Mannequin, before the show. And we all know how much I love him!) I just hope Rivers gets better soon and then can deliver the amazing show that I know he'll be capable of once he heals.
Love you Rivers, my nerd hero! And Andrew, there's always next time!
They are supposed to be rescheduling all the December shows they had to cancel, so when I finally do get to meet Andrew I will DEFINITELY be letting you know, and posting pictures!

Everyone listen to Pinkerton today, maybe all the love will heal him more quickly.

Things I'm looking forward to this weekend

The weekend got here so quickly.
I don't have much going on, so it looks like it's going to be a good one!
Things I'm looking forward to:

-trying out my new sneakers at the gym

-finally getting around to grocery shopping and having real food in the house

-going to see A Christmas Carol in 3D on Sunday with my little sib, Makayla

- finally getting down to business with my poetry paper due Tuesday

- diving into these Social Work Grad School apps

-celebrating Kelly's birthday tonight

-having time to really clean my room/apartment

-watching "Dear Jack" at least five more times before Tuesday

-hopefully picking up my guitar at some point

-perhaps going out for a delicious dinner in the South End on Saturday

-and sleeping sleeping sleeping.

Dear Jack

One thing that I haven't broadcast nearly enough is my obsession with Jack's Mannequin, and more specifically, Andrew McMahon of Jack's Mannequin, because he is a musical genius. Aside from this fact, he has quite the story to tell. Right after his first pre-album tour for his first Jack's album called "Everything in Transit," Andrew discovered that he had leukemia at the age of 22. He documented the whole thing, from diagnosis to recovery. In July of 2006 he started the Dear Jack Foundation, which has since gone on to raise over $250,000 for cancer research.
The documentary, "Dear Jack" finally came out this week. I preordered it of course, and watched it, and loved it, and yes, cried. I am so grateful he has survived and continues to make amazing music.

Fun Music

I made a post about these guys earlier, but I really really want you to hear them.
So I am making it easier for you.
You can hear their new album right here!

Aim and Ignite

Brett Dennen Music

This summer I got to see Brett Dennen in concert.
His music is incredible.
He's also quite a strange performer.
He has all of these silly dance moves, and he's actually a pretty awkward person.
But it works. It just makes the show better.
And you can't help but dance.

Right now, I'm obsessed with "Who Do You Think You Are" and "San Francisco."

"I'm gonna move to San Francisco
call up some old friends
I'm gonna get me a navy peacoat
and and old Mercedes Benz."

Isadora Duncan

For one of my classes (an English/Women's Studies Course) I am reading the autobiography of Isadora Duncan, titled My Life.
I am ashamed to say I had never heard of this amazing woman before this class. She is essentially the inventor of modern dance. In her autobiography she also prides herself on being one of the first women to write their life story truthfully.
She created a dance form that was so natural and beautiful, and she danced barefoot and never lost the child that remains in us all. She was the first to use classical music as choreography, and found inspiration from ancient statues, paintings, and poetry.
Not only was she a beautiful dancer, but she was amazingly smart and driven. The perfect role model.
Her life was full of beauty and tragedy, and it ended far too soon. She did so many great things, and she had potential for so much more.

Here is a video I found from the Isadora Duncan Dance Group, so you can get a feel for her style.
It's funny to think that a dance style so common now was once rejected by so many people.

Aim & Ignite. the Fun. cd out today!

So the name of the band is Fun. The lead singer is formerly the lead singer of The Format, one of my old favorites. Fun opened the Jack's Mannequin show i went to see in November, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Nate had come out with something new- The Format had sort of been unheard from for a while. It was nice to hear Nate's voice again! It's really unique.

Slowly, Fun has been leaking some songs and keeping fans up to date on facebook, twitter, and through e-mails and their myspace page. Their song "At Least I'm Not As Sad (As I Used to Be) was intentionally leaked a long time ago, but now their whole cd is finally out and available on iTunes!

Go here in order to stream their album- it's a lot of fun and kind of silly, but also very insightful. Right up my alley.

It's the weekend! & Newport Folk Festival

Hey all, sorry to have been so MIA this week. I went to the Newport Folk Festival last weekend, and then this week got a little jumbled so I haven't really had an opportunity to post something substantial.

This is one of the first mornings I haven't been exhausted or in a rush so I am watching one of my favorite movies, I am Sam. I am sure most of you have seen it. This movie has one of my favorite soundtracks of all time, and I've been a fan of it since the movie came out in 2001. I haven't watched it in so long. And of course every perfect morning involves a cup of coffee, so of course I am enjoying one.

I also decided to pick up a book that I haven't read in a few years, I think since before senior year of high school, that I still consider one of my favorites. It's called Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls, written by Mary Pipher, Ph.D. It is a psychological discussion of the difficult period of female adolescence. It discusses how adolescence has evolved throughout the years to become a more trying time due to the influence of the media. As Pipher has pointed out, female adolescence in particular had not been thoroughly discussed by anyone at the time of the book's publication in 1994. The title refers to the Ophelia in Hamlet whose adolescence is the cause of her demise. It sounds pretty depressing I know, but it's rather insightful, and I believe the first step towards solving the problem is to realize it. I first read the book when I was fresh out of my rebellious adolescent phase and it comforted me to know that I wasn't the only one who went through a difficult phase, and that it ultimately was beyond my control. If this is the sort of thing that interests you, give it a read. I think it's a pretty important book for anyone to read, especially important for women.

well then! On a lighter note, the Newport Folk Festival was great! I got to see some incredible artists and incredible things. Instead of continuing to be so wordy, I'll provide some pictures!

Ben Kweller


Brett Dennen


The Cliffside B&B


Tie-Dye


Newport Water


The Cliff Walk


Mumsy and the Ocean


Happiest Family Alive, but I don't know who they are.


These people I know, Mom and Aunt Jenn dancing to Pete Seeger in the rain


I hope you like these. You can check out all of them on my Flickr page. It was an incredible festival and an incredible weekend.

Jack's Mannequin- completely gratuitous picture posting

sorry guys, its been a long week in the cubicle and i just feel the need.

also, i just found out i'm set for life on jack's mannequin tickets :)

p.s. i took the middle two photos at his last show in Boston.