Spotlight: Mayer Hawthorne

Mayer Hawthorne hates Nickelback.

I would totally draw hearts around MH, too. #justsayin

In fact, he hates them so much, that he staged his own online halftime show from the basement of his parents' house during the Thanksgiving Detroit Lions game in protest of Nickelback's performance.  I don't even watch football, but that was one halftime show that I needed to check out (I definitely wasn't going to be watching the Nickelback one, that's for sure).  His halftime show did not disappoint, especially when he brought his father out as a guest guitarist.  My cousin Yael introduced me to Mayer Hawthorne's music a few months ago, and I've been loving his 2011 How Do You Do album.  

2 highlights on that album:

1: "The Walk" - the beat isn't necessarily what you'd expect with these lyrics, which is partly why I like it. 

  

"From the moment that I met you, I thought you were fine - so fine

                                                                                               But your shitty f*#@in' attitude has got me changing my mind"

2: "Can't Stop" - Mayer Hawthorne PLUS Snoop Dogg? Sign this girl up. 

To check out his great medley of tunes that he rocked out with Rolling Stone at his halftime show, click HERE.  I don't think you'll be disappointed.  If you are, Snoop Dogg will kizzle your dizzle... or something.

In Concert: Brian Jarvis

 My friend Brian Jarvis (with drummer Jim Townsend) performed at Lasell College in Newton (Auburndale), MA last night, and I went to hang out/listen to some good tunes and get back in touch with my inner college freshman, hanging out in the Campus Center. Cozy place you guys have goin' on over there, Lasell.

The guys played an hourlong set and songs ranged from older Brian Jarvis Band songs to newly-written tunes and a Matchbox20 cover.  He told the crowd a little bit about "'Til I See You Again," which he wrote just after his father passed away two years ago.  His father taught him how to play the guitar, which pushed Brian further into pursuing his music career professionally.

"'Til I See You Again"

"Hardest Break"

Check out Brian Jarvis Band on Facebook and Twitter to get the latest updates on shows and the new album release!

#FunFact: Jim's cool drum box thing is called a cajone.  

#FunFact: Brian can't parallel park.  

Oops, how'd that get in there?  Anyhoo, I'm also now realizing that I didn't really get any photos of Jim where you can see his face, what with the cajone-playing and all. Sorry about that, Jim! I'll get ya next time. 

Making The Mixtape: "Moving Across The Country"

So, I'm not going on a road trip any time soon, but my brother will soon be making a move across the country soon, and it made me think about road trip mixtapes (yes, mixtapes - sorry, I can't help but call them mixtapes!), or even just the music that we listen to when we drive, are stuck in traffic to get through the craziness, etc.

Here's what's in my car right now:

MUSE
Ozomatli
Gone By Daylight
Eric Hutchinson
Foo Fighters

I'm working on a "moving across the country" mix right now for my brother... here's just a sneak-peek:

What would YOU put on a mix for someone making a big move/going on an adventure?

ShaZAM! (Or, What I've Shazam-ed Lately)

I've been loving having Shazam on my Blackberry (having the Blackberry, not as much... still in a fight with Sprint/Blackberry, but that's another show) - definitely helpful to discover tunes that I'm not familiar with!

Here's some songs that I've Shazam-ed lately:

Luce - Good Day 

My Morning Jacket - I'm Amazed

The Postal Service - Nothing Better

Robbie Robertson - Fear of Falling (with Eric Clapton)

Brett Dennen - Sydney (I'll Come Running) 


Have YOU Shazam-ed today?

"The 10 Worst Make-Out Songs"... and Maybe Some Good Ones?

I've been checking out the new-ish dating website called HowAboutWe, and while they have a lot of interesting date ideas, they have some interesting articles as well. The most recent one that came in an email was this:

"The 10 Worst Make-Out Songs"

Yes, folks, true story. We've all been there.  The mood is right, you hit your iTunes DJ up for some tunes, not really thinking of it... chicka bow chicka bow wow. . . and THIS comes on:

No, really. That is a real possibility on my iTunes DJ. Sorry BNL, I'll always have feelings for you, but not when I'm, uh, having feelings for someone else.

So, what music do you listen to when you want to not be thinking about Cotton Eye Joe or Aretha Franklin and you want to definitely be thinking of whoever your lips are locked with?

There are some websites that help you put playlists together for this purpose exactly! How helpful, internet.  Some examples include:

8Tracks: 'Give Me Goosebumps'
8Tracks: 'Slow Dancing In A Burning Room' Recipe
StereoMood - Romantic

What about you? Music? No music? What kind?

Spotlight: Kina Grannis

Kina Grannis loves snakes.

No, for serious. Check out this video on her VH1 'Posted' series.

What she also loves is creating music. 

Here's a little bit about her from her website:

 "In 2007, after four years at USC (where she recorded and self-released three EPs) and a brief move to Austin, TX, Kina joined YouTube, made a music video and entered herself into Doritos’ Crash The Super Bowl contest. In the months that followed, Kina began to accrue followers, lots of them, making herself right at home in front of her computer. Her Two Weeks For Kina site traded daily videos in exchange for votes, and while her votes piled up her following grew exponentially. A few months later, her video for “Message From Your Heart” aired during the Super Bowl and its 97-million viewers and Kina had a YouTube following, a Twitter following, a #1 video on Digg.com, a street team and, for a short time, a record deal... On April 5th, 2011 Kina released a remixed and remastered version of Stairwells, this time in stores and internationally, thanks to an independent label partner in One Haven Music. This new version of Stairwells includes fan-favorites “Valentine” and “Message From Your Heart” in addition to four brand new tracks..."

You can download Kina's free Daytrotter Session here, and check out her thoughtful, sweet lyrics and voice - I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Bonus: She was on Ellen (and a few other shows, recently), where she was able to introduce her AMAZING new music video to the world. 

22 months

1,357 hours
30 people
2 ladders
1 still camera
288,000 jelly beans. . .
you get the idea. 
Craziness. Awesomeness. All that good stuff.  Do your ears a favor and check Kina out if you can!

Whatcha Listening To? Wednesdays

Here's What I'm Listening To this week:

• Marc Broussard - Where You Are (amazing live!)
• Flo Rida & Pretty Lights - Good Feeling (on my 'dance party in the kitchen' jam list)
• Death Cab For Cutie - You Are A Tourist (Did you know that this whole video was shot live?)
• Martin Sexton - Fall Like Rain (The whole EP is fantastic)
• Sean Forbes - I'm Deaf 

"I'm Deafer than Def Jam - I'm so so deaf" - I'm learning American Sign Language (ASL) and Sean is so much fun to watch, and he clearly has a fantastic sense of humor.  Check it!

So, now the question is, #WhatchaListeningTo?  (That's right, I'm starting a #hashtag. What!)