going to keep things positive this week. things are stressful, and i've totally found solace in my community. instead of going in my own head, i've been able to be open about things. anyway, for those of you that are new to this blog, you probably don't know that i used to write a music blog. i stopped writing it, hoping that i would work it in somewhere here...hasn't happened as much as i would like.
i truly believe that there shouldn't be guilty pleasures, like what you like. life is too short to be embarrassed....unless you love kenny rogers..then you should be ashamed of yourself. my record collection/cd collection/itunes library looks like it belongs to about 12 different people. own it.
here are 8 folks i've been listening to a lot lately. all of them on my way to and from work, when i work out, and just breathing. these artists have gotten me through a rough few weeks.
kristopher james:
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIaQl1Hj8wI[/embed]
now, i've known kris for a few years now. he's my brother from another mother. if you ever need someone to slap you back to reality or encouragement, kris is your guy. on top of that, he's a crazy amazing family man and musician. download his stuff. i'm still listening to his version of "o holy night" and it's march...because it's that amazing.
david ramirez:
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFBIu7tmk5M[/embed]
my roommate, molly, introduced me to david a couple years ago. i "rediscovered" him a couple months ago and i've had "strangetown" on repeat. reeeeepeat. i love this song because i can see it in my head happening. i see the story and i love that.
ben rector:
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1-YzikJhCw[/embed]
a) i love serial box presents. i've watched almost everything on their youtube channel. i've been late to a meeting at work because of them. b) ben rector. if i have to explain why he's so good, we can't be friends.
haley shaw:
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv19pVHH8mA[/embed]
sorry for the quality of this video. i met haley back when i first moved here when i was writing my other blog. holy cow, she's so nice and insanely talented. i sing along to the magnolia ep every single day at least once.
noah gundersen:
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1LFUYCFDZQ[/embed]
i forgot how i found out about him, but praise all things that i did. i think i've told all my friends to go listen to his entire collection. much like david ramirez, i like how i can see the song in my head; i can see the story. which is really important to me when it comes to songs. i can listen to a lot of things, i may hum along, but if i really listen and absorb, i need to see the story.
zz ward:
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7RrsPgz980[/embed]
when i was performing back in high school, i remember a judge at a competition say that my voice was 'too bluesy" and gave me really bad marks. it tore me up. when i discovered zz, i felt like there were girls like me. it made all the difference. the original version of this song is by son house. he claps of time and it's beautiful. zz did it justice.
foo fighters:
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fv5ekzTubwU[/embed]
every one should be listening to them. they make my 5ks awesome. and with the weather, who doesn't love blasting them and irritating the neighborhood?
kendrick lamar:
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aShfolR6w8[/embed]
my dad will probably be upset with me over this, but he'll live.. (love you Da) kendrick is the only artist i'll let my students listen to. and he's beat out wakka flocka as my music boyfriend. he helps me keep a steady pace in runs, and this song "i" is a self-esteem booster.
there you have it for this month's 'when in doubt, shimmy it out'