5. Summer Concerts

By now I'm sure that you are well aware that nothing makes me happier than live music. Although I don't have pictures from all of them, here are my summer concert favorites.

Coldplay

Greg Laswell

I can't say enough about how much I love Greg Laswell's music. He's also a fellow Twitterer. Being the super fan that I am, I happened to notice early one morning that he had offered up some free tickets, via Twitter, to his Dallas show happening that night. I retweeted his message and sure enough, I was magic #15 which equaled jackpot! Not only did I get a personal tweet thrown in my direction, I also got my name on a VIP list with a plus one attached. The rest is history...this photo was taken on my iphone - no zoom needed for the concert-going elite like myself.

Numero Quatre

One of the great perks to the Texas lifestyle adjustment has been having a car! It's so nice being able to jump in, run your errands and enjoy a little personal space at the same time. And by enjoying personal space, I mean turning the music up as loud as I want (without annoying the person 6 inches from my face on the B train) and convincing myself that I could totally audition for American Idol if I only had the guts to sing like this in front of people. Because that's what everyone does when they're alone, right?

Right.

So in continuing with my favorite summer things countdown, it only makes sense that I would let you in on what I've been using to release my inner rock star.

4. Kings of Leon - Only By the Night

I know what you're thinking - I bought that album last year; they won a grammy for it like 8 months ago; yada yada yada. Truth is, I've had this cd since January of this year - and I listened to the couple of songs that I knew, but I never fully bought into it. However, early on in the summer a group of friends talked about getting tickets to their summer tour. Never wanting to miss a concert, or risk being the one who doesn't know the lyrics, I popped the cd into my car stereo. And I haven't taken it out...in about 4 weeks.

It started with an obsession of the song Frontier City. Then I slowly branched out to Revelry, Manhattan, and Be Somebody. (Because Sex on Fire is so 2008.) The whole cd sounds great with my busted car speaker in the backseat. It might even be to blame...I'm not really sure how that happened.

Wedding Crashers

3. Weddings

My summer countdown would not be complete if it didn't include weddings. This weekend marked the end of wedding season for me this year. My whole Texas summer social calendar has been dictated by my blonde buddies’ wedding schedules. We’ve had parties and showers galore, but nothing compares to the thrill of the big day…even if you’re not the one taking the leap!

Mrs. Ali Schmid

Mrs. Stephanie Chapman

We kicked off the big events with a joint bachelorette party with a surprise spin...a spin around a pole that is! A great bonding experience for a group of innocent and out of shape friends. Let's just say that it's much harder than it looks and we left with an equal amount of bruises and laughs.

As usual, Robbie let the DJ know early on in the night that he would be the one calling the shots. From when to play "Disturbia" to the right time to dim the lights, Robbie always brings his A-game to make sure his friends have the most fun and memorable wedding ever.

The Wedding Troops

Family Portrait

The Send-Off

The Aftermath at Sunday Brunch

Summer Countdown

I have to admit, it’s been a little difficult to keep up with my pursuit of new music when I’m not pounding the New York City pavement everyday with my earbuds. I’ve also had KISS FM radio to brainwash me into believing that there are only 10 songs out in the world right now; 25% of those being by Lady Gaga. You are wrong Kidd Kraddick, you are wrong.

That’s my short list of excuses for not keeping up with A Musical Snack this summer. And since I’ve woken up to realize that it’s mid-August and summer is nearly over, I've decided to give you a recap of all the things that I’ve loved this summer but was too selfish to share with you. In no particular order...

1. (500) Days of Summer

Love, love, love this movie. It's the perfect blend of romanticism with a heavy dose of reality. Throw in a great soundtrack that mixes Indie with 80's and I am sold! Unlike my usual self, I've only gotten to see it once (as I write this, I'm watching 17 Again for the fourth time), but you better believe I'll be buying it as soon as it hits the Red Box. It will charm your socks off.





2. The Time Traveler's Wife

Look out Twilight, there's a new love story in town...and it's a lot steamier. They say you learn something new everyday, and I've learned that I apparently have a weak spot for sci-fi romance novels. There's something so romantic and tragic about this story, and it's just downright creative. I'm a little embarrassed that I never know about these books until they've been made into movies, but brace yourself Nicholas Sparks, because this is the next Notebook. I'm about 80 pages away from being done and I'm stretching it out as long as possible...I'm always a little sad when I finish a book that's grabbed my attention as much as this has. But consider yourself warned - it can be a bit graphic...that's all I'm going to say.

You didn't think I'd lay out all 10 things in one post did you? I haven't blogged in over a month, give me a little credit for at least getting back on the saddle. And stay tuned, more witty and exciting entries to come...

Strange Conditions

Wow...so it's been a month since I last blogged. It's not that I haven't thought about it. Truth is, I make mental notes all the time with every intention of finishing out the thought and blogging about it later, but it just hasn't happened. My time has been consumed with applications, interviews and thinking and talking more about what I want to do with my life than is probably healthy.

Amidst my job search, Kristen loaned me her copy of Cure for the Common Life by Max Lucado and mentioned it was a necessary read in our current state. He very eloquently encourages you to stop and take inventory of the gifts you've been blessed with; find your uniqueness. What gets you excited? What things do you enjoy that seem to come easy to you?

So now I find myself stressed that I don't have all the answers, much less a clear career path, and I'm concerned with how today's decisions are going to affect my overall "big picture". Oh how I wish I had a very distinct talent or passion that was unmistakable. A talented athlete who has worked hard all his life and set his sights on the big leagues. A talented singer/songwriter with a passion for music who has never dreamed of doing anything else.

I recently read an article in American Way magazine on composer Michael Giacchino who is responsible for the music you heard in The Incredibles, WALL-E, Up, Star Trek, the Lost TV series and this year's Academy Awards. He worked in publicity for Universal Studios and Disney, but he wrote and performed music in his spare time. He took evening composition classes at Juilliard and then took a seemingly irrelevant position as an Assistant Producer in California. As his talent and reputation grew, it wasn't long before Steven Speilberg and JJ Abrams were asking for him by name and he was in high demand in Hollywood.

This month's Elle magazine is dedicated to women in the music industry. There are short profiles on several well known artists and Gwen Stefani is on the cover, so of course I set aside some specific time to devour it cover to cover. But, the most interesting article was on Atlantic Records COO, Julie Greenwald. The writer positions her as the one who is attempting to save the record industry from itself, but I couldn't help but be fascinated by her past. She's a Tulane graduate with a degree in Political Science who started out working with Teach for America...and then (assumed by divine intervention) landed a job as an assistant to a music guru who ended up partnering with Russell Simmons at Def Jam Recordings. And just like that, her career path changed and now she's on the top, leading people like Diddy to say "She's probably the coolest white Jewish girl in history".

So I'm learning that there are lots of different paths to get you where you're ultimately supposed to go. I wish I was let in on those divine plans, but I guess God doesn't really need my opinion - considering that it changes daily.

Do not despise these small beginnings.
- Zechariah 4:10

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

No, I'm not referring to Christmas...I'm talking about summer concert season. It's the hap, happiest season of all!

Like most music enthusiasts, my friends and I start making summer concert arrangements early...very early. Thursday night I kicked off the season under the stars at the Dallas Arboretum with a great cover band, Emerald City. Any band that can pull off Journey and Black Eyed Peas in the same set has my undivided attention.

Already purchased and inked in the calendar for this year:

- The long awaited No Doubt comeback tour featuring Paramore. I'll be there with all the high school emo kids just hoping for a guest appearance by Kingston.

- The Fray. We saw them in college at a small venue before they blew up...I'm sure it will be twice as nice the second time around.

- The American Idols tour. Because who doesn't want to hear tiny Kris Allen sing Heartless in person?? Love him. I'm also excited about Scott, because we all know he was my favorite.

- Coldplay. Ah, Coldplay. My junior year in college, I waited in 108 degree weather for about 10 hours at the Austin City Limits Music Festival waiting for my first brush with Chris Martin in the flesh. SO worth it. For a band that has most of my mellow favorites, they put on a surprisingly energetic and thoroughly entertaining show.

- Taylor Swift. The concert actually sold out in presale, but I'm bound and determined to find a way to see her this summer. (I'm also tivoing her Dateline special!)

My devotion to the summer concert season runs deep. Last year, Robbie and I set out for the much anticipated Counting Crows, Maroon 5 and Sara Bareilles combo show at Jones Beach in New York. We left work early and braved Penn Station rushhour to catch our train. Loaded with our favorite gossip mags and beverages of choice, we checked the board (all New Yorkers know the rush of checking the board at Penn Station) and darted for the appropriate track.

In our giddiness we hadn't even noticed that most of our car was snoozing in business attire - which would have been a great hint that this was a commuter crowd, not a concert-going crowd. An hour into the ride, we looked up as the Conductor announced that we were arriving in Farmingdale and that it would be the last stop. To this day, neither of us is sure how we ended up on the wrong train, but however it happened, we were in the middle of nowhere. In a panic that we were going to miss Sara Bareilles' opener, and considering that we were lost somewhere on Long Island, we opted for a $55 cab ride to our destination. A tad frustrated, but glad that we were beating the clock, we jumped out at the gate as it started to drizzle over the water-front stadium. We raced to the ticket taker and high-fived each other for making it, when the guy stopped us abruptly and said "Dude, these tickets are for last night's show."

After further inspection we realized that yes, indeed - our ticket agent had sent us the wrong tickets and we were not being allowed beyond the gate. If ever there was a time that either of us was at a loss for words, it was that moment. We drug ourselves to the ticket window, misty eyed, to be told that there was nothing we could do but purchase 2 new tickets, twice the original price, for seats in the nosebleeds. We painfully forked over credit cards and finally entered what turned out to be a $200 concert.

All in all it turned out to be a great night and we've had lots of laughs about it since then. We may have only been able to see shadowy figures from our seats, but this moment alone made it all worth it:

Vegas, Baby

I spent last week in Las Vegas for my sister's birthday, which was a blast! We laid by the pool for 3 straight days and soaked up the desert sun while the DJ entertained us with endless tunes that ranged from Rhianna and Journey, to a sweet mix of Coldplay's Clocks with a latin flair. (Speaking of Coldplay...did you know that they are offering their latest live album as a free download? Check out LeftRightLeftRightLeft here.)

For all the goofiness of Vegas, one thing they get right is the music. Everywhere you go, there are DJs and booming speakers! My absolute favorite thing to do there is just stand and watch the Fountains of the Bellagio at night - it's such a romantic experience! We caught several shows throughout the week, each time with our fingers crossed that the next would be Celine...but, no dice. We did get to see one choreographed to Elton John's Your Song, which was equally incredible and one of my favorite Elton songs!
We spent our last night at the Beatles' LOVE show at the Mirage. I actually saw this for the first time 2 summers ago and then subsequently became obsessed with the soundtrack. (Are you really surprised?) I would have never considered myself a huge Beatles fan beforehand, but how could you not be?! I highly suggest it.