...and play, just play, play that rock and roll for me!

So the other night I had the privledge of seeing Ben Kweller live.

Needless to say, he was amazing.I can't really say the same about his opening act though. Tim Fite opened for BK and he was one of those opening acts that literally make you wonder if you feel like standing up and waiting for the main course of the show anymore. Although, it must be said that Tim Fite is very entertaining with all his little gimmicks and quirks he puts in his show, such as projecting an eye chart on a screen and making sure everyone's eyesight was ok. His music is an odd blend of hip hop beats and folk influences. Some people seemed to love it, but it just wasn't the stuff for me.

Finally, Ben came out and he rocked. I really enjoyed Ben Kweller live, because when he plays his music live, the songs are a little more rocking and upbeat. (And who doesn't love the feeling of dancing like a crazy person in a packed out venue in the heat of a Nashville Summer?) One thing that really hit me about BK at this show was his songwriting abilities. Before now, I had mostly listened to his latest self-titled album, and not too much of his older stuff. Even when I do listen to him, its usually for pure enjoyment in the car while I drive all over town. Such listening doesn't really make me listen to the lyrics too closely. But his lyrics really are amazing.

When he played "Thirteen," it gave me chills...


And "Sundress" is still my favorite...


He played us a new song...he says his new album will be country. This put me off for a minute, but the song he played sounded very Johnny Cash-esque, so I think it will definitely be an album to check out when it is released.

If you don't listen to Ben already, here are some of my favorite tracks to get you started:

Run
On My Way
Thirteen
Sundress

mixtape for a lazy summer day

Summer might be at an end for most, (not for me, muahahahah) but the heat isn't showing any signs of letting up. My only hope is that I can at least take advantage of these last few weeks of summer by finding time to go to the pool and for once enjoy some peace and quiet.

{Pools are so much enjoyable when they are not teeming with kids, but maybe that's just me.}

Whatever your plans are for these last summer weeks, here's a lovely mix for any lazy, hazy day of summer. Pour yourself a cold glass of lemonade (or pinapple-orange-banana juice w/ coco rum) and enjoy.

1. Beulah: Popular Mechanics for Lovers
2. Beirut: Postcards From italy
3. Feist: 1 2 3 4
4. Maria Taylor: Speak Easy
5. Coconut Records: Easy Girl
6. Of Montreal: Happy Yellow Bumblebee
7. Bob Marley: Jamming
8. The Blow: Hey Boy
9. Ben Kweller: Magic
10. Ben Harper: Steal My Kisses
11. Belle and Sebastian: A Summer Wasting
12. The Bens: Just Pretend
13. Camera Obscura: Tears For Affairs
14. The Explorer's Club: Forever
15. The Beach Boys: God Only Knows
16. Band of Bees: I Love You
17. The Beatles: Across the Universe

It starts in my toes, makes me crinkle my nose...

Cute. Sweet. Bubbly. There you have it, singer/songwriter Colbie Caillat in a nutshell. Caillat grew up in southern California where she was always surrounded by music, but was never truly inspired to be a musician until age 11 when she heard Lauryn Hill sing "Killing Me Softly." At nineteen she began songwriting, and today at age 22, she's releasing her debut album entitled "Coco."

Caillat was dedicated to releasing an album filled with great music. She says, "If you listen to an album like Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, every song has its place...If you took one away you'd spoil the balance of the entire record. That's the kind of album I wanted to make. It wouldn’t feel right to have my name on a record that was just a few good tracks and then lots of filler."

Colbie uploaded a few of her songs on her myspace page (myspace.com/colbiecaillat) in hopes of getting a bit of exposure, but she probably didn't count on becoming the top unsigned artist on myspace for four months in a row. Her incredible myspace fan base allowed her to have her pick of many different record labels and complete creative freedom.

Colbie's voice and lyrics are soft and sweet and great for relaxing on a lazy summer day. Check out these two tracks. If you like what you hear, go pick up a copy of "Coco" today!

http://colbiecaillat.blogspot.com/

Bubbly

Magic

Rooney!!

Be proud, after having this blogger account set up for nearly half a year, I am finally going to write an ACTUAL POST. (dun dun dun). Yes I know, its very impressive.

About a week or so ago, Rooney came to town. Of course, this was very exciting to me because Rooney is one of those bands that I adored when I was about 15, so they have some major nostalgic value for me. But aside from all that, this LA fivesome (is that a word?...oh well.) knows how to turn out some great california-esque, summery, feel good tunes that will have you happily singing along in no time.




Here's some of my favorite Rooney tunes, old and new. Their new album comes out July 17th, and from what I heard of their new stuff at the show, its sure to be a great release, so go pick it up!
this is from the show...I had more videos to link on here, but unfortunately youtube doesn't like me today and so I have just these two to show
this one is an old favorite of mine, "If it Were Up to Me"

New Song! "I should've Been After You"


When Did Your Heart Go Missing.mp3

That Girl Has Love.m4a

If It Were Up To Me.m4a

The Floor