Hello, Sunshine!

I was feeling just a smidge under the weather this morning, but I have a lot of goals for today, and I knew I needed to be energized.

So I made myself a cup of Traditional Medicinals Organic Lemon Echinacea Throat Coat Herbal Tea, turned "Say Hey (I Love You)" by Michael Franti on repeat, and sat down to browse my Google Reader.

I took half an hour to just set myself up for the day, and it definitely did the trick. I'm ready to tackle that pile of sticky notes!

It's Not a Fight. It's a Good Old War.

Back in May, my brother and I went with some friends to a Straylight Run concert. Sadly, Straylight Run minus Michelle was pretty underwhelming, but, in my opinion, one of the opening bands, Good Old War, completely stole the show.

I can't find a good description of their style anywhere online, but if you ask me, I'd say Good Old War sounds like your favorite book and a tall glass of lemonade on the porch with just the right amount of sunshine and a faint breeze. Their guitar, keys, and drums, plus the occasional accordion and synth, are the perfect complement to their lush three part harmonies. The folky rock sound was made to be sung along to, and gives me exactly what I'm looking for during a long drive, when I'm getting ready for a night out, or when I'm breaking out the frying pan.

Since seeing them in May, I'd been looking forward to the concert they were playing tonight on Long Island. Due to a series of events, some more unfortunate than others, I ended up not going. But I did spend a good portion of my day rocking out to their album, Only Way to Be Alone, and I'd like to share the love:

"Just Another Day" by Good Old War

From a Mess to the Masses

I have declared today a Good Music Day.  I mean, every day should, of course, be a good music day, but today I will actively ensure that it is indeed.

With an early start, a few planned expeditions, a dinner adventure with the roomies, our first Executive Board Meeting, and then the drive home to pack for my rainy weekend in Syracuse for Homecoming... I need it!

So, here is my gift to you: Phoenix, a fabulous French band.  They've been around for a while but have only just made their way to my ears, which is lamentable because they are just so good!

Lisztomania/Think less but see it grow/Like a riot, like a riot, Oh !/
I'm not easily offended/It's not hard to let it go/From a mess to the masses

"Lisztomania" always has me rocking out, be it in my car, in the living room, or at my desk at the office.  It hasn't failed as a pick-me-up.

Phoenix is on their way up.  They performed on SNL, Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Letterman, and Conan.  Their song "1901" is in the new commercial for the 2010 Cadillac SRX and in the trailer for New York, I Love You, the Americanish version of Paris, je t'aime.

Plus, the album name, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is just plain kickass.

Enjoy!

Ears on the Beatles

Today, the world has dedicated itself to The Beatles.  With the release of the remastered albums and The Beatles: Rock Band, today is a day to party.  To celebrate, my favorite radio station, WFUV, is playing Beatles songs and solo projects, original and covers all day. Stream it! http://www.wfuv.org/audio/stream.html

I personally have a deep love for The Beatles.  1 was the first cd I bought for myself, and also my first favorite.  And I kind of forced my RA staff to make our building Beatles themed last year.  The complex (comprised of Brewster, Boland, and Brockway, also known as BBB) had "Let it B B B" painted across the front windows, our lounge was called Strawberry Fields, and we had a giant orange (it is Syracuse, after all) submarine.  It was pretty fabulous.

I thought I'd share a few of my favorite Beatles tunes...

(À la Dominic Monaghan, I think the lyrics "Living is easy with eyes closed" make for a great tattoo.)

Song of the Moment

"The Littlest Birds" by The Be Good Tanyas

Well I feel like an old hobo,
I'm sad lonesome and blue
I was fair as a summer's day
Now the summer days are through
You pass through places
And places pass through you
But you carry 'em with you
On the souls of your travellin' shoes

Well I love you so dearly I love you so clearly
Wake you up in the mornin' so early
Just to tell you I got the wanderin' blues
I got the wanderin' blues
And i'm gonna quit these ramblin' ways one of
these days soon
And I'll sing

The littlest birds sing the prettiest songs...

Well it's times like these
I feel so small and wild
Like the ramblin' footsteps of a wanderin' child
And I'm lonesome as a lonesome whippoorwill
Singin these blues with a warble and a trill
But I'm not too blue to fly
No I'm not too blue to fly cause

The littlest birds sing the prettiest songs...

Well I love you so dearly
I love you so fearlessly
Wake you up in the mornin' so early
Just to tell you I got the wanderin' blues
I got the wanderin' blues
And I don't wanna leave you
I love you through and through

Oh I left my baby on a pretty blue train
And I sang my songs to the cold and the rain
I had the wanderin' blues
And I sang those wanderin' blues
And I'm gonna quit these ramblin' ways
One of these days soon
And I'll sing...

The littlest birds sing the prettiest songs....

I don't care if the sun don't shine
I don't care if nothin' is mine
I don't care if I'm nervous with you
I'll do my lovin' in the wintertime