New Music (to me) Monday: Feedback Revival

I think I'm noticing a trend about things that motivate me enough to write: the books I read, the music I listen to and the clothes I wear all make me passionate enough to actually write about them. I suppose that's why I have this outlet.

Let me preface this with saying I have been very obsessed with Nashville lately. Admittedly, Once Upon a Time actor Colin O'Donoghue and the kickstarted film, The Dust Storm, are to thank/blame. Colin started mentioning Feedback Revival on Twitter. A lot. And I, always one on the hunt for great music (still very much obsessed with The Mowgli's and Lake Street Dive), eagerly checked them out. 

And thus, an obsession began. 

They might be a Nashville band, but they're not banjo-pluckin', plaid-wearing, Nashville-stereotyped men. These guys are rock and roll through and through and fantastic musicians regardless of genre label. Lately I've been going exclusively for the alternative/easy-listening music and not this head-banging type of music. Alas, the heart wants what the heart wants. (Am I the only one who head-bangs to this music? I can't be the only one who listens to Delta and throws her entire body into the rhythmic thump of those opening chords.)

Feedback Revival is comprised of four men. There's lead singer Dan Fenton, bassist Alex Horton, drummer Taylor Powell, and guitar master, Nathan Mcfarland. Each bring their own to the table and in a song like Soul Feet, the beat opens on drums but once those guitar chords and vocals come in, damn, it's some amazing music with different parts that just work so well together.

I bet these guys are incredible live... which brings me to a brief interlude about the band to explain this inexplicable obsession with Nashville. Turns out I think I really love Nashville. Just not the 'honky-tonky' aspects of it, but the real effervescent parts with the rock and roll with just a bit of a twang. It seems a lot like New York City, but, dare I say, better in a way? 

As it turns out, these guys had their own KickStarter going, looking for donations to be able to tour Europe. I've been on a bit of a KickStarter kick recently (post on that soon) and was very eager to donate. Looking at the reward levels however, I realized that I already have access to most of the music they were offering downloads for (Spotify premium!) and I wasn't about to spend $100 for some upper-level rewards (sorry guys - girl's gotta eat.) I did eventually donate though and even though it wasn't much, I'm so happy to say I contributed to help them.

They'll be touring Europe in October and November, but man do I hope they decide to do a northeast tour of the U.S. soon. But, if they won't go to me, I'll go to them (Nashville.)

Songs to check out: 

• Delta
• Tennessee Rose
• Soul Feet
• Jesse James
• Ballad of Loretta

I was going to write about both Feedback Revival and Startisan in one post, but that would get a little crowded so be on the lookout for a Startisan-only post sometime in the next week.

(Photo credit: Feedback Revival Facebook page) 

Book Recommendation Thursday: 'The Nerdist Way'

I picked up Chris Hardwick's The Nerdist Way for a couple of reasons. I really like Chris as he appears on @Midnight and just generally around the web, and when I read the free Nook sample, as I am apt to do, I knew I would need a physical hard copy.

However you choose to read this book is not important. What is important is that you do, eventually, read it. Honestly, I didn't know this seriously qualifies as a 'self-help' book, it's more like a 'self-guidance' or a 'Chris Hardwick gives you a lot of motivational speeches with lots of CAPS' kind of book.

His book is broken into three parts: Mind, Body and Time. He is open about the fact he kind of screwed up a lot in his 20's and worked extremely hard to pick himself back up in all three aspects of life as he moved into his 30's.

The Nerdist Way could be read by anyone, but unless you're a 'nerd' (however you want to define the term is fine by me) many of the references to Doctor Who, Star Trek, Harry Potter and the 'nerdy' shows of generations past, might fly over your head. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

It might also behoove you, dear reader, to know that this book was written in 2011 and despite the fact that was only 3 years ago, a lot has certainly changed. The passage of time is one more thing to remember while reading this. Chris has had his life put together for a few years longer than it would appear, and that's fine.

The book is set up like a video game, wherein you create a character and are given character points at the end of each section. Hardwick also includes "Charactercizes" at the end of every segments and chapters, wherein he gives a few bullet points of summarization, tips on how to move forward, and guidance about how to take full advantage of his advice. He advises us to actually follow along with these, to actually write out particularly useful bits, add up our 'points' - as if we're characters in a video game - all with the end goal of becoming a better person beyond the pages of the book.

You can find Chris Hardwick's book in hardback, paperback, and ebook versions. If you don't want to purchase the book, one: tell me why not, and two: you can find condensed parts on the book's website.

Currently Coveting: J. Crew, Kate Spade, and more

Turns out, despite working in advertising and knowing most of it's dirty little secrets, I am still very susceptible to marketing emails promoting sales at my favorite places.

Enter: this weekend. And the ensuing shopping spree. If you haven't jumped on these sales yet, what on earth are you waiting for?

J. Crew, (and J. Crew Factory), BaubleBar, ideeli, Kate Spade: all sites that email multiple times a day. Which, if you're like me, doesn't bother you that much because you either open them or just delete them, so there's no chance you'll miss a sale. Of course, all are must-visits for me when I make my laps around the sales sites on the weekends.

Below are a few pieces I picked up this weekend and decided I must share with the world.

J. Crew Clare Cardigan 

My office is a frozen tundra so while a skirt and a simple top might be enough in the direct sunlight, I have to have a blazer or sweater with me inside at all times.

Enter: The Clare cardigan. I got my first one in seaside coral (pictured) for around $25. I wore it once then I went and bought two more colors of the same style. It's three-quarters length so it definitely errs more on the fashionable, current-trends look than dowdy. It looks perfect with skinny jeans and a white v-neck, my go-to outfit nowadays.

I can already tell the Champagne cardigan will look great with dresses for fancy-but-casual affairs and all of them will work with a black tank top and any sort of denim or black pant for the fall. This cardigan seriously takes versatility to the max.

Kate Spade Sunnies

When you enter the Kate Spade outlet store and the saleswoman immediately comes up to you and says "everything in the store is 50% off," well, you can just hear your credit card simultaneously scream in delight and shout in horror.

I was able to snag this pair of sunglasses for about $40, and for someone who has always been a Ray Ban-knockoff kinda gal instead of the real deal, this was a big step for me. I couldn't find them online but these are pretty similar.

Bonus: check out the adorable glasses case they came in!

Longchamp in "Sand"

The black Longchamp may be ubiquitous around college campuses and a staple piece in many female 20-somethings wardrobes, which is exactly why I looked at my two-year old bag, beaten from a summer in New York City and from being hauled around, and decided I needed a new one.

Ideeli, a spin-off flash sale site from Groupon, just happened to be having a sale - large totes in the classic Le Pliage style were discounted from $145 to $100. So-ld.

As an editorial note: you may notice my posts increasing in frequency. Hooray! I think I have finally determined that they will be like this post was - style - music from bands and musicians I am discovering (but may already be 'discovered') and books that I've read and recommend.

It's time to begin, isn't it?

Sometimes I think I visualize time strangely. I see the year as a big sine curve (or bell curve). We're on a roller coaster, and that roller coaster is only going up until July 1. And because we're not Augustus Waters, we're now on the way down. But instead of slowing down, we're just picking up speed.

See? I drew (kinda) a handy chart for you to understand exactly what I mean, in case it wasn't clear.

I know I've been absent from this site for a while, but I think that's really going to change over the next few weeks. I've got so many great ideas for articles and I actually have time now (sort of) to write them. 

As we head into these final six months of 2014, I'm looking forward to letting this site go wherever it takes me. Starting with a new 'Currently Coveting' post tomorrow. Another book review is coming out this week, some more music recommendations, and of course, more of my insane thoughts.

Stay tuned! 

Meanwhile: it is July 1, so that means Camp NaNoWriMo has officially begun! I will attempt to hit 50,000 words this month, but seeing as how Day 1 is almost over and my word count is a resounding zero, we'll see what happens.

Book Recommendation Sunday: 'What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding'

Do you like to travel? Do you like to read books? Have you watched shows like Chuck or How I Met Your Mother? Are you a human?

If you answered 'yes' to any of the questions above, chances are you would like Kristin Newman's What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding. While the title is a bit of mouthful (WIWDWYWD?) it doesn't even fully encapsulate the tales told and journeys taken inside it's 300-some pages.

As it turns out, Chuck and How I Met Your Mother are two of my favorite shows of all time. So when HIMYM producer, Kourtney Kang, tweeted her praise for the book a day before it's release, I rushed to check it out. Then I rushed to buy it. And I rushed to read it (I happened to be heading to the beach that week so that was easy.)

As a young woman who knows she wants to write for (or about) television and eventually travel around the world, this book affected me probably more than it would say, my father or my friends who have a more definitive life plan. Kristin's stories, particularly the one about about Israel, reignited the passion about travel in me that has been waning since life got in the way.

My dreams about taking a summer or semester to travel Europe got side-lined by the realities of working hard in classes and internships to ensure I landed a job straight out of college this January (ho-lyy shit). 

The title of the book comes from the fact that she was doing all of this traveling in her 20's and 30's, when her friends were suddenly getting married and having children. Anyone who knows me know that that is just not how I see my life playing out. I'm in no particular rush to settle down. I want to establish a career for myself first, spend time alone in New York City and/or Los Angeles, and then worry about find a partner and all that jazz.

I love the way Kristin traveled. She didn't do the touristy resorts or five-star hotels, but she never struggled to find a place to stay, food to eat or to meet new friends. While there was an emergency booking at the aforementioned fancy hotel on one trip, she spends her vacations renting apartments or hopping around the couches of the fine kiwis who took her in.

I've grown up in the world of Dateline, 20/20 and various missing persons reports on the news, so I have to admit that I'm not brave enough to venture to a country where I didn't know the language at all - like Kristin is more apt to do.

Alas, I do know conversational spanish, and have been teaching myself French and Czech. Hopefully by the 2016 Euro Cup in France I'll be fluent enough that I can travel alone to Paris. I've got it all figured out: one of the semi-final games is on July 4 weekend, so I'll take the day before the break and day after off work (granted I have the ability to, thankfully I don't get sick often) giving me a nice 5-day window to travel to Paris alone - finally.

Bottom line: buy the book, read the book, love the book, live the book. 

New Music (to me) Saturday: The Mowgli's

This may be a misleading title, because technically The Mowgli's, 'Waiting for the Dawn' was released last year, but they're new to me, so maybe the band will be new to you too.

I am seriously digging this band this week. Their music, alternative and easy-listening, just soothes the soul. That's the best way I can put it. This isn't exactly studying music, because you're going to want to get up and just jam to some of these numbers, but they are the perfect music to listen to just about any other time.

"San Francisco" makes me want to dance around like a fool, especially when they hit those harmonies about a minute in, but then you're instantly snappin' your fingers together and singing along. The band is huge - seven members! - but man, does it pay off big time.

I implore you to listen to their album, embedded below. Notice how, even after their most popular song "San Francisco" (4 million+ plays on Spotify), every song is a friggin' knock-out. 'Slowly, Slowly' has this moment at around 2:45 where all the vocals build and they hit that crescendo at 3:10 and you're off to the races with them.

And I could go on, evaluating every song like this but instead I'll leave you with the following recommendations:

• San Francisco
• Slowly, Slowly
• Emily
• Say It, Just Say It 
• Leave It Up To Me - (Try not singing along to the 'woah-oh's on this track. Impossible!) 

Also, I may or may not just kinda walk around town singing "Hi, Hey There, Hello" to myself. Folksy and happy - my kinda song.

Sadly it doesn't look like I'll be getting to see them live anytime soon, their tour doesn't take them through Pennsylvania or Maryland. But seriously guys - when are we gonna get some new music? I've already got 'Waiting for the Dawn' memorized.

Why I think #100HappyDays is an important project

A few weeks ago, my Instagram feed was bombarded by pictures of my friends, gorgeous sunsets, and food. Nothing too out of the ordinary, except they were all hashtagged (hashtag-ed?) #100HappyDays.

After doing some digging (googling), I was directed to 100happydays.com and read up about it. Basically, the premise is that you post a picture of something that makes you happy on a social media site everyday for 100 days.

The premise of #100happydays

You 'sign up' to keep track of your photos, but it's not like you get a big prize if you complete the challenge, nor are you penalized if you don't. Honor system, folks.

Now, life can be hard sometimes. You have really crappy days that require more than the serving size printed on a pint of Ben & Jerry's. It's those times that you need to remember the Happy Days more than ever. That's why I signed up. Because, even if it's something as simple as comfort food or playing my favorite song, that can pass as my day's photo.

It's hard to photograph 'happy.' It's like how you can't see 'success,' but you can see evidence of it: the nice watch, expensive clothes, material objects.

I've been participating for just about four weeks and have posted a myriad of photos on my Instagram. Cups of fro yo I got with friends, the program from The Book of Mormon which I finally saw last week in Baltimore, my NBC pillow, a my haircut, a sunrise from my morning run... like I said, it ranges.

So, can I be happy for 100 days? Sure. 90% of my day might be sad, but I can find something to make me happy, to make me smile. And that's why it's important to participate in this project, to remind ourselves that life isn't always bad.