2014 in Review

Hi Hello!

So 2014 has come to an end. It is the end of the year and in just a few hours the new year will begin. I have decided to look back on my year and I realized that I've had a pretty great 2014. I've done more traveling this year, and I've seen a fair amount of concerts (not as many as I wished to...but its been a busy year).

So here is a look back at my year...

Jan. 27 - Yellowcard Concert where I met Chad Gilbert, Kait, and Nezzie of What's Eating Gilbert. With John and Brittany.

May - In Orlando with Cherry.

June thru August- Just a few of the staff from Camp. These people were my family for 3 months.

August 17(?) - Milwaukee Irish Fest. Being part of the Red Hot Chilli Pipers' new concert DVD with Brittany and John.

August 25(?) - Chicago Comic Con with my aunts.

August 29 - One Direction Concert with John, Brittany and Cherry.

August 28 thru 30 - Chicago with John, Brittany, and Cherry.

November 7 - The 1975 concert with John, Brittany, and Cherry.

November 25 - The release of John and Brittany's Christmas EP. 

Looking back I've noticed that I have shared most of these memories with John, Brittany and Cherry. Three of my closest friends and I wouldn't want it any other way. When you are making memories you want to make them with the people that mean the most to you and I'm glad that in 2014 I did just that. 

I do have plans for 2015. I wouldn't say that they are 'resolutions' because I feel that you can start working towards a goal at any point in the year...you don't need the first date of the calendar to start. But I do have goals, as well as plans for 2015 and these are goals that can be calculated. 

1. I want to go to more concerts. This being said...I'm going to set a number goal to try and reach. I want to see at least 20 bands/artists live in 2015. In 2014 I saw 10 bands live but I was also at camp for 3 months of the year which limited the amount of summer concerts I could go to. So I feel like 20 is a good number for me.

2. I will read more books. Towards the end of 2014 I have gotten back into the proper swing of reading in my free time. I will set another number of books to read by the end of 2015...this number will be 50. Since the end of summer I have read 15 books. That is including textbooks for school. I feel like if I can read 15 books in 3 months I can get close to 50 in 12 months.

3. I want to see more places. In 2014 I've traveled to Florida, Illinois and Minnesota. In 2015 I want that number to grow. I want to get to at least 3 states I've never been to by the end of 2015. This might be a stretch..depending on how my financial situation is in the new year...but I would like to get to some new states in the next year; expand my travels.

4. Finally I want to meet more people. Not in the sense that I want to meet them and become friends. But I would love to just sit down somewhere and start a conversation with a stranger. I want to hear more stories, hear other peoples goals and ambitions, struggles and victories. I realized from being at camp for 2 summers that you meet so many interesting people from different places of the world and I am so fascinated with that. I want to meet at least 5 people in 2015. In 2014 I've met so many people from different corners of the world from being at camp but this year I'm not going to camp so I set the number low so I can reach it easier.

That is it for my goals for 2015! If you set goals or resolutions or whatever you want to call it for the new year I would love to hear what you have planned! I would also love to hear what your highlights of 2014 were! Did you go on a road trip? Meet new people? See a band or artist live? Whatever...I want to hear it.

Talk to you in the new year!

Until next time my misfits,
Stefanie

Concert Dreams

Hi Hello

Happy Holidays, today is Christmas, and if you celebrate Christmas I hope you had a wonderful day with family, friends, pets, who ever you celebrate with. My day was busy but now that it is dwindling down I have decided to write up a small post about my concert dreams.

I've recently been wanting to go to another concert but right now my concert pickings have been slim and I've been thinking about who I would love to see in concert and who I would like to see again in concert.

People I would love to see in concert:

1. Sam Smith (if you know me...then its pretty obvious)
2. Paul McCartney (again...he's like my inspiration)
3. Billy Joel (pretty much the same as 1 and 2)
4. Imagine Dragons
5. The Lone Bellow
6. Avett Brothers
7. Trans Siberian Orchestra
8. Michael Buble
9. Whitney Houston (sadly this will never happen)
10. Nina Nesbitt

People I would love to see again in concert:

1. Ed Sheeran (i'd see him a million times)
2. One Direction (already happening)
3. 5 Seconds of Summer
4. All Time Low
5. We Are The In Crowd
6. Paramore
7. Fall Out Boy
8. New Found Glory
9. Yellowcard
10. The 1975
11. Young Rising Sons (possibly going to happen again)
12. Red Hot Chilli Pipers

Well, that's all I got for you right now...this list grows everyday. But I really need to get out and go to a concert again...its been too long.

Any group or artist that you want to see in concert for the first time or again?

Until next time my misfits,
Stefanie

Top 14 of 2014

Hi Hello

The year is coming to an end and there has been an abundance of great music that has come out this year and I would just like to take a moment and acknowledge those pieces of work. Now, I'm like everybody else, I listen to a wide variety of music, yes, but I do cater to a specific genre of music more because it is my favorite genre. So if this list seems heavy on a specific genre, don't go up in arms that its not diverse enough for you...its my top 14...not Billboards Top 14.

I have searched through my iTunes library for all the albums that have been released in 2014 and wrote them down. Then I went through that list and made my top 14. This is what I've come up with.

1. Sam Smith - In The Lonely Hour released June 17 on Capitol Records. (Pop, R&B, Soul). Basically if I could marry a voice...I would marry Sam Smith's voice. Pure beauty. Pure talent.

2. Ed Sheeran - X released June 20 on Asylum Records. (Acoustic). If it doesn't work out between Sam Smith's voice and me...I'd marry Ed Sheeran. Not just his voice...him in general.

3. We Are The In Crowd - WeirdKids released February 18 on Hopeless Records. (Alternative Rock, Punk). I have never related to an album as much as I did this one. Amazing.

4. John Laing and Brittany Benish - Christmas Memories released November 25. (Holiday, Christian). Gotta show the love for my friends and this EP is just amazing. If you haven't gotten it yet what is wrong with you?

5. One Direction - FOUR released November 17 on Syco Records. (Pop). I mean...I did a review on it and its just a great album!

6. Hozier - Hozier released July 29 on Rubyworks. (Indie Rock, Soul, Blues). This man can sing. No question this is a great album.

7. 5 Seconds of Summer - 5 Seconds of Summer released July 22 on Capitol Records. (Power Pop, Pop Punk, Pop Rock). Showing some love for the Australian idiots. Bringing be back to my high school days with this album.

8. Young Rising Sons - Young Rising Sons released July 22 on Interscope Records. (Indie Rock, Alternative Pop). Found out about them this year, saw them in concert, fell in love. Basically.

9. Troye Sivan - TRXYE released August 15 on EMI Records (Universal). (Pop, Electropop). Its something new from what I'm used to listening to but I fell in love with it once I heard it.

10. New Found Glory - Resurrection released October 7 on Hopeless Records. Loved New Found Glory as a young one and needless to say I was super stoked that this came out.

11. The Vamps - Meet The Vamps released November 4 (USA) on Virgin EMI Records. (Pop, Pop Rock). Hated the fact that I loved their music but couldn't buy it and so when I was able to I jumped on it.

12. Passenger - Whispers released June 10 on Black Crow Records. (Indie Rock, Acoustic, Soft Rock). Loved "All the Little Lights" so naturally, loved this album!

13. Nina Nesbitt - Nina Nesbitt released April 1, 2014 (USA) on Universal Island Records. (Pop, Acoustic) still a bit upset that I cannot get my hands on "Peroxide" but this was a nice treat for me this year.

14. Cher Lloyd - Sorry I'm Late released May 27 on Epic Records. (Pop, Hip-Hop, R&B). This was a surprise for me. Liked her, but didn't love her...until this album.

There you go! Those are my Top 14 of 2014! I highly suggest that you take some time and listen to these albums. All of them are great and are done by very talented artists.

If you have any albums that you feel have made your Top 14 of 2014 that are not on my list, please share them below and I will listen to them. Maybe they will make one of my playlists in the future??

Until next time my misfits,
Stefanie

Searching For You

Hi Hello

Dreams. Goals. Ambitions. Everyone has them. When you're a little kid and you dream of having the newest GameBoy or Barbie doll, or you have a career ambition to be a firefighter, doctor or mother or father. Or even now, at your current age, you have a dream of having a family, living in a nice neighborhood or working at your dream job. Everyone has them and we think about them everyday.

But do you take action?

Do you, with the start of everyday, merely think about your dreams, goals, ambitions; or do you work towards them?

I have on my desk a piece of stationary that has my short term and long term goals. My short term goals are tasks that I can achieve in a day, week, or months time. Once they are completed I check them off the list and its the greatest feeling. And I wish to one day check off my one and only long term goal. To help striving artists achieve their goals.

I have never been one to think solely about myself and what I want. Growing up I always was helping other people get where they want to get. Now, as an adult, I want to help musicians achieve their musical goals.

My mission is to find those artists that are recording on their laptops on GarageBand to make an EP to sell. It is to find the artists that are going to local hang outs and playing their music on amateur night. It is to find the artists that are playing on the street corner of a busy shopping center, or concert venue, or tourist attraction.

Find these artists and help them in anyway.

If that means just buying one of their CDs out of their backpack, then that is what I'll do. If its helping them find their next gig, then that is what I'll do. If its spreading the word about them on social media or in my hometown, then that is what I will do.

I am here to help striving and hard working artists get to where they want to be with their material. And hopefully one day, I will be able to expand and travel to other states, or even countries, looking for these talents. But for now, I have to start small in order to build.

Until next time my misfits,
Stefanie

Holiday Listening Guide

Hi Hello

How is it already December???? I feel like I was just celebrating the Fourth of July and now I'm searching online for deals on Christmas gifts. Anyone else feel like this?

With the Holiday season upon us, so are the Christmas songs on the radio (and on my iPod playlist). But with only so many songs in the Christmas songbook, I can only listen to "Let It Snow" so many times until I get sick of it, and if you're anything like me...you'll need new artists and arrangements as well as original songs to listen to this season.

Here is my Holiday Listening Guide for most genres of music. Now, I say "most" because I do not have a Holiday album for all genres or age groups.

Christian

Simple Little Christmas by Anthem Lights is the perfect Pop Christian album to listen to this holiday season. Anthem Lights is a Christian Pop Boyband that are mainly known for their amazing covers on YouTube. This album not only has song Christmas classics like "O Holy Night" and "All I Want For Christmas" but they also have original songs on the track-list like my personal favorite and album title, "Simple Little Christmas."

Alternative

...And A Happy New Year by The Maine throws it back to 2008 with a fun and catchy Christmas Album. This album contains all original songs with one cover by the 80s band Wham! John O'Callaghan's voice is very unique and when you hear a song by The Maine you know exactly who it is. The Maine teamed up with Brighten on the song "Ho Ho Hopefully" where they did a fun little music video for on YouTube.

Another great album to listen to that falls into the Alternative category would be A Green River Ordinance Christmas by Green River Ordinance . This album adds a more orchestrated rock feel to song of the classics. The arrangements of these classics like "Silent Night" and "O Holy Night" really show case the band's abilities instrumentally as well as vocally. There are some shinning vocal harmonizing in both of these songs that just make your jaw drop.

Oldies

A Jolly Christmas From Frank Sinatra by Frank Sinatra if you are looking for some classic songs with a nostalgic feeling of sitting by the fireplace sipping on some hot cocoa, this is the album for you. Everybody loves a little Sinatra, right? This album features some of Frank's best Christmas songs recorded with traditional classics as well as song songs you have forgotten about, like "Mistletoe and Holly" and "Adeste Fideles." If you're going to listen to any classic Christmas album this season, this one should be one of those at the top.

Rock

Let It Snow Baby...Let It Reindeer by Relient K even though most people will classify Relient K as Alternative, I get a more rock feel from them than anything else. But, not only is the title of this album clever, the songs and arrangements on the album are hilarious to listen to. And their cleverness sarcasim doesn't end with the title, it goes on to their songs with titles like "I'm Getting Nuttin For Christmas" and "Santa Clause is Thumbing To Town" these songs are fun to just sing along with the hilariously recorded "Good King Wenceslas" which, if you're going to listen to any song off this album, it better be that one.

Country

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Other Christmas Classics by Gene Autry if you are going to listen to any country Christmas album I hope you listen to this one. I am not a huge country fan, and by "not a huge fan" I mean I don't listen to it at all really...with the exception of Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton and some Alan Jackson. But this album I have on my iPod and I listen to it every Holiday season without fail. Yes, this album is full of classics, but just like the Frank Sinatra album, you need the classics in your life but the classics that are sung by a classic artist makes them more nostalgic and easier to listen to peacefully.

That is all I have! If you have any other albums that are in a different genre of music or that you feel are a great fit for these genres of music, please leave it in the comments below! All of these albums are my opinion (obviously) and they could not be the right fit for you, but give them a listen because they are all unique and they are my go-to albums for this time of year!

Until next time my misfits,
Stefanie

Soundtracks Of Our Lives

Hi Hello

Ever hear a song on the radio and have a flashback to a moment in your life where you either first heard the song or shared a special moment with someone while that song was playing? When you are taken back to that place in time it can make you feel all sorts of emotions. The song can take you back to a time when you were sad, happy, angry and can make you re-feel all those emotions again.

This happened to me recently. I was listening to my iTunes song library on shuffle (which is an experience in itself) and the song Vegas Skies by The Cab started playing. I was instantly transported to a summer night during high school where my best friend Shawn and I were sitting on his porch swing at his mom's house. Everything was silent with just a faint sound of music playing on the cd player and it was one of those moments when we didn't need to speak, we just needed each other's company. This was the song that was playing and that night we made it out friendship song. Although its a love song, we had a different meaning for it and when we graduated and he was moving to Indiana to go to school closer to his dad we sat on his porch swing on his last night home and just sat silent listening to this song. No words had to be said.

So when that song came on my shuffle, I'll admit...I cried. He is my best friend and I practically lived at his house and now, its been 4 years and I only get to see him for a few months out of the year. It really sucks.

That trip down memory lane made me think of other songs that have special meanings to me and I thought I would share (briefly) what some of those are.

First I'm taking it way back to when I was a kid and my dad would drive my brother and I to my grandma's house so she could babysit us before school while our parents were at work. All three of us would pile into his old pick up truck and I would flip the cassette player to play Fred Bear by Ted Nugent because at the time that was my favorite song. I knew every word of that song (yes all 7 minutes complete with words and instrument solos) and I would sing it during the short trip to grandma's house. Now that I'm older, and its been ages since we've been taken to grandma's to be babysat, whenever I hear that song I grin from ear to ear and I turn it up and sing it like I did when I was 7 years old!

But, like I said...songs don't always bring you back to a happy memory, they can make you angry as well. One song in particular for me is Forever by Chris Brown. Although this sounds cheesy now, it made me angry then and still does now. I was dating a boy and I was really "falling" for him hard...as hard as a high school relationship can fall and this was our song. I remember going paintballing with him and they played it over the PA system in the dining area of the arena and that it was specially requested by the boy I was with. It made me feel so happy at the time. But then the relationship started to turn for the worse (which is a whole other can of worms that I'm not opening) and every since we broke it off whenever I hear this song I think of him and get angry.

It is amazing how songs can do this to us. How certain ones hold a special place in our memories and can take us back to a time in our lives to be relived again for the duration of the song. These songs that link us to memories act like our soundtrack. Like if our lives were a movie, these songs would be part of the soundtrack; each song for a specific moment or scene in the film.

My list could go on and on since music is ver prominent in my life with everything I do, but how long is your soundtrack?

What are some songs that you hear that take you back to your past?

Until next time my misfits,
Stefanie