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

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