Happy Halloween!!!

Man, I really love this holiday. Enjoy the weekend and I'll do the same...in my rockin' Rainbow Brite costume. One more song before I hit the road...

Download it: Black Gold - "The Comedown"

Put this on Repeat

Separated, and negated, it seems fated, we have to find out more.
Do you want me? tell me properly, or just stop me. Its you that i adore.

i can't wait for another second minute or hour
i can't wait it's all your choice it's in your power
i can't wait for another second minute or hour
i can't wait it's all your choice it's in your power.

i lost my head when i found my heart
but now with neither i've fallen all apart
with this voice and chord i'll tell you from the start
she never wanted me,she never wanted me.

i act stupid, due to cupid, my love's rooted, you'll have to dig down deep,
mixed emotion, fixed devotion, your magic potion you sprinkle as i sleep.

i can't wait for another second minute or hour
i can't wait it's all your choice it's in your power
i can't wait for another second minute or hour
i can't wait it's all your choice it's in your power.

i lost my head when i found my heart
but now with neither i've fallen all apart
with this voice and chord i'll tell you from the start
she never wanted me,she never wanted me,she never wanted me.

with you i can't imagine being alone
without you i can see how much i've grown
coz you made me what i am today
have you gave me all that i can take

i lost my head when i found my heart
but now with neither i've fallen all apart
with this voice and chord i'll tell you from the start
she never wanted me,she never wanted me,she never wanted me,she never wanted me


Download it: Jack Peñate - Second, Minute, or Hour"

I can't stress it enough...

...but if you are free on Saturday, November 28th (and in the Chicago area) you should most definitely head over to Logan Square Auditorium for the Company of Thieves show. You can go ahead and celebrate your Turkey Day, but then once the weekend rolls around you can work off the extra pounds you've (possibly) gained with a few hours of rowdy dancing. Not much has changed since I last saw the Company of Thieves play at Wicker Park Fest this past summer. I still love the energy that the entire band brings to each and every song and I still love Genevieve Schatz. Rumor has it that the band has plenty of unreleased material so the odds of catching a few new songs will be great. What a treat!

Company of Thieves @ Logan Square Auditorium
November 28th - 8:00pm
$12 advance / $14 door

Erin Smith & The Throwdowns

Back in 2005 I used to hang out at Sansei Sushi in Kihei and listen to Erin Smith rock out at karaoke almost every Saturday night. I've clearly moved on since then and apparently so has she. Erin Smith & The Throwdowns combines her past back-up musicians and throws in (no pun intented) a bit of reggae rock. Fantastic stuff....enjoy!

Making the Best of Monday

After a full weekend of much needed sleep, I'm still in a daze that my daily chocolate fix can't even seem to shake. Since I can't stomach the thought of hard rock at this point, how about something a bit softer?

Download it: The Henry Clay People - "You Can Be Timeless"

Go Cara....it's your birthday

In honor of Cara's upcoming birthday, we have decided to celebrate....with a bit of live music of course! Come join us for the ultimate night out when we can eat, drink, & give Cara a hard time for getting old (although she's still the baby of the group!). See you there!

November 12th
Lincoln Hall (Brand new live music venue!)

The Walkmen
White Rabbits

Show starts at 9pm and tickets are $18. Hurry...go grab your tickets at www.lincolnhallchicago.com

Wednesday Deserves a Song of the Day

Just need to get through the hump of the week...

Download it: Miike Snow - "Song for No One"

If you weren't at The Temper Trap show last night...

...then seriously, where were you?

After sitting through one horrible band (Beep Beep) and one pretty decent band (Mittens on Strings), we finally got a chance to enjoy The Temper Trap at their finest. I still can't get over the energy that each and every band member had during the entire set. The lead singer's vocals were amazing and surprisingly just as great as they are on the new album. They played all of the crowd favorites ("Fader" / "Sweet Disposition"), but the real treat came when they played MY favorite song ("Love Lost" - see below for fantastic live video). I've mentioned it before, but they have just recently released their first album in the U.S. so my best advice would be to go out and support their cause....buy the album! All in all, another successful night at the Empty Bottle (complete with photo booth photos and $1.50 PBR cans!).

The Blueprint 3

Jay-Z has always held a special place in my heart. It sounds strange (I realize), but he is always managing to reinvent himself and his collaborations continue to blow my mind. Although MGMT got booted from the final album version (boooo!!!), I can still highly recommend Jay-Z's latest release and look forward to what will come next. Right now I'm hooked on...

Download it: "Already Home (featuring Kid Cudi)"

Officially Inked

After much thought (3 months actually), I finally bit the bullet and got my very first tattoo. Who knew that at the age of 26 I would wake up one morning with the desire to permanently mark up my bod, but that's just what I did...with no regrets. Let's back this train up for a bit of back story though. For quite some time I've felt the need to get back into writing on a more consistent basis because it is such a big part of who I am. Busy schedule, lack of inspiration, and just an overall act of laziness on my part had led me to a monotonous life of work, eat, and sleep. Everyday. Not exciting.

When I came up with the idea for my tattoo (a phrase in typewriter font) I wanted to have it be a constant reminder of what has kept me sane over the years. As much as I love music (obviously), writing has been my outlet and something that I can always come back to no matter how long I had neglected it. At the beginning of this year I decided to start this blog, not only to share my love of all things music related, but to also get myself back into the daily grind of creating, imagining, and putting my thoughts down on paper (or typing them on my laptop...same difference). Sometimes I'm busy and I'm not too proud of the work that I rushed through to post on this lovely page, but then there are days that I sit back and think that down the road I could really try to do something with this.

Now I ask myself....do I really believe that a tattoo is going to make a difference in my life?

No, but bottomline... I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

New Music + Free Show = One happy girl

I was thinking about posting a friendly reminder about The Temper Trap's free show next Monday, October 19 at the Empty Bottle, but to my pleasant surprise I was greeted by their brand new album this morning. My first listen of The Temper Trap was during the movie, 500 Days of Summer, and ever since then I've been hooked on "Sweet Disposition". A little bit of snooping around and....poof!....I stumbled across their new album that was released yesterday (I was patting myself on the back for the great timing!). The music is futuristic and sexy which is a nice change from all of the indie rock I've been drowning myself in lately. The guys are from Melbourne, Australia and only recently made their U.S. debut, but am I ever glad that they finally did. My advice: Come wait in line on Monday night for the free show and make up your own mind about them. Seriously, who can pass up a free show?

Download it: "Rest" / "Fader" / "Love Lost"

Friday - Song of the Day

New to me. Hopefully new to you as well. Enjoy!

Download it: Cymbals Eat Guitars - "Some Trees (Merrit Moon)

Doesn't get much better than free

Beep Beep
Mittens on Strings
The Temper Trap (can't wait!)

Empty Bottle
Monday, October 19
9:30pm
FREE SHOW!!!!!!!!!!!

What a great find, Nick! :)

Let the Dancing Begin

It's good stuff...

Download it: Passion Pit - "Sleepyhead"

To get you through the day

I've been listening to Bon Iver quite a bit lately and thought it was about time to share. Their music is soft and romantic, the lyrics slightly offbeat, and if you close your eyes...you just might drift off into a nice nap. With all of the stress in our lives, couldn't we all use a bit of relaxation? The band has only technically released one album so far, but my favorite fun fact about this group is that their debut disc, For Emma Forever Ago, was recorded in a cabin in Northwestern Wisconsin (near lead singer Justin Vernon's hometown of Eau Claire). Not bad for a few Midwest guys.

Download it: "Blood Bank" / "Lump Sum" / "Skinny Love" / "Flume"

Judge for Yourself

If the Beatles were still around today would they be flattered by Dr. Dog's copycat style?



Download it: Dr. Dog - "From"

It's true...

"I've been up all night,
I might sleep all day.
Get your dreams just right
Let them slip away,
I might sleep all day.
When the roads are clear,
We'll head on out of here,
If you're coming back,
I'll see you in the morning
I'm just staring at
the ceiling staring back at me,
Just waiting for the daylight to come crawling in on me...
And I've been up all night,
I might sleep all day"

Download it: Counting Crows - "Up All Night"