People. Barry freaking Manilow happened this weekend. Ooohhmmmeeegggaaawwwddd!!!!
So here's the scoop. Now if you know me, you know I love me some Barry Manilow. Yes, it's probably weird but I love him, since I know like 5 words from his songs but I just love him. He's awesome. My mother in law and I always talked about how we wanted to go to Vegas and see him but we never got to go and do that. When I heard he was coming to Nashville I thought there was no way I was paying that crazy amount of money to see him, especially because it would be a waste of good money to see him just for what I imagined would be awkwardness. BUT about a week and a half ago Ticketmaster opened up some tickets to see Barry Manilow for $9.99 a ticket. Did you hear that? And the seats... they weren't up at the top. They were in the first sections, not ground level but in that court-side seating-ish. So I called up my mother in law and bought those suckers up. So yeah. We saw Barry Manilow last Saturday. And all I can say is that it was interestingly AWESOME!! I even made a video for you to explain. From the random old man crotch shots and the weird dancing. All of it. WAS. AWESOME! So look below for my video. Oh and pictures too.
Sweater: The Gap (definitely did not pay this much for it, and this color seems a bit greenier), Top: Lily White, Cami: in Mushroom Express, Belt: BP, Jeans: Express, Boots: Corso Como, Jewelry: Express, Glasses: Coastal Contact, Fancy Glow Stick: C/O Barry Manilow
*Side note: I work at Express part-time, which is why you will find that 70% of my wardrobe (especially jeans) come from there. I don't wear their clothes because I get a discount. I work there so I can get their clothes with my discount. I've worked there off and on for 6 years because I've always shopped there. I know I don't need to explain but I just like to keep it real with my readers. :)
First I took a photo of my mother in law and I
Then I took a photo of me and my gum. :)
Hot dang! Barry Manilow showed up.
And he sang a little.
Or a lot.
Then he danced.
Then I danced.
Then he was happy.
Then he played on the piano.
Then others played the piano and he sang.
Then he showed us some album covers.
Then he changed to a fancy jacket.
Then this guy pretend to be an orchestra leader dude (he wasn't one)
So yeah. It was fun! I have a ton of other photos but I didn't want to get you too excited from the awesomeness that it was. Oh wait. I should also note that Barry sang one of his songs while one of his backup singers rapped in between sections. Yep. That also happened. I didn't get to record that because I didn't think about it between my laughing. Who raps to Barry Manilow? Who? HA!
I like strange music that some times people haven't heard. Other times I like bad music that people HAVE heard. Today's music is Bad Music that I LOVE!!! It's actually my MOST FAVORITE SONG EVER!!!
Wham! - Careless Whisper
Oh and check out this. Dave kept sending it to me to check out but I never did... until last month. Only took me 6 months or so. ha!
Sexy Sax Man - Careless Whisper
Yes I'm behind on the Sexy Sax Man but its still awesome!
So... I'm trying to get back to normal on my blogging schedule so today I bring you Music Monday. And its back and better than ever.
Last Thursday Hubs and I went to see The Civil Wars with The Staves at THE RYMAN!! First of all The Ryman is notorious for having an amazing sound. And second one of my favorite bands was playing there. Win Win for that night. There was no way this night could go wrong... or get better. But it did. It was my perfect scenario. I could hear well, we had balcony seats (which usually is sucky but not at The Ryman, they are fab) so I could see and see well, AND I could see the clock on the side of the stage. Now that may be considered a distraction or something to some but it is perfect to me. I'm one of those I need to see what time it is ALL the time types of people. And what only made that better was the fact that the clock had red numbers over a black screen (like my alarm clock that I never use to wake me up but just to tell the time). So before the show even started it was the best of the best FOR ME.
The Staves
Then The Staves came on. Those adorable, beautiful, amazing gals played so wonderful I couldn't believe it. Their harmonies were like angels singing and their accents just made me want to be best friends with them. I loved them so much that I heard the first harmony and looked at Dave and said "Sold" which meant we were going out to the merch stand and buying their E.P. and when they were done we did just that. I wanted to get a picture with them but it appears that I wasn't the only one who was "Sold" on them, their personalities and their music. But because the line was long I didn't come back for a photo op with them. So for the first part of my Music Monday I bring to you The Staves "Mexico". You're gonna love me for this, I promise.
Part 2 of Music Monday. Oh goodness. Where do I start with my love for The Civil Wars? Well first let me write a note to my best friend, Sabrina, I'm calling you out. How can you NOT love them? Seriously? How can you be sooo smart and not love the easiest smart decision out there? What kind've teacher are you? Hehe... But seriously bestie in the westie, if you'd heard them at The Ryman you would have changed your mind. SERIOUSLY.... Ok back to the rest of the Internet world. Second. Check out their website. Its very pretty. Its inviting. I want to sit down with a cup of coffee and chat. I like it. Oh ya... The Civil Wars. I wont lie to you friends, I'm totally a bandwagon fan. Last year when they played at The Belcourt I saw all you tweeting about them, I didn't understand what was so interesting about a Civil War documentary at The Belcourt (for those of you not familiar with The Belcourt movies are played there, its a small rad theatre). UNTIL I saw Taylor Swift tweet about how great of a performance it was and then, at that moment, I googled (or swagbucked) The Civil Wars and that night I found that I really enjoyed that folky rad music. But I never did anything about it, not till the digital album was on sale on Amazon and I MADE Dave buy it. I figured if my Taylor (thats my BFF Taylor Swift, we go back *not true) liked them that I should give them a real chance and for $3.99 I bought it. And then I STILL didn't really listen to it. I never put it on my phone or burned the cd so I forgot I had it. Until one night I was putting music on my phone for the gym and I added it. Let me tell you. Not quite fun gym music, BUT it is GREAT cool down music. And thats just what I did. I listened to it after EVERY workout. I learned every word to every song, every note change to every song I knew it. I could sing it to you in a heart beat. That doesn't mean I will, I'm a little camera shy, and I get so nervous I cry when I'm in front of a camera (or in speech 101) but I could sing it if I really wanted to.
So last Thursday when they sang I sang.... in my heart, ya know cause of that whole public speaking thing. And I knew every note change, I knew it all. I have to say, that its a toss up on which band I love more, The Civil Wars or Jimmy Eat World. Both are so different from each other that I think I can love them both equally. I've never been to a show where I LOVED EVERY song that they performed but I loved this one.... and the Jimmy show but don't let that take away from the awesomeness that The Civil Wars are. So... If you have a chance to see them, do it. Don't question it. Don't think about it. Don't wait a minute. Buy those tickets. It will be one of my top favorite nights and maybe it will one of yours.
Oh and here are photos from the show. I totally forgot to mention my bestie Taylor Swift totally came out and performed their song from Then Hunger Games soundtrack. I don't even think I'll see that movie but I love that song. I found it from the show that night, not my video, but its on YouTube for the taking... sharing. Whatever. Look at it. Oh and excuse the loud cheers in the beginning... but whatever. These people were way closer too. :)
AMAZING!
The Civil Wars with my Best Friend Taylor Swift
Acoustic People. THEY PLAYED TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY ACOUSTIC! I've never heard anything more beautiful and amazing in my WHOLE LIFE!!!!
I've told you this a trillion times but I love Christmas music.... probably more than your average person. Once I tried to spend the whole month of December listening to Christmas. It was fun at first but then I started getting tired of it, and hearing Dalilah and that one time during her show that we heard a sweet dedication from a listener and she said she had the perfect Christmas song and then she played Jewels Foolish Games, which if you didn't know is NOT a Christmas song. Anyway... what I'm saying is don't dedicate an entire month to ONLY listening to Christmas music, it will take away from the awesomeness that Christmas music is.
A few months back while at McKay's I found the 98 Degrees Christmas cd for like 2 bucks and I forced Dave to buy, actually I think I had monetary credit at the store so maybe he forced me to use my credit and not our money. I couldn't believe that a. it was so cheap and b. that I didn't own this amazingness already. So it was snatched up and put into our growing Christmas music collection.
Then when Borders was closing Dave found me the New Kids on the Block Christmas CD. We joked about how I needed it, but I didn't so I didn't buy. BUT then when they were like a day out from closing and things were super cheap Dave went and while looking around he found it again and of course I forced him into buying it for me for dirt cheap. My review: It's horrible, but Funky Funky Xmas is AWESOME in that its so bad that it's awesome. Would I buy it again. YOU BET YOUR BOOTY I WOULD! How can one NOT own the NKOTB Christmas CD? Thats just wrong.
Oh and NSYNC. I wish I had a funny story about this but I don't. Well I guess I kinda do. It's my husbands. THE END. Now that's funny. I guess its not if you know my husband, but if you don't then you'll think it's funny. EDIT: Dave said he bought this for me... I don't remember this.
xo, Steph
p.s. cause outtakes are funny. I asked my friend at work to take my photo and clearly I was not ready. ha!
Some of you may not know this already but hubs and I are from California originally. We've been in Nashville for about 5 years, 5 LONG years. Nothing wrong with Nashville, I love it, but nothing is as good as home. Out in LA there is a radio station called KROQ and their morning show, Kevin and Bean, has always been my favorite. In fact, we both love it so much that we listen online so we can still get our bit of home. For quite a few years they would put out a Christmas CD. A collection of artists that we like, singing rad Christmas songs that we love. All the songs are awesome, all the cd's are awesome, and if you can find them somewhere online then you should buy them. We own them, we're lucky enough to have friends local that would buy them for us and send them. My most favorite song from ANY of the albums is River performed by Travis. Oh goodness. Its amazing. I can't find the actual song because its exclusive to the cd, so buy it at the link I found on Amazon. Hopefully you'd find it and actually get it. Anyway... I DID find a clip on Youtube. So you can listen to whole clip, or skip to 3:35 in when the song starts but I listened to the whole clip cause its kinda neat to hear his accent. ;) Ok. Hope you enjoy.
P.S. I hope you're enjoying my Daily Christmas. I know it's a bunch on nonsense, but its stuff I think is cool so I hope you think its cool too.
P.P.S. If you like my posts and want to stay up to date follow me on Bloglovin here:
I have this plan. The plan is to write about 25 Christmas things over the next 25 days. I was fully intending of doing 30 days but then remembered when I was 28 days out from Christmas that maybe that wasn't going to happen. So we're going to stick with 25, and you should forget that I just told you that. HA!
Okay, today is Music. I was recently exposed to Phil Wickham, and his Christmas album Songs for Christmas. Its a pretty awesome album, like SUPER AWESOME!!! Currently it is the only CD sitting in my car... That's not entirely true, its the only CD sitting in my CD player that I've been listening too. Gooo Christmas!!!
Anyway... today's song is O Come O Come Emmanuel, and its amazing. I usually like that song, its not one that I would put on repeat but I like it enough. There is just something about the way it was arranged on his CD that is just amazing- keep playing it on repeat amazing. Check it out here yo! And if you like this, then check out the rest of the album and buy it on iTunes or try to find it on CD. :) P.S. It sounds really awesome when its cloudy and dark and you have loud bass in your car, not that I would know, its just what I heard... from my car.
