Hello April.

Every month, I construct a new playlist encompassing all my moods and emotions.

Here's a teeny tiny glimpse of my Hello April Playlist:

The Avett Brother's Kick Drum Heart


Cory Branan's Tall Green Grass


Frightened Rabbit's Keep Yourself Warm


Straylight Run's Existentialism on Prom Night


And for the wildcard...

Kid Cudi featuring Common and Kanye West- Make Her Say

ROMPER.

I interrupt normal scheduling to bring you my new obsession: Rompers!

Designers are totally just giving it a cool name like 'romper' to avoid the real deal: these are JUMPERS for adults. I loved jumpers then and I love them now. I bought one from Urban Outfitters (see below) and it's so comfortable and airy, I want to wear it everyday. I just might.


They are beyond adorable in different patterns and styles. Check it:

1, 2, 3... Crows

Ok, so I know I spent my formative years in the early 2000s which translates to intense boy band action and blonde girls singing about genies.

(What's with the footwear, fellas?)

And while I hold a special place in my heart for 'Nsync and 'Oops I did it again', I find that I deeply connect with 90s alt rock bands a tad more.

Maybe it's because they have something more substantial to say.

OR maybe it's because thought processes occur before they begin to write.

Either way, I'm dedicating this post to the Counting Crows. The boys led by the infamous dreaded Adam Duritz have been around since 91 and are still going strong. Personally, I think they are more lyrically superior to a lot of bands out there. While a decent portion of their songs make me look out the window as I contemplate life with tears in my eyes, most songs make me want to dance in circles barefoot. Check out one of my favorites:

Remember me.

With all the extreme action, 3-d and devastation floating around in movies these days, I find it refreshing to see a trailer that looks quiet and simple. I'm all about grandiose movies and being blown out of my seat in the theaters but there is something especially wonderful about a movie that speaks to you softly. Loud movies help with escapism but calmer movies pull your life into the story and leave you wondering about your story in the end.

Remember Me seems like one of those. Plus, former blood sucker Robert Pattinson (I wonder if Kristen 'I always look and sound like I'm on drugs' Stewart is jealous?) is attracting me to the film. Of course, I could be completely wrong based on the fact that I'm making this conclusion from a two and a half minute trailer.

Here: check it out for yourself.



P.S. In one of the commercials, I heard the song "The Dress Looks Nice On You" by Sufjan Stevens. It's an incredibly beautiful song. Listen to it now.

Back to the Roots.

Recently, I was feeling like there was this big gaping hole in my life where something used to be. And that something was concerts.

The Starting Line at Warped Tour.


I honestly had these shoes and wore them, ALOT.

High school was a time when going to concerts was what me and my friends did. (That and driving around and going to Dunkin Donuts, of course.) The only thing that mattered in this world was being engulfed in a sweaty crowd filled with peers who were just as passionate as we were about our bands. And we would sing these oh-so-incredibly emo lyrics out and attempt to catch eye contact with the lead singer we were convinced if he knew us, would love us. We stood outside in lines in mid-December with no coats as we froze into an ice sculpture of kids huddling together with t-shirts and converses on.

Me in Rome
Rutgers Football Game

Throughout college, I still went to concerts but it was never the same. Maybe because there was now more of an outlet to do all these things I never had. (Like study abroad in Italy or meet all these intelligent exciting people that didn't live in my hometown and drink incessantly every weekend with them.) And besides, you could always just listen to the kid on your floor or your best friends down the street play music. There was less of an urgency to get that invigorating life changing feeling of being at a concert because in college, you get that feeling almost everyday.


Ok, enough with nostalgia. The whole point is once I moved back home last June and was unemployed for a while, that stuck feeling happened again. That need for an outlet returned. So, as a solution, we went nuts on concert tickets once we got some income in. Thus, these past two months have been a concert OVERLOAD. And now, five years detached from high school, I can confidently say: there is nothing like live music to jolt some life back into you.

Here's a quick peak of the concerts I went to in the past months and the ones that I am going to in March :)

No Doubt Reunion Tour
Gwen Stefani can still run around the stage frantically and sound awesome at the same time.

Jack's Mannequin

Andrew McMahon of Something Corporate will always be my lyrical hero.

Blink 182 Reunion Tour Need I say more? This reunion was an experience of a lifetime. Highlight: Travis playing drums upside down while spinning on the ceiling of MSG!

Saves the Day

"If I could only see you now for about an hour maybe just a minute just to ask
What has he got that I don't have?"

New Found Glory

This was their 10 year anniversary of their self-titled and they played EVERY song, not to mention a bunch of other amazing ones. The energy they brought to the stage was unmatchable.

The Waffle Stompers

Hey, these boys are my best buds! But they are ALSO an awesome ska band taking over New Jersey. Check them out.


John Mayer

I have to say John Mayer killed it and stands out as one of the best concerts I've ever been to. He may be a douche, but the beautiful man has talent.

River City Extension

Toms River boys River City Extension is an indie folky "chamber punk" band that has incredible stage presence.

Happy Ending

Teacher and student combo Happy Ending lyrics are not so happy at all. But no one ever said depressing wasn't talented.

Coming up this month:

Ingrid Michaelson


Dashboard Confessional

Wakey! Wakey!

Two years ago, my amazing friend Lea came to my house at good old 47 Morrell Street in New Brunswick, New Jersey with a huge smile on her face as she exclaimed, “You have to listen to this band!” The cd she had in her hand was a live album entitled Silent As a Movie by Wakey! Wakey!, this soulful piano inspired indie rock band from Brooklyn.

It was love at first listen. Frontman Michael Grubbs was instantly that singer/songwriter who I was convinced knows and understands me in a way that only musical geniuses can. His lyrics accompanied by intense piano chords changed my life. I know, I know. It sounds cliché. But, that live album Silent As a Movie is filled to the max with unbelievable talent and heartbreak. Check out this live performance (sorry for the low quality video) of "Messy Girl" a couple years ago that I found on YouTube:

This month, Wakey’s first full album came out, Almost Everything I Wish I’d Said the Last Time I Saw You. Here is a full free stream of it!

I was honored to score an interview with Grubbs himself for Kiwibox.com so check it out right here!

P.S. You can also find Grubbs on One Tree Hill playing a bartender/musician. (I used to be a fan of OTH but then all the sudden, dogs were running through hospitals stealing hearts and Chad Michael Murray's 'Im trying to look genuine but I actually look like an asshole' face got irritating and it was time to switch the channel.) HOWEVER, Kudos to them for discovering Wakey! Wakey! and giving Grubbs the outlet to perform and act. On another note, you have to love CW (or formerly known as the WB) for having the BEST soundtracks. One Tree Hill's music is fabulous, check out all the artists and songs ever here. AND how could anyone forget about the OC? Best music on a show ever. I'll forgive the below average acting skills for that.

Cold War Kids

Hailing from sunny California, the Cold War Kids are no strangers to releasing EPs. Since 2004, the indie rock band, consisting of Nathan Willett (lead vocals, guitar, piano), Jonnie Russell (guitar, vocals), Matt Maust (bass) and Matt Aveiro (drums), have released nine EPs as well as two full length albums, Robbers and Cowards and Loyalty to Loyalty. Their newest EP Behave Yourself is currently available on iTunes and will be released on CD/Vinyl on January 19^th.

The five track EP’s artwork tells a tale of the songs, reading, “These songs were recorded some time between “Loyalty" and now. They didn’t belong there but kept hanging around, started trouble, made friends, and insisted they be heard." The tracks may not have belonged in Loyalty to Loyalty but appear to have nicely found their place on Behave Yourself.

The EP kick starts with “Audience," one of the more blues inspired tracks and then is followed by “Coffee Spoon," a tune with melancholy undertones that almost sounds like early Kings of Leon. The third track “Santa Ana Winds" is pleasurable to the ears just for the undeniable catchy nature of the beat and the overall progression of percussion and vocals. “Sermons" is soulfully inspired and Dylan-esque while “Baby Boy" (only available on the CD, not iTunes) is a unique blend of beats and blues.

Overall, the Cold War Kids have seemed to make something out of nothing by combining these five diverse songs and turning them into a cohesive EP. The boys will be promoting Behave Yourself for four days at the end of January so check out the following tour dates:

1/22- LA- The Wiltern
1/23- San Francisco- The Fillmore
1/29- NY- Terminal 5
1/30- Chicago- The Vic Theatre

Check it out at Kiwibox.com here.