best $20 ever spent.

This last week has been a concert marathon for me with shows by Trampled by Turtles, Bob Schneider, The Treats, Bruce Springsteen, and Cait and The Girls (this Wednesday 6-8 @ High Noon Saloon). Each show was great for different reasons: TBT is my cousin Tim's band, I am a longtime fan of Bob Schneider and haven't heard him live in years, The Treats are a local band that I love (you can read about them in a previous post), The Boss, well, that's pretty obvious, and CATG is headed up by my good friend Cait Shanahan. The highlight, of course, has been The Boss - but our night with Bob Schneider and his fantastic openers was the best $20 I have ever spent. We were so blown away by the show I thought I would try to share it with all of you. The videos don't really do them justice but at least you get the idea!

{charlie mars}

{one eskimo}

{bob schneider}

need some new music?

These are some great artists that I thought all you music lovers out there might be interested in. They all have unique sounds and fantastic lyrics. Enjoy!

I was introduced to Blind Pilot by my friend Rena (who is always discovering great new music). Their album is called 3 Rounds and a Sound (buy it here or download it from iTunes). It is one of those rare albums where you like every song and can listen to it endlessly without getting sick of it. Love that!




I first heard Cory Chisel and The Wandering Sons crammed onto the tiny stage at Cafe Montmartre. I was there with a friend, neither of us with any knowledge of who they were or that there was even music that night. They blew us away! A local boy from Appleton, WI, check out Cory's website and buy his latest album called "Death Won't Send a Letter" on iTunes. His most recent EP Cabin Ghosts and his first album Little Birds are awesome too! P.S. These guys just made their television debut on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on October 9th.

Jim James is the man behind the band My Morning Jacket (who Rena also introduced me to a few years back). They have been around for awhile and have tons of albums. This song is an oldie (I tend to like their older stuff better) but it is my favorite. If you don't listen to them yet, I highly suggest you start to! Better yet, if you can see them live, DO IT! We saw them at Summerfest a few years ago and it was incredible.

The Treats are my most recent musical discovery. I saw them at The Frequency in Madison in late September. We knew some people who knew some people in the band so after listening to Cory Chisel at The Majestic we wandered over. It turned out to be an awesome show so I did a little bargaining with the lead singer, Andrew Isham, and ended up with both of their cds for $5 (all the cash I had on me). I have been listening to Reservoir Tales (buy it here or on iTunes) non-stop ever since (some favorite songs are Better Things to Do, Come Around, Like an Animal, and Ever Been Down?). I would call them a rock-and-roll band but there are so many other things going on that it would be hard to label them as such. Just imagine your favorite aspects of blues, pop, country, and punk thrown together with a heavy dose of rock-and-roll and you get a very catchy, authentic sound that is The Treats.

Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without. ~Confucius

Like most people, I love music.  As a kid I would put my tape recorder (see right) up to the speaker of my radio and record my favorite songs, creating some very amateur "mix tapes".  Over the years my mix tapes have become more technologically advanced (now I guess you would call them "mix cds") but I still haven't lost my love for putting my favorite tunes together onto one album. One of the best things about mix tapes is sharing my favorite music with friends and family.  So, I thought I would start creating some cyber-mix tapes for this blog as a way to keep sharing all the tunes that I love.  The following are songs that I am listening to at the moment (a mini-mix, if you will):

Details In the Fabric > Jason Mraz (feat. James Morrison) - generally it is hit or miss for me with Jason but I was won over by Morrison's throaty vocals and the message for healing a broken heart.

Human > The Killers - the beat of this song is fantastic and I love Brandon Flowers' voice.

Black Flowers > Yo La Tengo - I first heard Yo La Tengo while I was working at Good Blue Monday (my first barista job).  I loved their sound then and am in love with the horns in this song.

Quiet Dog > Mos Def - I dare you not to shake your bootie!

Towards the Sun > Alexi Murdoch - I have only a couple of Alexi Murdoch songs in my iTunes library but after seeing 'Away We Go' (which features a lot of his music) I was inspired to get some more.  It is so peaceful. 

Who You Gonna Turn To > Trevor Hall - I discovered this artist last fall and immediately was obsessed with his voice and reggae vibe.  I have read that he has many religious influences (buddhism, christianity, and judaism) which is often reflected in his music.  This song definitely has a spiritual feel to it.

Empire > Trampled By Turtles - I may be biased, since my cousin Tim is the bass player for TBT, but man, these guys make seriously great music.  I love their twist on traditional bluegrass and this song is perfect for singing along.

Born Again > Cory Chisel and The Wandering Sons - I first time I saw/heard Cory Chisel was by accident at Cafe Montmartre (R.I.P.).  They were playing and I was there drinking some wine and they blew me away.  This song is a perfect example of his amazing vocals and intense lyrics.

Forever> Chris Brown - so, this is my guilty pleasure right now (that I am loathe to admit) but you'll understand when you watch this video that my BFF Tracy posted on FB:

Oh God, it never gets old (and I can't help but love the song)!  

Enjoy!