I must admit I felt a bit silly when I realized that there was, in fact, a female rocker doing almost exactly what I have always wanted to do musically...and has been for years...I just didn't know about her yet! Grace Potter fronts the band Grace Potter & The Nocturnals and they are one of the most inspiring bands I have heard in years. While there are many female rockers out there, I have been personally dying for a female rocker reminiscent of the classic rock days of Heart and The Pretenders. Potter walks this line between country, blues and rock that is captivating and appealing to a wide audience. The raw quality of her bluesy vocals backed with intense and driving rock beats creates something that has been sorely missed in music for the last few decades, at least from a woman's perspective. And let's face it, any chick that rocks a Flying V is cool in my book. My favorite track is the title track from her new album titled "The Lion The Beast The Beat." Below is the video from her album release party which runs through her entire set, but you can hear "The Lion The Beast The Beat" right off the bat. Another one of my favorite tracks, "Timekeeper," can be viewed on the video to the right.
Not only is the album art cool, but she is too. So do yourself a favor and get this album:
"The tall blonde lets out a cry of despair says/ Would have cut it myself if I knew men could climb hair/ I'll have to find another tower somewhere and keep away from the windows"
Ouch. Not exactly the Rapunzel from the fairytales, right?
The above lyrics come from the song, "Fairytale," by Sara Bareilles. This is by far one of my favorite songs from her body of work and it's obvious why. Sara has this way of presenting biting sarcasm in such an adorable way. As I'm sure you are all aware, today is Valentine's Day! (cue the applause and most likely, groans) And let's be honest here, I'm sure there are many of you out there who feel some sort of sentiment similar to what "Rapunzel" is expressing in this song---"I'm done with this whole 'love' thing. I'll see you on February 15th." Trust me, I sympathize.
It can be very hard, as a single person (woman especially), to see boyfriends giving their girlfriends roses and not feel like you are missing out on something...or even just to be inundated by the constant reminder that you are in fact, single (making it seem like there is something wrong with that). The nature of the way the holiday is marketed makes you feel bad even if the other 364 days of the year you are perfectly content in your independence.
Personally, I miss the elementary school days when you would decorate your own bag and all of your friends brought Valentines and placed them in your bag throughout the day. I remember the excitement of going home and dumping it out to see who had left you one and if they had written anything special. Did your crush leave a super-hero-themed Valentine in your bag? Oh the joy!! But all joking aside, Valentine's Day as a kid pretty much rocked.
I fear the older that we get, Valentine's Day begins to symbolize failure in a lot of ways (in addition to commercialism, but that is a whole other blog post) - another year, and yet still no successful romance on February 14th.
One of the things I love about this Sara Bareilles song is that she debunks this idea that a fairytale just means one thing - boy meets girl, boy woos girl (and potentially climbs a tower), boy and girl live happily ever after. In the song, she fights back at this notion, singing "Once upon a time in a faraway kingdom/ Man made up a story said that I should believe him/ Go and tell your white knight that he's handsome in hindsight/ But I don't want the next best thing/ So I sing and hold my head down and I break these walls round me/ Can't take no more of your fairytale love." Can't take no more?
For those of you who know me, it's no secret that I love fairytales, and I would be lying if I said I didn't still hold out for this beautiful, fairytale-like love story. But this idea that romantic love is the only way to find that is kind of ridiculous. This past weekend I was blessed to have a really great weekend. It was such a good reminder to me that life can be pretty wonderful even in a time of heartbreak or singleness. Happiness can sneak up on you and so can love in all its forms.
So this year, let's take our Valentine's Day with a lot of sugar, a little bit of sass and a healthy dose of sarcasm, remembering that romantic love is not the only kind of awesome love that there is. Buy yourself some conversation hearts and tell someone you care. Happy Valentine's Day!
In honor of election day and all the women who have gone before me to give me a voice in the government, I thought of Martina McBride's heartbreaking hit, "Independence Day." Martina has always been an advocate for women's issues, most especially domestic abuse, and I felt that the patriotic setting of this video was especially timely given all the political frenzy going down all over the country today. Also, just reminder that women have endured much before us to give us freedom as women to exercise our voice politically as well as in the home.
Since I couldn't bring myself to make my return to blogging on such a depressing note, here is another, significantly more uplifting, Martina song, "Love's The Only House:"
And THIS is why I love country music, people.
It's good to be back. Hopefully it won't be another eight months before my next post. ;) Get out there and vote ladies and if you aren't registered this time, make sure you are for the next election, because believe it or not, YOUR VOICE MATTERS. Whatever you believe, whoever you support, make sure to let the world know it, because that is your right! It took me a very long time to truly appreciate this, because given that you may not like any of the candidates or just dislike politics in general, you may be tempted to ignore it all together. I understand wholeheartedly this position and have been there myself, but at the end of the day, it really is important.
It also doesn't end here. Just because the election will be over tomorrow, there are decisions being made every day on your behalf --- women's health care in Texas has been exploding lately with controversy and I admit, until quite recently, I was not aware or informed.
Here is the link to a great article that ran in the August 2012 issue of Texas Monthly: http://www.texasmonthly.com/preview/2012-08-01/feature2. Unfortunately, you have to register to read (although it appears free) and I cannot seem to find the full article anywhere, but this will at least give you a taste/good source for some current Texas happenings within women's health care.
Oops! Just kidding, I'm not actually done using Martina's music. Here is "This One's For The Girls:"
All I can say, is damn. These pint-sized rockers sure pack a punch. I was researching the list of bands slated to play at this year's SXSW 2012 looking for any names that might catch my eye. As a huge fan of The Runaways (hit song "Cherry Bomb"), the band name, Cherri Bomb, stood out...and I figured (secretly hoped) it was going to be an all-girl force of nature. I am pleased to see this four-pack of badass 12-14 year olds does JUST that. They would be great if they were in their 20s, but the fact that they are in their teens makes it even more incredible. I can not WAIT to see what these girls have to bring as they develop into young adults. As a side note, I was a little disappointed to find out that the name was not actually inspired by The Runaway's song...alas!
If you think these girls are as awesome as I do, check them out at SXSW 2012! They are performing several showcases, this one comes for FREE as long as you RSVP! Austin Rox
Below is the official music video for my personal favorite of their songs, "Let It Go."
Just for fun here is a video of The Runaways performing "Cherry Bomb" live in Japan 1977.
In case you saw the 2010 film made about The Runaways with Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart, here is their adaptation of the same performance:
As another aside, local Austin nonprofit Girls Rock Camp Austin provides incredible summer camp opportunities for young girls ages 10-18 to form rock bands, write songs, and perform them at a showcase at the end of camp. Check it out!
I've already written a post on Kelly Clarkson's new song, "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)," but per usual, Glee's rendition of some of my favorite songs inevitably worm their way back into my heart, and thus, onto my blog.
When you think "great singer of our time," Whitney Houston is sure to be high up on your list. Hits like, "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)" and "I Will Always Love You," are sure to come to your mind first. While these songs are prime examples of Whitney's wonderful gift, my favorite memory of Whitney is singing "I Believe in You and Me" in the movie The Preacher's Wife. I've included the video below. Enjoy!
The music world will never be quite the same without you, Whitney. You've inspired us all!
Kelly Clarkson's fifth studio album, "Stronger," was just released and given her stellar performance at the Super Bowl, I had to check it out. I've always been a Kelly fan, not necessarily because I have loved every song she has released, but more because she is an incredible talent and I respect her attempt to create music that reflects her as a person and that she believes in.
The first video is Kelly singing a cover of "Up To The Mountain" at an Idol Gives Back show. Jeff Beck plays guitar so you know this has to be good! This is when Kelly cemented her place in my mind as a great talent!
The next video is her new single of her album "Stronger." The song is called "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)." Yes, it's poppy, and yes, the video is silly, but it is such a fun and uplifting song and I have found myself listening to it all week long! Also...I just have to say I think this would make a great flash mob...anyone else agree?
This last video is a live performance of "Dark Side," my favorite song from the album so far. This performance also highlights Kelly's ability to perform extremely well live!
I hope this post will at least make you take another look at Miss Clarkson and maybe give her some good PR out there in this big, bad music world...at the end of the day...girl's got pipes :)
