This song has been on my favorite playlists for the last couple of months, it is a fixture in my regular rotation. I think Grace Potter is a very talented young singer/songwriter.
If you have not checked out Grace Potter & The Nocturnals please do, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Today was a Mumford & Sons kind of day. It was freezing out, I found a quiet corner at school, buckled down to get some work done and enjoyed Mumford & Sons for a couple hours. It was just what I needed, it is the type of music that is good for your soul.
One of my favorite songs is After the Storm, it is haunting in the best way possible.
Since I heard about the Katy Perry movie I knew I would be seeing it, now this is not to say I was a diehard fan, and I was going to be there opening weekend. I just knew it was on my list of must see flicks this summer. I have always enjoyed her music, followed her career, and lets face it I love movies and music. Combine the two and I am in my happy place. So here it was opening weekend, I am sick in bed, it is my sisters birthday weekend and before you know it some of my closest friends are whisking me off to the movies. The closer and closer it got to show time the more excited I was getting, I had read so may positive reviews, and was looking forward to taking it all in. I was even more excited about these awesome pink 3D glasses!
The most recent review I had read before heading to the movies was insinuating the movie was basically big budget propaganda. I can see how one might think that, as in the beginning of the movie and for a large portion people are sitting in front of a camera singing her praises. However, I did not see it that way, there was many things to learn about her as a person from the people who see her most. They were people who were there before she was KATY PERRY, they supported her dreams and now she supports them. It shows her loyalty and dedication that she has surrounded herself with these people who helped her get to where she is.
Not only are the people who do her costumes, her makeup, tour production all people you get to know, but you also get an introduction to the family. You can tell it is a family who gets the biggest two things right, love and support. Her parents might not always agree with what she is singing about but they are likely her two biggest fans.
This movie gave all of the viewers a front row seat to what looked like one hell of a show. I must admit I am super jealous of anyone who was lucky enough to catch a show on this tour (never thought I would be saying that.) This was not just a concert; it was a production, costume changes, dancing, singing, stage changes, and theatrics. She did not shy away from anything in her shows it seemed. I am unsure how she got on that stage every night for a year and got it done. I will say it does not matter how much money you’re paid, or how badly you want it, the way I see it is that is not an easy job. It is physically and emotionally draining. It could not have been made any easier by the personal struggles that were behind the scenes. As this played out in real time no one really knew the extent of everything happening in her life except her. Katy did not even really share much of it with the people closest to her. There were parts of the movie that I found painful to watch, and I cannot imagine how she must have felt.
I am not sure how she got on stage in Brazil, it took courage and bravery to step up there and do that on her worst day. She faced the adversity in her life by putting a smile on and getting on stage to do the show her fans had been waiting for. Watching it made me feel that Katy really respects the fans, that she respects the fact that the fans made her who she is, and they helped her climb the charts, break records, sellout shows. It still does not take the hurt away from what was going on in her life. And when Brazil chanted, “Katy we love you” tears rolled down my face (who would have thought I would be getting emotional at a Katy Perry movie.) That moment no one in that crowd knew what she was dealing with yet, no one in that crowd knew how hard it was for her to get on stage that night. Yet it seemed despite knowing that they were loving her, supporting her, and basically thanking her for getting on the stage that night. To feel that many people loving you all at one time must be pretty magical, but I can imagine that moment was probably still a lonely one for her.
Now most times in a movie like this, a documentary style you feel like you really are getting to know the person, and the first half of the movie I was not really feeling that way, I felt like I was learning a lot about her, but not getting to know her. However the more the movie went on the more I enjoyed it, the more I started to see she is a real person, doing real things. Kay is a real person, pizza eating, pillow fighting, goofy, honest to goodness person. Katy seems to be grounded, to know what she believes about life, and what she wants out of it and I think that is a bigger achievement than selling records or topping charts. She has a family who loves her, people who work day and night to help her dreams come true, and fans who adore her. She gets to wake up everyday and do something she loves and that is special.
I will admit as lovely as it seems to be Katy Perry, I want to be her sister, she looks like she has a BLAST! I want to be the person giving out backstage passes and inviting people on stage. I want to be travelling the world, watching my sister achieve her dreams, I would want to cheer her on, support her in anyway I could. Even get on stage in a goofy outfit to dance. I guess that is all part of being s sister, no matter who your sister is you want to do all of those things.
If you like Katy Perry music, and even if you don’t grab you best friends, your sister, you mother, your anyone. Get to the theaters and check it this movie out. Katy Perry truly is a firework, and you will leave the theater feeling bright, unique, amazing and intense just like the firework you are. You will want to embrace your own weirdness. I know me and my friends jumped in the car on the way home turned up some Katy Perry and sang and danced our hearts out the entire drive home.
I know I will be going again!
PS – I don’t know where she got the onesie that zips all the way up (even the hood) but I sure want one of those, looks like the comfiest creation ever!
The wait was six years and nine days, which is 314 weeks, or 2201 days, or roughly 52,824 hours. Last time Bryan Adams was in town I was in high school, and I was likely the only kid my age to be rocking to his music non-stop. My iPod was purely devoted to his large catalog of music. April 6th 2006 was one of the best days of my life, and although I have now had the distinct pleasure of seeing Bryan Adams live in concert for a second time it will remain the a highlight in my life. It is not to say I did not loveeee the show on Sunday, because I certainly did. It is just that no one ever really forgets their first time. I spent April 6th 2006 singing, dancing, and crying tears of excitement. I have had memories of that night floating around in my head for years. When I heard that he was coming back to town I was over the moon. The day tickets went on sale I set up three computers and got the best seats my money could buy me.
It was a long wait, however it was worth it. Sunday night Bryan Adams was finally back to play for us in Halifax. He not only woke up the neighbors, he brought down the house. The only person he did not successfully wake up with the five-year-old sitting in front of me who slept though the entire show. He skipped over an opening act, hit the stage at about five after eight and rocked the socks off of everyone in the building for about two and a half hours. He played all of his hits, he sang his heart out and so did we. Yet again I spent my night singing, dancing, and crying, and I am already looking forward to the day we will be lucky enough to have him back again.
Never have a group of middle-aged men in jeans and black shirts been so attractive, they played their butts off. They entertained the hell out of the thousands of adoring fans that showed up. You can tell they enjoy what they do, you can tell they have fun and that they love getting up there and playing together, as they have for so many years. They exude enthusiasm, and the crowd eats it right up. From Mickey Curry playing the pots and pans, to Bryan Adams taking the stage solo with only the help of his guitar and harmonica the night was absolute perfection. I look forward to the day Bryan and the boys are Halifax bound again. Until that time I feel bad for everyone who has to listen to me talk about the show, and my love for B.Ad at nauseum.
Everyone sure has guilty pleasures, and vices. I certainly have my own. One of my biggest I can credit to my sister, and that would be insistently watching videos on YouTube. My favourite videos have been some of the more music oriented videos. I have been a huge fan and follower of Karmin Covers. I have watched and shared many of their videos over the last year. In February they played on SNL and I instantly went to iTunes to get myself a copy of Brokenhearted. I have had it in constant rotation on my playlists ever since. I play this song about as much as ever other female in the world seems to be playing Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen. I heard it on the radio station in my city for the first time about a week or so ago, and I am looking forward to hearing it a whole lot more.
It is very rare I get an entire day off to myself, and today the weather worked in my favor and I am currently enjoying a lazy Sunday. However with the NFL season ending last week I was unsure what to do with my impromptu day off. So far I have had the pleasure of making a nice big breakfast, having a breakfast ceasar, catching up on reading, enjoying the comfort of my own home, all before lunch. All of the things that escape me most days.
Regardless of the tasks I have been doing today there has been one thing on my mind, THE GRAMMY’S! It is the biggest and best concert of the year, and this year will be no exception. Every year we get to see the biggest names of the music industry take the stage, we get to see the big winners, we get to see the upsets, we get to see the fashion, the speeches, and all of the drama. This year we will be treated to tributes to both Etta James, and Whitney Houston. Every year the evening is never less than fantastic, and I am very much looking forward to listening to some of my favorite songs and artists of the year, and finding some new ones to love.
Today the world lost a true trailblazer, a true innovator, and true genius. He founded the company and more importantly created the brand that Apple is today. He was a master when it came to creating and thinking up products that made peoples lives simpler, streamlined, and efficient. He created so many things that changed our lives for the better, revolutionized how we communicate, how we listen to music (and the way in which the music industry exists in our lives), and how we live everyday life.
He was a guru when it came to marketing these products. The world has been waiting on the every conference Apple has had in the last decade, as we knew every time he stepped on the stage he would have something bigger, and something better. He would tell us every reason we needed to hear as to why we should be waiting in line to be the first to purchase the newest products.
I remember as a kid watching Carrie Bradshaw from Sex And The City write her articles on a Mac and wanting one so bad. I remember the seeing the first person at my school with an iPod and knowing I NEEDED to have one. Soon there after I did have one and my life was forever changed. I have since then bought myself two more iPods (bought some for the lovely people in my life too), bought myself a macbook (single handedly one of the best decisions I have made in my life) and more recently an iPhone, which has changed my life yet again.
I cannot see my life without these products, and I cannot envision a world in which the iPod did not exist. The man was one of a kind, and he will certainly be remembered who not only what he did, but who he was. Not many people could be fired from a company, come back just in time to save them and turn them into one of the greatest and most valuable technological companies today. I will certainly miss seeing him take the stage in his sneakers, jeans, John Lennon-esque glasses, and of course his black turtleneck. I will miss him introducing his biggest and boldest ideas with “Oh, one more thing” and talk about huge advancements his most popular items by saying nonchalantly saying “let’s talk iPhone” or “let’s talk iTunes.”
I hope he was proud of all of the “game changers” he has created, I hope he understood all of the lives he has changed, and I hope he knows how appreciative everyone is who has ever used one of his products, or some of his software and thought to themselves… isn’t that great!
Thank you Steve Jobs, you forever changed the way many of us look at this world.
After hearing about this mixtape for a number of months from people on Twitter, and people at work, I figured I would check it out. At the end of March it found its way on to my iPod, and before I knew it I was listening to it non-stop and telling everyone I knew about it. I am sure I pestered everyone I knew about this, and I am sure everyone in my house began to hate me after I played it the first hundred times. Mind you, there was just something about this music, it was refreshing, it was the kind of music I could listen to while doing just about anything. Even now months later it is the kind of music that makes me want to roll down the windows and crank the volume up.
On occasion I have been playing some of the these songs, and my friends who would not typically listen to hip-hop, pop, or even rap would be asking me what I was playing. I think this is music that appeals to a lot of people, and I know after three months it has not gotten old for me. This could because it is not music I hear ten times a day on the radio, or that it is music that is not on blast everywhere, either way I cannot get enough of it.
Check it out: Best Day Ever (Mixtape) – Mac Miller
Morgan LeBlanc 