Down in the Valley

Sigh. I've shared this before, but today's another day worthy of a listen.

"Down in the Valley" by The Head and the Heart

The Head and the Heart

About a month ago I was introduced to the band The Head and the Heart, courtesy of my lovely friend Lauren (aka, my musical soulmate). And I fell in love. Coincidentally, the band was scheduled to play at Raleigh's Lincoln Theatre last week, so cha-ching! Two tickets were bought. An indie folk-pop band from Seattle, the Head and the Heart have a unique Americana-ish sound full of vocal harmonies and intoxicating melodies. I feel so lucky to have discovered them in the nick of time so that I could witness them live; it really was an amazing performance and one that hit you right at the core. These are talented musicians, passionate about music and passionate about life. Check out a few of their videos below, and maybe you'll be attending a show next time they're in your town. :)

The Weepies

I saw my favorite band play for the second time last night (woot!). I know, twice isn't much, but they rarely tour, nonetheless play in North Carolina. Steve Tannen and Deb Talan are a husband-and-wife pair that comprise The Weepies, an indie pop-folk group that has a mesmerizing sound, full of sentimental lyrics and deep storytelling. I first saw them play full band, and I was lucky enough to see this rare acoustic show last night at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, NC. We were only a few rows back from the stage, and despite the broken air conditioner (and dripping sweat), we had a lovely experience with this funny and amazingly talented group of musicians playing in what felt like our "living room." Here's the official video from one of the songs they played last night, "Can't Go Back Now." I love Steve's voice, and this is an amazing song, but Deb's voice and songwriting is what originally hooked me. I'm just as big of fan of her solo stuff, pre-Weepies. In the second video, you can hear her sing "Nobody Knows Me At All." One of my all time favorites. She actually opened the show with this last night... Can we say chillbumps?

(I discovered last night that she actually has the tattoo that's on the muppet. Yes, a muppet video? Awesome.)

Throwback

Seeing Toad the Wet Sprocket tonight at Cat's Cradle!

Oh, how I love the 90s.

Apple's Best Customers

How else can I say it? We Appled out last weekend. iPhone 4? Check. iMac with 27-inch screen? Check. Jessa? Happy. Being in the creative field, as well as having a right-sided brain, I've been bugging Ryan to make the "switch" to all Apple for quite some time. Not only did he cave (score!), but he's a bona fide convert now. However, it does have it's negatives: ie, work productivity.

Also, check out my super cute apple red case for my iPhone, made by elago. Only $11.99 on Amazon! Stylish and unbelievably affordable; the phone and computer were not the latter, however.

When I Think of Heaven...

Sooooo...

Point A: I have the best husband in the entire world.
Point B: I unexpectedly saw my old love Adam Duritz, aka Counting Crows, the other night. Key word being unexpectedly.

We had yet to have a proper Father's Day celebration for Ryan's dad, so Ry informed me that we'd be going to Lucky 32 in Cary to finally have a family dinner for the occasion. I'm the direction guru in our little family, so when I saw Ryan swerving to take a right a bit early, I yelled at him, "WRONG WAY!!!" He slyly smiled at me and said, "Oh, we're not going to dinner." And then in we pulled to the Koka Booth Amphitheatre to see my beloved Counting Crows, the band I have been obsessed with since I was 14. I am so incredibly lucky to have a husband who takes so much pleasure in surprising me.



Naturally, a few screams of excitement came out. And then the realization that not only did we have tickets (I assumed lawn seats, naturally, which were super expensive anyhow, thus me not buying tickets in the first place). But no, Ryan pulls out fifth row seats. FIFTH ROW SEATS. I could practically touch Adam's dreadlocks!

Counting Crows is that band in my life that accompanied me through adolescence and young adulthood, through all the tribulations that at that moment are the biggest deals in the world to you. You're having first experiences, dealing with new emotions, developing into an adult that you don't really know yet. And their music was the anthem for this period in my life. So no matter what I do, no matter how my life has changed or how old I am, hearing this band's music always makes a little rumble in my DNA.

Anyhow, it was a great show... and I even nudged my way to the front row for a while (see below). When I think of heaven, deliver me in a black-winged bird.

Dude.

I have no willpower to write anything else right now.

Laughing at My Desk Hilarious

I watched this movie "Run Fat Boy Run" when it came out on DVD, and for some reason (despite the less-than-phenomenal reviews), I loved it. I don't think I stopped laughing for 30 minutes after I watched this scene. Being a runner probably contributed to that fact, but I can't imagine that this wouldn't hit everyone's funny bone. Warning: I also have an unnerving love of physical comedy. Enjoy!

It's Gonna Be a Great Day!

Last Saturday night's SNL finally had another great digital short. For some reason I always favor the ones when Andy Samberg is singing. Why do we all love him so much? My guess is the schnoz. Bumpy nose people unite!

Here's a few more of my favorites so far...
Ba-da ding-ding-ding-ding whoa!

Ras Trent:



Shy Ronnie (feat. Rhianna):



Space Olympics:

Come to Me

This song, written by Alex Dezen (lead singer of The Damnwells), is ridiculously good and extremely sentimental for me and Ryan... we had our first dance to this for obvious reasons (just listen to it), and so it will always hold a very special place in our hearts. A produced version of the song was put on the newest Damnwells record "One Last Century," but this is where we first heard it. Nothing can beat this intimate video of just Alex singing with his guitar. Enjoy. : )

I'll Get You, My Pretty!

So we're going to see Wicked this week... "The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz," which I'm STOKED about. The tickets were a gift in my Christmas stocking from my lovely husband... who had the ingenious plan to make the holidays last for six months. I've heard so many good things about this Broadway production, so I can only hope it lives up to my expectations. I'm a huge Wizard of Oz fan, so I can't wait to see a chummy Glinda and Wicked Witch of the West.

But what about the untold story of the witches of North Carolina? I could probably make a cameo in that one.