frontman friday: keith harkin

it's friday!
you knew that.
i am cheating a little today on the frontman front, he's not exactly a "frontman" because he's not really in a band, it's more of group. and they all play the frontman role at some point but he holds the frontman spot in my heart...

without further ado: keith harkin

headset mics are manly, right? 

photo credit: fanpop.com

keith is one of the gents in celtic thunder

see, even they know he's frontman. the frontman always goes in the middle.

photo credit: celtic thunder

my family went and saw the irish crooners a few years back and GOOD NEWS, they are coming again this winter! gotta convince my parents that they should buy us all tickets again 'cause those suckers aren't cheap.

and they promise they are singing Christmas songs. in their irish accents. yum. 

photo credit: taken from hennepin theater trust website

this song right here is the song that sealed my love for keith.

maybe i am a huge dork for legitimately loving an irish cover band (well, they do a lot of covers anyway) that wear kilts and britney spears-esque headset mics but i am okay with that because did you listen to that song?! he's a dreamboat. 

cheers to the weekend!

xo

punk rock gala.

not to brag but i have some pretty rad friends. 

i find myself surrounded by passionate people who aren't afraid to take risks. it's pretty awesome and definitely inspiring. 

a couple of my friends have decided recently to attend a missions school in germany for a few weeks over the summer. super cool. as a fun side note, my sister went to a school run by the same organization in new zealand 8 years ago! obviously, like anything in life, it costs money to go and bills don't stop here at home while they are gone so they are working on some creative ways of fundraising for their trip. 

enter: the punk rock gala. 

                 photo credit: stolen from the event's facebook page

these friends of mine are in a punk band so naturally they gotta stay true to who they are. so why not take all those pit kids and make them fancy? even just for one evening. 

it's going to be a night filled with food, a silent auction and taking pictures with my friends in our swanky clothes. seriously, i am almost more excited just to get dressed up than anything else concerning the night. i made my roommate (she's going to the gala too) play dress up with me last night so we could figure out what we're going to wear. such girls, i know. 

if you are free on saturday and live anywhere near, this is my formal invitation from me to you to join us! i promise it will be fun. we'll eat hors d'oeuvres (i'm pulling for bruschetta) and bid on some items (i hear there's a timeshare, tattoo sitting time, and hair care products up for grabs) that we don't know if we can actually afford. sounds fun, right?! 

and we can take a selfie. 

xo 

frontman friday: bryce avary

FRIDAY IS HERE.
not only is it friday, it's memorial day weekend, holla! this girl has a four day weekend and she ain't afraid to use it! i mostly plan on hanging out in my sweatpants and eating grilled food. party animal.

and now on to my favorite part of friday, frontman lovin'!

aww, look at him: it's bryce avary

photo credit: jessielau.com

bryce is basically everything in the rocket summer

photo credit: the rocket summer

the rocket summer is a moniker and he literally does everything, see? 

bryce on drums 

photo credit: jessielau.com

 bryce on guitar

bryce on keys

the man is a musical beast and he sings like a dream. 

watch that video and then tell me that you're not just a little bit in love. 

happy (long) weekend!

xo

love alone is worth the longboard.

if you don't know about my obsession with jon foreman we clearly aren't friends and this is obviously your first time reading my blog because it almost borders on creepy how wonderful i think he is:

• i have seen him play live tons of times.

• i got a tattoo of some of  his lyrics. 

• i read any and every article he writes and interview he does. 

• i held a viewing party when their (switchfoot) documentary released. 

• i planned my vacation around his yearly festival on a beach in california. 

• i stood and watched him sign autographs. (this is where the creepy comes in. i didn't want his signature what else was i supposed to do?)

 
and now i am adding that i purchased a longboard because of jon foreman.

do i know how to longboard? 
no. no, i do not. 

i am an idiot. 

this guy started a custom longboard company and he put up a picture holding a longboard and had a switchfoot quote underneath it (not even on the board, just underneath the picture). so being the giant fangirl that i am, i emailed and asked how much it would be to get a board and literally told the guy that i was emailing because he used a jon lyric. he responded with the price and said that he had a giant man crush on jon. so obviously i ordered a board. 

again, i am an idiot. 

but the board is done and i'm picking it up tomorrow! 
the guy burned the actual quote into the side of the board for me as a surprise which was incredibly thoughtful since that's the reason i bought the board in the first place. 

mine is the love board- second from left

photo credit: ivy longboards

if you need to find me any time in the near future, i'll probably be the girl lying in the middle of the road, bleeding as i try to learn how to ride my new treasure. 

xo 

frontman friday: trevor mcnevan.

happy friday, loves!
we did it! another week for the books and on to another weekend! as always (i guess the last 5 weeks are now "always") fridays are for some frontman adoration.

meet an old obsession of mine: trevor mcnevan

for being in a rock band he always looks so pleasant when he sings.

photo credit: mabeecenter.com

trevor is the front man for TWO bands. and i love them both. mostly because he is the frontman for both. don't judge. 

 thousand foot krutch

fm static

the only picture proof i have that i have met him is this terrible picture from so many years ago. yes, i realize i'm in a homemade sharpie shirt and i'm cheesing so hard you can barely see my eyes and my turd-of-a-friend wouldn't even let me stand next to him. i'm such a train wreck here.  

note to self: sharpie shirts are not cool 

the first time i saw TFK play was back in early 2000. they opened up for the newsboys (super weird lineup, right?) in canada and we crossed international borders for the show. i've seen them, TFK and FM static, countless times since, sold their merch on more than one occasion and one time i told trevor he had beautiful teeth. you can read the story here. so while he may be more of a flame of the past than the current he still makes me want to throw up my rawkfist. 

xo

a to zedd.

i am stealing this from a morning radio show because i thought it would be fun...

from a-z here are my favorite artists that start with each letter of the alphabet:
disclaimer: some of these aren't actually favorites, i just had to pick someone because of the letter so put down your stones, okay? 
disclaimer II: some of my actual favorites i had to leave off the list because they were the same letter as another favorite. life lesson: sometimes you have to make hard decisions. 

a- amy grant. her baby baby album was my first CD...that's a special thing people.
b- backstreet boys. one summer on my way to camp i sang bsb the whole way there. i'm sure my parent's loved it.
c- the classic crime. lyrics like, "they chastise me for being honest when they hide behind their pride and their porn" earn them their spot on the list and in my heart.
d- dixie chicks. i loved these ladies growing up and "not ready to make nice" is my angry-girl jam.
e- ed sheeran. one of the greatest things to come out of england.
f- fun. i hate that radio overplayed them but i love how distinct nate ruess's vocals are.
g- green river ordinance. mandolins and banjos and americana oh my!
h- hootie & the blowfish. "i only wanna be with you" and "let her cry" just scream high-school art class. simpler times.
i- imagine dragons. i wanted so much to not like them at first because everyone was all "imagine dragons blah blah blah..." but they won me over hard.
j- judah & the lion. i liked them. then i saw them live and now i love them. such talented people and even though i'm not southern i enjoy the musical delights of the south.
k- keith urban. i was really into him you guys. like actually-upset-when-he-married-nicole-kidman into him.
l- ludacris. hahaha, that was a joke.  you should have seen your face. instead i'll say LIGHTS. her music is a little bit electronic and she was ballsy enough to legally change her name to LIGHTS.
m- mat kearney. my boss (accidentally) stole my copy of his first album. don't worry, i got another one. i still need to see him live...mat kearney i mean not my boss.
n- needtobeathe. too much to say here, dig through this blog a bit and you'll find out why.
o- oneRepublic. they kill it during live shows and they have some of the deepest pop songs on the charts. also, ryan tedder.
p- parachute/paper route. i can't choose. cannot. sue me.
q- queen. really the only band i could think of that start with 'q' but it's not like they wouldn't rightfully earn a spot. so many hits.
r- reo speedwagon. clearly i am a product of my parents.
s- switchfoot. no explanation needed.
t- taylor swift. this one pains me, she's living my life and i really just want her to go away for a little while but her tunes are so frickin' catchy!
u- u2. everyone loves at least one u2 song. my favorite: sunday bloody sunday.
v- van halen. "jump" won out over vanilla ice's "ice ice baby."
w- the wedding. i love these guys as artists and people. harmonies for days in rock 'n roll? yes, please.
x- the xx. they get this by default. whatever, they aren't the worst band in the world.
y- yellowcard. i actually only know one song but when you tell people you want to be in a band and that you play violin literally everyone says, "oh, like yellowcard?"
z- zedd. what are my other options? zoegirl? no.

who's on your list?
xo

frontman friday: ryan tedder

friday.
amen.
the weekend is here.

today's frontman love goes to: ryan tedder

wear a leather jacket and you will instantly have my heart.

writing songs and singing like an angel doesn't hurt either.

photo credit: the internet

ryan is the mastermind of OneRepublic

these boys crank out hits and put on killer show. win win. 

photo credit: onerepublic

fun facts: tedder actually grew up as a PK (pastor's kid) and is a Christian but doesn't want to be labeled as a Christian artist; fair. he has written or co-written a TON of top 40 songs including bleeding love sung by leona lewis, rumor has it sung by adele, burn sung by ellie goulding, love somebody sung by maroon 5, and xo sung by beyonce just to name a few. he was recently named billboard's undercover king of pop. 

see? he needs a crown. 

photo credit: billboard

dear ryan- if you happen to see this before your performance in minneapolis in june and have a spot on your guest list for a broke girl and her best friend (i don't blame you for your ticket prices, i blame ticketmaster for their outrageous fees that double the ticket price) that would be just the nicest thing ever. i promise i won't even try to come backstage. 

xo

summer songs.

i know i just announced that it's really actually spring (you know, may day and all) but i'm moving on to summer because this is minnesota and that's about how long our spring truly lasts.

time to get my summer playlist in check because summery jams are serious fun.

saltwater heart by switchfoot

i will put all of fading west on repeat all summer 

because i'm too in love to pick just one song but this 

 one is perfect for a drive to the lake pretending i'm 

going to the ocean. 

apologize by one republic

i know this is old but i don't care because this is

one of those chorus' where you get to yell-sing your

passion into the song and i love a good 'screw you' song.

grown woman by beyonce

i am definitely not drinking the queen bey kool-aid but 

this song is a must for a summer set. 

classic by mkto

it's happy and it's fun and i'm sure if a fella sang

this to me it would be so mother-lovin' charming.

ain't it fun by paramore

life as an adult, amirite? but at least that means i can

go get fro-yo whenever i want (as long as i don't eat so

much i can't afford my rent). 

semi-charmed life by third eye blind

another oldie. screams of nostalgia. i feel like

everyone knows this song and kinda loves this song and it

just makes you feel good even though it's about a terrible

relationship. 

back's against the wall by judah & the lion

this one seems like the perfect one for sitting around a bonfire. 

i mean banjos and southern boys are basically begging

for a chilled diet coke and some dancing flames. 

sing by ed sheeran

i love me some british ginger. and i'm hoping that

'x' (multiply) picks up right where '+'  (plus) left off. 

meant to be by parachute

because i'm sure i'll fall in love with some frontman 

this summer and be certain that we're destined for 

each other. 

brother by needtobreathe

another one that is sure to be the soundtrack

to a bonfire or two. or three. or ten. 

bring it on summer 2014, i'm ready for ya!

no, seriously, please come and bring the sun with you because i'm really white and i've been cold for months. 

xo

frontman friday: matt macdonald

friday is here! can i get a WOOHOO? as always, friday is reserved for some front man love.

i'd like you to meet: matt macdonald 

this is an old picture but i just loved long-hair matt. 

and supposedly he was singing 'salt in the snow' when this was taken. swoon.

photo credit: the internet

mr. macdonald is front and center for the band the classic crime.

current picture of matt with short hair (3rd from left). 

still uber handsome.

photo credit: the classic crime 

when matt and his wife got pregnant they started a side project to raise funds to help support their new baby. that side project was called vocal few. they put out a second EP just in time for baby #2. 

aww, look how cute they are.

photo credit: vocal few

matt is an occasional blogger over at the jet city filter. i always enjoy reading his thoughts. dude is deep. 

photo credit: the internet

if you haven't heard of the classic crime or vocal few check them both out. they are incredibly different musically, a little something for everyone. matt also posts a lot of pictures of his adorable daughters on his twitter/instagram so follow him if you enjoy photos of cute kids! 

xo

may day.

it's may day, folks!

supposedly (according to tradition) that means it's finally actually spring! i think minnesota missed the memo on that one.

one of the biggest traditions in the states on may day is where you leave a basket of gifts on the door/porch/stoop of one you love, ring the doorbell and run away. if they catch you, they get to kiss you.

this type of love-confession is where i shine. zero face-to-face vulnerability.

when i was a kid one of my best friends and i used to always leave may day baskets for each other every year...actually they were usually more like may day cups of popcorn and random candy but whatever, as a kid that is a gift of gold.

actually, as an adult, i would love a cup full of popcorn and candy... bueller? bueller?

so grab your ribbon and dance around the maypole because spring is finally here (sorta)!

xo