frontman friday: mat kearney

it's labor day weekend! just thought i'd let you know in case you had forgotten.

normally i go to a music festival in south dakota over labor day weekend but this year i'm trying to save for my trip to africa (don't worry, if you aren't sick of me mentioning africa yet you will be by the time i board the plane). so instead i'm hanging out in my city this weekend and going to the parachute show on labor day. i reasoned that spending $ on one ticket was spending way less than going to the festival for the entire weekend so it was allowable. and i can't not see my boy, will anderson, when he's in town.

this needs to become my motto when today's frontman (who is really a solo artist but i love him a lot and it's a holiday weekend so anything goes!) comes to town next. i've never seen him play live despite multiple attempts. you know how there are people who spend their whole lives trying to see sasquatch? that's like me with mat kearney. he's my sasquatch.

the completely normal sized: mat kearney

at least it's not blurry like every picture ever of big foot.

photo credit: the internet. obviously i didn't take it, i've never seen him :( 

mat plays shows under the name "mat kearney"

that is a great amount of stubble right there.

photo credit: mat kearney

something like 8 years ago i had mat's first LP and i was telling my boss about how great of a release it was. he asked to borrow it. then he moved to new york and i never saw that CD again. so i bought another one because it's just that good. 

i don't get why he's standing in shrubbery but it doesn't matter because

it's what's on the inside that counts.

photo credit; mat kearney

mat sings a lot about his wife on his album young love (which is jealousy-inducing to be perfectly honest) and their story is a fun one to tell (if the song 'hey mama' is correct at all) but i'm putting up a picture from their wedding mainly because i want her necklace. talk about gorgeous. 

also bow ties are starting to grow on me and i find this disconcerting.

photo credit: southernliving.com 

so mat, the next time you're in town i will bust my butt to be there. i will creep around in the alley behind the venue in my night vision goggles to try to get a blurry shot of you running from your bus to the club. just kidding, that was a joke. i'll just pay money and take probably still blurry pictures of you while you sing your songs.

happy long weekend!

xo

cultivate festival: the good and the annoying.

i loved chipotle before this last weekend but it's safe to say that i love them even more after they brought the cultivate festival to minneapolis.

i think half of minneapolis came out for the event.

that's grouplove on stage in case you were wondering.

i went because they were having free music and i can't pass up the opportunity to see the mowgli's and grouplove for zero american dollars. but the festival incorporated so much more than that.

they had food demonstrations (including how they make their addictive guac), there were tons of food freebies (including ben & jerrys, izze's soda, bolthouse juices & keifer frozen bars), and really promoted education when it comes to the food you eat. there was a make-shift cinema that had short documentaries about farm-to-table and a display that showed the difference between the ingredients in a chipotle burrito vs. a big mac. i also managed to score a coupon for a free burrito at chipotle with an izze soda AND chips & guac. holla for free food! there were a good handful of local vendors there too, everything from craft beers to honey!

so the festival was basically bomb, but like other festivals there were a couple of annoying things that i can't not point out (none of which had anything to do with the festival or the people who put it on):

• so many girls walking around bra-less. i don't even understand how that is a tiny bit comfortable. nor does it look good. even the girl in the mowgli's was free hanging and it was not a pretty sight...she wasn't a big girl by any means but she was a fan of jumping. bra-less and bouncing just doesn't work. 
• everyone was smoking. i swear it's coming back in vogue and it's yucky so stop it. i'd rather not breathe in your secondhand smoke as we're 6 inches apart in the pit. and sir, i don't think that's legal and there's a cop right over there. 
• everyone trying to one-up each other. oh.my.gosh. pretty sure everyone thought they were the coolest thing since the invention of the internet. i don't know what it is about festivals that brings out the i'm-more-hipster-than-thou in everyone but it's a thing, you guys. a real thing. 

other than those things that had nothing to do with the festival itself it was a fantastic way to spend a saturday afternoon. 10/10 would recommend if they make it to your city. thanks, chipotle!
xo

frontman friday: justin anderson

today was supposed to be a hot, sticky friday here in the land of 10,000 lakes but the breeze blowing in my window is making me miffed. every year i feel like we get a little ripped off in the summer department and i was promised a stifling weekend of high temps and even higher humidity. please deliver, minnesota, i'm running out of 'summer' weekends.

today's frontman hails from my great state and understands the unpredictability of minnesota weather.

my fellow minnesotan: justin anderson

oh hey there, scene-kid-hair. i've missed you.

photo credit: the internet 

justin used to front the now-defunct band, mainstay

the entire band was one big pile of gorgeous.

photo credit: mainstay

this song right here was the nail-in-the-coffin for me. in a good way. i guess that saying is normally used in a negative light. whatever. 

ugh, still SO good.

since the band ended i heard justin moved to colorado and is working at a church. i'm not entirely sure on that one so don't quote me on it. i know i could look it up but i don't want to. i do know for sure, though, that he started a solo project called papercandle. he has a song called the prince, the idiot and it's fantastic. go listen to it, right now. 

did you notice the tattoo? 

photo credit: papercandle

i just love it when good things come out of the state i love. 

you know what else i love? summer festivals in the park and movies under the stars. that my to-do list this weekend and i'm about to go live it. 

xo

fall is right around the corner.

summer is winding down. BOO!
i refuse to give up on it yet (shame on you everyone who is already jumping on the pumpkin-everything train) but if i don't start getting myself excited for the fall concerts that are on my list my little heart will just break in two when it's officially autumn.

so in an attempt to start looking forward to the upcoming season change here are the concerts that are rolling through town this fall that i'm jazzed on.

sept. 1st = parachute @ mill city nights

what a racy little video, mr. anderson.

oct. 5th = colony house @ the turf club

who knew steven curtis chapman's kids could be so cool? 

oct. 20th = anberlin @ the varsity

i actually can't go to this one because i'll be in africa but

i totally would go if i was going to be here.

nov. 7th = switchfoot @ 1st ave

doesn't even matter that i saw these fellas a month ago.

nov. 13th = judah & the lion @ 7th st entry

there is an obsession building with these ones.

i'm not hanging up my tank tops and short shorts yet but maybe it won't be so terrible slipping back into some skinnies and boots.

xo

frontman friday: bono

what a week, amirite?
the beginning of this week i got some shots for my trip to africa (HOLY BALLS, I AM GOING TO AFRICA) and that tetanus shot hurt like a mother. it was fine going in but i could barely lift my arm for days. days, gang. and that just wouldn't do with the weekend of stand-up paddle boarding i have planned.
stand-up paddle boarding is cool.
being a frontman is also cool.

see how cool he is?: bono

he's old enough to be my father but still OWNS that leather jacket

photo credit: the internet

bono is the most recognizable one in U2

edge is probably second most recognizable. anyone know the other two? 

photo credit: hollywood reporter

his birth name is paul hewson. when i googled his name this picture came up. and it was from the CNN website so i'm pretty sure it's actually baby bono. 

when did CNN start showing famous people's baby pictures? 

in addition to being a frontman he does an incredible amount of charitable work, a lot of it done for the continent of africa. he helped co-found the ONE campaign and product red. ONE worked to eliminate extreme poverty and deaths from preventable diseases in africa and red existed for HIV/AIDS awareness and education in africa. in the early 2000's ONE merged with DATA and bono now has a heavy hand in that.  

logo for the ONE campaign, obvi.

jon foreman (lay off, it's been WEEKS since i've mentioned him) is a huge u2 fan. he once snuck into a u2 concert in london and then later tried to give bono $40. apparently bono laughed and gave him the money back saying he used to sneak into concerts too. what a rad dude. and i'm sure he really didn't need the $40. you can read the whole story here if you feel so moved (be warned it's a pretty crappy website).

i will let you know how my tetanus riddled arm does with stand-up paddle boarding. 

happy weekend.

xo

body language guide.

the title may be a bit misleading...i'm not writing a universal body-language guide like if he keeps glancing at your lips and absent-mindedly licks his lips he probably wants to kiss you (though that is more than likely an accurate guide, why am i not writing for cosmo or glamour or some other trashy lady-magazine?), no this is more of a guide to what i look like at a concert.

fascinating. i know.

but if you are one of my friends and in a band and i come to your show and you think i'm having no fun because i'm standing there with my arms crossed i assure you it's not the case...it's just how i stand. so without further ado, here's the complete guide to how i look when i'm watching live music.

arms crossed, swaying side-to-side slightly: i'm enjoying the show. you're doing a good job. it's touch and go on whether or not i will uncross my arms to clap at the end of a song.

arms at my side, hands tapping my thighs, dancing without moving my feet: i'm pretty into the show. you captured my attention and you've got enough of a beat to get my white-butt wishing i knew how to dance. i will definitely clap. 

actual all-out dancing: clearly, i am drunk. just kidding, i don't drink. the only time this has happened is when my friends in a pop/electronic band were playing this super-tiny show and i felt bad for them. this is not a normal occurrence and if i wasn't friends with the band i'd slink back into the shadows to watch. 

lots of fidgeting; digging in my purse, flamingo-ing from one foot to the next, crossing and uncrossing my arms, lots of whispering to whoever i am at the show with: i am bored with you and/or the song. let's move on.  

jumping and yelling and pushing to stay in the front row: haven't done this since i was 19, probably isn't going to happen again. not saying just saying. 

palms together with my pointer fingers resting on my lips, maybe swaying but probably ramrod straight: the band basically owns my emotions in this moment. if it's during one of my favorite songs there's an 87% chance i'll tear up. you have captivated me and i will probably forget to clap because i'm still really in the moment. 

basically what i am trying to say is, from a distance i probably never look like i am having fun at a concert, even close up i may not look like i am having the time of my life but chances are good that there is nowhere else i'd rather be.

xo

frontman friday: adam levine

we made it, guys. we got to the last day of the work week and on to the weekend shenanigans!
i have had a summer cold all week. i don't even know how i got it. summer colds are SO STUPID. but you know what's not stupid? handsome frontmen.

speaking of which: adam levine

i had to dig pretty far into the recesses of google images to find a picture of

him actually singing. i don't think most people care anymore that he

started his career as a singer of a band. 

photo credit: ? probably a daytime television show

if you live under a rock you may not know that adam fronts the band, maroon 5

i had zero idea what any of the other guys in the band looked like.

i don't think paparazzi even know who they are and they're paid to know those things. 

recently-ish adam bleached his hair blonde which was a huge mistake. he still has dark stubble and it makes him look a little ill. and then he can no longer be the whole "tall, dark, and handsome" thing. change it back, levine!

even he knows it's not his best look.

the dude has done a lot; he's a coach on the voice, he's dated a bunch of super models (finally married one of 'em), acted on american horror story and is in a new film called begin again, was people's sexiest man alive, has been on numerous tours with millions of fans (mostly female) screaming his name, has written and released multiple albums, and has been naked/shirtless for more photoshoots than some playboy models. but let's not forget that he started out as a dorky looking kid with a guitar. 

seriously, he looks like a camp counselor.

today's post was really mostly for eye candy. i like maroon 5 and think adam is a talented fella but honestly i just want to look at him. especially his tattoos. 

maybe, too, for a little inspiration. i just gotta find a "he's probably really attractive under that terrible haircut, hooded sweatshirt and cargo shorts" guy and pray he ends up the next adam levine. 

xo

...because i'm a total professional.

remember a few months back when i told you that i was going to interview some bands for indie vision and i was really excited about it and i asked for help with questions and no one gave me any but i came up with some pretty stellar questions (if i do say so myself) all on my own?

if you don't remember any of that, it's okay, i'll catch you up.

i occasionally write for a site called indie vision music doing album reviews and concert reviews and have recently forayed into interviews. it has been SO MUCH FUN. i have learned a lot about the artists i have interviewed beyond the music they make. i have also learned a lot about myself...like when i am in the same room with handsome men whose attention is focused on me my hands start to noticeably shake (which is awesome and not embarrassing at all) and i laugh way too much to come across as sane (it's really neat listening to yourself sound like a fool on a recording while you type out the interview).

but all in all it's been a delight to get to meet some bands on a different level than being a fan. not that there's anything wrong with being a fan but i would always rather be a friend than a fan, it's a weird hang up i've had since i was 12. and obviously i make them all take a selfie with me because i'm a total professional.

here's where you can read them if you feel so moved:

josh from summertime dropouts

judah and the lion

brady toops

xo

frontman friday: phil joel

it's a friday but it feels like a monday because i have been out of office all week. every time i remind myself that it is indeed friday (and NOT monday) my heart gives a joyous little jump!
and since today is all screwy and it doesn't feel like friday i'm switching it up and today we're doing frontman bassist friday because this is my blog and i do what i want. also because i really just wanted to love on one of my first loves a little bit.

the bassist that captured my heart: phil joel

you have no idea how into this i was in the late 90's

photo credit: bmoore visuals

he used to be the bassist in a band called the newsboys

(before the newsboys got all terrible)

yep, loved these guys something fierce. i saw them live at least 25 times. 

photo credit: pollstar.com

in 1996 the 'boys released a feature-length movie

 i am not ashamed to admit i own this on VHS

i will watch it with anyone who is willing

fun facts: 

he's from new zealand (so add in a killer accent), he was a hairdresser before becoming a musician, his birthday is in january (yep, we're birthday buddies), he has a wife and two kids (one daughter, one son), he met his wife while she was working for a radio station (HINT HINT boys in bands), he left the newsboys to put out a couple of solo records and start a movement called 'deliberate people' to encourage people to deliberately dig into the Word and actively engage their faith, he currently lives in franklin, tn and joel is actually his middle name, urry is his last. these are all facts i knew off the top of my head because i am a creep and hardcore stalked him from about 1998-2004. there are multiple posts about him on this blog and one of my friends from college still calls me sara joel (she was a good friend and fed into my delusion that i could possibly marry him even though he was already married by the time i got to college.)

this is his beautiful family plus a random brunette lady.

photo credit: the brunette lady's instagram. God bless the internet.

when i fall, i fall hard. and even though it's generally a frontman sometimes a bassist finds himself in direct line of my obsessive love...lucky duck.

xo