just to be fair.

in an effort of equality, here's my letter to that GUY at every show:

dear guy that seems to be at every show:

• you're tall. i'm short(ish). do the math and then be a gentleman and stand behind me.  
• you're wearing WAY too much cologne. tone it down, buddy. though that acqua di gio does smell heavenly.
• i know you can't help that you are sweating, it's hot in here i totally get it, but please try to avoid rubbing your sweaty forearm on my arm/face/back...it's yucky.
• you know that thing that i ragged at the girls about concerning their phones? same thing goes. GET OFF YOUR PHONE.
• with each drink you get more obnoxious. switch to coke and if you feel like that isn't manly enough you can tell everyone it's a rum and coke. you lying seems way less offensive to me than carrying on like a drunk dirtbag.
• that girl across the club that you're hoping will notice you literally hasn't looked at you once. give up the ghost, pal. 
• i know the difference between an accidental butt/boob touch and a deliberate one. don't even try it. 
• if you came to the show with a girl, please stop touching her. there is no need for neck nuzzling, make-out sessions in the middle of the pit or standing there with a handful of her derriere. (i'm super anti-PDA so maybe i'm the only one who has a problem with this, feel free to ask your neighbors next time you're at a concert.)

love, sara

xo

if you're THAT girl, this letter is for you.

dear girl that seems to be at every show:

• majority of the people around you don't care what you're saying to your friend/boyfriend so if you could dial it down a bit in the volume department that would be stellar.
 

• you chose to wear those heels, stop complaining about your feet hurting. i get that you want to look cute (and we all know that heels make your legs and butt look killer) but if you wanted to sit down at a concert go to the orchestra. or karaoke. 

• get off your phone. there is literally no need for you to check your facebook or pinterest right now. and if you're talking on your phone you are completely socially inept and i want to "accidentally" bump into you so you drop it and i can "accidentally" kick it halfway across the venue. especially when you're talking during my favorite song.

• you just spilled half of your drink. i think you should stop drinking right about...now.
   
• you're not friends with the opening act. you just met him outside the club. girl to friend: "oh my gosh there's matt! matt? pretty sure it's matt. anyway, he's SO great. like the nicest guy ever!" STOP IT, YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HIM. 

• no, don't worry, that's only the 6th time you've elbowed me...no need to apologize.
   
• next time you get ready please stop with just 1 or 2 sprays of your perfume. it smells really nice but we're forced to stand so we're within 6 inches of each other and holy balls it's giving me a headache. 

love, sara

xo

simple.

minnesota in the winter can sometimes be a really sucky place.
this year we have had stupid cold temperatures (like the most negative degree temperatures in over 30 years, we're talking 40+ nights of sub-zero temps). and on the days it did warm up above zero we got piles of snow.

WE CANNOT CATCH A BREAK.

all of that being said, not too many tours come through here in the winter. no one wants to get stuck in a snowstorm or have their van battery freeze and not be able to get it started or they just don't want to haul all their gear in and out in the frigid air. i don't blame them at all.

so my concert experiences this winter have been minimal.

however, a tour just came through on an almost balmy (i think it was like 5 degrees?) night and it was another reminder of why i long to be in that world. if i go without going to a concert long enough i can almost forget that i love it so much...then i step into a dark, crowded club and the show is incredible and i don't know how i can ever forget that feeling.

it was the 'simple' tour featuring andrew ripp with opening act judah & the lion. there was also a local opener, the frontman from hope country (sometimes he comes to my church and i'm not ashamed to admit that i openly stare at him because he's really handsome). there were tons of reasons i could list why the show was fantastic but one reason i found it so inspiring is that these guys are Christians in bands that aren't being shoved into the genre of Christian music. they maybe didn't do an alter call from the stage but they were so genuine in what they did say.

examples:

judah & the lion sang a new song they had just written and the lyrics talked about being rich but not having money. after the song the frontman said they were rich because they had hope and joy and they got to be in that club on that night. beautifully put. (for some reason it won't let me put a video in here but you should probably give this song a listen even though it's not the song i'm talking about.)

andrew ripp literally said, "i know it's saturday night but i'm going to take you to church" and went on to sing 'you will find me,' so overt (without being cheesy) in it's lyrics.

i love that there are musicians of faith in the industry making quality music (like brings-tears-to-your-eyes good) that aren't afraid to get sweaty and bring some truth into a dingy bar.

warms my heart in this ungodly-cold weather. 

xo 

good thing i didn't bet on it.

GRAMMY's update:
i am an absolutely HORRIBLE guesser as to who will win any sort of awards.
i got one right. one.
i picked 'the civil wars' to win best country group/duo and they did.
but i picked them because i think they are ridiculously talented and i'm sad they aren't touring/making any new music.
i didn't think they win (yeah, ye of little faith).
and then they did.
shows what i know.

here are some of my other thoughts on the awards show:
beyonce- i get that she's talented but i don't get why everyone is obsessed with her.
pharrell- the hat. everyone is talking about the hat. i'm not seeing how that was a good fashion choice but he didn't waiver on it.
pink- holy crap, i wish i could swing in air on ribbons like that. also, i would appreciate her pipes.
imagine dragons/kendrick lamar collab- favorite. they killed it. everything part of it was fabulous.
taylor swift- i liked her dresses. i didn't like her head banging at the piano. i was happy she didn't win because i am, apparently, still bitter that she is living my life.
katy perry- you went from bright colors and bubble gum to dark and a little scary. i like it.
daft punk- congrats, i feel like you won almost everything. also, saw a funny tweet about chad kroeger and scott stapp being the men under the helmets. i chuckled.
macklemore & ryan lewis- congrats to you, too. i feel like you won pretty much everything that daft punk didn't win.
paul mccartney and ringo starr- 50 years. wow.
jared leto- has better hair than me and he's so pretty i can't even be mad about it.
grammys association- please make the show shorter and toss in a couple more awards. i had completely ADD'd out by 9:45 and i wanted to hear more acceptance speeches (is that weird?).

xo

it takes two.

i love honesty in songs.
mat kearney recently said in an interview that he loves being vulnerable and that it makes his songs better. i completely agree, heart-on-your-sleeve writing delivers the songs that take your breath away and hit that soft spot in your heart where you can totally relate. the songwriter is putting their deepest fears or their hardest memories or their love for someone (when it may not be reciprocated) out there for all the world to see and judge to either be wholeheartedly embraced or completely rejected. eeeek.

i hate being vulnerable, i think it's terrifying. i guess i'll never be a songwriter.

i just heard a song that falls into that category of 'honest songs' coming from a lady who is known for her brazen honesty, katy perry. she's written about kissing girls and tight jeans & sunglasses and fireworks and friday night shenanigans but this song has an air of difference about it. it seems just a little more raw (lyrically, not musically. musically it's still super polished) and from a deeper place. it's about a break-up and taking responsibility for it.

it's easy for the listener to sing along and maybe add in their own pain from a break-up but they aren't singing it for thousands of people every night. did she tear up the first few times she sang it because the situation was still real? do thoughts of that relationship and that person come to mind every time she sings it? does it get easier to put your whole heart out there for everyone to see?

whatever your feelings on ms. perry, check out the song, i dig it. maybe it's just because i'm so terrible at that sort of openness.

xo

harps & liars.

approximately a year ago we (crown radio) had a battle of the bands.
three guys that i barely knew at the time entered as a band called harps & liars.
we were instantly bonded by a love of jon foreman (they even covered a switchfoot song in their set) and the fact that they didn't judge me when i told them i like to play "in a band or not in a band?" when i'm at festivals.

fast-forward a year.
they have recorded 5-songs, taken photos, played some great shows (and a couple of shows where the motto is "the show must go on.") and are growing right up into an indie band with high hopes of touring and sharing those songs with the masses.

their songs are one step away from being pressed into cd's for your listening pleasure and i couldn't be prouder of these boys.

you know when you hear/see a band for the first time and you just know that it's the right combination of musicians and it's something special? you know that if they put the work in they will make it. it doesn't happen often (because some bands are literally just not going to make it even if they put the work in for decades) and the work sometimes outweighs the passion but i really believe these boys have what it takes.

do me a solid and check them out?
harps & liars

xo

my predictions.

happy new year!
normally i'd reserve this post (the first post of the year) to talk about new year's resolutions but since my resolution this year didn't really have anything to do with music (weird, i know) we're starting 2014 with the grammys instead! the awards are just a couple weeks away, woohoo!
yep, these are my predictions of who is going to win this year.
if you haven't seen the nominees yet, you can check 'em out here.
now i'm not gonna make predictions for all 82 categories because frankly i don't care about all of the categories...so i'm only going to do the ones i like. the number in front of the category is the number on the nominee website if you care to see who else was nominated in that category.
here goes:
1. record of the year: radioactive by imagine dragons. love these fellas and they BLEW UP this year.
2. album of the year: the heist by macklemore & ryan lewis. so many singles from this album, i'm calling it right now.
3. song of the year: just give me a reason by p!nk and nate ruess. i was over p!nk and then this song came out. i feel like anyone who has been in a relationship can relate to this song.
4. best new artist: ed sheeran. i'm not sure why he's on this year instead of last year and i don't actually know that he will win but i hope so because the guy is incredible.
5. best pop solo performance: mirrors by justin timberlake. it's all part of his comeback.
6. best pop duo/group performance: blurred lines by robin thicke ft. pharrell and ti. this song was so huge i can't imagine it won't win something.
8. best pop vocal album: pure heroin by lorde. she's unique and doing her own thing, i hope she takes this category.
12. best rock performance: always alright by alabama shakes. first, she's completely captivating when she sings. second, it's from silver linings playbook and i loved that movie.
16. best alternative music album: trouble will find me by the national. this is mostly for my friend joel who used to talk about the national incessantly. years ago. before they were known. what a hipster.
22. best rap performance: thrift shop by macklemore & ryan lewis. the song is fine, i'm mostly picking this because i love thrift shopping. love it.
26. best country solo performance: mama's broken heart by miranda lambert. she's sassy.
27. best country duo/group performance: from this valley by the civil wars. i hope they win and appear on stage together because let's be honest, we all want them back together.
29. best country album: just not red by taylor swift. good album, not country.
40. best contemporary christian music album: all the people said amen (live) by matt maher. i like matt but i feel like they don't dig deep enough in the christian music realm.
59. best song written for visual media: we both know by colbie callait & gavin degraw. it's from safe haven and i'm a sucker for nicholas sparks book turned movie. i'm sure the song was great too.
81. best music video: safe and sound by capital cities. dancing through the ages. yes.
82. best music film: fading west by switchfoot. it isn't actually on the list but it should be because it was incredible. straight-up amazing.

i'm sure i missed some categories that you would have added and i'm sure you don't agree with all of my choices...so tell me your thoughts already!

xo