Stardust in Chicago

I don't know whether to be excited, or terrified at the thought of a David Bowie exhibit in Chicago.
Excited because it is, the great David Bowie and terrified because...well it's David Bowie (or Ziggy Stardust).
He can be a pretty frightening man....but hey, he's a brilliant musician.

My favorite David Bowie song, has to be, "Under Pressure," which he collaborated with Queen on back in the 80s. Whenever I hear it on the radio (on those rare, rare occasions when the
radio will play a classic song), there's a split second of terror thinking that it's actually Vanilla Ice's "Ice, Ice, Baby", continued by relief and excitement when I realize that it's actually "Under Pressure". The opening riffs of the songs are identical, which sparked its own controversy when Vanilla Ice first released his song, but that's another story, for another day.   

As a huge pop icon, Bowie has been described as being, "the most pioneering and influential performers of our time," so it's understandable as to why the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in Chicago has dedicated to him and  is the only museum in the United States to pay tribute to Ziggy Stardust (That's Bowie's flamboyant androgynous alter ego for those of you who don't know). 

The exhibition opened on September 23rd, and runs until January 4th, 2015, and you better believe I'll be taking a day off and going to see David Bowie in all his glory.  

This Skin and Bones is a Rental

At the age of 21, I can say I've experienced my share of heartbreak, but I was no way prepared for the hurt that came when I found out my favorite band was going to be in town, and I wasn't going to be able to see them. Call it being dramatic, but I can say I was feeling devastated.

What band was I missing out on, you may ask? A small band, called Switchfoot. Before you roll your eyes, or say, "I've never heard of them", go to YouTube and type in either "Dare You to Move" or "Meant to Live", go ahead, I'll wait.

If you actually did YouTube those songs, kudos to you, and you'll have realized that those songs were featured in "A Walk to Remember" back in 2002, and it was because of this movie, that Switchfoot really went mainstream.

It was also back in 2002, while watching "A Walk to Remember" that I was first introduced to Switchfoot, and I fell in love. It happens all the time, a person will find a band, and something about that band just makes everything else fall into place. It's the music, it's the lyrics: it's the magic.

I've been lucky enough to see Switchfoot live three times already, and every time it's like hearing them for the first time all over. Any concert go-er can tell you that hearing a band live is a completely different experience than listening to their CD.  That, and every concert I've gone to, lead singer/guitarist Jon Foreman always climbs into the crowd. Every. Time.  Finding a musician that wants to in the crowd during his songs, now that's something else.

The big question I get a lot as a Switchfoot fan, is that most people didn't know that Switchfoot is still around, let alone on tour. Well they are, and they released their ninth album "Fading West" earlier this year, and are currently on their Fall Tour, hence why they were in Bourbonnais, Ill on Friday. Which I missed out on, and am still upset over.

I'll have to settle with listening to their CD on repeat...again.
Which really isn't punishment, but still isn't as great as hearing them live.

I highly recommend giving "Fading West" a listen, or any of their other albums, (Particularly Hello, Hurricane, it won a Grammy after all).

Mud & Music

If you’re someone who enjoys going to wild and extremely muddy concerts than read on, and if you don’t…well let’s just say I don’t like you and you should learn to live a little. Riot Fest 2014, where do I even begin? This past weekend was the three day celebration of Riot Fest’s 10^th anniversary.  Music, mud, and booze, seems like a great time to me.

I was lucky enough to spend two days at Riot Fest this year thanks to my internship with 101.1 WKQX, who was one of the many sponsors for Riot Fest. The way I see it, it was a win-win. 101.1 WKQX got a chance to further market themselves and I got to go to Riot Fest for free.

Two days filled with punk-rock music, and a killer line up, what more could a girl ask for?

Here, take a look at some of the line-up: 

Like everyone else who went to Riot Fest, I had a few bands that I was dying so see. The Flaming Lips, Taking Back Sunday, Motion City Soundtrack,  Cheap Trick, Patti Smith and Wu-Tang Clan, just to name a few. I was lucky enough to make it through the war zone that use to be Humboldt Park, and get to see Taking Back Sunday, Dashboard Confessional and Wu-Tang Clan. All three were incredible, by the way.

Getting around Humboldt Park however, was the biggest pain I had to deal with this weekend. On the first day of Riot Fest, it rained the entire day, and like we all know when we mix rain and grass it usually results in mud. But hey, a little mud never hurt anybody (unless you're a pair of shoes, in which case RIP).

Even if I didn't get to see all the bands I wanted to, having the opportunity to even go to Riot Fest is definitely something I'm always going to remember, and I may have stumbled upon some new bands I'll be adding onto my iTunes (Here's looking at you Streetlight Manifesto) and going back to some bands I'd almost forgotten about (I'm sorry Dashboard Confessional, I'll never do that again).

Until next year Riot Fest.

XOXO.

Photo credit @chicago_wallflower

For the Love of Music

Like many others, music plays an incredible role in my life.
It's been there during the lowest points in my life, picking me back up and holding me together in ways I could never imagine.
Music has been my escape, my remedy, and overall the biggest constant in my life. (Secondary to coffee, of course.)

There's something magical when you feel music. You read that right, I said feel. There are rare occasions when I find myself, feeling the music, not just listening to it. It's hard to explain, but I'll do my best.

First and foremost, I want to make it clear that I am in no way a musician. My only musical interaction was five years of playing the violin, and looking back now I'm realizing I didn't appreciate it as much as I should have. Singing is something I've always loved to do, but I'll leave that up to those lucky individuals with talent and stick to singing loudly in my car.

Having a career in music isn't an easy one, but it's one that I'm fighting to have. I'm not talking about making, or writing music, per say, but the music industry is definitely something I'm looking into, and with post-graduation plans always coming into conversation, I think it's in my best interest to start figuring out what I want to do with the rest of my life. (So, no pressure or anything.) With a major in Communications, I’ve strategically made sure to cover all my bases, as my major and minors cover Journalism, Public Relations AND Advertising. The big dream is to be the one that picks the music for movie soundtracks, while the more realistic dream is to work in TV or Radio, but hey, I’ve still got a solid eight months to panic.

I've always considered my musical taste to be extremely diverse, and this blog is going to follow my journey exploring music. I'll be exploring new music I come across, talking about current Billboard hits (and possible complaining that mainstream radio does a marvelous job on overplaying songs to the point I never want to hear them again),  rambling on over my personal favorite bands or songs, and even taking suggestions on songs and artists I should try listening to.

Stay tuned!

XOXO.