Favorites

Regardless of what I write about, which bands I like, the style of music, etc, I could never begin to cover everything. Also, there's a lot of random songs that don't even fit into my taste in music, but I love them anyway. Here's a list of some songs that I absolutely love:

Janis Joplin: Piece of My Heart
Anberlin: The Feel Good Drag
Blink 182: Going Away to College
Bryan Adams: Summer of 69
Chronic Future: Memories in f Minor
City & Colour: I'm Comin Home
Dave Matthews Band: You and Me
Flyleaf: Fully Alive
Four Year Strong: Wasting Time (Eternal Summer)
Incubus: Azwethinkweiz
Jimmy Eat World: Futures
John Mayer: Why Georgia
Ke$ha: (anything, ha)
Kellie Pickler: Best Days of Your Life
LMFAO: Shots
Madonna: Crazy for You, or anything from that era
Paradiso Girls: Patron Tequila
Paramore: Stop This Song (Lovesick Melody)
Rusted Root: Send Me On My Way
Savage: Swing
Say Anything: Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too
Shiny Toy Guns: Ghost Town
Marcy's Playground: Sex & Candy
Sonny & Cher: I Got You Babe
Sparks the Rescue: Autumn
Sublime: Date Rape
Sum 41: Fat Lip
Taking Back Sunday: Cute Without the E
Taylor Swift: Forever & Always
The Almost: Lonely Wheel
The Doors: Whiskey Bar
The Maine: Into Your Arms
The Pierces: Secret
The Script: Before The Worst
The Spill Canvas: All Hail the Heartbreaker
Valencia: From the Second I Wake Up
Weezer: Say It Ain't So
Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Heads Will Roll

Festivals

If I had the time and money, I think I would hit up every music festival I could. My top favorite: Bonnaroo. I actually planned on going this year until my friends and I began planning a month long cross-country road trip instead. This festival is pretty famous-it takes place every June for three days in Tennessee bringing together the “best performers of rock and roll,” according to its website. While it has become a little mainstream, this is the one to go to if you're looking for a festival. Some of the artists this year are DMB, Kings of Leon, Stevie Wonder, Weezer, Regina Spektor, Rise Against, The Flaming Lips, Jay-Z, and a bunch more. Another good one to check out is Bamboozle. Their main festival takes place in New Jersey for two days in May, coming up in a few weeks actually, with another smaller one for a day in Chicago, and then they go on the road. The main festival is pretty awesome and I would LOVE to go if I had the chance. Performing: Paramore, Weezer, Kesha, Say Anything, Saves the Day, The Maine, Chiodos, Relient K, Attack Attack, Motion City Soundtrack, and a ton more. Their roadshow has a few different performers, and I'll be attending in Mansfield on June 27th(?): All Time Low, Boys Like Girls, Good Charlotte, Cartel, Simple Plan, LMFAO, etc etc etc. Bamboozle is more my taste, and Bonnaroo is more of an experience that everyone should have.

If you lived in the 90's...

When I was little, my all time favorite “band” was the Spice Girls. To this very day, I think I still know the words to every single song. For those of you out there who are familiar, you will understand when I say how very heartbroken my best friend and I were when Geri Halliwell, aka “Ginger” left the group, and shortly after when the rest of the girls split up all together. The 90's had some pretty ridiculous music, but it's the music I grew up with and it's what I will always be accustomed to. Anyone who had their childhood in the 90's will remember what it was like to be a fan of N*SYNC or Backstreet Boys. You had to choose one, you could never like both of them. I'm pretty sure this decade was the time of the boy bands. Thank GOD that time is over, as fun as it may have been. Wait, did I just jinx myself? Let's hope the Jonas Brothers (gag) don't get too popular... I could also never forget the boy/girl band Steps, which most people actually don't remember. Anyway, I suppose there were a few decent artists of the 90s, including Alanis Morissett, Nirvana, Beastie Boys, and I guess we could even throw Missy Elliot in there too (haha).

Classics

Now for the real classics and oldies. There are three factors that contribute to my taste in this kind of music: 1. My parents were semi-hippies and my father forced me to listen to classic rock every day of my childhood. 2. One of my best friends should have been born in the sixties, as should another of my friends. 3. This music is awesome and had an intense influence on what I still listen to now. First, one of the most all-time classic bands: The Beatles. I really don't think it is possible to pick a favorite Beatles song, because there are SO many, but one that I particularly love is “Eleanor Rigby.” Again, that song has a history behind it for me and my friend, but either way it's a great song. That same friend, the one that should have been born in the sixties, has forced me to listen to the White Album so many times it would be impossible for me to NOT know it. The Doors are also the ultimate classic band, as are Pink Floyd. Both of these bands, especially The Doors, hold many memories for me and have definitely been placed in my life by my dad and my friend. My friend can't get in the car without playing at least one of their songs, and I love her for it. One band I love is Dave Matthews Band. They're not exactly classic, but they've been around forever and everyone loves them. If you don't like Dave Matthews, there's a problem. I know a few people that my friend called “Dave groupies” when we first met them—they go to about 8 shows a year. I'll be going to one this year and that will be enough for me.

Rising Artists

There are a ton of rising bands out there trying to make it that I really like. There are a few that I just happen to love. The first one: The Swellers. I know I've talked a little about them in the past, but I think they're worth mentioning again. They're a band from Michigan, I first heard about them when the came to Boston with Paramore, and they are on tour right now until pretty much the end of the summer, doing a show almost every single day. They are playing at, what looks like, every Warped Tour show. I'd like to take a moment to add that they will probably be one of the only bands at Warped Tour this year worth seeing, which is pretty sad as their headliners used to be absolutely amazing. Another really incredible band is Gone By Daylight, out of western Mass., the Springfield area. I've actually met one of them before; a friend introduced me to him at a Blink show last summer. They're really cool guys, and their music, to me, is awesome. Interestingly, I showed one of their songs to my friend one day, and her first reaction was to tell me the lead singer's voice sounded exactly like Fall Out Boy. Could be an insult, but it wasn't in this case. Listen for yourself:

http://www.myspace.com/gonebydaylight

Acoustic Love

I am a HUGEEEE fan of acoustic music. When I say huge, I mean huge. I have many friends that play acoustic guitar, one of whom is trying to teach me to play. Not coming along that great, but oh well-haha. Anyway. I love acoustic versions of almost any song. Paramore's acoustics are incredible, as are Flyleaf's. The Scene Aesthetic, Spill Canvas and Starting Line do mostly acoustic stuff, which is why I love them too. There are a few artists that are particularly freaking awesome. First, John Mayer: many would say he is pretty much the modern-day king of acoustic guitar. I have an old friend that can't even get over himself whenever he goes to see him live. The man is extremely talented; I don't think anyone could forget, way back when, the first time they heard “Your Body is a Wonderland.” That song, to this day, is still one of my favorites. Anyway, enough about him. Colbie Caillat: yet again, another really really good artist that has been taken away by main-stream radio. I remember the days when Colbie was trying to reach number 1 on the unsigned artists list on MySpace. Now everybody knows her name and she's all over the radio. Well, she's not as bad as some other bands and artists that have sold out, but I still don't like it. Her music is still awesome-My favorite by her is “Realize.” Possibly my very favorite acoustic artist is Dallas Green, aka “City and Colour.” Like I've said before, this artist was introduced to me by an old friend, who I still think of every time I hear his music. Not only is his talent on guitar amazing, his voice is absolutely indescribable. There really is no way to describe this music unless you listen to it. You'll probably find more under the name City & Colour. I recommend “Hello, I'm in Delaware,” “I'm Comin' Home” and “The Girl.”

All the Single Ladies

There are very few single artists on the radio that I am actually a fan of. One of my very favorites is rising music star Ke$ha. I know a lot of people think she's ridiculous, but I love her. I think she's so much fun to just listen to, jam out, or dance to. One of my best friends and throw her cd in the player every time we get in the car. She may be ridiculous, but she's crazy, and I love that. Another artist I don't completely hate is Lady Gaga. I used to dislike her a lot, actually, but a good friend of mine, who actually has picker taste in music than I do, brought up a very good point to me. Lady Gaga is a very unique, original person; she is not just a singer trying to get money and ratings. She is an incredibly creative performer. She lights things on fire, smashes glass boxes to play piano, and does all sorts of crazy things. She's definitely not your average artist. Another performer I'm learning to like is Missy Higgins. I actually don't think she's very popular in the US yet, as she is Australian, but she's very good. If you get a chance, download/buy some of her stuff. It's not anything like Kesha or Lady Gaga—it's a lot more mellow, along the lines of Vanessa Carlton. Who, by the way, I am a huge closet fan of.

My Oldies

There are some bands, songs and music out there that will always be classic to me. I'm not saying it's “classic” music, or classic rock, it's just classic to me. Bands like Sublime, Incubus, Sum 41 and Red Hot Chili Peppers will always be music that I love to listen to. It never gets old, never has, never will. When it comes to Sublime, how can you NOT love them? For those of you who don't know, the greatest tribute band to them is Badfish. They come around to Lupo's in Providence pretty often, and I always try to go, but it's never worked out. Incubus and Sum 41 are bands with the kind of music you just feel the need to jam out to. I have a friend who, whenever “Fat Lip” comes on, goes completely insane, and I join right in. I've been on a big RHCP kick lately—this is one of those bands that holds many memories for me. My favorites of their songs include “Can't Stop” and “Dani California,” currently my ringtone. Other bands, like The Starting Line, The Spill Canvas and Say Anything, started my taste in music when I was about fourteen years old, and I will never stop listening to them.