Planes, trains, and automobiles. No matter what you're traveling by, music can always enhance an adventurer's experience. Here's the playlist to get your summer trip started right.
“The flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long.” – Lao Tzu
We haven’t even reached the halfway mark of 2016 and already, it has left a gaping hole in the middle of the music world’s heart. While a majority of us may have never had the chance to meet our greatest idols and influences, their death has this seismic ripple effect that can feel deeper than one would expect. The whole world goes through it with you. It feels as though we’ve lost a piece of ourselves, a time of our lives, even a friend. Music is extremely personal and emotional, so it is no wonder the loss felt echoes beyond blood or close relationships.
Think back to when you were a kid. Remember how amazing it felt when the first real day of spring had arrived and you could finally go outside and play?! There was nothing that could hold you back, the energy you’d kept pent up during the cold winter months was practically bursting out of your arms and legs.
Wasn’t that feeling just the best, ever?
The late Robin Williams could incite many a thrilling wonder to life. Perhaps one of his most cherished roles we remember was that of English teacher John Keating in “Dead Poets Society.”
Speaking of those that paved the way before them, Keating aimed to summon the muse for his students. He posed: “They’re not that different from you, are they? … Invincible, just like you feel. The world is their oyster. They believe they’re destined for great things, just like many of you, their eyes are full of hope, just like you. Did they wait until it was too late to make from their lives even one iota of what they were capable? Because, you see, [they] are now fertilizing daffodils. But if you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy to you. Go on, lean in. Listen, you hear it? Carpe — Hear it? Carpe, carpe diem, seize the day…make your lives extraordinary.”
She saunters into the half-light, her emerald dress sashaying with each brush of the snare, unknowingly. His eyes quietly follow her path, carefully shaded away in his corner booth. Palms balmy with nerves, his body suddenly feels like a sinking anchor as her figure becomes smaller with distance.
But as magic moments would have it, she suddenly feels his draw, like a warm electric current in her chest. She turns in time with the song, heart thumping on cue. He rises from the safety of that worn leather barricade, surfacing with the voltage. This is their meet-cute, their story for the ages.
The year is 2016. The time that lay ahead of us is teeming with possibility and adventure. It is ripe with purpose. New years allow us a grace period, where we look behind us at how we want our future to go. There’s no other time quite so rich for planting ambition or mapping out the direction you see yourself veering for the year to come.
“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality… I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
War. Terrorism. Extremism. Racism. Hate. Violence. Unrest. Suffering. Death.
These words should not be commonplace for us in everyday news.
Regardless of where we are at in life right at this moment, we can all share one thing in common — that we are thankful for someone or something that has come along in our lifetime.
There is a light that never goes out, whether it’s looking right at us or it’s nestled deeper inside, we keep them close and highly revered.
There has been quite a buzz around the music industry this past week with the release of Ryan Adams’ cover of Taylor Swift’s 1989 album. Both rave and less than impressed reviews have been flying. On the one side, people are arguing why he shouldn’t be able to snag the spotlight for something she wrote, while others prefer his version to hers. To each their own.
But when you get down to the brass tax of it all, the definition of a cover song is this: “In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a previously recorded, commercially released song by someone other than the original artist or composer.”
Happy (upcoming) Labor Day to all and to all a merry long weekend!
For the working class, the daily grinders, the mothers, fathers and for school children alike, the Labor Day holiday rings in as summer’s bittersweet last hurrah. A freedom that we are very fortunate to have had, but as with all good things, summer eventually must come to an end.
Does it ever feel like life goes by so quickly that if you’re not running at its pace, it’ll all pass you by?
It’s all too easy to get in a pattern of going and doing at such a speed that those things we thought to be life passing us by were actually just marks on a checklist and the really true moments, often the most quiet and easy to miss, in fact … have passed.
There is peace and beauty to be found in an ultimate balance of work and play, of thinking and feeling, of activity and rest. It’s what we do in the in-between that helps us maintain a mindful stasis and not become worn out or stale.
There’s just something about that golden hour, when the sun starts to sink just below the horizon, illuminating everything around with its blanket of deep, golden light. Then, when the setting has passed and the sun has gone to rest, that’s when summer really comes alive.
Free to still roam without chilling to the bone, a freedom awaits in those wondrous midsummer nights. This month’s playlist is created with just that in mind. Gather round the bonfire and throw this puppy on the ones and twos for ultimate summer night bliss.
Behold: we are standing at the gates of summertime! Sun melting upon your face, seeping feel-good vibes into your veins, deadening the harsh winter to mere memories. With such vitality upon us, one must come prepared with the proper tuneage in the event you end up kicking it poolside, fireside, by the seaside, all things outside or any side really, because … summer … that’s why!
Fear not, though, for we’ve got you covered like SPF. Here’s a sweet little playlist of crisp newbies to kick off your sandals and sink your toes in the sand to. Ready, steady, go:
Exploring lesser known, more elusive genres can open up a whole new world of music that might never otherwise have been discovered.
This month, we are tapping into the sublime world of Shoegaze music. In the late 1980s, a sub-genre of alternative began emerging that some described as a “wall of sound”. Heavily distorted guitar riffs morphed together and melted into eerily enchanting, misty and melodic vocals. This type of sound was one with a steady, molasses pulse that never really faltered, built or dropped significantly and the lyrics became as esoteric as the entire body of each song.
Ready to learn (and listen to) more?
The ice has melted, thawing winter’s deep freeze.
Dew drips from the tips of glowing green leaves.
Flora and fauna and blossoms and blooms,
A mossy tree trunk and burgeoning cocoons.
Saint Patrick's Day, Lá Fhéile Pádraig, The Feast of Saint Patrick, Paddy's Day. March 17th is an especially celebratory day in Ireland, and is also loved and observed in many other countries where folks of Irish descent or fans of the culture and history reside. Its origins
If there is one culture on this planet that knows love like the back of their own hands, it is the French. Les françaises walk the earth with that certain je ne sais quoi and they live life like they owe it to romance. Perhaps richest
Every New Year people make evaluations of themselves and embark on fresh new trails and promises of positive changes to come over the next twelve months. So as 2015 settles in, don't forget to give yourself credit for the year you just completed. This month's playlist
Both abundance and lack exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend… when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present
October is one of those months that is kind of famous due to its associations. Changing leaves, apple cider, caramel apples, hay rides, pumpkin patches, the color orange, candy corn, and perhaps the most infamous
"In art and dream may you proceed with abandon." - Patti Smith Inspiration is sneaky. It can come from any angle, any direction, in any form. The trick is to answer its call when inspiration comes knocking. While we all have different outlets to stoke our
We eagerly await summer's arrival every year like clockwork. So, when August rushes in on us, the natural feeling is sort of bittersweet
There's nothing quite as exhilarating as a road-trip. Map in hand, spontaneity at the wheel, the open road and winds of discovery whisking through your hair
(It's almost!) Summertime and the livin' is easy. This season is all about pool parties, barbecues and positive vibes. But what would any of that be without some good tunes to accompany them? We've got you covered like SPF this month with a perfect mix
Moving closer into summer, let's get out of town for a bit. Unless you are, or were, a resident
After a long, confusing, and mostly frigid winter, the month of April is a beacon of hope that life will once again return to normal in the form of fragrant flowers and spring showers. As somber as the rain may sometimes seem, those days that
South By Southwest is the mothership of music festivals. It's where bands and singer/songwriters have the opportunity to play in front of a feast of industry and fan ears alike. While there are hundreds of live performances to choose from, here are our favorites from
Saint Valentines Day: a time to celebrate affection, friendship, romance, and unconditional love. Whether your plans are to spend this February 14th with that certain special someone or gathering with your closest of friends, you mustn't do it in silence! Our mixtape for you this month
An entire year of music, summed up into one list
Welcome back to the most wonderful time of the year! December has whisked its way in with a flurry of silver streamed tinsel, dangling mistletoe, mulled wine and warm cider. We’re feeling the Yuletide spirit and wanted to send you off into the holidays with
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