Traverse City!

Hi Friends. I'm sorry I missed last weeks mix. I was in a training all day/week. yes, that includes my birthday! Anyhow, This week Amanda, Parker and Scarlett are heading out of town for a little road trip. We are heading to Northern Michigan (not to be confused with Upper Michigan. This is in MI proper, just the northern part...) I have family up there and haven't seen them in a while. It also happens to be my favorite place to vacation EVER! I love it up in Cherry Country. seriously...but this means a 12 hour drive from MPLS. hopefully this goes smoothly :)

Anyhow, we leave tomorrow, so I thought I should get the mix out early, instead of missing it all together. So, here it is-nothing too fancy. Just songs that I like a lot.

ENJOY http://mixtape.me/p/17735

1. In The Mood- Glenn Miller and his Orchestra. Ive been digging on the Jazz a lot lately. It reminds me of my Grandpa, who is a Big Band Drummer (since age 10...now he is in his late 80's and still plays. fucking cool!). It is also featured in the newer (Lindsay Lohan) version of Parent Trap, which you all know I know and Love! I hope you like those horns!

2. Soft Shock-Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The more I hear their music, the more I realize why a lot of people like them. I am sort of over the whole Karen O is so hip and weird and cool thing, but i like the music. This song comes on on my pandora a lot and I usually take a little break at that point to enjoy the music.

3. Lost and Found-The Radio Dept. I just recently heard a song by these guys and enjoyed the mix of organic and electronic music. You know I really like that. I think the airy flow of the vocals highlight what they are doing here. and the simple strums of the guitar give off a retro sort of feel.

4. When I'm with You-Best Coast. So this is some awesome chick(mainly) rock. I like the lo-fi, surf pop sound. The chick drummer (HELL YEAH!) was actually in Vivian girls before this band. and she is rad. I hope you feel the summer time, as I do, with this one.

5. I Bet You Look Good On the Dance Floor-Arctic Monkeys. I first heard this song after a friend of mine drove down to Texas several years back for South by Southwest. She saw these guys live, before they had a name for themselves and came back ranting and raving. About 6 months later, they were huge. But she put this song on a mix for me that summer and it sort of became my anthem. I still love it today!

6. Young Bride-Midlake. This is one of those songs that I seriously looked for for years. I had heard it on the radio some time ago and really liked it. But like any song that you don't know the name, it sort of slipped away from me. I heard it again for the first time in a while the other day and decided to include it. I like the strings a lot and the harmonies.

7.Camera Talk-Local Natives. These guys are perfect for road trips. I recently discovered that. They are coming back to town this fall...get tickets now!.

8. Poker Face-Lady Gaga. this is my favorite Lady Gaga song. I really enjoy it. It makes me want to dance. and in fact, it came on at a wedding we were attending this weekend and I lost my shit and was dancing like crazy. think what you may, I like the Lady. I think if she frustrates you, then either you don't get it, or you do and she is winning.

9. Danger! High Voltage.-Electric Six. I know nothing about this band. But back in the day one of my friends (my favorite gay boy!) Nick used to do some crazy dancing and singing whenever this song came on and we were dancing. I think it is a pretty fun upbeat little ditty.

10. Wake up-the Walkmen. I really like the Walkmen. Another band that I only know a little bit of, but really enjoy what I know. I love this guys voice, I like their sound. And this song is RAD. I love the upbeat drumming-very Cayla. throw in some piano, the claves and jingle bells and I'm sold!

11. Don't Take My Shadow-Kings Go Forth. This is Milwaukee Band that I just recently heard about. I think it is a great Milwaukee sound. You have the hipster shit going on with afro-cuban stuff as well. This Rhythm section is hot. Along with the horns. I just like that it is a new/different sound than what we are all used to hearing (or maybe that is just me...)

12. Are You Gonna Go My Way-Lenny Kravitz. Besides thinking Lenny is hot as hell, I LOVE CINDY BLACKMAN. I think she may have been one of the big influences when I was young to become a drummer. I remember seeing this video as a kid and thinking A. is that a girl drummer....who ROCKS? and B. man, she is pretty :) Anyhow, I hope you enjoy this THURSDAY throw back to 92, or whenever it came out.

13. Tuxedo Junction-Gene Krupa. This is the first song I ever played in 7th grade Jazz Band. I have really liked it since then. And to mention another drummer....Gene Krupa is a killer Jazz drummer. He and Buddy Rich top the charts!

Alright folks, that is that! I am currently packing the car and getting the dogs prepped for the big road trip. A is at work, waiting for me to pick her up so we can hit the rock! I hope y'all have a nice weekend. And yes, the picture below IS lake Michigan....looks pretty different than in MKE or the CHI, huh? *can't wait!*

Been Busy

In case all of you haven't noticed, I have had an insanely busy summer. See, summer is not my favorite season. I often have a hard time in summer (i know, I know...crazy) so each summer I take a different approach to conquer the beast of heat and sometimes my sadness. This summer, my attempt to "keep busy" sort of exploded in my face and I have been out of town for the last 5 weekends in a row. Excuse me, 4 weeks-last Friday I slept in my own bed, but was gone again Saturday night. But it has been okay.

Something about the heat and nostalgia makes me a little crazy. I typically move through my life looking forward to certain events-maybe we all do this, or at least some of you. When Memorial Day comes, I set my eye on 4th of July. Then that passes and the next big thing is my birthday(August 4th). As I look forward to Labor Day, the sound of the end of summer (you know, those buzzing bugs that scream into the humid thick blue sky that looks down on our city) gets louder and more present. I start to think back to lifetimes ago, when I was ten-covered in mosquito bites, so scratched and clawed at, the blood from the scabs dried down my leg and onto my new school sneakers-red converse high tops. I'd ride my busted up bmx bike through the neighborhood, wanting to understand the life I was living, but aware that that didn't mean unlocking some magical door. It just wanted to know what exactly it meant to be someone in my shoes. But more importantly, there was that feeling like it would never end. Not just summer, not just being 10, but everything that I knew to be my life.

I spent the first several years of my life trying to figure myself out (who am I kidding, that is STILL what I spend my time doing.) I explored a lot as a child. I was the youngest, and I was a girl, but I sure thought I could be just like my older brother. He felt differently. I started riding my bike all the time (just like him) and often took his clothes without him knowing and wore them to school. I also spent a lot of time climbing in trees, picking scabs and (believe it or not) trying to be cool. I stole smokes from my parents, who "secretly" smoked. I started skateboarding and even had a tag name (first Winston, because those are the smokes I stole from my Ma, and then Ask, because I was constantly talking-mainly asking questions around that age.) And while I have aged a lot, most of those ideas, those little parts of me that make me me, still shine bright. I like to think of these things are the gifts I bring to the world. Like I said, I'm still figuring out all the little things that make me the way I am. Of course I'm pretty sure of the main things that make me tick. Of course there are little things that not many people know about me. But there are still times when I do stuff and after the fact wonder, "what the hell am I doing?" While this happens throughout the year, it definitely happens more in the summer, and again, it is one of those things I'm still trying to figure out. But this summer, this summer has been pretty great. Yes, I have been crazy busy, but I think all the things I did were pretty awesome. I think this summer was slightly different in that I was so busy, i didn't have a chance to get all in my head and start looking back and getting emotional and wondering where I am going and so on and so forth. I feel like the direction I am going makes sense and is what I want it to be. I have found people(and pugs, if you will ) I want to spend my time with. I feel like I'm on a path I'm not only comfortable with, I'm proud of and want to share to everyone I meet. Many of you people are a big part of that, so thank you. Seriously, I am here because of you.

okay, enough sap, how about some reflection? Let's just recap on the summer so far, shall we? I went to a few different lakes and swam, went camping (just once, but that's okay) visited MKE twice, hit up Chicago, spent a weekend at a cabin, celebrated my gayness, saw a few great shows(including HEART-a life long dream), rode my bike...A LOT, got 2 tattoos, saw 2 sets of friends celebrate their love (via wedding and ring tattoo ceremony/dinner) went to the dog park, farmers market, and a few movies, watched fireworks, set off fireworks, enjoyed more than one tornado warning/crazy storm, met a few new friends, enjoyed time with old ones, turned 27 and am about to go to my favorite vacation spot of all times and spend time with my family. This summer really has been great. And we still have a few weeks left! Enjoy those last weeks, folks!

Chicago....FINALLY

Hey Guys. Tonight I plan on spending some time recapping the Riverwest 24, which was an unbelievably amazing experience. But for now, Enjoy some photos and fun from our CRAZY Friday night in Chicago a few weeks ago.

A and I were staying with Brittany and Joel. JK told us about a Pitchfork after party being held by the VenusZine(his friend works there). So the three of us were to meet JK at the Beauty Bar (http://www.beautybar.com/chicago/home.php)
Well, when we got to Chicago, my dear old friend, Tracy, just so happened to be in town, staying with another old friend, Danielle. So our large group headed to the Beauty Bar to meet JK and dance. And DANCE we did!
We enjoyed PBR tall boys, shots of Whiskey and some girlie shots too! It got to be a pretty fun and wild time.

Tracy and I haven't seen each other in about 3 years. WAAAAY too long. He now lives in Boston, but comes back to the Midwest to visit us every so often.

hell, PBR practically sponsored our night. See in Chicago, everything is a little more expensive. Except PBR tallboys, which were like 3 bucks.

Our crew was pretty close back in the day. Both Brittany and Danielle live in Chicago now. But at one point, we were all in Minneapolis. Another one of our dear friends, Mike, was the first to move away. Shortly after that, everyone sort of went their own way. Mike passed away a few summers ago, and it was a pretty hard thing for all of us to deal with. I don't think we have all been together since then. Anyhow, not to get all downer-the truth is I kinda felt like he was with us this night (in a really great way.)

A and I don't always get out dancing together, but on the real, it may be one of my top three things to do with her. I think because we don't do it that often, it makes it even more fun (but every time we go dancing I say I want to dance EVERY weekend....ha)

During the breaks from dancing, we caught up on whats going on in life and whatnot.

And it was the second weekend in a row that we got to spend time with JK. I was starting to get used to the feeling of seeing him all the time. I wish that were the case. It is nice to have a solid boy around.

JK encourages a lot of the dancing. Luckily (for me) he also really likes dancing, so we drag A out, who doesn't always want to come, because she thinks she is a bad dancer, which just in not the case.

Tracy and I had a blast together.

Like I said, lots of dancing. All in all, it was a wonderful weekend. We went to a different bar after the beauty bar (Evil Olive http://www.evil-olive.com/) and that is when stuff got fuzzy. But I know I had a good time! I think this may have been one of my favorite nights of summer. And I thanks everyone who was involved.