music

Wisdom Wednesday: Her Heart Is Hiding

As this blog’s history has seen, Wisdom Wednesday is usually just a few quotes that really mean something to me. But because the last few years have been up and down through learning experiences that hit both internally and externally, I wanted to do something different.

Every Wednesday (or so), I’d like to share things I’ve learned over the years stemming from events that have opened my eyes like relationships, friendships, family and sadly, death. For those wondering what the title of this blog signifies, it’s just one of my favorite songs from Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum that’s left me with a lot of thought at the end of some very starry nights.

To kick off this Wisdom Wednesday 2.0, here are seven things you should never apologize for.

  • Failing. It is not a permanent experience.
  • Following your dreams even if others don’t believe in it or they sound silly.
  • Putting yourself first. Your self-worth impacts your relationships, emotional and mental health.
  • Wanting more. Why should you settle?
  • Trusting your instincts. If you have to rely on others for your answers, you are living wrong.
  • Making mistakes. No one’s got it all figured out — and I still don’t.
  • Loving someone. Especially if you’ve been made to feel bad about it.

What are some things you won’t ever feel sorry about or apologize for? Share in the comments below and give the song a listen while you’re at it!

‘That’s Where We Can Wait’

It’s beautiful, clear winter nights like tonight that just speak the loudest. As the year winds down and another arrives in just days, I’ve found peace in not just family, friends and work but a lot of Carl Sagan’s work, including Pale Blue Dot. We are nothing compared to what is out there, our problems today and tomorrow are of the utmost frivolity. Our issues, our differences. It can be so exhausting and this really cool video captured from NASA a few months ago that was shared on Twitter just reiterates it all. It’s nights like this that I find solace in his words — hopefully, you do too. (With a soundtrack from one of my favorite bands and lyricists, Michael C. Hall of Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum, of course.)

‘Never Told Me There’d Be Days Like These’

It’s not every day you get to talk to someone you look up to and truly admire, but my job is really humbling in that I get to really connect with those making an artistic difference, honoring our peace of mind and providing comfort and solace for the voids we cannot fill. Last week, I once again got that very sweet opportunity when I got a chance to chat with Michael C. Hall (!!!) and his bandmates, Peter Yanowitz and Matt Katz-Bohen of Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum. While I have been a fan of Michael’s for years dating all the way back to the sheer blessing of watching Dexter, I have been listening to the band’s music this past year and am seriously OBSESSED. Like, seriously. There are so many songs that just tug at your heart and being, like, “Airhead” is a big one for me — and “Armageddon Suite” (and “Ketamine,” off their self-titled EP). Their music is so reminiscent of David Bowie, Joy Division, some early NIN and plays to such moody, thoughtful poetry. I just love it. Getting the chance to chat with this amazing, avant-garde trio about their kaleidoscopic music, what drives them and how they connect through songwriting, their overseas winter tour and so much more was really fun. I had a blast and am really excited to share this one with everyone! They are the nicest, kindest and sweetest guys. So affable and personable, I am excited for their North American tour, whenever that happens!

I also got to chat with Michael about Dexter because how could I not talk about it? Like, hello. That show was all I breathed, lol. In our interview for PopCulture.com, he teases with readers what fans can expect from the finale of Dexter: New Blood after that wild, explosive reveal in Episode 4 — and I got to say, I am stoked for this show. For more of that feature, check it out above or click the link below!

Swing Time: The Hudsucker’s Quintessential Spring Playlist

ths_playlistspring2017

In what feels like one of the longest seasons ever, winter has given us some crazy cold temperatures and dropped off its final bit of snow, but soon enough we can put all that pesky cold gear away because we’re just days away from a brand new season. And a brand new season means a fresh new playlist!

As spring makes its grand arrival, one of the best ways to cure the seasonal affective disorder so many of us experience in the chillier months is by not only heading outdoors and switching up your exercise routine for runs sans treadmill, but giving our music playlists a much needed “spring cleaning”  with hopes to boost our mood. With longer days and the smell of flowers in the air, March promises to bring warmer weather, more sunshine, and ample opportunities to get outside and do something.

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Here’s to the Ones Who Dream: Essential Life Lessons From ‘La La Land’

Bursting onto the big-screen with a high note of retro glamour, glitz and style, La La Land is one of the most daring original movie musicals in a long time. In addition to vibrantly illustrating stylized trimmings of Hollywood musicals from the ‘40s and ‘50s blended with an ardent Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers flair, it’s no wonder this breathtaking, heartfelt homage to silver screen classics is one of the best films of 2016.

Winner of seven Golden Globes, recipient of 11 BAFTA nominations and soon to be the expected winner at the 89th Annual Academy Awards for Best Picture, La La Land is not just any musical though with beautiful costumes and twirling. It’s a luscious and vivacious look into the world of dreamers who power through reality to accept change.

Following the lives of two dreamers, La La Land is quick to highlight its character-based plot with two artists and their respective dreams. Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) is a jazz pianist hoping to open his own jazz club, while Mia (Emma Stone) is an aspiring actress attending audition after audition. Drawn together by their common desire to do what they love, the two begin a love affair complete with song and dance that’s reminiscent of Astaire and Rogers dancing “Cheek to Cheek.” But as they each find success, their decisions begin to fray at the fragile fabric of their relationship and threaten to rip them apart.

In his multicolored and impassioned third feature, director, Damien Chazelle portrays love at its finest. But the 31-year-old filmmaker also asks young, driven millennials who dream beyond the norm, is it possible to have it all?

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5 Female Artists You Need to Hear in 2017

It might be too early to say with the year just starting up, but with what we’ve heard for the past 12 months, 2017 is gearing up to be a great musical chapter ahead. With plenty of promising up and comers slowly making their way to the forefront of the music scene, there is a long list of emerging artists who have released singles and EPs in 2016 that are now raising the bar for impressive debuts.

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Luke Bryan Pays It Back with His Latest EP and “Farm Tour”

{Image Credit: Capitol Records Nashville}

For years, reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year, Luke Bryan has given fans new music every spring break with his annual beach party-themed EPs. Fun-filled and nostalgic for old crowds and new, the records have been a favorite among many since its initial debut in 2009.

But after ending the highly anticipated tradition just last spring, Bryan is turning a new leaf this fall as he returns with a new collection of music — one the award-winning artist is better associated with: his country boy roots.

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Album Review: David Cook Pumps Life Into “Digital Vein”

{Image Credit: David Cook Official}

After parting ways with RCA and relocating to Nashville, Tennessee, singer and songwriter, David Cook returns to the music scene from a four-year hiatus with his third studio album, Digital Vein.

David Cook never fails to wear his lyrics on his sleeve and his latest record, Digital Vein proves that sentiment. Today, the former American Idol winner released his follow-up to 2011’s This Loud Morning with a common theme throughout the record focusing on how love flows through life—or life flows through love, however way you hear it. With a clever play on words, Cook’s latest record runs through every emotion and feeling similar to that of a blood vessel passing through every inch of the human body and back to the core of its very existence—the heart.

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