Fall 2013 Playlist...

It's that time again...time for a new playlist (actually, a few weeks past time, but it's been so crazy, I haven't had time till now).  Here's what I came up with:

1. Cups - Anna Kendrick
2. You're Not Alone - Marie Miller
3. Same Love - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (feat. Mary Lambert)
4. Let Her Go - Passenger
5. She Ain't You - New Hollow
6. True Love - Pink (feat. Lily Allen)
7. Mountain Sound - Of Monsters and Men
8. Leave the Pieces - The Wreckers
9. Lover of the Light - Mumford & Sons
10. Why Am I the One - Fun.
11. Wheels - Cake
12. Little Black Dress - Sara Bareilles
13. Skyscraper - Demi Lovato
14. Crazy Beautiful - Andy Grammer
15. Odds Are - Barenaked Ladies
16. Best I Ever Had - Gavin DeGraw

Enjoy...more craftiness soon :)

Summer 2013 Playlist...

'Tis the season for a new playlist!  I know I haven't posted much lately...my life has been a little bit crazy lately.  I switched jobs, and have been out of state training for a few weeks, and I just can't seem to get back on track with my blog when I'm not in my normal routine of things.  Hopefully after this week, I can get back to craftiness, since I'll be back in Des Moines (woot!).  In the meantime, since I'm spending 2-3 hours a day commuting for training at various stores, I decided it was time for the summer CD.  Here's what I came up with if anyone is interested:

1) Cruise - Florida Georgia Line
2) Bruises - Train (feat. Ashley Monroe)
3) Gone, Gone, Gone - Phillip Phillips
4) Brave - Sara Bareilles
5) Should've Gone to Bed - Plain White T's
6) Beautiful and Blind - Junior Doctor
7) This Is the New Year - A Great Big World
8) True Colors (COVER) - Michelle Chamuel (The Voice Performance)
9) Next To Me - Emeli Sande
10) People Like Us - Kelly Clarkson
11) Rebel Beat - The Goo Goo Dolls
12) The Giving Tree - Plain White T's
13) Bones - Ginny Blackmore
14) 365 Days - ZZ Ward
15) Uh Oh - Junior Doctor
16) Red Hands - Walk Off the Earth

Hope you enjoy it :)  And that's all for tonight...next week...catching up!  (Hopefully!)

It's Playlist Time...

Ah yes, the season has changed, and it's time for a new driving playlist...here's the rundown!

1) Madness - Muse
2) We Come Running - Youngblood Hawke
3) Six Degrees of Separation - The Script
4) Lego House - Ed Sheeran
5) Just Give Me a Reason - Pink (feat. Nate Ruess)
6) Daylight - Maroon 5
7) Restless Heart - Matt Hires
8) Grace Kelly - MIKA
9) She Got the Honey - Mat Kearney
10) Best Day of Your Life - Katie Herzig
11) Change - Churchill
12) When I Was Your Man - Bruno Mars
13) Just a Fool - Christina Aguilera & Blake Shelton
14) Devil's Been Talkin' - NEEDTOBREATHE
15) Lessons in Love - Neon Trees (feat. Kaskade)

Enjoy :)

Winter 2013 Driving Mix...

It's time for a new playlist, my friends!  On New Years Day, they had a whole concert series from Napa Valley on my very favorite satellite radio station (The Pulse, in case you're wondering).  They had a bunch of great artists on, singing new music that I wasn't familiar with, and it got me in that iTunes-obsessed mood that means it's time for a new driving mix!  Grace Potter made it on the CD twice, which is sort of unheard of (unless you're Maroon 5...they show up all the time...lol).  I love her...and she was AWESOME live.  You know who was NOT awesome?  Alanis Morrisette.  I was so disappointed by her.  As someone who grew up on Jagged Little Pill, I was pretty excited that she was going to be singing a bunch of songs live on my 4 hour drive back to Des Moines.  It didn't start out on a positive note...the host asked her what music inspired her, and she said she was really busy with her own music and that she really didn't have time to listen to anyone else...so her music inspires her...and sometimes her husband's music.  What?   Lame answer, lady.  That's like the most anti-music lover answer in history.  And then she went on to "sing" some of the songs from Jagged Little Pill, and it honestly seemed like she had forgotten a bunch of the words and was just mumbling nonsense words, which was disappointing.  Anyway, I wouldn't bother buying a ticket to see her live.  Also, on my short list of pet peeves about live music, it annoys the hell out of me when artists get up there and sing two lines of the song, and then wait for the audience to sing the next 4 lines.  I mean really...people are buying tickets to hear YOU sing...if I wanted to hear the drunk guy next to me belt out an off-key version of your song, I could go to a bar for that.  Blah.  Anyway, we're off topic...back to the new driving mix.  I love it, you may or may not love it, but either way, here it is:

Winter 2013 Driving Mix

1) Tonight Tonight - Hot Chelle Rae
2) Mermaid - Train
3) Put the Gun Down - ZZWard
4) So Beautiful - The Dunwells
5) Fallout - Marianas Trench
6) Thinking of You - The Maine
7) February Seven - The Avett Brothers
8) Picking Up the Pieces - Paloma Faith
9) Stars - Grace Potter and The Nocturnals
10) Try - Pink
11) Good Time - Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen
12) Man Like That - GinWigmore
13) Paris (Ooh La La) - Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
14) Bottom of the River - Delta Rae
15) Stubborn Love - The Lumineers
16) Carry On - Fun.

That's all for now...enjoy!

Mixtape Mayhem...

Yes, I still call them mixtapes even though they're CDs and/or playlists.  So sue me.  It's nostalgic, dammit!  :)  Reminds me of when I used to sit by the radio for half the night trying to tape my favorite song while it was on and being irritated when it got cut off by the next song or the obnoxious announcer talking over it.  But alas, those days are gone.  *sigh*  Onward with the days of ever-so-convenient music at the click of your mouse!  Oh iTunes, the time you could've saved me had you existed in my youth!  Anyway, now that I'm done ranting about the reason I was unable to bring the title of this post into the current decade (Possibly even century?  When did we get rid of cassette tapes again??), let's get to the reason for this post. 

As I'm sure I've mentioned in some previous post, I'm a teensy bit addicted to music.  I swear if my satellite radio were to stop working at this point, I would probably have a meltdown on my way to work.  That said, I do still enjoy putting all my current favorites together and listening to them obsessively until there's new music on the radio again (It's amazing how long current hits stay current, isn't it?  There's still one running constantly at number two on the weekly countdown that I had on a mix I made 6 months ago, for pete's sake!  Where's the new stuff?!?).  Anyway, so when I get tired of what's playing (or when the songs I'm obsessed with aren't playing enough for my liking), it's off to iTunes to put togther a mix.  While initially irritated at Apple presuming to know what I like, I'm finally willing to admit that I love the Genius feature that tells me all the other songs I might like based on the songs I'm currently addicted to...I've found some really good stuff that way.  So for the last couple of years, I've been making a mix once a season or so, plus a very special Christmas mix every year (I get tired of the same old Christmas tunes...there's a lot of random other stuff out there to be found!). 

Anyway, so tonight I had a full-on music marathon and downloaded everything for my newest driving mix as well as everything for this year's Christmas CD (I'm sorry...I work retail...Christmas comes early for my kind).  I'll spare you the details of the Christmas Mix (for now), but I'm terribly excited about my new driving mix and thought I would share.  Feel free to despise every song on it...I won't be offended or even remotely swayed by your opinion :)  lol.  Here goes:

Fall 2012 Driving Mix

1. Blow Me (One Last Kiss) - Pink
2. Kiss You Inside Out - Hedley
3. One More Night - Maroon 5
4. Soldier - Gavin DeGraw
5. Too Close - Alex Clare
6. It's Time - Imagine Dragons
7. Some Nights - Fun.
8. Whistle - Flo Rida
9. Little Talks - Of Monsters and Men
10. Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen
11. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together - Taylor Swift
12. Home - Phillip Phillips
13. Daughter - Loudon Wainwright III
14. Distance (feat. Jason Mraz) - Christina Perri
15. Stay Awhile - Ryan Star
16. Hall of Fame - The Script

Enjoy :)  Oh, and if have your own "genius feature" and think of some awesome song you think I should know about, by all means, leave me a comment!

New Sh**t Thursday...

Yes, I'm aware I'm painfully behind on my blog.  Yes, I intend to do a better job of posting in the future.  No, I'm not making any promises.  That said...

Anyone who knew me from the age of 21-26 knows that I used to karaoke at KJs in DeKalb constantly.  My little townie bar, with a bunch of regulars who recognized me...my own personal Cheers!  Anyway, Thursday nights Courtney was running karaoke, and whenever someone sang a song she didn't know, she said it was "New Sh**t Thursday."  Well, the key to New Sh**t Thursday was that the song didn't, in fact, have to be new...just new to her...or new to KJs...or new to anyone, really.  Well, the phrase kind of stuck with me (and a number of us who frequented KJs on Thursday nights), and I still use it when I hear new music I like, or when I'm introducing music that I love to someone else who doesn't know it (and it doesn't even have to be a Thursday!  lol). 

Anyway, the point of this whole thing is that when I got my new car, I also got satellite radio and branched out to a lot of new music again...I had been in quite a country rut.  I was telling my sister about some of it and realized she'd been in a pretty serious country rut too.  Soooo...iTunes to the rescue!  I downloaded a bunch of new music, and made a mix CD to bring her up to speed.  Behold, the...

New Sh**t Thursday Mix

1) Rolling in the Deep - Adele
2) Dirt Road Anthem - Jason Aldean
3) Little Lion Man - Mumford & Sons
4) What the Hell - Avril Lavigne
5) Firework - Katy Perry
6) F**kin' Perfect - Pink
7) For the First Time - The Script
8) Jar of Hearts - Christina Perri
9) Fireflies - Owl City
10) Forget You - Cee Lo Green
11) Runaway Baby - Bruno Mars
12) Misery - Maroon 5
13) I Do - Colbie Caillat
14) Rhythm of Love - Plain White T's
15) Haven't Met You Yet - Michael Buble
16) Save Me, San Francisco - Train

And that's it for today!  More soon, hopefully :)