Colorado-born Musicians

Although the Big Apple, La-La Land, and Chicago tend to get the credit for having the most and best artists with chart-topping tunes, Colorado has its own set of A lister musicians to boot. Here are some of our very own singer-songwriter bands.

BREATHE CAROLINA

moved here to take advantage of colorado's relatively affordable living conditions and made it big in the so-called "emotronic" music world with the song Blackout.

CHURCHILL

This hometown band has recently become extremely well-known for their folk rock style, with songs such as "Change" helping further expand their burgeoning fame.

FLOBOTS

This Denver-based band hit it big in 2007/8 when their single "handlebars" became a mainstream favorite.

THE FRAY

This fabulously well-known local band skyrocketed to national fame in 2005 with their debut album How to Save a Life. Several years later, T Swift would pay tribute to their fame in her Speak Now tour, singing a cover of "How to Save a Life" live at the Pepsi Center. More recently, The Fray has released many other top hits, such as "Heartless" and "You Found Me", on their new albums. They also win my prize for best album cover designs.

THE LUMINEERS

This "alternative" band's hits "Ho Hey" and "Stubborn Love" have quickly placed them on the map.

ONEREPUBLIC

OneRepublic originated in Colorado Springs. This band was started in 2002 and became famous by advertising and performing their talent on MySpace. Their famous songs include "Good Life," "Stop and Stare," "Feel Again," and their first hit single from 2007, "Apologize". 

Hot Cocoa Cookies

A few posts ago, I provided a list of Holiday Break I Spy (In case you missed it, click HERE). As I try my very best to practice what I preach, I took this list to heart and, a few days ago, was able to cross another of the list items off my to-do list: "a new kind of cookie baking in the oven".
I tried the Food Network's recipe for Hot Cocoa Cookies. They're delicious, and provide a fabulous excuse for purchasing a jar of marshmellow fluff, if you are one of those people who adores marshmellows, hot chocolate, or anything containing chocolate in general.
Click HERE for the link for the recipe to bake these delicious cookies.
If you do choose to bake them, I suggest two things: 1). add extra cocoa, and 2). make sure that you have a large chunk of time on your hands before baking; you must account for a large amount of time in which the dough must cool off in the fridge. Do NOT skimp on the fridge time, because this dough can be especially difficult to work with.
These cookies are absolutely delicious, though I must warn you that they crumble when eaten--so arm yourself with an expansive arsenal of napkins before attempting to consume them.

The magazine's image of the cookie.

My version of the cookie!

As you can see, these cookies are definitely do-able; as I was lacking a cookie-cutter while baking these treats, I had to substitute the top of a jar to use instead. Enjoy!

Poem to the Sky

I came across the idea for this poem while I was playing tennis under the beautiful Arizona sky this afternoon. It's just for fun and I whipped it out in about fifteen minutes--enjoy!
(As you might notice, it sort of ended up as a cross between almost a prayer and a love poem. Safe to say that, after reading/writing this poem, I would certainly be flattered if someone called me their sky.)



Poem to the Sky


You are endless and always near,
Painted in shapes and colors
That are always changing,
Moving,
Dancing.
You are my sky.

You are many things at once,
And yet
At moments, you are none of them at all.
These things adorn you, embellish you,
But never would anyone declare
That they define you.
You are everything,
All at once and never, forever.
You are my sky.

You are the one dirction that everyone can find
Without being told--
The center that touches everyone
Even from a distance.
In places you are fiercely aflame,
In moments of beauty that loyally startle.
And in places your colors are murky,
And harsh,
And dark.
These colors let others paint you,
Even though you are a mystery to them,
To us, to all.
You brighten and orient our lives
Even as it is our nature to never fully understand you.
You are my sky.

You are impure with clouds and smoke and creatures,
But your purity was never where
Your value lied.
You are you,
Forever you,
unto yourself
Because you are made of everything;
By contact and seeing,
It is all a part of you.
We are all a part of you,
Even as we are made partly of you.
You are my sky.

You make us light in the day,
And give us pin pricks of stars in the night.
Ever changing,
You are constant and
Unblemished and
Uneven and
Beautiful.
You are the one thing that no one
Would dream to change.
Even when you are hidden,
You are simply more near.
You are my sky.

You are all around us
In every direction.
Below,
Above,
All around.
We are surrounded by you.
But we always know you are above,
For that is the height of your greatness.
You are my sky.

You are that prize we reach for,
With the distinct intent of never equalling.
Endless and seamless,
You caress us and give us space and strength--
Give me strength.
You are my sky.

Holiday Break I Spy

     I Spy is one of the world's classic games. So I except that you already know how to play. Given this assumption, I've invented a new version of I Spy, with a slight twist; the "spying" should no longer take three seconds. You have as much time as you'd like over the roughly two weeks that are coming up for everyone's various winter breaks. Enjoy this new game of Holiday Break I Spy, and play it by yourself, with a best friend, with a not-so-best friend, or with any assortment of family members and acquaintances around at the moment!

Holiday Break I Spy

Your mission--should you choose to accept it:
At one point or another, I challenge you to spy/find as many (or all!) of these things as you can! Once you find them, it is up to you what you do then (wink wink nudge nudge).

I Spy with my little eye

• sunrise in a snowy world
• a new kind of cookie baking in the oven
• a collection of crafts supplies on the kitchen counter
• cider heating on the stove
• the very first footprints after it snows
• decorated pine cones
• three people dancing to corny Christmas music
• that embarrassingly ugly sweater that's actually the comfiest thing in your closet
• candles
• a book that has nothing to do with vampires, robots, or any shade whatsoever of grey
• bows
• a camera, a smile, and at least two people
• the Van Gogh exhibit at the art museum, or a coffee table book of art
• a film that uses English subtitles
• a throng of people who need someone to take a group shot
• mashed potatoes
• a letter to a family member
• a doodle from ages ago that you somehow vaguely remember
• a heap of blankets and a tower of pillows
• a dog's leash (either that of your dog or that of a friend's)
• flowers (believe me, they're out there somewhere)
• the karaoke version of a song on YouTube
• a bottle of bubble bath/body wash
• wrapping paper
• hugs and kisses!

Enjoy your game! Best of luck checking off the entire list.     :)

ATTENTION All Music Lovers Who Want to get in the "Groove"

     Internet-savvy music lovers have been a very lucky group of people over the past years. Between Pandora, Spotify, online radio stations, and YouTube, new, free music is easily and quickly accessible. A new music website, however, has joined the game: Grooveshark.com .

     Grooveshark is a mix between Pandora and iTunes. Membership is free (unless you purchase an upgrade), and you search songs, artists, or genres for songs that meet your fancy and add them to a file called "My Music". From there, you can sort your tunes into Collections or simply create a newly-ordered, unique playlist every time that you log on. One of my favorite features on Grooveshark is that you can select a collection or a group of songs to listen to and change the order of the songs with just one simple click. I am unashamed to admit that I feel a bit like a DJ when using this website.

     This music database has dozens of snazzy features that make music even more interesting. You can click a button entitled "Play my Station" and Grooveshark will create a music station just for you. By going to the website's 'homepage'--which is really a homepage the site personalizes to be best-fitted for you--you can access groupings of songs that are recommended for you; unlike Pandora, you won't have to spend even an instant wasting time listening to some terrible variation of your favorite artist. For example: recently, I've been listening to a rather large quantity of latino pop and rap; Grooveshark soon made me a bizarre recommendation: Portuguese music! I tried it out, in the typical adventurous Grooveshark spirit, and discovered that Portuguese music is actually rather quality. Those songs were instantly added to My Music.

     On the search-bar side of things, the crazy-specific song choices on Grooveshark would transport any music nerd straight to musical heaven. For example, by typing in a song as mainstream as, for example, Fireflies, dozens of results will come up. You can choose however many versions of the song you would like to add to your music collection; they offer radio edit versions, British radio versions, several album versions, single versions, remixes up the wazoo, etc. 

     Another unique feature of Grooveshark is the community aspect of the site. I do not know what the website's mission statement is, but if I were to guess a part of it, I would say that a major goal of the site is to provide music-lovers with music they love--both old and new--and to help them expand their tastes and knowledge by interacting with a wider community of similar-minded people. You can "Follow" artists, random people, or friends via the website to learn about other people's music tastes, and chat about your favorite artists and songs. Or you could simply choose a Station that plays the music of specific artist 100% of the time.

     Each Grooveshark user has a profile, and I must make you aware of one very wonderful thing. Unlike the dull deafult profile picture of Facebook, the Grooveshark default profile picture is a monotone fish. It's so adorable that I doubt I'll ever replace it. 

     There are only two downsides to Grooveshark that I've discovered so far. 

1). Since it is a website, it is unavoidable that, when there is no internet, there is no Grooveshark :(

2). Grooveshark occasionally has trouble buffering songs, and it is common to be in the midst of jamming out to your favorite tune when it goes crackly, pauses, and then continues, expecting you to forgive the incident. 

     If you'd like to try Grooveshark out, here's the link: GROOVESHARK! If you would like to follow me on this website, let me know, though following is by no means at all necessary to enjoy the site. 

     Happy listening!

A Kindness

In Duffy Roll's today, the most amazing thing happened.

I was waiting in line to purchase a mini Irish roll, and a woman came up and was helped before me. I didn't mind, and watched as the cashier took a spectacularly long amount of time to transfer her cash into a gift card. The man who'd taken my order placed my Duffy roll on a box of rolls that someone was coming to pick up, and I patiently waited for the cashier to complete the woman's request.

She noticed me waiting and immediately began apologizing.
"I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed. "Did I take your place?"
I assured her that she hadn't, and that I didn't mind.

A few minutes later, as she was about to receive her newly purchased gift card, she looked at me again.
"I really am so sorry!" she insisted.
"It's fine," I assured her.

She turned her attention back to the cashier.
"Could you please charge her order on my bill, as well?" she asked.
My eyes just about bulged out of my head.

"You are sure?" I exclaimed. "It's totally fine--you really don't have to--"
"Yes, yes, of course," she assured me.

I picked up my mini Irish roll from on top of the box.

"Is that box not yours?" she asked me, surprised.
"No, just this one," I said, gesturing toward my little roll.
"You can pick some more rolls if you'd like," she told me. "I certainly would."

I was even more shocked than before.
"This is plenty!" I smiled. And thanked her about a billion times before she left the store.

Little kindnesses like this one are the things that make me remember that America isn't so bad. We have problems with intolerance and gun control and abuse and stereotyping and pressure, but we also have people who pay for strangers' Duffy rolls just because they know it is a nice thing to do. We have people who feel responsible for making more good things come more people's ways. We have people who do nice things when no one would dream of expecting anyone to do them.

I can't wait until I make my own salary and have the ability to shock people into smiling, in the way that that lady did to me today. I'm still glowing from the memory.

Why I Love Dogs (Reason 1)

Because they remind you about all the purely wonderful things in life, such as the joy you can get from rolling around on the carpet on your back with your legs in the air as if you're running upside down. And because they make you realize that it's memories like this one that you'll remember in twenty years--not the gossip someone spread or the official results from your latest project.

Stressless Music Mix

For all of you out there stressing about upcoming finals, projects, or family holiday gatherings, here is a playlist to help you "de-tox" your pernicious nerves and frazzled wits. Enjoy!

Below My Feet--Mumford & Sons
Don't You Worry Child--Swedish House Mafia
Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)--Kelly Clarkson
Just the Way You Are--Bruno Mars
Between the Raindrops--Natasha Bedingfield and Lighthouse
Shooting Star--Owl City
Stay Beautiful--Taylor Swift
I Won't Say I'm in Love--from Hercules
I Will Wait--Mumford & Sons
Snow (Hey Oh)--Red Hot Chili Peppers
Anything by Lang Lang or Yo Yo Ma
Beach music from Youtube

12/12/12

It's Not Just a Figment of my Imagination--I Promise!

Do you like to write?
Do you ever wish that someone would give you great prompts for writing?
Do you like to read?
Do you ever wish that someone would critique your writing and give you pointers?
Do you like to give people feedback on their writing?

If you've answered "yes" to any of these questions, you should definitely check out Figment.com. Figment is website where teens, adults, authors, and authors-to-be create accounts to write, read, and help others with their writing. The Figment homepage bears the words "figment. WRITE YOURSELF IN."

WRITING CONTESTS
To help us blooming writers stir up our creative writing juices, Figment features frequent writing challenges. These challenges relate to everything from seasonal-themed stories to companions for well-known books or writing styles. It's great fun to see what wonderful ideas people all over the country just like you are cooking up on their computers.

FIGMENT DAILY THEMES
Figment also offers members another invaluable resource in the creativity department: daily prompts.
Figment sends me daily emails, each with a specific daily theme, or prompt. These prompts, as the emails proclaim, "push you to work on the range of your craft [writing], focusing on character, setting, dialogue, personal essay, verse, and more."
For example, several Figment Daily Themes over the past few weeks have been challenges on writing form and description, or, like today's Theme, writing a scene or a poem that is inspired by a certain image of the day. The goal of these Themes for me as a writer is to challenge myself to experiment with new kinds of writing. In a way, these Themes give us writers permission to try totally new and exciting writing styles and formats. Of course, upon responding to the Themes, we can always log in to Figment.com and publish a piece of writing inspired by the Theme. Other members and Figment staff can view published pieces and provide helpful feedback, encouragement, and inspiration. Plus, it's quite motivating to know that other people are pushing themselves to try new things in the prose world, like you.

TAGS
For each story or poem that you write on Figment, Figment lets you place tags to let others know what sort of genre or writing style you've used. Therefore, if you're looking to read a certain kind of writing, you can find it easily on the website. You can also easily organize your own writing on your Figment "desk" to keep everything in order. Also, I should mention, Figment lets you add cover art to each story or poem, keeping things colorful, lively, and fun.

LIVE CHATS
Figment also has another awesome feature: live chats with authors. The thousands of Figment participants include everyone from ten-year-old fantasy-lovers to real world professional authors. Figment offers live chats (communicated through keyboard chatting rather than video) with two authors at a time on a once weekly/twice monthly basis, allowing young readers and aspiring writers to ask authors firsthand for advice and info about their experiences in the writing world.

So, if you are interested, check out Figment today by clicking here! Enjoy, and happy writing!

Holiday Spirit at Whole Foods

For all you holiday cookie-lovers out there, I am pleased to inform you that Whole Foods has now installed its wintertime holiday cookie bar. This delicious treat table is featured in many of Whole Foods' local stores, just in time to share the sweetness of the holiday season. You can find all of your favorite cookie delights, from coconut macaroons to chocolate marble cookies, on this wonderful display. I opted for their gingerbread cookies, which are accessorized with the label of "Gingerbread People," for they offer both gingerbread men and gingerbread women. These gingerbread people are just as delicious as they appear, and as my family and I discovered upon eating one such gingerbread person, the line from the movie Shrek of "Not the gumdrop buttons!" quickly comes to mind with these yummies near. 
With this cookie bar, Whole Foods once again feels very much like a local store, rather than a nation-wide groccery store chain. As you can see in the photo above, the cookie bar has little bags to place individual cookies in, or boxes for those of us with a larger shopping list or a smaller supply of self-control (or both!). Plus, the wax paper provided to safely select your own cookies simply makes you feel like a professional baker. The cookie bar is completed with one last snazzy contraption: a large spool of string connected to a rather ingenious-looking string-cutter, so that you may tie off your little bags of cookies with peppermint-swirl-colored string to keep them fresh and adorably preserved.
All cookies have the same per pound price, so feel free to mix and match your cookie sets as you'd like them! Have a delicious and very warm and happy start to your holiday season!