A toast to those here

I wanted to take this post to use two very important welcomes.

First of all, welcome to the very first follower, Esther Chang. Hopefully you are the first of many. Cardys #2 and #3 would like to thank you very much for finding us and going far enough to click the 'follow' button. We're really stoked that you're here and hope you stay long.

Secondly, I'd like to welcome the newest member of my musical family, my new acoustic guitar.

I am so incredibly freaking excited. It is so beautiful and I cannot wait to know how to play it. It has such a beautiful sound, and a beautiful, wooden body. I can't describe my excitement. This is a new, daring, exciting  journey for me, and all you fellow music lovers will be on this journey with me, every step of the way.

My goal for this week is to get it fine tuned and dusted off.

I cannot thank you enough Gretchen for letting me have this piece of art.

Concerts: Yellowcard (Sorta)

Janelle and I have gone to our first concert together. Surely, watching a recorded live concert on tv an hour late counts as a concert. Complete with Cardy #1, it was a full on Yellowcard party.

It really was a beautiful night. We sang along to every song, and they didn't care that I sang the harmonies like a nerd or that I didn't know all the words . Us girls commented on the attractiveness of the band members, gushing and giggling the whole time; the boy of our Disney trio played his guitar along with the screen, smiling so goofily at the idea of playing with Yellowcard themselves. There were cookies and tweets and an abundance of bleached tips and feedback.

It didn't matter that they were thousands of miles away and that we weren't there in the circle pit and that we might never have the chance to actually see them. We were full of dreams and smiles and songs. Our hearts were connected, the lyrics gluing us together. It was as if our collective friendship grew stronger as our three separate voices rose up and filled his living room. We were just a couple of teenagers, listening to our favorite band and not worrying about crowds or swearing or each other. Even after we left, Twitter was clogging up with our exclamations of love for the songs we sang and our gratitude for the band. We were on such a high, and there was no way we could come down.

It was the best concert I've ever been to.

Favorite romantic song: I Will Follow You Into The Dark

No, this song is not creepy. Don't judge a book by its cover and don't judge a song by its title. It's not about someone stalking you and waiting for you to go into a dark alley so he can kidnap you. It's really a beautiful love story about how long true love can last. If you really love someone, it can last past death. This boy loves this girl so incredibly much that he will follow her through every obstacle heaven and hell might throw out just so he can stay by her side.

No blinding lights,

or tunnels through gates of white,

Just our hands clasped so tight

waiting for the hint of a spark.

If heaven and hell decide that they both are satisfied,

illuminate the "no's" on their vacancy signs,

If there's no one beside you when your soul embarks,

then I will follow you into the dark.

Now I suggest now that you go and listen to the song.

 It will only take approximately three minutes and ten seconds, and it will be worth your time. However, you need to first listen to the original by Death Cab for Cutie, and then you must listen to the beautiful cover done by Kurt Hugo Schneider. 

You need to watch the original first so you'll know what verse he leaves out.

Obsessions: Band of the Week(s)

I learn of new songs, new artists, beautiful pieces of music once unknown to me, on a weekly basis (at the very least.) This is not a novel concept and is only to be expected in our day and age that is practically drowning in radio stations and playlist sites and the infinite assortment of personal music players. To not be exposed to new music is practically as impossible as the Doctor dying or my mother agreeing with a Democrat.

Oftentimes, these shining new gems of music latch onto my heart, rushing into my hearts and filling every nook and cranny of my brain. A catchy pop song becomes a (slightly) begrudging earworm, or a hot guitarist's composition will occupy my thoughts/tumblr. They become a consuming part of my life-- for a couple days, a week tops. These bright flashes are merely that: a passing flash that comes and goes, an explosion of miniature proportions.

But every once in a while, a fireworks spectacular comes into town and grabs ahold of my very soul; I am introduced to a new band.

I don't know what's different about bands that makes them stick, but it's been empirically proven that they do. If you show me a band and I like them, then I will love them. I'll learn the words to every song, I'll pretend I can play them on my mandolin, I'll watch as many YouTube videos as I can and bother my family with my favorite songs and read their Wikipedia articles repeatedly. At school, I'll listen to the album of the day; as soon as I get home, I'll jump on my computer and put on any playlist of theirs I can find. I'll listen to their number one hit for two hours and then move on to their number two. There's an excellent chance they'll become the background on my phone. Nothing is offlimits and everything is possible when I fall in love with a new band.

This has happened a number of times with a large variety of bands. The first would probably have to be We Are Scientists. Cake briefly joined the ranks, followed by an extended stay by Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. Spotify made it easy to obsess over Bowling For Soup, Coldplay, The Rescues, and Simple Plan. McFly almost made the list.

But alas, nothing gold can stay, and slowly, these bands fade into the background. Some last for weeks, others months, but they all eventually finish their act, and the lights focus on a new band. (That's why The Beatles were never the Band of the Week and rather the Band of the Life.) I still love the bands dearly; I still hold their lyrics near to my heart and swoon whenever I see their attractive lead. They just step down, rather graciously, allowing the next band a shot to hold my attention.

Yellowcard is my current Band of the Week and has been for a couple of months. I'm sure both Janelle and I will have much to say on them, so I'll abstain here. Normally, I'd be off looking for the next big thing, but as I was dubbed Cardy #2 and just received my second through sixth albums of theirs, I think they'll be sticking around for quite a while.

The songs you don't hear: Grey Room

This is both an introduction to an unknown wonder, and a plea to listen to what's around you. You never know when you're going to find a new favorite.

Damien Rice. Irish born. Dark haired and sweetly voiced. He sings a new favorite of mine, Grey Room, which was featured on an episode of Criminal Minds from a couple years ago. It was the end of the episode, after the quote has been given, when the characters are shown cleaning their desks or on the phone or pondering their traumatized days when I heard just a portion of the song:

I'm all alone again

Crawling back home again

Stuck by the phone again

Well I've been here before

Sat on a floor in a grey, grey mood

Where I stay up all night

And all I write is a grey, grey tune

So pray for me child, just for a while

That I might break out

Its classified as 'contemporary folk' because of its smooth tune and easy beat. Its a nice slow song, with out a big range in notes.

I sound like I'm writing an essay.

Anyway, this is a recommended song. Not only because of the music, but the lyrics are impressive. By that, I mean they'll make an impression on you. At least they did on me.

After checking out Grey Room, you should check out other stuff by Rice. Some of it might sound familiar and you'll realize you've heard it before. Like this song 9 Crimes. I'm pretty sure I heard it long before I knew who he was.

And that is a pleasure of music; reconnecting with forgotten moments and feelings. It can give you the sense of deja-vu. And I know we all love that feeling.

L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.