music

memphis, the blues city

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hello all, kelsey’s dad here.  it is my honor and privilege to be a guest blogger again.  this past weekend was my birthday and as a gift i was given the dream of being the guest duckmaster as the peabody hotel in memphis, tennessee.

as kelsey will tell you, one of my favorite sayings is “complete home run.”  i use this when anything or any place is spectacular, worth the time, worth the money, etc…as you read this blog, when you see COMPLETE HOME RUN, you can “take it to the bank” – it was worth it.

friday night we arrived at the peabody hotel in memphis.  tori was completely surprise to see our best friends mark and kathleen (from dallas) when we arrived.  our kids had arranged for a special birthday cake to be in the room as a celebration for me and for mark (his birthday is later this week).  COMPLETE HOME RUN, kids!  the chocolate cake was delicious.

now, saturday was a full and fabulous day!  mark had done the research for all the festivities, so we started at breakfast only a block from the hotel.  we took the ultra exclusive vip route through the alley to the bon-ton café.  COMPLETE HOME RUN.  whatever you do, be sure you order the big sammie.  COMPLETE HOME RUN.  while at the bon-ton, we struck up a friendly chat with locals hart and sarah.  hart is a third generation memphian, so it’s obvious that he should work for the chamber of commerce up there.  i told hart we were in memphis just for a short time and were looking to “blow it out.”  he kindly obliged and provided a complete list of “what to do and where to go” during our stay.

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my new jam!

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okay, folks.  it’s time to talk about my latest favorite song “get it on tonite” by mr. montell jordan.  this gem from 1999 came on the radio as i drove home the other day and i couldn’t resist sharing it with you all.  so go on, put in your headphones and check out the music video.

is your life complete now?  i know you’re answering with a resounding “yes!”  let’s talk about all the things in this video that make it worthy of nearly seven million views.

first up, the gritty and honest and sooo 90s lyrics are difficult to ignore.  now, i’m not saying i actually endorse the idea of checking out someone else while in “love” with your significant other, but at least he’s being true to himself?  sure, we’ll give him that tiny bit of latitude.

next up is the grade “a” product placement.  i don’t know about you, but i am ready to run out and drain my savings account for a white cadillac right now!  and that keyboard phone?  ooh!  you know i’m going to trade in my samsung galaxy for one of those this weekend!

the g spot club, sick dance moves, unbelievable acting talent, and wicked fashion (did you see his faux fur chinchilla coat?!) all add to the magic of this production masterpiece.  this mound of amazing work only adds to the fact that the beat and tune of this song are ridiculously catchy.  i mean, don’t you just want to bump along?!  i can hear each and every one of you chanting in agreement!

mm, the struts

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a couple tuesdays ago i was working up a sweat at orange theory fitness when a killer song from trainer chris’ playlist came on over the speakers.  its beat was timed perfectly with my push pace on the treadmill, and since i didn’t have my handy dandy notebook with me (blue’s clues reference, anyone?) to jot down some of the lyrics, i remembered just one line so that i could look it up later:  “i wanna taste love and pain, i wanna feel pride and shame.”

i hopped online when i got home after class and typed it into my search bar, hopeful that not too many songs had these exact words in this exact order.  luck was on my side (and by “luck” i mean google), and after a few clicks, i found it:  “could have been me” by the struts.

https://youtu.be/Pq_BaUrFnhk

you see, this is why i love music so much:  you never know when you’ll discover your new favorite song or artist.  this track is an excellent anthem, one of those songs that everyone, i think, can relate to on some level.  me?  i must see the world.  i have a wild heart that loves to travel.  i’ve conquered most of the united states, but nations like china and croatia and italy are calling out to me by name, and if my eyes never set sight on them, i’ll never forgive myself.

what about you?  what’s the one thing that you refuse to miss out on in your lifetime?  what do you want to say you did rather than what you wish you had done?  please share!  i’d love to know.  🙂

remember this gem?

kdavis 2 Comments

i was cruising along in my mazda 2 the other day when, all of a sudden on 98.5, i heard a gem from way back in 2013.  yes, ladies and gentlemen, i am talking about that hit “blurred lines” by mr. robin thicke, t.i., and pharrell.

did it get overplayed?  sure.  wait, that isn’t the right answer.  YES.  every station, regardless of genre it seemed, blasted “blurred lines” about, i’d say, three times an hour that year just to be sure that you would hear it while scanning through your radio presets.  i’d worried the world had forgotten about this track!  lo and behold, it hasn’t been forgotten, just buried deep in the 21st century past.

and when thinking about “blurred lines,” it’s hard not to recall jimmy fallon’s classroom instrument rendition.  ah, yes, late-night television is a gift from the gods.

in all seriousness, i could not contain my excitement as a i bopped my head along with the beat and sang every word off-tune.  my perfectly pitched boyfriend phillip would have, without question, been highly embarrassed for me, but what he doesn’t know is that car karaoke is one of my hidden talents, among the many others.  wink wink!

after the song ended, i spent the rest of my drive remembering all of my robin thicke favorites.  first up?  the fabulous and unpredictable music video to “give it 2 u.”  i mean, it’s kind of hard to resist it when there are bottles of champagne walking around on a football field.

and then, perhaps my favorite thicke song of all time, i remembered with a smile “lost without u” from 2006.  ah, yes, so seductive and sweet.  see, i do have a sensual side!

the next question?  when is robin going to come out with more music?  i need another instant hit to get me through the end of summer!

boston – day 1

kdavis 7 Comments

mm, who doesn’t love an 8:45 flight on a saturday morning after a night of fireball jell-o shots at the boss’ holiday party?  ah, i knew i wasn’t the only one!  this morning my coworker vinh and i hopped aboard delta flight 104 and shut our eyes on the two and half hour trip up to boston.  we arrived a little early, were picked up by his brother-in-law, and whisked away to his childhood home.

vinh was born and raised in boston, attended tufts university, and often comes back to visit his hometown.  the neighborhood of dorchester is his stomping grounds, and it was a treat to get to see the town where he grew up and spent his younger days making memories. i’ve never been to boston, and a few months ago i heard the band the 1975 was touring in the states.  i was going to miss their atlanta show because i was out of town, but i saw they were going to be performing in boston.  well, that about sealed the deal for me.  i called up vinh and asked him if he’d like to go to the concert with me and show me around his city.  his agreement was nearly instant, and so my boston adventures began!

so much to do and so little time in which to do it!

so much to do and so little time in which to do it!

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sixteen tracks

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cd

folks, what you are seeing here is a rare form of music:  a compact disc!  a cd!  yes, i do still browse the racks at best buy to see what new music is hitting the shelves, and that’s where i found myself last night.  i was on the search for the backstreet boys’ june 2013 studio release in a world like this.  clark and i had seen the video for the single “show ’em (what you’re made of)” on vh1 or mtv the other morning, and i about flipped.  how did i not know they had made new music?!  but alas, the album is only available for purchase online…you should know that i’ll be placing an order for my copy soon.

well, since i had no luck with the backstreet boys, i roamed the cd’s for the 1975.  i fell in love with their first single “chocolate” and am definitely digging “girls,”, their latest hit to pop up on the radio waves.  the manchester natives dropped their self-titled album last fall after producing a couple of ep’s.  the four-man band has toured extensively over the past couple of years to build hype and support for the group’s alternative and stripped down approach, and they’re performing all over europe, canada, the states, and australia before the year is done.  there’s a good chance i’ll be going to their house of blues performance in boston in december with my buddy vinh.  eek!

i’ve listened to the cd almost the whole way through, and i’m enjoying every bit of it.  it’s upbeat without being overly energetic; a good mix of cruising and jamming songs.  i appreciate the quick and funky introduction of “the 1975” and transition in “an encounter.”  i don’t know which track i like most, but right now i might say “chocolate” is still my favorite because of their higher-pitched voices and the inflections from their accents.  it didn’t get replayed on the radio enough if you ask me.

these guys are grungy and hip, and i love each ounce of it.  i realized it’s the perfect summer album just as summertime is drawing to a close.  hm, i suppose i can listen to it as fall comes around the corner.

we can’t stop

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sarah & me!

sarah & me!

and we won’t stop.  we won’t stop having fun.  we won’t stop living it up.  we won’t settle for ordinary when incredible is waiting at the door.  a life as grand as this one shouldn’t be wasted on the monotonous and expected.  let’s shake it up, and shake it up we did this past weekend.  another couple days of fun in the sun and new adventures.

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i’m a twentysomething

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i am officially in the final year of my mid-20s.  hello, 26!  it’s the time of my life where friends are getting married, other friends are talking about having kids, and i’m just going with the flow.  they say i’m put-together.  “you’ve got a condo!  you’ve been at your job for four years!  you go, girl!”  if they only knew!  i am still trying to figure out where i want to be in five years.  heck, i’m trying to even figure out this next year!

my favorite artist jamie cullum had a track on one of his early albums.  it’s called “twentysomething,” and it has been one of my favorites over the years, despite his many record releases since.  i’m betting i’m not the only one out there who can relate, yes?

wait!  the only part i don’t relate to is the “leave me alone” part.  feel free to bother me, almost any time.

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rock me, mama

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i know darius rucker made it ultra famous, but i first heard “wagon wheel” by old crow medicine show, who finished and recorded the incomplete, original version written by bob dylan.  this song has many memories of mine tied to it, and i cannot help but smile whenever i hear it on the radio.  i recently declared “wagon wheel” my go-to karaoke song, so if you find me at the bar with a microphone in my hand, be prepared.

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e-b-g-d-a-e

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guitar

as you may already know, i love music.  i love everything about it.  the concerts, the videos, the cd’s (yes, i do still buy compact discs).  i grew up playing piano and french horn, both of which i never mastered but enjoyed to the fullest.  i do not own a piano, because where would i put it in my cozy condo?  and i do not own a french horn, because, well, because i’m not a professional musician.  so, how was i to satisfy my thirst for some kind of personal musical talent?  my friend nathan was quick to swoop in and provide the answer:  a guitar!  he owned a couple and played himself and was thrilled at the idea of having someone with which he could share this hobby.  like most times, i didn’t need a whole lot of convincing.

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