kate nash

i'm a fan, to say the least.  her music is fun, different and only recently did i learn about the quirkiness of more of her music.  kate nash played at the house of blues, san diego last night.  i bought tickets a few months ago and had been excited to see her.  a few of my favorites are, of course, "merry happy", "mouthwash", "navy taxi" and the "s#$t song".  they are just cute songs.

last night i saw a whole new side of kate.  wanna know what?  she's CRAZY!!!!!!

crazy in an okay way.  good crazy, cause i love her music.  good crazy, cause i love her style.  good crazy, cause the lightbulb displays were artistic and beautiful.  bad crazy though when she recited a poem (a poh-em, as she calls it.  love them english folk!).  bad crazy when she pounded angrily on her keyboard/piano.  but even the bad crazy wasn't bad really.  just interesting to watch.  i'm sure i made a few faces.  hard not to.  nina and i may have exchanged a few looks at each other while giggling nervous laughs.

all in all, it was a really great concert and i'm so glad i went.  i especially loved the band that opened for kate, called gold motel.  they are from chicago.  i totally loved their music!  their newest album recently came out in june. one of the videos posted below is theirs.  they had a great stage presence, and a great sound.

as you can see, the props were fun.  firstly, the pillows hanging from the top of the stage, along with light bulbs.  then there's her fancy umbrella, complete with tons of lightbulbs, some of which light up.  then the encasing surrounding her keyboard....ALL lightbulbs.  very fun.  i'm tempted to make a lamp similar to it for my house! when one of the stage people unveiled it just before the concert started, you should've heard the awesome gasps.  so cool.

i'd see her again.

this first video is gold motel...it's horrible quality, but you can still kind of hear their lovely music!  the second video is kate, thrashing out against life in her song.  take a quick listen!

musically inclined

i'm grateful to come from two very musical families.  both my mother and my father's side are full of amazing musicians that i hope to someday be like!

(above, my aunt marie teaches my aunt candice violin...julie in the baby walker)

i started playing the piano at age 6 1/2.  as far as i know, i took piano lessons from my own mother for the first 3 or 4 years.  it proved to be difficult, taking piano from a parent.  having them in the same house listening to all your mistakes being made while practicing.  i recall her yelling down from upstairs that "that was wrong brooke!"  not sure where exactly it went downhill, but it did...to the point where i took from various other piano teachers, usually friends of my mom.  i recall taking from a mrs. seely and a mrs. seelly (yes, two of the same name, different spelling, although i'm not sure i'm spelling the second right) and then from wendy, my mom's adult piano student.  i took from wendy when i was in high school, after a slight sabatical from taking lessons.  we'll call that era the "jr. high" phase, cause really, that's what it was.  too much attitude, too much whining going on.  so my smart mom let me have a break.  luckily it led me straight into lessons with wendy in high school, which i finally loved! 

at that point i was starting to really enjoy the music that i was playing.  i doubt i was practicing near as much (or as well) as i should've been.  i specifically remember thinking, "gosh, i'm getting pretty good."  and really i was, for that point in my life.  i was progressing and liking my instrument more and more.  what a blessing!  if i had not ever reached that point, i may have quit and regretted it the rest of my life.  reader...if you are at that point right now in your musical existence, stop and think.  really think.  you might just be right around the corner from having that same epiphone that i had.  the one that says, 'hey, i love this!'

because i have that musical backround, i have taught myself how to play the guitar.  i have also, of recent, taken up violin...taught by my wonderful cousin kiersten.  in the future, i plan on adding a few more instruments to my repertoire...like the banjo, congo drums and the harpsichord.