Forever Like That

First of all, shout out to Alex for re-vamping the blog.  It looks great!

Okay, so I realize that Alex has outblogged me like 100:1 the past few weeks.  I'd like to say I'll do better.... but that's probably not going to happen.

Here's a quick recap of the past few weeks.

(1)  Bryan Adams concert with Daddy.  Confession: I knew who he was because of the movie "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron" (he was featured on a large portion of the soundtrack).  Turns out, he's REALLY good live, AND he sang a "Spirit" song.  

(2)  Lots of class.  This photo is me modeling "glaucoma glasses," glasses that imitate what it's like to see like a person with glaucoma.  Unfortunately(?), trying on different diseases is not the typical class.

Macie trying to read with glaucoma glasses

(3)  White Coat ceremony.  Three weeks in to class, UAB held a ceremony for their latest victims.  This coat is perfect for my "professional" wardrobe because a) it "matches" everything and b) I'm always cold.

(4)  BEN RECTOR'S NEW ALBUM CAME OUT TODAY!!!!!!  If you've EVER read my blog entries you know I have a Ben Rector problem.  I've lost count of how many of his concerts I've been to (9?), and according to iTunes I've played "The Beat" 262 times.  I fell in love with his song "Forever Like That" at a concert in October 2011, and I've been on pins and needles waiting for it to come out since then.  

Disclaimers: (1) the video below of "Forever Like That" isn't my own; (2) it's hopelessly romantic.

First thing I did this morning!

Now go listen to his album.

Good Light

One of my favorite bands, Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, released a new album today.  I've seen them in concert several times over the past few years, and they only get better.  I haven't even listened to the whole album yet, but I'm confident it's worth every penny.

Here's a music video for the title track, "Good Light."

Enjoy.

Exam week

In honor of exam week, I will share two photos, both of which were taken yesterday (Saturday).  The first is what I wish exam week were like.  The second is what exam week is really like.

Idyllic bike rides around Auburn:

Not-so-idyllic studying for Separations:

On a different note, I just ripped the audio from this youtube video and listened to it on repeat TWELVE times.  (Signs of insanity?  maybe?)

Finally

I have been wanting to see Dave Barnes for a long time.  And as many concerts as I make a point to attend, you'd think I would have been able to make that happen.  Not so.  

Scenario 1:  Dave Barnes is coming to Workplay circa June 2010.  He needs merch help.  Charles and I volunteer.  Free tickets, free CD.  Sounds perfect, right?  Turns out, he came to Workplay to do a comedy routine.  Which is awesome: he's HILARIOUS.  And it was great (plus we "discovered" Steve Moakler that night -- who opened for the comedy show), but I still didn't get to hear Dave sing.

Senario 2:  Dave Barnes is coming to Workplay circa November 2011.  Yesssss.  Finally.  So I buy tickets.  BUT then Alabama decides to come to the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater the same night.  And since a convenient Alabama concert is significantly harder to come by than good ole Dave, he got trumped.  

So this concert was a long time coming.

Pre-concert photographs:

Meet Andrew Ripp {aka Barney Stinson}.

Meet Dave Barnes.

A final thank you goes to Auburn University for not holding class this past Thursday and Friday.  It's safe to say I effectively utilized my dead days.

Something Beautiful

Tonight Auburn's UPC brought in Ben Rector, Young the Giant, and NEEDTOBREATHE for a concert at the Auburn Arena.  Yay free concerts!!   I still don't know a word that Young the Giant said, but Ben Rector and needtobreathe were UH-MAZING.  

I got to hang out with Macie (and a few other friends, too, who didn't make the picture) for a while.  We got to the concert early enough to go down on the floor/ be really close to the band.  But being the old ladies that we are, we opted for "real seats" where we could sit down far away from the pushing and shoving to get closer to the bands.  Clearly, we are aging prematurely.  And I'm okay with that.  

This is Ben.  Tonight was my 8th (yikes!) time to see Ben within 2 years.  And I still love every time.  You would think I would be extremely tired of him by now, which brought me to ponder exactly WHY I still want to see him (over and over and over again).  Clearly, I love music.  I have always loved music.  Singing and/or listening to music always makes me feel better.  Ben's music, as well as most other musicians of his type, is extremely accessible.  First of all, he writes it, plays it, and sings it.  And his performances are very much audience dependent -- he's constantly talking to the audience and asking for various feedback/ participation.  Tonight, he seemed pretty tickled that most of Auburn already knew the words to his songs.

(Skipping any feedback on Young the Giant due to my distaste for their trippy performance and inaudible lyrics.)

This is needtobreathe.  They're a pretty cool rock group with tasteful harmonies and a pretty intense light show that may or may not cause seizures.  Consider yourself warned.  During their encore, they did an acoustic version of "Slumber" that was really awesome.  Any by acoustic, I mean no microphones, amps, nothing (and keep in mind this is in the Auburn Arena).  Sweet.

Toward the end of the show, needtobreathe brought Ben back out (see pic above).  Such a beautiful combo.

Love is on the Line

Last night, Alex, Kevin, Charles, and I zipped right on over to Atlanta to see Steve Moakler and Nathan Angelo at Smith's Olde Bar.  We're old fans of Steve, and he was charming as always.  But this was my first time to see Nathan, and he was nothing short of impressive.  He's been on my "list of people to see" for quite some time, and it was good to check him off!

Here's a video of Nathan's opening song, "Love is on the Line."  Many thanks to Charles for the video.

Steve

Nathan

the obligatory iPhone photo

"I Won't Give Up"

I'll make this short to balance out my last post.

Jason Mraz's new single.  "I Won't Give Up."  It's awesome.

A Very Neighborly Christmas

Last week we ventured downtown to see Andrew Ripp/ Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors in their Christmas concert. We started out with a meal at Rojo. My bacon, chicken, and cheese quesadilla was delicious and we were lucky to get a table. 

The concert was decorated with hundreds of lights (just as a Christmas concert should be) and the performers were awesome.

Andrew Ripp

Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors

Drew & Ellie= cutest couple award. 

We were able to enjoy the night with our sweet friends Katie and Kelsey. 

Make sure to listen to Drew & Ellie's newest CD, Chasing Someday. 

It's a novel in a sea of magazines. 

Dance With Me Baby

Well last night Ben Rector had a concert in Auburn.

So of course we went.

He played all of the favorites, held a goat on stage, and orchestrated a dance contest between members of the audience. The goat was included in that, too. 

How awesome are people? So awesome. (If you haven't watched last week's episode of Modern Family, go watch it.)

Ben also played a brand new song, which I recorded. Happy listening.

P.S. His new CD, Something Like This, is off the chain. And yes, I just said off the chain. Because it is.

Personal favorite: "She Is"

Ben Rector {again}

Well last weekend, Charles, David, Grace, and I went to see Ben Rector and Graham Colton at Workplay. The night was filled with unexpected surprises, but overall it was a great time with great friends.  I could write on and on about how awesome Ben Rector is... but our poor blog is getting to the point where every other blog post is about him.  Kind of a problem.  Here are a few notable pictures from the weekend:

Live Forever

Just watch.

{Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors}

{Live Forever}

Precious.

I Am Alive

So. this is awkward.
But I have returned from hiding. Really though, I now have INTERNET!!!
It know I should have some really exciting news, but I haven't gone on any adventures like Disney World. i'm a tad jealous.
However, I did get to the Zac Brown Band concert this past weekend which was awe-to-the-some.

Kevin and his sister, Megan. She is great and so is her blog. Check it. 

side note: Summer school is the worst thing ever invented. EVER.

adventures of lately.

hi.
if you don't remember me
i understand.
it's been a while...
but life's been busy,
actually just full of studying.
BUT school is over!!! for now.
Anyways, here's what we've been up to lately:

AOII's philanthropy is for arthritis. We had to. 

Aren't they just precious?

Ben Rector, I'm officially a fan of suspenders.

Matt Wertz

On Friday we went to the Matt Wertz/Ben Rector concert in Atlanta.
SO. AWESOME.
We stood on the front row, wrote a love note to Ben, and enjoyed great music.
Perfect ending to Sophomore year.
-Oh, and if you've never listened to Matt or Ben, go listen to their music. like now.

Live

Brad Paisley @ BJCC, February 2010

I've loved music pretty much my whole life.  I think it's in my blood.  And really it's my favorite method of communication.  {Aside: Seriously, if I could find a way to study engineering through music I think it'd take a whole lot less time.  Maybe.}  Music just captures feeling and emotion in ways that mere words can't grasp.

Just as music trumps words, concerts trump recordings.  So I'm sure you've figured this out by now, but I just adore concerts.  Luckily for my pocketbook (and my boyfriend's...), many of my favorite artists aren't really mainstream (though some are) and consequently their concerts are {more} affordable.

Anywho, here's list of sorts that I've compiled of the concerts I've been to.  I might have missed a few here and there, but it's pretty complete.  A big shout out to Mr. Phillips for being my partner in crime at every single one of them all of them except Justin Beiber.

Casting Crowns, Denver, The Mile High Orchestra – BJCC, Birmingham, AL – December 6, 2008

Relient K, Copeland, Barcelona – Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, GA – October 10, 2009

Brad Paisley, Miranda Lambert, Justin Moore – BJCC, Birmingham, AL – February 5, 2010

Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker – Columbus Civic Center, Columbus, GA – March 5, 2010

Tim McGraw, Love and Theft, Lady Antebellum – Verizon Wireless Music Center, Pelham, AL – May 14, 2010

Relient K – Alabama Adventure Amphitheater, Bessemer, AL – June 26, 2010

Ben Rector, Steve Moakler, Dave Barnes (comedy) – Workplay, Birmingham, AL – July 16, 2010

The Civil Wars – The Standard Deluxe, Waverly, AL – September 17, 2010

Ben Rector, Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors – {Some sketchy place in Tuskegee / Auburn?} – October 15, 2010

Justin Beiber – BJCC, Birmingham, AL – December 20, 2010

Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, Jerrod Niemann – BJCC, Birmingham, AL – February 11, 2011

Ben Rector, Steve Moakler – Workplay, Birmingham, AL – February 17, 2011

The Civil Wars – The Standard Deluxe, Waverly, AL – March 25, 2011

@ The Standard Deluxe, March 2011

when everything falls apart

You said you'd never leave or forsake me

When you said, this life is gonna shake me

And you said this world is gonna bring trouble on my soul

This I know

When everything falls apart your arms hold me together

When everything falls apart you're the only hope for this heart

When everything falls apart and my strength is gone

I find you mighty and strong, you keep holding on

You keep holding on

When I see the darkness all around me

When I see that tragedy has found me

I still believe your faithful arms will never let me go

And still I know

When everything falls apart your arms hold me together

When everything falls apart you're the only hope for this heart

When everything falls apart and my strength is gone

I find you mighty and strong, you keep holding on

You keep holding on

Sorrow will last for the night

But hope is rising with the sun, its rising with the sun

There will be storms in this life

But I know You will overcome, you have overcome

When everything falls apart your arms hold me together

When everything falls apart you're the only hope for this heart

When everything falls apart and my strength is gone

I find you mighty and strong, you keep holding on

You keep holding on

-Everything Falls by Fee

It is so encouraging to know that our God will never leave us. 

There is not one battle that we ever have to fight on our own. 

He is always there for us no matter how many times we mess up. 

Love this song. Love my Savior. 

Workplay

This past Thursday I had the pleasure of being serenaded by Ben Rector and Steve Moakler at Workplay.  This was my third time in less than a year to hear Ben, so it's safe to say that I'm a pretty big fan.  It doesn't get much better than a good concert and a long weekend.  {Time to hit the books.}

Letter {to me}

Dear Brad Paisley,

Boy, do you know how to entertain.  I've been to a few concerts in my day, and you've really outdone yourself.  Props on your opening acts: Jerrod Niemann and Darius Rucker were superb.  And your band.  Woah.  My personal favs were the backup singers with their tight harmonies, steel guitar player, and fiddler.

All.  So.  Perfect.

A few questions:

How do you manage to sing with perfect pitch AND play lead guitar?  I mean SHREAD lead guitar.  I can't touch you on either.

How do you get your music videos that play while you jam to coincide PERFECTLY with every beat?

How did you get a last name like Paisley?  It just screams, "Hey, I'm gonna grow up and rock the country music world."

How do you run all over the stage, waving at fans, singing, and playing your guitar all without falling?  Oh wait...

Thanks for being so patriotic.  You never fail to salute the red, white, and blue.

Thanks for honoring the country stars of yesteryear.

Thanks for playing "Dixieland Delight" two years in a row.  And laughing at our football traditions.

Thanks for playing an acoustic set a little bit closer to my seat.

Thanks for coming to Birmingham again after just 12 months.  Please come back soon.

So stay classy, Brad.  And God bless America.

Sincerely,
 
Caroline

P.S.  April 19th can't get here fast enough.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

More awesome pictures of the awesome concert by my awesome roommate.