wednesday wisdom #19

come and rest now, take a breath now.
nothing else can keep us apart.
we're horizon, you and me;
you're the sky and i'm the sea.
bitter storm to peaceful morn,
i will comfort you.
i will comfort you.

-seth harper & stacy lantz

p.s. if you didn't notice, those lyrics are linked to a video...

tuesday tunes: eric vinson

back in may i pre-ordered eric vinson's new album, "rhythm of the world." after listening to it regularly since then, it's still on heavy rotation. some albums get better with more listens, and this is definitely one of them. and today he released it on itunes. so you should get it. it'll make your tuesday better. i promise.

tuesday tunes: stacy lantz

so if you know me or have read any of my previous blog posts, you have probably heard me mention my lovely, extremely talented roommate, stacy lantz. i have had the privileged of knowing her for six years now, and have enjoyed watching her grow both as a woman and as a musician. one year ago today our little group of friends celebrated the release of her first album, "patchwork plains". i posted about it here when it went up on itunes last year.

well, because stacy is such a kind-hearted generous lady, she is putting "patchwork plains" up on noisetrade where you can get it for free. and who says no to free things? crazy people, that's who. don't be a crazy person. nobody likes a crazy person.

also, feel free to leave stacy a generous tip. after all, she deserves it. and she's currently car-less (although most definitely not care-less) and could use a set of wheels to get around town, or maybe get to your town for a show. so be kind, rewind. wait, what?

the music of 2010

last year i told you how i went to a bunch of shows. this year i went to exactly 100. (well, i've been to 99 and friday, new year's eve, will be #100). if you actually read this list, be sure to check out some of these artists.

1/8 andrew belle & trent dabbs
1/8 parachute musical
1/12 tom yarbrough & regan
1/13 kelleigh bannen
1/20 tim schurrer & andrew belle
1/26 dave barnes, brandon heath, matt wertz
1/27 matt ridenour, heidi rojas, melinda doolittle, matt wertz, josh hoge, dave barnes, tommy sims, marc broussard, jonny lang
2/6 seth philpott/steve moakler/andy davis
2/9 seth philpott/rob blackledge/andy davis
2/10 trent dabbs/tyler james/ks rhoads/erin mccarely
2/19 seth philpott/ben schofield/seth jones/ricky braddy/heidi rojas/matt ridenour/jason eskridge/rachel lampa/brendan mccarthy/k.s. rhoads/civil twighlight/tyler bryant/leroy powell
2/22 seth philpott
3/16 alvin love/seth philpott/ben schofield/seth jones
3/21 rey fresco/andrew ripp/steve moakler/ben rector
3/25 boot hill and the paramount ship
3/26 graham colton/stephen kellogg & the sixers/needtobreathe
3/27 eikon/nathan angelo/steve means
3/30 rhett akins/scooter carusoe/brandon heath/lee thomas miller
3/31 victoria shaw/gary burr/mark hudson/south of eden
4/1 marc broussard/drew ramsey/shannon sanders/tommy sims
4/1 barry dean/natalie hemby/tony lane/ben schofield
4/3 dave barnes/don chaffer/jennifer knapp/amy stroup/charlie peacock
4/7 stephen gordon/heidi rojas/seth philpott/marc scibilia
4/9 seth philpott/griffin house
4/11 andrew ripp/dave barnes
4/13 will solomon/adam james/ben schofield/seth jones
4/16 andrew ripp/ben rector/steve moakler/dave barnes
4/17 andrew ripp/ben rector/steve moakler/dave barnes
4/26 hanson
4/27 hanson
4/28 hanson
4/29 hanson
4/30 hanson
5/1 relient k/hanson
5/5 eric wilson and empty hearts/kopecky family band/how i became the bomb/paper route
5/6 holly williams/michelle branch/brett eldredge/matt wertz/coldwater jane
5/12 andy davis/will hoge
5/27 andy osenga/stacy lantz/eric vinson
6/5 jon mclaughlin/needtobreathe
6/10 andrew ripp/steve moakler/cary barlowe/shane stevens
6/12 jt sprangler/trent dabbs/andrew belle/andy davis
6/13 terra naomi/madi diaz/landon pigg
6/16 shel/andrew belle
6/17 clark richard/parker welling/joey hyde/stephanie lambring/steve moakler/andrew ripp
6/18 the bridges/mikky ekko/keegan dewitt
6/30 rob blackledge/the co
7/9 ben schofield/heidi rojas/sinead burgess/tyler bryant/damien horne
7/14 rachel goodrich/young the giant/steel train
7/15 karissa la cour
7/31 jane carrey/mat kearney
8/3 jeffrey james/rooney/hanson
8/8 the kopecky family band/griffin house
8/11 andrew ripp/ben rector/steve moakler/dave barnes
8/13 wes kirkpatrick/rooney/hanson
8/14 happy go lovely/rooney/hanson
8/21 acalasia/rooney/hanson
8/23 pico vs island trees/matthew perryman jones/peter barbee/eric wilson/tyler james/boss of nova/andrew osenga
8/28 westbound rangers/michael logen/ali rogers/keenan hunter/courtney jaye/drew holcomb
8/28 brice ash/jon troast
8/28 ronnie lee twist and the future cats
9/2 dc and julia/brendan mccarthy/sara beck/allie hays/rachel lampa/derek webb
9/12 erick baker/andy davis
9/13 rob blackledge/heather bond/ferrier/reed pittman
9/16 glossary/dr dog
9/17 ninja gun/samantha crain/murder by death
9/18 the kingston springs/the family tree/andy osenga/the co/jason eskridge
9/19 andrew ripp/robert francis
9/21 john lefler/mike dunn/kevin griffin/tyler bryant
9/24 marrow/nathanael mehrens
9/25 danny salazar/michael logen/alvin love/kazike
9/25 josh hoge/will hoge
9/28 the roy jay's/the small pond/stephen kellogg & the sixers
9/30 sixpence none the richer/jars of clay
10/5 dave barnes/jonathan singleton/thad cockrell/matt wertz
10/7 karissa lacour/stacy lantz
10/7 band of horses
10/9 big surr/natalie prass/evan p. donohue/the carter administration
10/9 todd carey/seth philpott/nathan angelo
10/11 the lonely forest/margot & the nuclear so and so's
10/12 joel rakes/jenny & taylor/jon troast/jeanne richardson/karleen watt/jamie prosser/aimee romero/katie schaefer bell/daniel romero
10/14 cori lecain/ben ewen/warren whitten/erin mckaskle
10/16 clayton graham fike/stacy lantz
10/23 emily deloach
10/23 ben schofield
10/25 buffalo clover/the future/clayton graham fike
10/26 the kinn/barefoot truth/the alternate routes
10/28 regan
11/4 amy courts/carolina story/katy kinard
11/9 dave barnes/brandon heath/gabe dixon/jon mclaughlin
11/20 the means/clayton graham fike/stacy lantz
12/1 micah dalton
12/6 reed pittman
12/7 regan
12/9 curtis peoples
12/10 space capone
12/15 madi diaz
12/16 ben schofield/andrew ripp/tyler bryant
12/18 drew holcomb/dave barnes
12/21 nick flora
12/31 brenn/honeymoon thrillers/kyle andrews/mikky ekko

lyric of the day

"with all that idle sitting you might as well just quit and dig your grave wherever you land" - samuel gregg

it's beginning to sound like christmas.

first of all, my apologies. life has thrown some financial, emotional, spiritual, and holiday-ial(?) curve balls over the last couple weeks. things are fine, actually they are more than fine, but sometimes the little flubs of life get in the way of some routines, like blogging.

as an apology i would like to point you all in the direction of some good, free christmas music. because i love christmas music and i love free. and while i say it's beginning to sound like christmas, it's currently thundering here in nashville. which is very much unlike any christmas i grew up with in michigan. moving on.

1. andrew ripp - "christmas tunes". andrew is by far one of my favorite voices. that's really all the explanation you need. (and feel free to check out his non-christmas albums on itunes)

2. the civil wars - "tracks in the snow". these two have harmonies like no other. watch for their debut album coming in early 2011. i'll remind you.

3. slugs and bugs - "christmas sampler". midtown's old worship leader randall has created an album of christmas tunes for kids. and my roommate stacy rocks the bgv's on a few songs, including "building a gingerbread house". despite the album being for kids, stacy and i definitely listened to it on our thanksgiving drive home.

4. the atlas - "christmas music". ryan and rhett are friends of stacy's, and she played these songs for me on our drive as well. i downloaded them at work today and couldn't get enough. simply put, it's gorgeous.

5. dave barnes - "very merry christmas". today and today only this single is free. get it while you can. if you are reading this after today (november 29, 2010), you can still get it on itunes and it'll be worth every penny. an instant classic. in fact you should actually just buy the whole album. i've determined dave barnes was created for christmas music. or maybe christmas music was created for dave barnes.

and on that note, here's one of my favorite christmas videos, featuring dave. (but no, it's not what the album sounds like.)

wednesday wisdom: #4

"and i watched the leaves fall all of the way to the ground. and i knew that that was what love was, to die so that it could be found."

-ben rector

ipod playlists, revisted

back in august i mentioned that i needed more playlists on my ipod. and i'm getting there. here's what i have:

8th & walnut - songs that remind me of the summer of 2005. a very life-changing summer. this list pretty much consists of coldplay, ben folds, and gorillaz.
falling for autumn - songs that mention or remind me of my favorite season.
favorites - self-explanatory.
flashback to younger days - self-explanatory.
get off your butt and do something with your life - songs that inspire me.
i dare you to just sit there - songs that demand to be danced to.
nashville artists - self-explanatory.
new music - an ever-changing playlist, where i stick new music until i learn it well.*
praise be to jeevus - songs about god, whether that was their intention or not. "jeevus" is a joke with my small group.
say no to miss kitty cause kitty go to dabbs house - the name is based off a joke with some friends, but this is a playlist of cheesy love songs.
slow jams for slow days - self-explanatory.
sometimes you have to move a little bit - songs that make you move, but not quite as much as the "i dare you to just sit there" playlist.
sometimes you need a little kick - songs that are a bit "crunchier" than what i normally listen to.
sunny happy driving with the windows down - self-explanatory
the evolution of a band - all of the songs by my favorite band, in chronological order.
the sky is falling - rainy day tunes.
there is no good category for songs like this - completely random, some of which just make you go "what just happened?"
this playlist is full of all kinds of awesome - a more picky version of my favorites
welcome to the south, y'all - i don't typically listen to country, but i have a few songs i like, or a few that are borderline country, and they all go in here.

*new music playlist currently consists of: grant terry, jon troast, and matt haeck. what new music have you been listening to? what playlists do you have?

i feel like i suggest a lot of music to people

but if you only listen to one piece of musical advice from me, let it be this:

andrew ripp's new album, "she remains the same", is out on itunes today. i promise you won't regret this purchase. it's already clocked over 10 playcounts on my itunes. and if you live in any of these cities, go catch him and dave barnes live. if possible, andrew is even better live than recorded.

here's a clip of one of my favorite songs off the album, "savior":

itunes/ipod playlists

i'm not very good at making these things, and it's something i want to start using more often. i have a lot of songs, and sometimes shuffle is too random.

these are the playlists i have on my itunes:

favorites - self-explanatory.
iphone - the songs i imported to my iphone when i got it back in january. i need to transfer more songs over and there's no need to keep this list, but i still have it.
nashville artists - i love how many of these songs make it to all my other playlists. nashville is amazingly talented.
rainy day tunes - this is a work in progress that i can only allow myself to work on while it is actually raining.
wednesdays - wednesdays at work i have to sit at the front desk, which means i can't use my earbuds. therefore, these are guilty-pleasure-free and foul-language-free "safe" songs

and on my ipod i have all of the above along with my sunny happy driving with the windows down list.

that's it.

what playlists do you have?

the power of a song.

i remember 9th grade. my youth group was on our annual winter retreat to warner camp. it was our last night of the weekend, and almost everyone had already gone to bed; there were maybe 3 or 4 of us still awake, plus our two youth pastors, chris and jim. it was late - probably 11pm. chris and jim were sitting in some folding chairs, and the rest of us were cuddled up on a ratty old sofa in front of a blazing fire, trying to stay warm. through the picture windows we could see the snow falling hard - big, fat, slow, heavy snowflakes falling upon the several inches that already covered the ground. it was a beautiful night.

jim started to tell us his own story - one of pain, guilt, grief, and hope. then he told us that this song helped him recover from this particular time in his life, and he and chris started playing their guitars and singing this song. meanwhile whenever i hear it, i'm back in that room, surrounded by close friends, gazing into the dancing flames.

"worlds apart" by jars of clay -



note: this is most definitely notan official video. obviously.

stacy lantz

there is much excitement buzzing around my house right now. my roommate and dear friend stacy lantz is officially on itunes today! so you can just click on this little link here and get your own copy of "patchwork plains". you won't regret it. her songs will take you through all stages of life and love, and will absolutely be sure to brighten your day.

one weekend, three creative minds, and a dozen q-tips

saturday night, my roommates (stacy and kirsten) and i were sitting around the house. stacy came up with this brilliant idea to make a music video using one of andrew belle's songs. so we cut out pictures of our friends (andrew's bandmates), colored q-tips with permanent marker, and three hours later created this little gem of a video. enjoy.

buses, music, bombs, and floodwaters (part 2)

yesterday i blogged about a crazy bus experience while in new york city last week. so, one may wonder (though most of you probably already know), what was i doing in new york city?

well, my friends and i might be crazy, but we drove (a 13-hour trip one-way) to new york for a week to attend a week-long concert series.

you see, thirteen years ago, we all fell in love with a little orange cd: hanson's middle of nowhere. there are probably three groups of people reading this blog right now:

group a is thinking: i freaking love hanson!
group b is thinking: holly, we know you love hanson
group c is thinking: hanson? those mmmbop boys?

the following paragraph is for those of you in the group c section. and maybe some of you in group b.

over the past thirteen years, hanson has continued to put out music. on june 8th, they will be releasing their 5th full-length studio album, shout it out. (over the course of the 13-years they have also released a christmas album, two live albums, and several EP's.)

so, in preparation for the release of shout it out, the guys decided to play a special concert series called "five of five". for five nights in a row, they played each album in full. (middle of nowhere on monday, this time around on tuesday, etc.) on friday they performed all the songs on shout it out and let me just say - i'm excited for the album.

but the other nights were incredible. in no way do i think hanson have the best voices, or the best lyrics, or the best instrumental skills. but they will always be the band that taught me to first love music. and to quote taylor, "the first music you really fall in love with is more than just music. it's something that clicks in you, beyond the song, it's a message or image that causes you to jump in and not let go." and that is what hanson will always be to me. so hearing the songs that i have loved for almost half my life was an experience i will never forget.

[end cheese blog]

andrew belle

let me just take a moment to tell you about andrew belle, and his new cd, "the ladder". this was released on itunes yesterday, and you absolutely must purchase it. i promise there are very few better ways you can spend six bucks.

andrew had a show here in nash about a month ago, and i was able to purchase a physical copy there, so i've had the privilege of owning this music for the past month, prior to the itunes debut on tuesday. and let me tell you friends, in the past month, i've listened to it 18 times, according to my itunes play count. eighteen.times.in.one.month.

and that's just on itunes. that doesn't count the plays on my ipod, or the plays on my cd player at home. just itunes, which i really only listen to while in the office.

do you get the point yet? this is good stuff. really good stuff.

you need it. that's all. you're grounded until you get it.

here's a little video of the title track, just to whet your appetite.



now that you've seen that, go get it for yourself!

mr. ben rector.

so, ben rector released a new album yesterday, called "into the morning". i tweeted about it quite a bit, trying to encourage friends to purchase it, even though i hadn't heard it yet. but that's because i pre-ordred it and was waiting for it to arrive in the mail.

well friends, it came today. it's perfect. simply genius. so now i can honestly say: you need this record!

the first time i heard ben was... awkward. it was a live show, my friend and i were late, it wasn't a typical venue, the people there were, well, interesting... it was just an awkward situation. for me, probably not for ben. but i immediately fell in love with his music, and when i got an itunes gift card for christmas, i bought "songs that duke wrote", which i also highly recommend.

just... buy his music. you won't regret it. but you'll regret not doing it.

here's a little clip from one of my favorites off the album, called "moving backwards"

when the night comes

"wake up, check. make my bed, check. do something bigger than myself? check." - seth philpott

i went to see a movie last night. but not just any movie, this was a documentary, directed by bobby bailey (founder of invisible children), about the devastating malaria plague. the movie? when the night comes


i'll just let the trailer speak for itself:



i was left with the feeling that i can do something, i can make a difference in my world, i can be a part of something bigger than myself. all too often i am reminded of this, but i never follow through. where am i going? this is part of my story too. i need to know where i've come from before i can fully grasp where i'm going. i've always felt there is some great adventure awaiting me. and the tears fell last as i was reminded again that it's out there. somewhere.

if you are in any of the following cities, please go see this movie:
chicago (2/11)
denver (2/13)
austin (2/18)
dallas (2/19)
philadelphia (2/25)
los angeles (2/26)
seattle (3/4)
new york (3/11)
dc (3/12)

no matter where you are, become a fan on facebook. spread the word. act. do something bigger than yourself.

[also, props to seth, rob blackledge, and andy davis for starting last night off with some excellent music. gotta love nashtown!]

it's all about the music.

how could i possibly have not thought of this earlier?

i was thinking back to my previous post about how i celebrate the end of a story, and i realized i had left out the biggest thing: music.

when a story in my life comes to a close, it seems that there are always a handful of songs that fit perfectly to the moment. years will pass, and i'll hear one of those songs an instantly i'm back in that story, re-living those moments.

long drive home

i have a 500-mile drive from michigan to nashville. i've compiled a playlist for such an occasion. here we go:

1. blue sky christmas eve - andrew ripp
2. kiss it goodbye - andy davis
3. where my head is - andy davis
4. passing trains - andy davis
5. new history - andy davis
6. hard to believe - andy davis
7. sentimental christmas - tyler james
8. you don't know me - ben folds
9. free coffee - ben folds
10. raise the tree - trent dabbs
11. prelude - the decemberists
12. the hazards of love 1 (the prettiest whistles won't wrestle the thistles undone) - the decemberists
13. a bower scene - the decemberists
14. won't want for love (margaret in the taiga) - the decemberists
15. the hazards of love 2 (wager all) - the decemberists
16. the queen's approcah - the decemberists
17. isn't it a lovely night? - the decemberists
18. the wanting comes in waves/repaid - the decemberists
19. an interlude - the decemberists
20. the rake's song - the decemberists
21. the abduction of margaret - the decemberists
22. the queen's rebuke/the crossing - the decemberists
23. annan water - the decemberists
24. margaret in captivity - the decemberists
25. the hazards of love 3 (revenge!) - the decemberists
26. the wanting comes in waves (reprise) - the decemberists
27. the hazards of love 4 (the drowned) - the decemberists
28. white christmas - ben rector
29. finding grey - stephen kellogg
30. colorado songs we've sung - stephen kellogg
31. the rock in the crossroads - stephen kellogg
32. when she leaves - stephen kellogg
33. lady sunflower - stephen kellogg
34. chasm and cross - stephen kellogg
35. pain comes - stephen kellogg
36. over fortunate - stephen kellogg
37. protected by angels - stephen kellogg
38. watching grace collide - stephen kellogg
39. who am i? - stephen kellogg
40. samuel samantha - stephen kellogg
41. uninspired gambling - stephen kellogg
42. such a way - stephen kellogg
43. livin' on a prayer/the politics of religion - stephen kellogg
44. little drummer boy - erin mccarley
45. until you - dave barnes
46. when a heart breaks - dave barnes
47. on a night like this - dave barnes
48. i wanna be your christmas - andrew allen
49. wake up - everybody else
50. always - everybody else
51. ten bucks - everybody else
52. the kill - ben rector
53. the sophomore - ben rector
54. associated - ben rector
55. the feeling - ben rector
56. ready for change - ben rector
57. need you tonight - ben rector
58. after all - ben rector
59. early morning riser - ben rector
60. when she comes around - ben rector
61. thank god i miss you - ben rector
62. untitled - ben rector
63. hank - ben rector
64. all will be well - the gabe dixon band
65. merry christmas baby - hanson
66. what christmas means to me - hanson
67. at christmas - hanson
68. christmas time - hanson
69. silent night medley - hanson
70. white christmas - hanson
71. here i go again (whitesnake) - madi diaz
72. dark hotel - k.s. rhoads
73. the gentleman - k.s. rhoads
74. dead language - k.s. rhoads
75. the bayonet and the cigarette - k.s. rhoads
76. new york in winter - k.s. rhoads
77. could this be love - k.s. rhoads
78. turn me on, turn off the light - k.s. rhoads
79. i wanna be your lover - k.s. rhoads
80. send a ship - k.s. rhoads
81. darkness, in the year of our lord - k.s. rhoads
82. a wonderful world - k.s. rhoads
83. the last goodbye - k.s. rhoads
84. closer to love - mat kearney
85. new york to california - mat kearney
86. never be ready - mat kearney
87. city of black & white - mat kearney
88. nothing left to lose - mat kearney
89. a little bit of love - joy williams
90. more than i asked for - joy williams
91. these walls - hanson
92. use me up - hanson
93. waiting for this - hanson
94. world's on fire - hanson
95. make it out alive - hanson
96. what child is this - matt wertz
97. make it right - seth philpott
98. nothing wrong - seth philpott
99. falling for you - seth philpott
100. heartbreaker - seth philpott
101. someday soon - seth philpott
102. lo how a rose e'er blooming - mikky ekko
103. heartbreaker - matt wertz
104. 5:19 - matt wertz
105. naturally - matt wertz
106. capitol city - matt wertz
107. everything's right - matt wertz
108. waiting - matt wertz
109. christmas time - andy davis
110. hold on - seth philpott
111. here with you - seth philpott
112. a world you're not in - seth philpott
113. only in dreams - mikky ekko
114. sedated - mikky ekko
115. sad eyes - mikky ekko
116. it's only you - mikky ekko
117. i love you (i always have) - mikky ekko
118. thank god the year is finally over - paper route
119. int he bleak midwinter - paper route
120. wish - paper route
121. she is love - parachute
122. should have known better - rob blackledge
123. early morning riser - rob blackledge
124. your city, my city - rob blackledge
125. cinnamon & chocolate - butterfly boucher
126. shelter - sherwood
127. maybe this time - sherwood
128. make it through - sherwood
129. you are - sherwood
130. hey guys! it's christmas time! - sufjan stevens
131. the winter solstice - sufjan stevens
132. santa's lost his mojo - jeremy lister
133. i feel weird - steel train
134. kill monsters in the rain - steel train
135. firecracker - steel train
136. quite often - trent dabbs
137. january lights - trent dabbs.

phew. 8.5 hours of music. and i'm sure none of this was a surprise to most of you readers.

2009 on a loop.

one of my first memories of 2009 involved hanging out with my old college roommate and her husband, who came down from indiana to visit me for the weekend. we went to 3rd and lindsley to see erin mccarley and andy davis.

two days ago, the same old college roommate and her husband came down from indiana to visit, and we went to a show sunday night(seth philpott and evan mcchugh - i highly recommend them both). then, tonight i went to (what i assume to be) my last show of 2009 - andy davis at 3rd and lindsley. and who joined andy davis on stage? erin mccarley. (and jeremy lister. and molly jenson and k.s. rhoads opened. check them all out too).

so anyway. my last few days of 2009 are very similar to some of my first memories of 2009. it's been a good year. and now i must go to sleep so i can catch my plane in the morning. michigan, i'm comin' home!