22. Discover a new band

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I know I'm a few days early, but by this time on Thursday, I'll be curled up under a blanket in my snuggliest PJs, maybe drinking a glass of wine, definitely in the largest food coma anyone has ever seen. I. Can't. Wait. Anyway, I hope you're all having a lovely week! I've spent the beginning of mine being a mom to not only my two fur babies, but to my three favorite dogs in the whole world. My friends, Elizabeth and Tyler, are on vacation so I'm watching their kids for them. As far as dogs go, they are the some of the sweetest, best behaved I've ever encountered. I mean, just look how sweet!

 

So, I've been loving up on dogs, snuggling my girls, watching ridiculous amounts of "The West Wing," had a Thanksgiving-episode "Friends" marathon with my friend, Erica, had my first white chocolate peppermint mocha of the season and, somehow, had time to clean my house. I'd say every week should be Thanksgiving week.

 

So, I've been mulling over #22 for awhile because I knew it needed to be good. In my opinion, music is a lot like politics. Everyone has their own thoughts and thinks their thoughts are better than other peoples' thoughts. Here's where I stand, because I know you're all dying to know. I like just about every kind of music out there, except for country, bluegrass, and some classical. Ideally, I'd love to hole up in my house and just listen to Sara Bareilles, Coldplay,  and The Fray, but, thanks to a) me being a hip hop teacher and b) having roughly 60 students under the age of 10, I've also learned to embrace Flo Rida, Nicki Minaj, One Direction, and J Biebs. Because music is so important to my job, I usually spend hours searching for new songs for class or recital. So, really, discovering new bands is something I do all the time. I decided to pick my three favorites I've discovered in 2012 and share them with you. Get excited!

 

1. Foster the People

I'm guessing most of you have heard of them by now, thanks to a little song called "Pumped Up Kicks," but they were pretty new to me earlier this year. I have my friend, Bryan, to thank for that. Being the lovely friend he is, Bryan let me borrow his copy of "Torches," which I immediately fell in love with and listened to in my car for hours on end. Ok, that's not honest at all. I listened to "Houdini" for hours on end. Once, my sister, Mal, and I were waiting to turn at an intersection and we decided to see how many times we could play that song before we could turn...I think we made it 3 and a half times through. Anyway, I love Foster the People and want them to put out another album now. Right now.

 

 

2. Kimbra

Ok, so technically, it's a "she," not a band, but it's my blog, so my rules. I know what you're thinking, and no, I didn't discover her because of "Someone That I Used to Know." I have my sister, Kaylee, to thank. Kaylee went to see Foster the People in concert this summer (mega jealous) and Kimbra was the opener. I haven't listened to all her stuff yet, but she's quirky. I like her. Bonus: I love this song and I played it in my advanced jazz class a few weeks ago and they LOVED it! Also...this video is wack. But the song is excellent.

 

 

3. Imagine Dragons

This is my most recent love. (Thanks Mal!) I actually listened to these guys awhile ago when I was trying to find recital music, but they weren't quite what I was looking for, so I forgot about them until Mal was nice enough to send me a whole bunch of their music. I like them because they kind of have a Coldplay-ish vibe. Woot. Enjoy.

 



 

So, there you go. But that's not at all. Since I'm such a nice person, I thought I'd share a band with all of you so you're one step closer to completing your list...or something. Technically, I discovered these guys last fall, but who really cares?

 

4. Pentatonix

NBC used to have this badass show called "The Sing-Off." It was an a'capella group competition and, aside, from having a douche-y host (I'm looking at you, Nick Lachey!), it was awesome. I mean, how can you go wrong with Ben Folds, Sara Bareilles, and Shawn Stockman judging? You can't. You just can't. Anywho, Pentatonix was on the show last season (which turned out to be the last season, despite it being one of the most watched shows on NBC...whoever made the call to cancel it is an idiot) and they were my favorites and they won (because they were my favorites.) They are insane...like, I want to BE them. I tried to introduce them to anyone who will listen, and, so far, everyone has seemed to like them. They have a self-titled EP out, and just released a Christmas EP, so check them out! I couldn't pick a favorite video of theirs so, I picked three. The first two are from the show and the last is a cover of "Starships" by Nicki Minaj.

 

 

 

 

 



 

Yay! I hope you all enjoyed. Have a wonderful holiday week/weekend. If all goes according to plan, I'll have something else crossed off my list before Sunday...