We are tonight!

Last night Dave and I went to check out Sam Hunt and Chase Rice at the Rodeo Club in San Jose, CA! It was our first time seeing both of these singer/songwriters that are pretty new to the country music scene. I wasn't sure how I was going to write this review but I'm going to do it anyway. I was very impressed with one of these artists and was kind of bored with the other.

The artist that really impressed me was Sam Hunt! He's got an interesting voice that I can tell has been influenced by not only country music but R&B as well. He did a medley of covers songs that included and older R&B song from the 90's called "This is How We Do It". I got a little video of that:

He's also written hit songs for Kenny Chesney (Come Over), Billy Currington (We Are Tonight) and Keith Urban (Cop Car). I was most excited to hear his version of Cop Car because I love Keith and loved hearing the song sang by the original songwriter. I got a little video of that, and also one of him singing his song recorded by Billy Currington! 

Sam Hunt also said that he has an album coming out later this year! I'm pretty excited for that after seeing him! While waiting for that release, you can check out his acoustic mixtape on soundcloud until then :) 

Sam Hunt SoundCloud Link

Next up was Chase Rice! I was excited to see Chase after hearing great things about him and his music. So needless to say, I had maybe some higher expectations. I hate writing negative reviews especially about an artist that I know had been getting a lot of hype and buzz about. I'm not sure what it was but Dave and I came to an agreement that he didn't seem to be very entertaining. This is just my opinion though and hopefully he changes my mind about him when we see him open for Dierks Bentley this summer! 

I'm On Top Of The World

Last night was kind of a spur of the moment concert night for Dave and I. We got tickets to see Imagine Dragons at the SAP center in San Jose! At first when I started liking them, I looked at tickets and there were hardly any good ones left. Then I was scheduled to work that night. I was then told that I didn't need to come in....so for fun, I looked at ticketmaster again last night and they had released some good seats on the side of the stage!

This is also the first time I think since we saw Train that we had been to a non-country concert! We got there right in the middle of one of the opening acts called Naked and Famous. I really liked their sound but I couldn't understand any of the words the woman lead singer was singing.

It was definitely a different vibe in the arena! There was a general admission crowd on the floor and a good mix of people from what I could see! Imagine Dragons put on one heck of a show! There were a lot of drums on the stage (of course) and the lead singer Dan was very energetic, making his way all around the stage. There were points in the show that him and the other band members would come up to the side stage right next to us. Right then and there, our seats were pretty close!!

                         When they played "On Top Of the World", balloons filled with confetti were released and they used drumsticks each time one came by to poke them and break them. I thought that was super cool!

A video of them singing "It's Time".

This next video really explains their love of drums. They did a cover of a classic rock song by Rush called Tom Sawyer. Correct me if I'm wrong, Dave told me the name and who it was by. I'm not that educated on my classic rock music :/

Of course I had to get a little video of them singing my favorite song by them called "On Top Of The World"! At the end of the video, Dan comes to our side of the stage again :)

Had a really great night! Really hope we can see them again!! 

When Life Gives You Lemons.....

Last night Dave and I went to our first concert of the year at the Rodeo Club in San Jose, CA to see country artist Austin Webb! We've seen him a couple times before but this was the first time also seeing him do a show by himself. He's an amazing singer/songwriter with such a soulful raspy voice. He also plays the harmonica which I think I don't see very often in country music anymore. He's got a pretty goofy personality that really showed through last night. During one of the songs he hid behind the curtains on the stage, that was pretty funny! This show was also done on the other side of the Rodeo Club. It's smaller and only holds about 450 people. It looked kind of like a banquet hall you could use for a wedding reception! I really liked how small and intimate it was though! Hope they have more acoustic shows over here!

Here is a clip of a song called "Lemonade" that he wrote. That's where I got the blog title ;)

He performed a song that he said he wrote when he was 15 or 16 that he sang on the opry for his debut. It's called "Even Angels Fall".

The last song I got video of is his current single called "Slip On By". He said the local radio station KRTY has spun this song the most since it's release. You could tell by the sold out crowd that people still listen to the radio and know who Austin is. It's always a great feeling when people in this town sing the song back to the artists, even newer ones like Austin! 

At the end of the show, trays of Fireball shots were being passed out from Austin. He came back out to do one more song after that for the encore called "Life Of The Party". What a great way to start off the year of concerts! Can't wait until the next one! 

Time to get more wine, Trader Joe's we go! (And more)

I just saw on yahoo.com that Epicurious.com wrote an article saying what their employees like to buy at Trader Joe's. I never really shopped at Trader Joe's before I moved from Illinois to California. I decided to try it one day because I heard they have some great cheap wines. To this day I still go for my wine but now other things start to appear in my cart other than wine! I've found a few other staple items that I go to Trader Joe's most often for now! Here is my list of top things I enjoy buying at Trader Joe's!

1. Wine (Duh)

I'm mostly into red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot so that's what I mostly buy. The Trader Joe's brand wine is amazing and mostly all under $5! I like to try a variety of these cheap wines that they have and it's such a bargain that I keep going back for more! 

2. Apple Banana Fruit Sauce Crushers

These are pouches that contain applesauce, great for lunchboxes since you don't need a spoon! This is my favorite flavor of these but they also have strawberry and I believe a normal applesauce flavor. 

3. Greek Yogurt Nonfat (Vanilla Bean)

I just recently started liking greek yogurt last year. My favorite brand is Oikos but I also tried that Trader Joe's brand greek yogurt and love the vanilla bean flavor! I also really like the blueberry and the honey ones. There are of course more flavors to explore but somehow I keep ending up with the vanilla bean ones! 

4. Parisan Carrots (frozen)

I just recently discovered these carrots while going through the frozen section one day and have to get them every time I go to TJ's now! I've never seen carrots like this before, they are round in shape and taste sweeter than normal carrots. A perfect side dish with dinner! 

5. Mini Hold The Cone Ice Cream Cones

These are perfect if you want to indulge in something sweet! They come in chocolate and vanilla flavors and are so tiny. Each cone is about 70 calories so you won't feel guilty if you have one of these. Just don't eat the whole box ;) 

6. Frozen Blueberries

These are great for smoothies and parfaits! I buy a bag of these and strawberries to make parfaits for my boyfriend Dave sometimes for breakfast. 

7. Dog Treats

My mom actually told me about these that she gets for her dog. My dogs seem to love them now too! And since they are all natural and made in America, they pass the test for my dogs! 

I'm sure there are more things that will pop up on this list to buy in the future. Do you shop at Trader Joe's? If so, what are your favorite things to buy? 

Here's to the new year!

Happy new year everyone! I was thinking of what my new years resolution would be for this year, and how this year could pan out. My resolutions that I could think of are more like goals with deadlines. At the end of this year I could finally get my associates degree and be able to move on next year to San Jose State! I would also really like to find internships for this summer and next spring since I would not be able to transfer to SJSU until fall of 2015. Both internships hopefully with a journalism background. Other than those things, of course I would like to continue going to a lot of concerts. More concerts=more concert blogs! So stay tuned for more here in 2014! Hope it's filled with joy and excitement for all! 

Do you have a new years resolution? If so, what is it that you hope to achieve this year? 

Top 13 Country Album Picks of 2013!

A lot of great country albums were released this year and I've found myself compiling a list of my favorites. A lot of my favorite albums actually came from a lot of new-comers to country music, releasing their very first albums to the masses. There are also a good mix of artists that have been around for a few years then quite a few years!

*DISCLAIMER* These thoughts are my own and not intended to offend anyone....just my opinion on these artists and albums! :)

13. Luke Bryan- Crash My Party

Starting off at the bottom of my list is Luke Bryan. I love Luke but sadly I wasn't impressed enough with his album to put it right at the top of my list. His lead single from this album, "Crash My Party", was alright but not to the amount of annoyance to me that his second single brought called "That's My Kind Of Night". His current single though, "Drink A Beer" has to be one of my favorites from this album. That song he wrote about the tragic loss of his brother has been a current radio favorite. Overall, the other album songs are traditional picks for Luke, singing songs about love, trucks, and beer. Other favorite songs include "Roller Coaster" and "I See You".

12. Gary Allan- Set You Free

I felt like I didn't hear enough of Gary Allan this year for him to have a new album out! He has to be one of the most underrated country artists and I feel like he deserves more recognition than he gets. This album is a classic example of why he is still around making amazing music. There has been a lot of pain let out in his music due to his wife's tragic death. It feels like since then, you can't have a Gary Allan album without it. Wrong. There is one song on the album called "No Worries" that feels like he is channeling a little Kenny Chesney/ Jimmy Buffett vibe and I love it!! The rest of the album though is pretty depressing, but that's how we like his music!  

11. Ashley Monroe- Like A Rose

This album by Ashley Monroe channels a lot of classic country. I love the vibe and creativity of the songs on "Like A Rose". Her voice is so amazing! A duet with Blake Shelton called "You Ain't Dolly" is pretty humorous, a perfect song for her and Blake. My personal favorite has to be "Weed Instead Of Roses", it's very suggestive and to the point. Probably not a "G" rated song for the kiddos though folks! 

10. Brad Paisley- Wheelhouse

I'm not sure if anyone agrees with me but for years I thought most of Brad Paisley's songs were starting to sound the same. Until now. On Wheelhouse, I thought there was a lot of diversity in the songs he chose. The song that drew me in was "Beat This Summer". I was totally thrown off that it was him at first but it was a good thing. I got the deluxe version of the album on Itunes that included a song called "Facebook Friends". I'm not sure why, but I'm starting to like songs that sound humorous to me and this was one of them. I think Brad redeemed himself well in my opinion with this album! 

9. Parmalee- Feels Like Carolina

Parmalee's debut album just came out earlier this month along with having their single "Carolina" becoming their first #1 country hit! I am obsessed with their song "Day Drinkin'" and can't get enough of it! This is a pretty solid start to their career and am expecting to hear more from them next year. Parmalee has a country sound that is rockin' with "Musta Had A Good Time" and "My Montgomery". 

8. Charlie Worsham- Rubberband

Another debut album from Charlie Worsham, leaves me very impressed. He is very talented with the combination of his songwriting, instrumental-ism and singing. His first single was "Could It Be" and his new single "Want Me Too" is very catchy and I'm hoping that song takes off! His sound includes a lot of his signature banjo that I've seen him play a lot of in concert when we saw him in July. I'm hoping that Charlie's music stays around for a long time! 

7. Thomas Rhett- It Goes Like This

Yet another debut album! Not only a solo artist now but a hit songwriter, Thomas' first album is full of energy. This whole album with the exception of a few songs just makes me want to dance. I think "Beer With Jesus" might be the only slower song on this album. The title track "It Goes Like This" was his very first #1 song and his current single now is called "Get Me Some Of That". I'm pretty tossed on my favorite song for this one. It's between "Make Me Wanna" and "Front Porch Junkies". It's a great record and hope to see more from him in the next coming years also! 

6. Lady Antebellum- Golden

Lady A's new release was great and got even better when they repackaged it with a few more new songs including "Compass". There is a pretty good combination of fun songs like "Downtown" and a little more serious songs like "Goodbye Town". I think they pick a lot of great songs based on not only what they like as artists but what their fans would listen to. 

5. The Band Perry- Pioneer

Every artist fears the dreaded "sophomore slump" after their first album was such a success. Not the case for The Band Perry! Pioneer is one of the newer albums that I could listen to over and over again and not get tired of it. Hits so far that have emerged from Pioneer include "Better Dig Two", "DONE", and "Don't Let Me Be Lonely". I'm hoping for an uptempo as their next single....maybe "Forever Mine Never mind" or "Night Gone Wasted". Either way, I don't think they will disappoint with their next single. 

4. Kacey Musgraves- Same Trailer Different Park

Another debut album, but already a huge fan favorite, Kacey Musgraves busted out onto the country airwaves with this one. Her country-folk sound is amazing and each song tells a different story. I am very excited that my personal favorite "Follow Your Arrow" was released as a single and hope it does well! That song and "Merry Go Round" both tell stories of life and how it was or how it could be. 

The top three albums were pretty hard for me to rank.....but I had to do it! 

3. Days Of Gold- Jake Owen

It pains me to not put one of my favorite artists at the top of my list! If I could have three number one's then I would......anyways....Jake's new album came out earlier this month and am always excited to hear new music from him! Following his last album, I think there is a lot of trying to stay with his Floridian roots with summery sounding songs like "Beachin". "Tall Glass Of Something" is infectious and as I type this it gets stuck in my head (help!). "What We Ain't Got" is going to be the game changer for Jake if and when he releases it as a single to country radio. That's it, that song HAS to be a single. That song is pretty serious and Jake nails it with outstanding vocal ability. Dude, you make me proud :) 

2. Brett Eldredge- Bring You Back

A country newcomer makes it into the top 3!! I've listened to this album enough times, forwards, backwards, upside down, sideways........you get the point. Brett just has such an amazing raspy voice and all of the songs on his album fit together nicely. If I could pick a favorite it would have to be the title track off the album called "Bring You Back". "Don't Ya" was his first #1 single but the song that made me a fan of his is called "Raymond". It's a very sentimental song about a woman that has Alzheimer's and seeing the video for it on CMT one day got me interested. If you haven't gotten this album yet and call yourself a country fan then what are you waiting for?!?!? 

And my #1 pick for best new country album of the year goes to.......

Keith does it again and you can find "A Little Bit Of Everything" on this album! This has to be one of the best albums that he's ever released. I just can't stop listening to it! The duet that he did with Miranda Lambert called "We Were Us" was amazing because I love them both. Was so excited when I saw they did a song together! His new single hitting airwaves now called "Cop Car" is such a good song and is so so clever. "Even The Stars Fall 4U", "Good Thing" and "Gonna B Good" are such great uptempo songs and I can't stop listening to them. I could go on and on about Fuse and it's greatness. 

That basically sums up my favorite country albums from 2013! Did some of your favs make my list? Did I leave some out? Let me know what you think! 

"Musta Had A Good Time"

Last night we saw Parmalee and Chris Cavanaugh at the Rodeo Club in San Jose, CA!! It was another great concert filled with lots of memories. It was a packed house on a Friday night and everyone was there to party! Chris Cavanaugh was up first and he is a fantastic opening act! He got the crowd going with a lot of his original songs and covers from Kenny Chesney, Brooks and Dunn and Garth Brooks. We saw him before earlier this year at the Rodeo Club opening for Florida Georgia Line and he was great then too! I just got a new phone so I was playing with Instagram taking a few videos last night, which I couldn't do before. Here is one I took of Chris sing Hillbilly Deluxe by B&D. http://instagram.com/p/h5Dcjqivgd/

I was really excited to see Parmalee! Not only did their new record "Feels Like Carolina" come out this week but their song "Carolina" is #1 on the country charts this week! We saw them for a little bit at CMA fest in Nashville in June but it wasn't a full show. They played mostly all of the songs from their brand new album and a few covers. The general manager Nate Deaton from the radio station KRTY had his birthday yesterday so Parmalee brought him up on stage so we could sing to him! Another crazy thing that happened last night was when this girl came up on stage to dance during their song called "Dance". It was not planned of course and lets just say the guys got a little show.......of course she got a little too into the dancing and got pulled off stage. It was crazy and totally unexpected! I'm sure all the guys in the room loved it though haha!

Girl dancing on stage........:/ 

Chris Cavanaugh came back up to sing with Parmalee

Another cool thing that happened was when Nate came back on stage to present them with something to celebrate their #1 single Carolina. Every time KRTY has someone new come to the Rodeo Club for a show, they have them sign a condiment bottle. When or if they get their first #1 single, they send the condiment bottle back in the mail. This was the first time ever that they gave the condiment bottle back in person. It was also their 23rd time doing this! I think it's a really awesome thing!! 

Nate presenting the condiment bottle! 

I took a couple videos also of Parmalee and here they are :) 

Parmalee- Musta Had A Good Time (Instagram Video)

Parmalee- Carolina (Facebook Video)

Parmalee- Day Drinkin (Facebook Video)

Had a great time last night!!! Can't wait until the next concert but sadly I don't think that will be until next year!