Can we talk in the morning?

Hi my name's Katie, and I'm obsessed with Vance Joy.
Last Thursday, I had the pleasure to see him perform live in Montreal, for the second time in 2014. Both shows, were absolutely incredible. Osheaga was wild, with thousands of people crammed together, you could literally feel the human electricity in the air, the crowd brought so much energy and enthusiasm to the show. Metropolis was more intimate, it was seriously incredible. It was one of those shows you wished just never ended, great from start to finish.

This Aussie gives me that butterfly “in love” feeling. First off, the singer/songwriter James Keogh (better known as Vance Joy), is totally hot. Dark hair, tall, insane voice, and plays the guitar - smoking hot (he's definitely my free pass card). Vance's band is made up of Jonothan Colliver on bass, Edwin White on drums, and Christopher Mulhall on keys. These super talented Australians signed a five- album deal with Atlantic Records in 2013. Vance's Ep “God loves you when you’re dancing” was released in March 2013, and they later released their debut album “Dream your life away” on September 9th 2014. Many ask why the name Vance Joy? Well fun fact, James got the name from a book he was reading called "Bliss", one of the character's was named Vance Joy. He was a storyteller, so James thought it was fitting for his music. Buzzfeed released "19 things you never knew about Vance Joy", check it out!

I love the upbeat tempo of this folk rock band; they’re really fun, but also a little shy, which I really adore. At his most recent show on October 30^th at Metropolis, Vance seemed generally grateful to be playing for us. They were originally scheduled to play at the Corona Theater, however due to how popular they've become, they needed a bigger venue. Vance mentioned during the beginning of the show how fast his heart was beating from the nerves - so cute (MELT!).

The entire show was energetic and real. He is a true artist, and he's come a long way in such a short amount of time. On November 3^rd, 2014 Taylor Swift announced that Vance Joy would be touring with them for her upcoming 2015 “1989” world tour. (If they start dating I might actually cry, better not break his heart Swift!) I'm super happy for him, This means BIG things for these boys!

I decided to share two songs with you today; “Red eye”, of his debut album "Dream your life away", and “Snaggletooth”, off his EP "God loves you when you're dancing". These are two of my favorites, but let's be honest they're all fantastic, and so it's hard to pick just one!

I actually filmed the video "Red Eye" that I am sharing with you today, I apologize in advance for the shitty zoom, and shaky camera.

UNREAL no? So talented, love him.


Here's a couple of pics from his most recent show!

Cheers

"When you do things from your soul, other people really dig that shit"

Sooo it’s been awhile since I've posted anything on the blog, 489 days to be exact.  I don’t really have anything that exciting to report during those 489 days, just living life. I bought a house with the boyfriend, friend’s got engaged, I made some new friends, lost some old ones, you know - life. Ok I guess buying the house, and having friends engaged is pretty exciting!!?  Anyways, I’m back and I decided this time around, I’d write about something I really love. However asking yourself what you really love can be kind of tough... I love a lot of things, naturally, but what do I truly love enough to write about, and share with the world? MUSIC. Music is my love of all loves; it’s the sole thing that I never ever get sick of.  Whether I’m happy, sad, or mad, music can leave me feeling perfectly content. For as long as I can remember (thanks Dad) music has been a part of my life, it seeps out of my pours like garlic does when you eat too much of it. Music educates, heals, and brings people together, and without it, I think life would be very different. Alright let’s be honest, life without music would just downright suck.

Getting back to the point, I am always on the hunt for new tunes; I get that “I just met the love of my life" butterfly feeling when I hear a new song or artist that I really dig. About a year or two ago, I started creating playlists on Soundcloud (thank you 8Tracks for the help) and this fueled my passion for music even more. 

I love sharing new talent, my dream job would be scouting bands from around the world (if you’re reading this and hiring, call me). No, I don’t really sing, or play instruments (although ask anyone who's been in my car, there's been an electric guitar in my back seat for 4 years? Don't ask..) but I like to believe that I have the ear for music. It brings me joy playing a new song, and seeing friends get excited over it. This goes back to saying that music brings people together, I'll never fully be able to explain my love for it.
I read a great quote the other night, that seems fitting for this post, "When you do things from your soul, other people really dig that shit". Couldn't agree more, music is definitely a large part of my soul.

Back when I used to blog regularly, every Tuesday I would post “Tuesday’s Tune” which would introduce new or older bands, that I completely adored and needed to share. Going forward, every Tuesday I am making it my mission to share my faves with you. I enjoy a wide range variety of music... so beware.

I heard today’s artist while driving to my friend’s place this past summer. I am fortunate to have Sirius Satellite radio, and therefore get to hear some great music before it hits the mainstream radio (which they then completely ruin...). “Take me to Church” by Hozier, immediately gave me chills. I’m not religious at all, so it wasn't really his lyrics that enticed me, but his voice. O M F G this guy can sing, his range is incredible!! After hearing what Sirius called their “new-artist alert” hit, I did some digging for myself, and came across today’s tune, “Work Song”. Ok so warning it’s a little deep, if you’re going through a hard time this can either help you heal, or drive you to take a bath with a toaster, but if you’re just a music lover who appreciates a seriously talented voice, this is for you!

I bought his self-titled debut album yesterday, it’s pretty fantastic! This 24 year old Irish man, will be playing at the Corona Theater in Montreal, on Wednesday October 29^{th 2014}! Unfortunately after getting totally hyped about this news, I read it was sold out. If you have the pleasure to attend this no doubt amazing show, please enjoy it for me!

If you enjoyed "Work Song", then I also recommend "From Eden", "Cherry Wine", and "Like Real People Do". If you like those, then just buy the album, you won't regret it!

Cheers

Tuesday's Tune - May 28, 2013

Are you a Kendick Lamar Fan? He's playing at Osheaga on the Sunday, so excited!

Here's a new song that he's featured in. Love the chorus!

Memories back then

Cheers!

xo



Happy Friday!

So the Weather Network was originally forecasting 20cm of snow for the Montreal area, parts of Ontario, and parts of the US. Seems like insanity considering we're half way through April?! But in retrospect, I guess this isn't unheard of, we've just been used to shorter Winters! 
"BIG" surprise though, they were wrong for Montreal, seems to be mostly rain! (Word)

This morning I thought to myself, what makes people happy on sunny days, AND on rainy days? Alcohol!! (Well, it makes me happy anyways.. don't judge.) My girlfriend sent me THE most amazing cocktail recipe... the ingredients just make my mouth water, and quite frankly anything to do with a little bubbly, I'm sold!
So if you're feeling like you need a little pick me up from all this terrible weather, check out this recipe below!

Photo from http://kirantarun.com

Citrusy Champagne Sangria

Ingredients:

• 4 cups freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
• 1 cup ginger ale
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
• 1 blood orange, thinly sliced
• 3 clementines, thinly sliced
• 1 honey crisp apple, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup pomegranate arils
•  1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• pinch of salt
• 1 bottle of chilled champagne

Directions:

1. Prepare simple syrup by stirring sugar and water until sugar completely dissolves. Keep in refrigerator to chill while prepping other ingredients.
2. In a tall pitcher, add all fruits + grapefruit juice + salt + simple syrup and ginger ale . Chill in refrigerator for a few hours, preferably overnight.
3. To serve, add sangria in a fancy-schmancy glass and top it with bubbly champagne!

Sounds delish no? My girlfriends and I, are making an impromptu turkey dinner tomorrow night, you definitely know what will  be on the cocktail list ;-)

Cheers!

*Recipe from http://kirantarun.com