live shows

live shows
Originally uploaded by wilshireblvd [circa1983]

These are some of my favorite live shows @ archive.org take a listen:

Gavin DeGraw @ Bogarts - Cincinnati, OH 04.18.04

Dave Barnes @ MTSU - Murfreesboro, TN 03.02.05

Matt Wertz @ Blue Door - Oklahoma City, OK 09.19.04

Matt Nathanson @ The Bottleneck - Lawrence, KS 10.02.06 I was @ this show!

Michael Tolcher @ Cornell University - Ithaca, NY 04.27.06

Maroon5 @ Munich, Germany 04.28.07

I hope this inspires you to browse through the bands and discover new music!

april trifecta

April is going to be a great month! Two of my all time favorite musicians are releasing cds in April this year. Dave Barnes is coming out with "Me and You and The World" on April 1st. What a way to start out the next 30 days!

Gavin DeGraw is releasing his sophomore album in April, I have yet to hear the exact date. Let me just say that Gavin is the reason that I love music SO SO much. His songs have lyrics that can take you to another place. Plus his live performance is out of this world. He has the voice of 10,000 men. It's addictive. I haven't been to one of his shows since 2005 so I hope he'll be touring in the area this year.

Rounding out the trifecta Lady Antebellum, a new country group, is coming out with their debut album April 15th. I'm loving their stuff so the album should be stellar. One of the group members Charles Kelley is the younger brother of recording artist Josh Kelley. [Special Company 2008]

Take a listen to these cds, they are sure to please.

future tunes

These are a few cds I want to get when I have the chance:

once - movie soundtrack
kt tunstall - drastic fantastic
maroon5 - it won't be soon before long
feist - the reminder
a fine frenzy - one cell in the sea
the frames - the cost
colbie calliat - coco
missy higgins - on a clear night
lady antebellum - [upcoming album]
josh kelley - special company
dave barnes - me and you and the world [04.01.08]

Once

I watched the movie Once this weekend. It's about two musicians, right up my alley. I love anything to do with music. Plus the music in the flim is good. I'm thinking of getting the soundtrack. The movie almost needed captions for me though. The actors had accents so it was hard to understand them at times. There's a major scene with the two main characters. They are singing a song called "Falling Slowly" together for the first time in a instrument shop....again the music is so good. Check it out.

cold feet?

cold feet?
Originally uploaded by wilshireblvd [circa1983]

I'm already tired of the snow outside and it's only been here 24 hours. We're suppose to get more as the week goes on. I've realized over the past few years that I really don't like snow. Why am I still living in Nebraska?

Flickr Love

IMG_1850
Originally uploaded by wilshireblvd [circa1983]

There's a little website online called Flickr that is flippin' amazing. If you like photos even just a little bit you will love it. If you're one that likes to take photos you'll become addicted. It's a webpage where you can upload your photos for the world to see. People can comment on them if you'd like. You can even make friends with other people who have the same interest as you....photography. I've met a bunch of folks from my area and it's great. A Lincoln Flickr Group actually holds monthly "flickrwalks" where everyone meets up at a location and takes photos! How cool is that? It's so much fun, and everyone in the group is awesome. I've also got to mention the Nebraska Flickr Group as well. Equally as cool. We had a Nebraska Flickrwalk back in March 2007 and there were more than 30 in attendance.

I'm a moderator for another group on Flickr called MEPAD. If you're a member on Flickr please join! It's a group where you can upload a photo a day to share with everyone else in the group. I've been slacking up until just lately, but I'm trying to get back into adding one a day. Hopefully I can keep it up.

Countdown

weathered
Originally uploaded by wilshireblvd [circa1983]

I visited Las Vegas back in 2004 when I turned 21 and we had our family reunion there. My mom and my aunts couldn't believe that I never got carded the whole trip. I thought it was great. One thing about Vegas is that you can't see the whole strip in a visit. It's too huge. I'm excited to get back there because this time I have my camera and I can capture some if its beauty. Also my twin brothers are 21 now and can go. So this trip will be AWESOME. The countdown begins!!

Sunday Dinner

IMG_1844
Originally uploaded by wilshireblvd [circa1983]

Today was Sunday Dinner at my Grandma's house. Since before I was born we've been getting together every Sunday to spend time with one another and to share good food. My grandma is the one who makes most of the meal, and she wouldn't have it any other way. The location has changed twice, but nothing else really changes. Whoever can make it shows up and there's an average of 20 family members in attendance. If it wasn't for my grandma's cooking over the years I don't think we'd see each other as much. It was when I was older that I realized how lucky I was. My grandmother gave us all the gift of family.

70 years

 
I was thinking today that I should come up with a theme for this blog. Like some blogs are about food, photography, politics, languages, countries etc. But what subject could I write about in which I feel like I have enough knowledge to contribute to the world? When I discover it I'll let you know.

I'm going to Las Vegas next month! My Family is having a reunion there so we're flying in from all over the US. Let's just say that I have a BIG family. My grandparents had 8 children, 7 girls and 1 boy. They were a farming family so it would have been nice to have more boys, but they always made do. That's why I've always looked up to my grandparents. They were married for 70 years!! I know! My grandfather passed away last August and it was one of the hardest things I've ever had to go through. I'd never lost anyone so close before. He was in the hospital "unconcious" for a few days before he died and I'll never forget the time we spent there. One evening my mom and I were in the hospital room with him and they had his oxygen up to 100%, which is as high as it will go. His oxygen level was like @ 70 or something and the nurses said that there was nothing else they could do for him and that we should start calling family in. It makes me tear up just thinking about it. My aunt rushed my grandmother back to the hospital because she had left earlier to go home and get some sleep after being at the hospital over 24 hours. I prayed that she would get there before he was gone. All of my family that could, gathered in his hospital room [remember I have a BIG family] and there was barely enough standing room for everyone. What I'll never forget is that we stood around and told stories about grandpa and there was laughing amongst the tears. I know in my heart that grandpa could hear us and I know that he was smiling inside. We all thought we would lose him that night but being the strong soul that he was, that wasn't the case. I hoped that it was enough time for my uncle Bill, his only son, to fly in from Pheonix to say goodbye. They had always had a special relationship. He stayed alive for several days. The night that my uncle was scheduled to fly in my grandpa started losing ground and the machines started beeping every 15 minutes or so. Through the rain my cousin Amy drove my uncle back to Lincoln from Omaha where his flight came in. Thankfully he made it, and when he entered the hospital room everyone started crying. Again, I'll never forget these moments. I still miss him everyday, but I know he had a full life and loved his family more than anything. My grandfather made us who we are today and I'm grateful to have had the chance to be his granddaughter.

morris code

"when I look at the stars"
Originally uploaded by wilshireblvd [circa1983]

I need a haircut, and I don't know why I don't just call to make an appointment. Part of me must like to have it this long. It's a pain to take care of....using all of that shampoo and conditioner, the time it takes to dry it, not to mention the shedding. You wouldn't think you could lose that much hair and still have any left on your head.

The Lincoln Flickr group is having a meet @ the state capitol tomorrow. I really wanted to go because there hasn't been one since this summer. Picture taking has gone to the wayside for me lately, so I need to get back into it. Instead I will be delivering meals on wheels. Which is a noble act in itself, but part of me still wants to go. Maybe next month.

My brothers got new cell phones. Why does that make my phone look so ancient? Sometimes the screen on the outside flashes for no reason, like it's doing morse code. Unfortunately I never took morse code, so I have no idea what it's saying. Is it weird that until today I thought it was 'morris' code? OMG it's flashing at me again!

02.07.08 Matt Nathanson - Lincoln NE

02.07.08 Matt Nathanson - Lincoln NE
Originally uploaded by wilshireblvd [circa1983]

Matt Nathanson is coming to town next year!! He is a singer/songwriter that I love to see play live. There's nothing like it. His banter between songs is not for the faint of heart, but is SO hilarious. If you ever get the chance to go to one of his shows it's well worth the price paid, which usually isn't much. My ticket was only $15....far less than the average ticket price. So in other words - You must see him play live!! LOL

02.07.08
@ Knickerbockers
901 'O' St.
Lincoln, NE
Ingrid Michaelson opening
9:00pm - 1:00am
Must be 18+ w/ valid ID
Tickets - $15.00

CDs to check out before the show:
Matt Nathanson - Some Mad Hope
Matt Nathanson - Live @ the Point [explicit lyrics]
Matt Nathanson - Beneath These Fireworks
Ingrid Michaelson - Girls and Boys

Watch Matt's video for Car Crash and Ingrid's video for The Way I Am on VH1

doggie.indecision.2008

doggie.indecision.2008
Originally uploaded by wilshireblvd [circa1983]

A few seconds after venturing out onto the chilly snow my dog realized that this was not where he wanted to be. Can I blame him??

It's a new year and I've decided to take this blog thing seriously. I'm going to attempt to write a blog everyday. Whether this will be accomplished is yet to be seen, but hopefully I can update in a timely fashion! 2008 will be the year of the blog. Stay tuned.