March Moments

April 1, 2013 Filed Under: Concerts, CONFRONT, Everyday Stories, Family, Friends, Girls' Nights, Music = Love, School... and Whatnot

I’ve been feeling very busy and disconnected from my blog, and it’s not a feeling I’m used to in the least. It’s strange to look at my recent archives and feel like there is a gap between my life and my writing, and there is very little I can do about it because I’m so short on extra time in my life. But I do my best to keep my blog going when I can, and knowing that I’m still writing a little bit everywhere helps a lot too.

March has been a crazy, beautiful month. Normally, I hate this month. I have for the past decade, because it is just tainted with a lot of bad dates that have followed me through my life. But this year I have been fortunate enough to stop thinking about it, even for a little while.

Here are the moments that have made this year’s month of March so wonderful for me, also known as another way to update about all the things going on in my everyday life!

1. Feeling under the weather and having a good friend surprise you with freshly baked cookies and a little care package that included a candle and some bubble bath. Relaxation, yes please!

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2. Interviewing two amazing Canadian bands for CONFRONT Magazine, Inlet Sound & Lakes of Canada, and then attending their show that evening which was tons of fun.

I reviewed the show right here!

photo (3) Not to mention spending the evening with one of my favorite people <3

3. Somehow finding the time to write THREE guest posts. One about my favorite travel reads, another about my job at CONFRONT (going live later this week, link soon!), and one more about how much I love music.

4. Babysitting my nephew a few times, which is always the highlight of my weekends! 

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5. Dinner for a friend’s birthday turns into a girls’ night & reunion with some of my favorite people

meandlisa With one of my favorite girls! 

6. Finding out that I will be taking over presidency next year for CASA Cares, the charity association that I am currently the VP Public Relations for this year. I have LOVED being a part of this year’s team. It has not only changed my University experience, but I’ve met tons of amazing people, worked with some great charities, and have learned so much about myself in the process. I’m terrified, but so excited, to see what next year brings to the team that I am currently putting together.

7. Seeing P!nk live in Montreal for the very first time. She has been a long-time favorite female artist of mine, and a role model throughout high school and CEGEP. She was, hands down, one of the best concerts I have ever been to.

pinkshow Enjoying the show with some crazy friends :)

IMG_5757 One of the best female artists in music today, in my opinion

IMG_5784 Definitely the best concert I’ve been to all year! 

8. NEW YORK CITY for four days, a much needed trip away from home & getaway with friends

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9. Spontaneously having a day off after a very long week coming home from NYC… I *really* needed to just sleep and do my own thing. It was wonderful!

10. Last, but certainly not least, everything this month related to the CASA Cares fashion show. The event took place this past Friday March 29th, and was beyond a success I could have imagined. Our team worked tirelessly for 3 months putting this event together, and seeing it sell out, seeing the models work the catwalk, the performers engage the crowd, and everyone having an amazing time? SO worth it. I’m still on a high after that 20+ hour day, and although it’s difficult to wrap my mind around doing it in another year, I’m already SO excited. What an insane, beautiful experience to be a part of!

I stole a bunch of people’s Instagram photos to share below. Everyone helped spread the word with our hashtag #Platinum10, and from there I grabbed  bunch of awesome pics. Here’s a little look at how the night went:

platinum10setup Setting up & people arriving at the beginning of the evening, after a long day of rehearsals & preparations at the club!

platinum10workit Some models walking the runway, wearing Montreal brands such as Rififi and Valerie Dumaine. Amazing sponsors!

platinum10confetti A confetti-filled ending to the 2 hour show, right before the after-party!

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Models on stage with their final outfits on for the finale

Official photos right here, with hundreds more to come. I’m sure I ended up in pictures somewhere during the night, which I’ll be sure to share as more pictures come my way!

& how was your month of March?! Any great stand-out moments?

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The Ed Sheeran Revolution

October 1, 2012 Filed Under: CONFRONT Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Today (and for the rest of the month) you can find me over at CONFRONT Magazine where I wrote a feature article on Ed Sheeran! It’s always such a fun and memorable experience to interview the musicians that I respect the most in the industry, and he was no exception.

If you’re a fan of his work (and even if you’re not), feel free to check out my piece & let me know what you think!

You can read it here.

Hope you had a fantastic weekend! Mine was filled with all kinds of good things; tons of family time (and getting to see my nephew for the first time in weeks), apple picking, so many hot chocolates, a charity run for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, and some writing too. It was one of those weekends that, when it’s over, you just feel all good about it and keep thinking back on it. Know what I mean?! Now it’s time to hit the books for another week- lots of homework, work & stress ahead in the month of October.

   

Happy Monday :)

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Happy Friday & Links to Love

September 21, 2012 Filed Under: Blogs & Blogging, Concerts, CONFRONT, Everyday Stories, Travel Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Happy Friday! This week has been all kinds of awesome, and it’s not over yet. I’m leaving today for for New York City! I’ve been excited about this trip since before I even left for Brazil in July. I’m heading up there with 3 friends. We’ve got about a day in the city and on Saturday night we’re going to see Bon Iver perform at Radio City Music Hall.

This trip comes just in time (as I predicted). I’m already missing traveling like CRAZY, and I haven’t even been home for a month from Europe yet. I don’t know how I’m going to survive all YEAR without another trip! Although I’m so busy, hopefully I don’t notice too much.

I’m going to keep this post nice and short. Here are a few pictures from my week, and a few links that I enjoyed around the internet this week.

In case you somehow missed it on my Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram… THIS HAPPENED. After talking about his music for months on end, Ed Sheeran came to Montreal and I got to interview him for CONFRONT Magazine. It was the most nerve-wracking 10 minutes of my life even though he was a complete sweetheart. & now, the second best part, I get to write a two thousand word article about it for the magazine. Stay tuned for that in a couple weeks on www.confrontmagazine.com if you’re a fan of his music too :)

His concert that night was absolutely unbelievable. It was BEYOND sold out, first of all, and even far back as I was, the experience was just more than words. He has a mix of stage presence and raw talent that is so rare. He goes up on stage with nothing but an acoustic guitar & a loop pedal, and by the end of the near two hour show my brain could barely function I was in such awe.

On Wednesday I finally went and got my 10th and final piercing! It’s the little gem on the right hand side above my 3 earrings. It’s a more simple piercing, but I love it. I don’t want to go another 2 years taking care of a cartilage piercing (my snug on the other ear took that long!) and I’ve always loved the positioning of this one in relation to my tragus one. Next up? I think it’s time to look at those tattoos I’ve been wanting!

& now a few links for your internet enjoyment!

- Judy Blume, Henry, and Me [via Sometimes Sweet]… I just love this. Kids should grow up to love books, not hate them!

- (Saving) Dolla Dolla Bills, Y’all [via Our Little Apartment]… We could all use some of these budgeting tips from Ashley, she’s really got this frugal living thing down.

- Owl City, Bombay Bicycle Club, Circa Survive [via CONFRONT Magazine]… I reviewed some of my fave summer albums. You should be listening to them, too!

- 5 Tips to Beating the Blogging Blues [via Sweet Green Tangerine]… Love these tips to get into writing when you’re feeling uninspired

- I love the entire new P!nk album ‘Truth About Love’, but I really adore this duet with her &  Nate from the band fun. SO GOOD GUYS. Enjoy :)

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Do What You Love

September 17, 2012 Filed Under: CONFRONT, School... and Whatnot, Work Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

I’ve been talking a lot about how BUSY I am this semester, and I guess I’ve briefly mentioned all the separate reasons, though I’ve never put them all in one post. The main reason things have gotten CRAZY hectic in my life is because I’ve taken up three jobs (only one of them paid) as well as being a full-time University student. At any other point in my life, this would sound like a disaster wrapped in a bigger disaster, just waiting for some aspect for something, somewhere, to implode right in on itself.

But where I am right now, I love every thing that I do. I have CHOSEN to become a workaholic (however long-term this may be) because I get to do three things that I’m passionate about ALL AT ONCE.

My first job is the one I get paid for. I’m a bookseller. My specialty is children and teen. It’s a part-time job but I love books like it’s nobody’s business and I get to spend hours and hours in a bookstore 3-4 times a week. I have very few complaints. Especially on weekends like the one that just passed when I work author events and I get to meet some of the best female names in Teen Literature. It was freaking AWESOME.

Hanging out in the staff room with (left to right) Rachel Caine, Melissa De La Cruz, Margaret Stohl and Rosemary Clement-Moore. They’re all sweethearts and it was such a pleasure getting to spend some time with them.

My managers were kind enough to let me watch the entire signing- questions, giveaways and everything. They were all hilarious!

After the signing, with (left to right) Kami Garcia, my manager, and the hilarious Melissa Marr.

The other ladies on the tour like to call Kelley Armstrong the queen of Canada. I’d have to agree, she is one awesome lady! We took this picture because she joked “CAN YOU SEE ME OVER MY PILE OF BOOKS?” and because, let’s be honest, I wanted a picture of Kelley Armstrong signing her books on my iPhone.

Me with Rosemary and Rachel once again. They were nice enough to take another photo with me once I was done work so I’d have a shot without my work vest on!

I think it’s safe to say that for a part-time student job, I got EXTREMELY lucky. The book industry is a place I’d love to work in my future, so I can’t say it’s been particularly hard to stick around for all these years. On the really tough work days I’m reminded that I get awesome days like this, too, and everything is better! :)

My second job, which I’ve talked about many times around here, is with CONFRONT Magazine. What I haven’t mentioned is that earlier this summer my editor (and the founder of the magazine) stepped down in order to take care of her family, and signed over the magazine to me and one of my best friends, Jenia. We’re now Co-Editors in Chief, but the whole thing is still a work in progress for everyone.

 We’ve both been extremely passionate about working for the magazine since we started nearly four years ago, and the ability to lead an entire team and make sure this magazine runs smoothly every single day has been beyond words amazing (and so much work!!) I can only hope that our team is as happy with the changes as we have been, and we’ve been working ourselves crazy trying to make the magazine the best that it can possibly be. Basically, our work is never done, but we love it.

Interviewing OK Go! I had so much fun with these guys & their show after was amazing.

 Finally, my last job is with CASA Cares, the non-profit organization at my school. We’re part of the bigger Commerce Administration Student Association, but our particular group takes care of hosting events with all the proceeds going directly to a charity. We work side by side with some of the other organizations at our school, but often we organize our own events too. My job as VP Public Relations right now has a lot to do with writing and finding promotional items for our events, and of course helping out in any other way I can. I’ve been having SO much fun with this group of people already, and we have a jam-packed year of stuff to look forward to. Being involved in school has made the whole thing about a hundred times more fun and I’m so happy I took a chance and applied for it.

The most dedicated group of people I know!

I’m very lucky. I work with three teams of people in three entirely different environments and I can’t imagine my life without any of them. I’ll never do anything that I don’t feel 100% passionate about, and by following my gut on things like this, I’ve been lucky enough to find three jobs that reward me every single day.

Now tell me. Do you do what you love?

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Music and Travel

June 29, 2012 Filed Under: 101 in 1,001, Concerts, CONFRONT, Music = Love, Roadtrips!, SO EXCITING!, Travel Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Lately, it feels like if I blink for a second too long, I might wake up from the dream that is my life. I barely have time to process everything that’s happening to me before something else equally amazing gets added onto the pile of THINGS that are HAPPENING to me.

On Thursday, 3 friends and decided we were going to New York City in September to see Bon Iver. Today? We bought our tickets and that was that. Now we just have the rest of our trip to plan! I’ve been wanting to go back to New York City ever since my first visit in 2008. It’s actually one of the goals on my 101 in 1,001 that I was beginning to believe I’d never complete. One of my good friends has a family house  where we’ll be staying for 2-3 days in September, one of those nights specifically to see Justin Vernon (otherwise known as Bon Iver).

If you’ve never heard of Justin Vernon, you are MISSING OUT. He is an amazing artist that I first discovered because of his amazing song ‘Skinny Love’. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t adore this song right away. I don’t know the rest of his music as well as I’d like to, but I fully plan on changing that by the time I see him at Radio City Hall in NYC. I do know it’s going to be an amazing and unforgettable concert, and I’m so excited to be able to say that I’m officially (and spontaneously!) taking another trip in 2012. That will bring the total count of actual vacations to FOUR for 2012. I don’t think I’ll be able to beat this year in my life ever again. I’m still hoping I will though. Either way, this will be an absolutely unforgettable year in my life.

I’ve had this picture stuck to my mirror for YEARS as a reminder that I want to go back. See you soon, NYC! 

In other music news, I attended one of my most anticipated concerts of the year last night. The Rocket Summer (one-man-band & musical genius Bryce Avary) played for almost 2 hours in Montreal and it was more than I could have ever imagined. I’ve only seen him play a short 30 minute set at Warped Tour a few years ago, and I couldn’t wait to see what kind of full live show he put on. I was NOT disappointed in the least.

It started off with Jenia & I interviewing Bryce for CONFRONT Magazine. We’re both long-time fans of his work and he was one of the nicest, most genuine people I’ve met in a long time. He had inspiring things to say about his music and he made it into more than just an interview. There is nothing I love more than meeting my favorite artists and finding out that they are down to earth and SO deserving of all their success. If possible, the combination of meeting him & listening to him play has made me fall more in love with his music than ever before. I sincerely hope he comes back very soon!

I also absolutely loved one of the opening bands called ‘States‘ and ended up buying all their records. Female vocalist Mindy White blew me away almost immediately. I love her style of voice, which reminds me a lot of Hayley Williams from Paramore. I’m currently listening to their album ‘Born to Run’ and it’s just fantastic. So happy I bought it.

That’s basically all I’ve got for now! This weekend is for blaring music, preparing for Brazil, shopping for last minute things, seeing friends, writing, and celebrating CANADA DAY on Sunday!

How have you been? What are your weekend plans? What music are you listening to today?

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Snow Patrol & CONFRONT

May 4, 2012 Filed Under: CONFRONT, Music = Love Tagged With: , , , , ,

Today you can find me over at CONFRONT Magazine’s website, where I recently finished my article about Snow Patrol! After the amazing opportunity to interview one of the members earlier in April, I had lots of fun writing it up.

I’d love to know what you think!

You can read it by clicking HERE. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the new issue while you’re there :)

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Feel the Music

April 17, 2012 Filed Under: Concerts, CONFRONT, Music = Love Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Music has been one of my biggest loves for as long as I can remember. As a teenager I would spend countless hours sitting in my bedroom, doing homework or surfing the internet, with the familiar sounds of my favorite bands in the background. I would become addicted to a record and have it on repeat for months, or I would have a rotation of a couple of favorites and play them over and over again, one after the next.

It’s almost no surprise that my life has led me further into the music industry as I got older. The only surprise is that I’m lucky enough to be able to say that. So many people love music, and I am fortunate to have little inside views on the workings of the business through my job with CONFRONT magazine.

Me & one of my favorite female artists, Juliet Simms, last summer after my interview with her at the Vans Warped Tour. You can now catch her on Cee Lo’s team on The Voice! Don’t forget to vote! 

Me & Jeremy from Our Lady Peace after my interview, just 2 weeks ago! 

But working for CONFRONT is really just an experience that was lucky enough to fall in my lap, and I have made the absolute best of it in the last three years. I’ve interviewed dozens upon dozens of musicians- both well known and some still making a name for themselves- and it’s just been very humbling overall.

An interview earlier this year with the incredibly talented Charlie Winston from England

I’m feeling kind of introspective about this today for a few reasons:

1) Yesterday, I interviewed one of my all time favorite bands, Snow Patrol

2) I also got to attend the Snow Patrol concert after, opened up by the incredibly talented British solo artist Ed Sheeran

3) Earlier this week I interviewed another overseas band, Of Monsters and Men. They were not only AWESOME and HILARIOUS, but so down-to-earth. I love when that happens!

4) The magazine is really beginning to make a name for itself here in Montreal and I’m so proud to say that I’m part of it’s success over the last 3 years.

5) I really wanted to talk about music in a way that differs from my regular album reviews

In the last two years or so, I’ve had to tone down the amount of concerts I attend because of money. I spent a couple years around the age of 18 going to every concert I wanted, and it took a serious toll on my bank account. I can’t do that anymore because I have other priorities and things I want to accomplish, so I really make the best of each experience I DO get to have, like last night.

My interview yesterday went really well. I sat down with Nathan, and he was such a sweetheart and so incredibly polite. It’s a weird thing, but when I have the opportunity to chat with a band that I’ve adored for so long, I tend to love them even more when I know that they’re actually very humbled about their fame. It’s the mark of a band that’s never let the bad parts of the industry get to them- they’re still in it for THEIR passion, and I love being able to see bits and pieces of this through 15 minute conversations. I’m so excited for exams to be over so I can sit down and write a great article about a band that I’ve followed for over six years now.

Nathan is second from left!

The show last night was truly amazing. My city is well known for being an EXCELLENT crowd, as artists are often incredibly humbled on stage and sincerely say so. As an avid music person, this makes me very proud to be a Montrealer. I know we’re awesome, but when a band that has been together for over 15 years and sold over 10 million records are speechless on stage, that’s just a really incredible moment.

So last night Ed Sheeran played a half hour set and it was phenomenal. He’s a one man act, and he’s amazing at it. He stood on stage with nothing but himself, his acoustic guitar, and a loop pedal, and he played a better set then MANY opening artists are able to do. I love his album, so please DO check him out! His single A-Team is fantastic and his music video Lego Houses features Rupert Grint so… Yeah. Awesome.

Ed Sheeran on stage in Montreal last night

It was the third time I got to see Snow Patrol live, and it was just amazing. I love every record they’ve put out, and their music is even BETTER in concert. They played all their hits as well as a few other random tracks, and came back for something like a 5 or 6 song encore performance. Some of my favorite moments of the night? The song ‘Lifening’ during the Encore, as well as Chocolate, Chasing Cars, All I Have, Run, and Crack the Shutters. But honestly the entire thing was still more than I could have imagined.

The one and only Gary Lightbody :)

The best part though was a toss up between a solo version of ‘Set the Fire to the Third Bar’ and a duet between Ed Sheeran and Gary Lightbody for the song ‘New York’. You can watch an acoustic version of their duet New York that was recorded in a Montreal piano store below, it’s well worth the three minutes:

What are some of your favorite concert experiences?

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Late night thoughts

July 28, 2011 Filed Under: CONFRONT, Cute Stuff, Movie Time!, Post a Day 2011, Random Ramblings Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

I didn’t get the chance to write anything today because I’ve literally been non-stop busy since 7:30AM this morning when I woke up. So since this post is a bit late (or rather, a lot late. I mean really it’s 10:30PM now!) I thought I might just a few more random thoughts out there and save my good post for tomorrow morning.

1) I’ve taken over CONFRONT magazine this week with an article and an interview and I’d love if you wanted to go check them out and leave me your thoughts! Also if I can introduce you to some new music, that’s even better.

You can read my full article with PARAMORE, which was so much fun to write. I’m a huge fan of the band and it was such a pleasure getting to chat with one of the founding members.

I also sat down with Adam Young from OWL CITY last month which was one of the greatest experiences ever. I’ve been a huge fan for a while and I haven’t been that star struck sitting down for an interview in a long time. I think the best part was just how genuinely nice he was, I think he is the sweetest musician I have ever had the pleasure of talking to.

2) If you haven’t read all the Harry Potter books or seen all the films, you can skip over this point! 

I went to see the final movie after work today and I’m just in awe. Especially the big seven- Luna, Neville, Ginny, Harry, Hermione, Ron and Draco. Their characters were so heartbreakingly beautiful, maybe Neville most of all. I have to admit there were a few parts with Voldemort that made me laugh (for real, WHY doesn’t he have a nose? Is this just an unsolved HP mystery, or did I miss that one?) but when he starts laughing, it made me start laughing because his face was so strange looking.

Aside from that though, I cried like a baby. I loved when McGonagall placed the huge protection spell on the castle and all the stone soldiers protected Hogwarts. Also,  the Snape/Lily story was just heart melting, and towards the end when Harry gets the stone and sees his four most beloved people I just could not hold myself together any longer, not whatsoever.

I need to see that movie at least one more time, but I do regret seeing it in 3D. I think that was a little bit overrated. I LOVED the Hermione/Ron kiss but the fact that in real life it was so awkward for them makes me feel bad! I think they acted it out really amazingly and looked so darn cute together, but I don’t think you can beat the book version of it.

This post may or may not have been a reason to share more beautiful pictures of the Harry Potter cast. I am really just not getting sick of looking at their faces. I can’t believe the series is over, but I truly cannot wait to see what else these actors do, they are so talented. And beautiful.

3) That first picture I posted is Rupert chasing Emma on set for the last movie. I thought it was beautiful.

4) Any Big Bang Theory fans out there? The actors who play Raj and Howard (Kunal and Simon) are in Montreal this weekend and I had NO idea until yesterday. They have a comedy show tomorrow night that’s sold out and I am beyond devastated. I’m secretly (not so secretly anymore) rather in love with Raj. Luckily I’ll be seeing Eric Stonestreet with my mom so that’s going to be lots of fun!

5) I haven’t slept properly in at least a week and I can’t remember the last time I sat down with a book. I need to do both of these, preferably for many days in a row. Vacation soon, please? As a side note, I need to stop spending money on travel supplies. MUST. STOP.

Okay, one more Harry Potter picture to end this post? Fine. :)

Hope you’re all having a fantastic week!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Backstage at Warped 2011

July 17, 2011 Filed Under: Concerts, CONFRONT, Music = Love, Post a Day 2011, SO EXCITING!, Summer Time! Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Every time I’ve been to Vans Warped tour (In 2008, and in 2010) I’ve had the most amazing time. There are always bands that I can’t wait to see, and the fact that there are something like 75 bands on any given day, there is music playing for 10 straight hours. Thousands of people make their way to Warped every year and it’s always on a really hot, humid July day. Warped Tour in Montreal more often than not marks the halfway mark of summer, it’s something to look forward to from March straight through til July when it gets here. When I get home at night, I’m usually dirty, hot, EXHAUSTED but on a complete adrenaline high.

Last year Warped landed on my birthday and I spent my whole day there with best friends, followed by a night with some friends backstage watching the fireworks late at night. In 2008 it was my first Warped experience and I was front row for every single one of my favorite bands (Jack’s Mannequin, Anberlin, The Academy Is, Relient K…) This year, I wasn’t just a fan. I got a media bracelet and I spent half of my day backstage conducting interviews.

The reason I thought this year would be good to request a media bracelet was because there weren’t really that many bands that I LOVED- There were a bunch that I really liked and wanted to see, but I knew that I wouldn’t be able to watch that many shows if I was doing interviews all day. Plus, it was a great way to actually discover new musicians! Was I EVER right.

I was backstage from 11:30am until 5:30pm almost completely. I did 8 interviews, and they’re all bands I respect and had a great time talking to. I also took pictures for Jenia’s interview with Enter Shikari (check them out, great band from the UK)  and I got to do photography in the pit (in front of the barricade) for a band called Every Avenue as well as Paramore. THAT was quite the experience. I was beyond the front row, literally one foot away from Hayley Williams herself, a musician that I respect and admire like I can’t even begin to tell you. I felt very, very lucky for those 15 minutes.

Here’s a list of the bands I interviewed, linked to their MySpace so you can check them all out, and a little bit about how our interview went. They’re all really awesome, seriously!

1. Less Than Jake

 

- Style: Ska
- This band has been around for almost two decades, and although ska is not my style at all, I had the best time interviewing Roger, one of the two lead vocalists for the band.  I can’t believe I had the chance to hang out with such a long time musician for 10 minutes- not to mention that he might have been one of the MOST down to earth guys ever. He’s been in the business for so long but I wasn’t intimidated at all. We joked around the whole time and I’m just so humbled what a cool guy he is.

 

2. Go Radio

- Style: Pop/Alternative/Rock
-  I discovered this band a couple months ago because I’d heard they were going to be on Warped and that they were good- and they really are! They’re just my type of music and I had a lot of fun watching them play live. I got to sit down with one of the members and it was really nice to just hang out and talk music with a band that I like listening to.

3. Relient K

- Style: Pop/Rock
- How cool is this band? They have an album called MMHMM, I seriously love them! I interviewed Ethan, one of the members, pretty last minute, but I had the best time. It was like talking to a friend and he was really nice and had great answers. Best part? At the end of my interview he took the time to tell me that I had a really great interviewing style and he loved how we just spent some time talking, and that it doesn’t happen like that all the time at all. He made some jokes and shook my hand, told me it was super nice to meet me (remembered my name!) and just yeah. I was really flattered.

4. Paramore

left to right: Jeremy, Hayley, Taylor

- Style: Alternative/Rock
- If you don’t know this band yet, PLEASE GO CHECK THEM OUT. Lead vocalist Hayley Williams is 23 years old and she is phenomenal. Her voice, I can’t even tell you how great. I’ve been a HUGE fan of Paramore since College when they released their album ‘Riot!’ and the song ‘Misery Business‘ which is catchy by anyone’s standards. I got to interview Jeremy, one of the members who’s been around since the beginning, and he was absolutely HILARIOUS. He kept making jokes and I was easily myself, joking around and throwing around a little bit of sarcasm with him. I still can’t believe I interviewed one of the members of Paramore. Wow.

5. Every Avenue


- Style: Pop/Rock
- I wasn’t supposed to interview this band, but they were just relaxing by the media tent without much to do and were looking to talk up their band so I thought why not? They’re an incredibly talented bunch of guys and it’s always fun to talk to guys who are excited about what they’re doing. I got the impression they were a bit nervous during the interview from the way they were answering me, but that humbled me more than anything else. I caught part of their set later and got to take pictures in the pit and they put on a super fun show and had lots of energy too!

6. Automatic Loveletter


- Style: Alternative
- Singer/songwriter Juliet Simms has one of the most unique voices & I’ve been a fan of hers for about 4 years now. I first heard of her when she sang alongside All Time Low’s Alex Gaskarth in a song called ‘Remembering Sunday‘ which I’ve been in love with ever since. I was most nervous to interview her but I have no idea why, she was so down to earth and funny and very honest. It was an absolute pleasure to finally get to meet her.

8. Ill Scarlett


-Style: Dub/Punk/Rock
- This band isn’t my usual style of music, but they’re from Toronto and I was interested in learning more about them since they’re so close to where I’m from. They’ve got a really fun summer vibe to them. I interviewed one of the guys and he was so relaxed and having the best time on Warped. It’s a tough festival for any band (think 3 straight months traveling the States and parts of Canada, 12 hour long drives every night, even longer days setting up and taking everything down) but he was absolutely loving everything about it.

9. Shut Up & Deal 

-Style: Pop/Rock
- I interviewed two of the guys in this band, they were a TON of fun to chat with and super down to earth. You can download their album on their Myspace (linked above) for FREE. Go now.

I finished off my day with Jenn watching Paramore from the main stage. There were SO many people that once I was done taking pictures we couldn’t get anywhere even close to the stage, so we just enjoyed it from a distance, and left just before the last song so we wouldn’t get caught with everyone leaving. We were both EXHAUSTED, but I had a really great time. Not only with interviews, but I just love the ambiance at Warped. There are so many people there for music and for a good time, it’s hard to leave there in a bad mood. I’m already excited for next year!

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July: Goals & Turning Twenty Two.

July 1, 2011 Filed Under: 101 in 1,001, Blogs & Blogging, CONFRONT, Everyday Stories, Post a Day 2011, Reading/Books Tagged With: ,

This month is not only the big summer month, but it’s really my favorite month of the year. Maybe it’s because my birthday is just before the halfway mark, maybe it’s just because July always seems to have the most beautiful days. Either way, I’m excited about it. Here are my goals for the month:

1) Get back to eating healthy, track my weight & start exercising again. I’ve got 5 weeks to feel fantastic for Greece, and I’ll be damned if I don’t put 100% of myself into this goal. I mean, seriously. It’s not like I have anything else (school, etc) in my way anymore. I have no excuse. This month, it’s on.

2) Try and donate blood again. SERIOUSLY, I’m going to try a third time. As of July 8th I’m allowed to attempt to give blood again, and I most certainly will. Especially if my lovely friend Agnes has anything to say about it. I know she wants this for me as badly as I want to- I mean really, 6 months to cross off this one goal? Unacceptable. Plus, I can’t get a tattoo or another piercing until I do this AND I WANT TO DO BOTH very soon. So let’s do this.

3) Read 8 books/Cross off two reading goals. I’m a bit nervous for this one because 5 is usually my limit, but I’m going to try and make this a bigger reading month than usual. According to Goodreads I’m constantly behind by 3 books, which means that if I add an extra 3 this month I might get myself on track to reading 60 books by the end of this year. I think if I continue reading books that are part of my reading goals as well as continue with my one evening a week away from the computer (but still at home) for the whole month, I should accomplish this one! Also, from now on I’m going to mark the dates that I finish books. Much easier that way.

4) Renew my learner’s permit. I’ve had this one on my last before and completely forgotten about it, but I really wanted to accomplish this one this summer… And since I leave in 5 weeks it’s now or never!

5) Complete 5 more goals from my 101 Goals list to be at 50 total accomplished. This is a mix of some of my above goals & other, but if I can get to 50 by the end of July I’ll be super happy! I’ve given myself a few extra in case I’m feeling up to it, since I’m feeling kind of repetitive here.

a) Read for an hour every day for 2 weeks
b) Re-read 5 novels I loved when I was younger (4/5 complete)
c) Spend an evening away from my laptop once a week for 2 months (I’m halfway there, at the end of July I’ll be done!)
d) Read  3 novels on Well Being (2/3 complete)
e) Go one month without junk food. Challenge accepted.

As well as:

f) Give blood
g) Stop biting my nails (if I make it through the month I’ll cross this one off)
h) Spend a day with my phone turned off

I think I’ll have my plate pretty full with goals, but I really want to get some stuff done before I leave the country for 3 weeks. I know that I won’t be focusing on them very much (if at all) while I’m gone, so I want to feel like at least I was productive before getting on that plane.

In July I will also…

- Celebrate my 22nd birthday on July 10th. I didn’t have any birthday plans earlier this week, but now I have a potential dancing date with my Greece girls on Friday July 8th, I have a work party (planned by a friend) on Saturday July 9th, and I have a birthday brunch with close friends on Sunday July 10th. I think I’ll spend the rest of my birthday with family, and that will be one pretty fantastic weekend if I do say so myself.

- Have a media pass to the Vans Warped Tour on July 16th. I’ve never been backstage at that festival, but believe me I am excited like it’s nobody’s business. I have a requested interview with PARAMORE (he-yo!) and I’ll be spending the whole day surrounded by music. This was the festival that I spent my birthday at last year and it was one of the best days ever. I can’t wait to do the behind the scenes thing.

-  Sponsor two blogs, they are both fantastic & I’m sure most of you know them… In case you don’t go check out Sometimes Sweet and Kyla Roma right now!

- Finish setting up my huge (and hopefully successful) Month of Guest Blogging AKA August. I still have just a few spots left if you’re interested in writing something for me, e-mail me at mliss024[at]gmail[dot]com! :)

Is your month of July looking fun, summery and full like mine?! What are your goals?

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