ASU Undergrad Concert: Pre-Show/Intermission Playlist

One of my duties as Artistic Director for the Undergrad Show is to put together music for pre-show/intermission. This was one of my favorite parts of the job, as I LOVE LOVE LOVE putting together playlists!! The Undergrad Show is full of quirky, diverse works, so I decided to model the playlist after that, building it around a fabulous cover of T.I.'s "Whatever You Like" by Anya Marina. I peppered some other quirky cover songs in there as well. I think it turned out pretty great!

1. Duncan Sheik--"There Once Was A Pirate"
2. Magnet--"The Gospel Song"
3. Blind Uncle Gaspard--"Assi Dans La Fenetre De Ma Chambre"
4. Gogol Bordello--"Start Wearing Purple"
5. Anya Marina--"Whatever You Like"
6. Amy Winehouse--"Back to Black"
7. Yael Naim--"Toxic"
8. Sparks--"Suburban Homeboy"
9. Kate Nash--"Mouthwash"
10. The Bird and the Bee--"My Love"
11. Alanis Morrissette--"Citizen of the Planet"
12. The Rolling Stones--"Laugh, I Nearly Died"
13. Taken By Trees--"Sweet Child O' Mine"
14. The Andrews Sisters--"Bei Mir Bist Du Shoen"
15. The Roaring Girl Cabaret--"Passion Play" (I could not find this on YouTube, unfortunately, so it is not on the playlist below.)
16. Florence + the Machine--"Dog Days Are Over"
17. Amy Winehouse--"Someone to Watch Over Me"
18. Leonard Nimoy--"Highly Illogical"
19. The Puppini Sisters--"Walk Like An Egyptian"
20. The Dresden Dolls--"Coin Operated Boy"
21. Helen Kane--"I Wanna Be Loved By You"
22. Ani Difranco--"Here For Now"
23. April March--"Chick Habit"
24. Rufus Wainwright--"Between My Legs"
25. Yeah Yeah Yeahs--"Gold Lion (Live Acoustic)"
26. Lenka--"Trouble is a Friend"
27. Jessie J--"Sexy Silk"
28. Crooked Still--"Ain't No Grave"
29. Massive Attack--"Teardrop"
30. Kanye West--"Street Lights"
31. The Velvet Underground--"I'm Sticking With You"
32. Britney Spears--"Piece of Me"
33. The Pierces--"Secret"
34. The Roaring Girl Cabaret--"L'Amour Est Un Oiseau Rebelle" (I could not find this on YouTube, unfortunately, so it is not on the playlist below.)
35. M.I.A.--"Paper Planes"
36. Metric--"Black Sheep"
37. Eileen--"Ces Bottes Sont Faites Pour Marcher"
38. The Dresden Dolls--"Mandy Goes to Med School"

A Rufus Kind of Week

Rufus Wainwright has been my music of choice this week. Can't get enough.

Katy's Favorite Idiosyncratic Christmas Songs

As I mentioned before, I love idiosyncratic versions of classic Christmas songs. I thought I'd compile them and share...in the spirit of the holidays, y'know. All these songs just feel like Christmas to me. Enjoy!

Things I Love Thursday

It's been awhile since I've done this. Here's what I've been loving lately...

1. Idiosyncratic Christmas songs. I can't stand sickly sugar covers of "Last Christmas." Rather, I prefer Barenaked Ladies and Sarah McLachlan doing "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," Sufjan Stevens doing "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," Lady Gaga singing "White Christmas" as only she can. I scour iTunes for them. The idiosyncratic versions of carols get me in the spirit more than traditional ones.

2. Italian Wedding soup from Oregano's. I had it last night. It's served in a bowl bigger than my head with a sliver of cheesy garlic bread. So good!

3. The PBS adaptation of Macbeth with Patrick Stewart. Wow wow wow. It's amazing! It's streaming on Netflix. WATCH IT.

4. The Three Witches in Macbeth. I'm kind of obsessed with them, especially the ones in the PBS version. They give me the creeps in the best way.

5. Cake vodka! Three Olives makes it, along with many other flavors. But this vodka is so smooth that you could drink it straight if you wanted to. I prefer to mix it with hot cocoa for warm boozy bliss.

6. "Heartwarming" lattes and snickerdoodles from Liberty Market. "Heartwarming" denotes adding a shot of 100 proof peppermint schnapps! So delicious, so warm and fuzzy. And their snickerdoodles are the only ones I've found that are as good as my Mama's homemade ones.

7. This blog entry about how to talk to a dance major. I get these questions ALL. THE. TIME.

8. Pancakes from The Good Egg. Food there is pretty hit or miss, but their pancakes are stacks of fluffy deliciousness.

9. White Oleander, by Janet Fitch. I'm re-reading it for the millionth time. It never gets old...it's so nasty and beautiful. And it makes my fingers itch to write.

10. Natalie Goldberg's writing exercises in Old Friend From Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir. She is such a remarkable teacher and gives such great prompts. I've generated a lot of great writing because of her.

Katy's Favorite Autumn Music, Vol. 1

Autumn, by Sylvia Ji







1) Nickel Creek--"Scotch and Chocolate"
I listen to pretty much anything by Nickel Creek during autumn, but this is one of my favorites. And this video was apparently one of their last unplugged sessions before they broke up. TOO MUCH AMAZING, seriously. I love watching musicians who are so genuinely skilled like this.

2) Nickel Creek--"When in Rome"
My requisite autumn song. Plus they all look like a buncha studs in this video.

3) Anything by The Roaring Girl Cabaret
She rocks! And her music is delicious. I particularly enjoy "Passion Play" (lots of Shakespeare references!), "Sweet By and By," and her cover of "L'Amour Est Un Oiseau Rebelle" from Carmen.

4) Temper Trap--"Sweet Disposition"
They're like a slightly more indie sounding U2. I first heard this song in (500) Days of Summer and discovered last year that it's a perfect autumn song.

5) Amy Winehouse--"Someone To Watch Over Me"
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this cover. There's something about the classic Gershwin song mixed with Amy's petulant, smoky voice that makes my heart go pitter-pat.

6) Wolfmother--"Vagabond"
This is a great summer-into-fall song. There's something about it that makes me feel like the seasons are changing. And I love the beat! This was another song I discovered through (500) Days of Summer.

7) The Chieftains f/Nickel Creek--"The Raggle Taggle Gypsy"
Irish music + bluegrass = MMMMMMM! The Chieftains are another band that's made up of such genuinely skilled musicians that it's hypnotizing to watch. So pairing them up with like Nickel Creek naturally brings the house down.

8) Allison Krauss & Robert Plant--"Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us"
Love love love this haunting song. Fun fact: it was originally by Sam Phillips, who did the music for Gilmore Girls! I love her version of the song as well. Both are very autumn-y.

9) Garrison Keillor & Meryl Streep (From the A Prairie Home Companion soundtrack)--"Gold Watch and Chain"
I am not a huge fan of the Prairie Home Companion radio show (I always come in during the middle and never have any clue what's going on), but for some reason I adore the movie. It's full of great music, but this song is particularly charming.

10) John Tsifliklis & His band (From the My Big Fat Greek Wedding soundtrack)--"Οραία Που Είναι η Νύφη Μας"
Autumn makes me think of many things, one of them being the annual Greek Festival in Tucson! I haven't been able to go for the past couple of years, which makes me sad. But luckily I still have incredible Greek music to keep me company instead.

When In Rome

There are many artists I listen to that are perfect for autumn, but I think my favorite has to be Nickel Creek. There's just something about their brand of folksy bluegrass deliciousness that feels like autumn to me. I've been listening to them on a loop recently as I feel the weather slowly change. I think When in Rome might be my favorite song from them.

I've been going to Skateland almost every day to practice for roller derby tryouts (4 days!). The staff knows me now, to the point where the guy at the skate rental stand saw me coming today and immediately brought out a pair of size nine speed skates for me. D'aww. I love being a regular. It's tough to skate at a rink, only because there are so many people there and the majority are kids who are all kinds of unstable on skates. But maybe that's a blessing in disguise, because I'm practicing my dodging skills by skating around them! I'm getting the hang of roller skating (not an easy transition after years of ice and inline skating) and building my endurance more and more each day. I know that roller derby training is going to kick my ass, so I'm trying to build up as much strength as possible so if and when I make the team, I'll be at least a little bit ready. I hope I make it!! It's a huge commitment and also very dangerous, but I think it'll all be worth it. This is where my heart is leading me right now, and I'm looking forward to potentially trying something new and meeting lots of new people.

Still plodding along in school. I continue to struggle with staying awake in the morning, which is so frustrating. Tomorrow I'm going to try waking up earlier. It may seem counterintuitive, but maybe having more time in the morning to wake up will help? Ugh, I don't know. I really hate the way I feel in the morning. I envy early birds who pop out of bed like Julia Child in Julie & Julia ("I'm UP!"). I'm like a zombie, and I stay that way for a couple hours. Bleh.

My transition project is a bit of a hot mess right now. I've had so many problems with casting and absences (very reminiscent of Sweet Charity, ughh). So we're way behind and it's really frustrating. I did a bit of firm housekeeping, though, and I'm hoping that things will run smoother from now on. Pray that no one else drops out!! Also, I just launched a Kickstarter project to raise money--check it out and feel free to donate! Any little bit, even $1, helps tremendously. I'm hoping to raise $500 to cover costumes, props and copyright fees primarily. All that stuff is expensive!

And that's pretty much all that's going on at the moment. Apartment is still awesome, kitty is still awesome, I'm hanging in there.

Love Is A Losing Game

I understand that Amy Winehouse had a lot of problems. She drank heavily and did drugs, she was belligerent, she was an addict. And I understand that there are a myriad of ugly things happening around the world that we should be concerned about and that something like a celebrity death may seem trivial in comparison. I understand all that. But I don't give a damn. She was one of my all-time favorite singers...I can't describe how much her music has meant to me. And despite her problems, she did NOT deserve to die. No one deserves that. I'm sick of hearing shit like that, how "if you play with fire you'll get burnt," "she shouldn't have said no to rehab, heh heh heh" and so on. This is like my Kurt Cobain, and I don't feel bad about grieving for her. I loved her music. Her voice and her lyrics helped me through a whole lot, and I'm so sad that she'll never release another incredible album. Rest in Peace, crazy girl. I love you.

My Favorite Amy Songs:

Not much to say lately.

"I'm on the edge of something final we call life tonight."
--Gaga

Cold War

Bring wings to the weak and bring grace to the strong
May all evil stumble as it flies in the world.
All the tribes come and the mighty will crumble
We must brave this night and have faith in love.

On Repeat

"This is how it works:
You peer inside yourself
You take the things you like
Then try to love the things you took.
And then you take that love you made,
and stick it into some--
Someone else's heart, pumping someone else's blood."
--On the Radio, Regina Spektor

For Funsies.

A survey stolen from this guy.
 
iTunes...

How many songs: 6601.

Sort by song title 
First Song: A Quai - Yann Tiersen
Last Song: / = / = / - Andrew Bird

Sort by time 
Shortest Song: Flip Strings (Sound Effects) - Kill Bill Vol 1 Soundtrack (0:05)
Longest Song: Tubular Bells, Pt I - Mike Oldfield (25:37)

Sort by artist
First Artist: ABBA!
Last Artist: 46Bliss

Sort by album 
First Album: Abbey Road - The Beatles
Last Album: 1200 Curfews (Live) - Indigo Girls

Top Three Most Played Songs:

1. Cosmic Love - Florence + the Machine
2. Paparazzi - Lady Gaga
3. Rue des Cascades - Yann Tiersen

Search:

• Death: 61
• Life: 95
• Love: 401
• Hate: 13
• You: 669
• Sex: 10

Everything At Once

I first heard Lenka two years ago when "The Show" was available for free on iTunes. I had just started at ASU, and it was a freaky coincidence that the lyrics completely paralleled how I was feeling about everything right at that moment. I've adored her ever since. I currently love this song:



Whyyyy is this only a clip? I want the whole video. GESTURAL CHOREOGRAPHY.

Street Lights

I really can't be 100% sure about this until classes actually start on Thursday, but I have a feeling that graduating college is something that is just not going to happen for me. Part of me is still fiercely hanging onto the idea of staying in school even though it makes me miserable most of the time. I'm waiting for that part to let go. I'm also waiting for the day when I can forgive myself for feeling like this, because right now all I feel is guilt. So much money wasted--both on tuition at the UA and ASU, and for many flights/hotel stays during BFA auditions...so much money, it's disgusting. And so much time wasted; my time, my teachers' time. Again, I can't be 100% sure about this until I see how this semester feels and I talk to some people. But I went to ASU today for an advising session and have another one tomorrow; it's not looking good. I just don't think it's going to happen.



"Let me know...
Do I still got time to grow?
Things ain't always set in stone.
That be known, let me know. Let me--
Seems like streetlights, glowing,
happen to be just like
moments passing in front of me
so I hopped in the cab and,
I paid my fare;
See, I know my destination,
But I'm just not there..."
--Street Lights, Kanye West

Yesterday in Music

Yesterday was a fun music day. Here's some of the stuff I was listening to...

I started with Jane Monheit, badass jazz babe. I had to wake up super early (5:45 AM) to take Steve to work. (Long story.) I was mildly hungover from 4th of July festivities, so I chose Jane Monheit because she's nice and mellow and gorgeous and didn't hurt my pounding head:

Started with Over the Rainbow, Then Waters of March, per Steve's request. It's his favorite Jane song. I ended the drive with Hit the Road to Dreamland.

Halfway through Over the Rainbow, my headache started easing up. Jane Monheit cured my hangover. This is one of many reasons why I love her.

Later on, I had a doctors appointment. I always get nervous when I have to go to the doctor, so I needed something peppy to cheer me up. Clearly, I needed Janelle Monae:

Her adorable tiny fierceness helped me be less nervous. :)

I decided to reward myself for going to the doctor by going shopping. Janelle Monae got me in a sassy mood, so I switched over to Lady Gaga:

Started with Teeth! Ohh I do love this song. "Take a bite of my baaaad girl meat!" Then listened to Bad Romance since I hadn't listened to it in awhile. I belted Poker Face on the 101 driving home. I used to really hate this song, but now it's a guilty pleasure. And a perfect for the freeway. I listened to part of Eh Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say) in my driveway while I was trying to figure out my surprisingly confusing shade thing for my windshield. Normally I skip over this song, but I rediscovered it today.


And that's about it. I love fun music days!

I actually fell asleep at like 8 or 9 PM last night, because I'd gotten up early. CRAZY. It's nice having a reason to get up early, but I'm predicting this will only last for a few days before I'll be back to my vampire schedule. Eh.