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Hi friends!

I know I haven't been here long, but I'm moving my blog.  You can find it here.  Hope you continue to read it!

Black Eyed Peas review

Last night the Black Eyed Peas rocked the St. Pete Times Forum along with Ludacris and LMFAO.  This show was an outright party.  When you walked into the arena there was a DJ and light show and dance floor.  You should have known at that point that you are here to party.

LMFAO puts on such an amazing show.  I saw them at The Kennedy a few months ago.  I didn't really know much about them at that time and was pretty impressed right off the bat.  But last night's performance blew me away.  They have so much energy.  And their songs are really catchy.  Oh, and their energizer bunny of a backup dancer is pretty awesome too.  Their set included 'I am not a whore,' 'I'm in (Tampa) Bitch,' 'La La La,' 'Shots' and 'Yes.'  I always forget what a great show they put on.

Ludacris was good.  He was a little low energy compared to LMFAO, but good nonetheless.  He has so many hits though that he can't really get through all of them in an opening set.  Here's everything he tried to get through: 'What's Your Fantasy' (and really, all he sang was the infamous part everyone knows), 'Move Bitch,' 'Area Codes,' 'Act a Fool,' 'Stand Up,' 'Yeah,' 'Money Maker,' and the newest single 'How Low.'  See...That's a lot!

Black Eyed Peas came out with a bang.  Straight into 'Let's Get it Started' which, really, should be the only way to start any BEP show.  I think they did a really good job balancing the new unreleased songs with the old.  It seemed like they would do one single, then an unreleased, then a single, then an unreleased.  I think it worked.  They did a set that included 'Rock That Body,' 'Meet Me Halfway,' 'Alive,' 'Don't Punk With My Heart,' 'Imma Be,' and 'My Humps.'  Oh, and Will.i.am made up a rap with BBM messages from the crowd (Thanks Blackberry for your sponsorship). Then came the individual performances.  Apl did his Phillipino song off the last album again, and Taboo rode on a motorcycle over the crowd.

Fergie had the next solo honors and sang tracks off her solo album.  We were treated to 'Fergalicous,' 'Glamorous,' and 'Big Girls Don't Cry.'  Finally, Will.i.am took the stage.  He did a twenty minute DJ set which rocked the house.  He played 'Jump Around,' 'Teen Spirit,' 'Otherside' by RHCP and so many more I can't even think of.  I think this was my favorite part of the entire night.  The entire Forum was on their feet dancing and jumping around.  I'm not sure I've ever seen such excitement from a concert crowd.

Everyone came back out to do 'Now Generation', and 'Pump it.' They then thanked everyone for all their support, blah blah blah and finished the set with 'Where is the Love.'  The encore included 'Boom Boom Pow,' and 'I've Got a Feeling.'  Overall, a great show!

Now, a few other random thoughts.  1.  I love how BEP has continuity.  I mean, how they have their backup dancers in the same outfits as their music videos.  Genius. When people like your videos, they like seeing a live version of it.  Also, they do the same stage directions as they did in award show performances.  I just dig that about them.  2.  'Rock That Body' should absolutely by the next single.  The crowd went wild when they started that last night.  And it's just a feel good club vibe song.

Alright, that's it folks.  

For some photos of the show, check out this link.

Rihanna - 'Rude Boy'

Here's another reason why I should have listened to the Rihanna album.  I, once again, missed out on a great song by the barbadian songstress.  The new single is 'Rude Boy.'  Enjoy!



I keep forgetting she is only 21 years old!

John Mayer in concert

John Mayer truly is a talented musician.  He's a great guitar player, a good singer, and a talented writer.  But, I really did not want to go to his concert.  I've seen him once, about five years ago and I just didn't enjoy it.

HOWEVER, I really, really enjoyed the show on Friday night (thanks Brady and the Bryans for talking me into going).  At the last concert he spent most of his time on stage jamming.  I could only count two jam sessions this time, which, for me, is tolerable.  He had a great set list at as well, even though he didn't perform 'Daughters' or 'Your Body is a Wonderland.'  I'll admit, I haven't really listened to his album, but after this show, I might just pick it up and give it a listen.

My favorite thing about the show?  Mayer's facial expressions.  He really, really gets into his music (which he should), and makes the funniest facial expressions.

Oh, and one of the other things that really caught my attention was his lighting rig.  They moved all over the place, but they were used really well to create a great setting on stage, and really created moods with the music.  Lights are definitely the 'cool toy' on tour at the moment, but this was a really great example of an artist using the lights as the background.  So, kudos to you, John.

Owl City at the Ritz Ybor

So last night I got to enjoy the live show of Owl City.  I've loved 'Firefiles' since the first time I heard it, and made Tommy listen to it (for the record he hated it the first time he heard it).  The show was great!

Adam Young (a.k.a. Owl City) is totally awkward.  But, he really does pour his heart into his music.  You can tell that he is totally into it.  And I really wouldn't expect anything else out of him.  He was totally awkward on stage.  Crazy movements, spinning in circles, all that stuff.  But like I said, I wouldn't expect anything else.

For a chilled out guy and chilled out music it was a really high energy show.  With all the crazy movements.  They had a great set up with with strings, drums, guitars and, of course, plenty of keyboards.  All the kids in the group performed really well.  The string girls were really cute too.  They had dances to various songs.  Very cute!

The show was really great.  Definitely check them out if you can.  And here are some photos!

Taio Cruz - 'Break Your Heart'

I've been listening to this song for a little while. At first I wasn't sure that I was all in. But I kept coming back to it. I threw it on my workout mix, and really started digging it. Then I heard it in two different mixes last night, and I think this song has some potential.

Check out 'Break Your Heart' by Taio Cruz. There are two versions out there. I prefer the Ludacris one, which I couldn't find on youtube. :(

The Grammys wrap up

I know, you are probably sick of hearing all about the Grammys at this point. But that's not going to stop me from giving you my point of view of the Grammys. ;p

I have to admit that I thought the Grammys were GREAT this year! Well, the performances at least. GaGa and Elton rocked the show opener. And I thought it was really cool how they mashed their songs up. Beyonce's cover of 'You Oughta Know' was fierce. However, it was weird for her to go back into 'If I Were A Boy.' BEP were fine, however I was not into Fergie's visor. Jamie Foxx had the best song intro of the entire night! I didn't care much for the MJ tribute, in fact, I hate that they are pimping out his kids. He went out of his way to keep them out of the limelight, please continue his wishes.

And here goes my rant...I AM SO OVER TAYLOR SWIFT! Katie Sommers this morning said 'I don't believe your 'I'm so shocked' face anymore. We are over it. Let it go.' I could not have said it better. I'm over her. Be done. Go away. Thank you.

Alright, that's all I can muster. As I was writing this I realized I am also over the Grammys and don't really care to write any more about it.

Find the winners here .

Timbaland - 'If I Ever See You Again' f/ Katy Perry

I was going to suggest what might be the next single from Timbaland to you ('Say Something' by Drake), but I decided that there is a track on 'Shock Value II' that I like waaaay better. It's the Katy Perry collaboration called 'If I Ever See You Again.' The album really is great, and there are a lot of great tracks on there. Check it out, but if you can only check out one track, it's this one...



Also, how is there a music video out for this already????

Rihanna f. Will.i.am - 'Photographs'

I have to admit I was going through a slight anti-Rihanna phase when 'Rated R' was released. I just didn't dig the first two singles and therefore didn't give the album a listen. Foolish, because there was this gem hidden on it (thank you Pandora for bringing this to my attention). Not sure this song could really make it as a single. It's fantastic, but it would be overshadowed by the 'is this song about Chris?' questions. But then again, maybe that will catch the attention of people more. Anyway, I dig the song. And Will.i.am's verse is dope! Give it a listen...



And here's some young and innocent Rihanna -

Wheels - Foo Fighers

I know this song has been out for a little while, but I just heard it on TV and decided this was the song for today. I love Foo Fighters. I think there music has come a long way over the years and continues to knock it out of the park. Anyway, I think this is just a feel good song. Enjoy...

Motion City Soundtrack - 'My Dinosaur Life'

Motion City Soundtrack is one of my FAVORITE bands! It could have something to do with them being from Minneapolis (HOLLER!). Their new album 'My Dinosaur Life' is out today. I'm pretty pumped (even though I've had my hands on this for a week - Thanks Brady!)! I hate to say this, but it took a minute for me to get into the album. I'm totally digging it now, but my first pass took a little bit. However, I had the same thing happen with their last album.

Anyway, here's my favorite songs off the album:

'A Lifeless Ordinary (Need A Little Help)' - This is a classic MCS song.



'Her Words Destroyed My Plant' - Shout out to Uncommon Grounds in Uptown. Makes me want to go visit, lol! Someone tell anyone that works there and demand an autographed copy of the album!



'The Weakends'- I think this is the strongest song off the album. Great hook, interesting changes in feel in the music, just great overall.



And for old times sake, here's 'You Hold Me Down':

Train - 'Hey, Soul Sister'

It's been a minute since we've heard something from Train and Pat Monahan's eyebrows, but their new single is really catchy! It's 'Hey, Soul Sister.' It has a Jason Mraz 'I'm Yours' feel to it (and sounds a little like it). But it's a feel good song. Give it a go...



Plus, who doesn't love a good ukulele?

Ke$ha - 'Blah Blah Blah'

There are a lot of people saying that Ke$ha is going to be the next 'it' girl (read Lady GaGa) for 2010. She's definitely going to be someone to watch this year. 'Tik Tok' is pretty incredible. Tommy tells me that 'Blah Blah Blah' featuring 3Oh3! is the next single and I certainly hope so. I found it in the Top 10 downloads on iTunes.:



And for good measure, here's 'Tik Tok':



Also, I love how she sings like she is bored off her ass.

Upcoming albums in 2010

I've been planning this post in my head since the beginning of the year. I was inspired by this article, 'Most anticipated albums of 2010' on Metromix. They've put together a really great list. I just wanted to highlight what I think are some albums to watch.

Lady Antebellum - 'Need You Now'

Watch the title single specifically. Now, I'm no country fan. I'm not even on team Taylor Swift. However, I was turned onto this song by a friend and she was dead on. This song will be huge! It's a classic break up song. I probably won't pick up the album still, but the song has caught my attention enough to peak my interest in the band.

Jason Derulo - 'Jason Derulo'

Potentially the next Ne-Yo? I think so. He can sing. He can dance. His first single was a massive hit. I'm a big fan of 'In My Head'. And I can't wait to see what else he pulls out of his sleeve. I saw him perform not long after 'What U say' was released and he had some great stuff then. Downfall, no release date yet. Get your act together!

Angels and Airways - 'Love'

I'm a little surprised that we have a new Angels and Airways album before a Blink-182 album. Maybe just more disappointed. Regardless, I hope Tom gets his weirdness out in order to put together a killed Blink return.

MGMT - 'Congratulations'

I've only recently discovered MGMT. Not for everyone, but they are really a great band.

Gorillaz - 'Plastic Beach'

It's been a little while. Hopefully they pull out another big single. Thinking of them brings me back to the Minnesota State Fair and hearing that song every hour for two weeks.

My Chemical Romance

I admit, I wasn't crazy about their last album. I thought they lost a little steam from the previous one, yet they still had some good stuff. I wonder where they will go with the next one.

Missy Elliot - 'Block Party'

Well you've been quiet for a while. Let's return to the style of earlier Missy, k?

Hole - 'Nobody's Daughter'

I mainly want to see if Courtney Love can pull herself together enough to finish this album. Hole was a great band and 'Malibu' is one of my all time favorite songs. Time will tell...

Korn

According to the Metromix article, Korn is moving away from their experimental stuff, and back towards the stuff that made them major rockstars. Thank God! I can barely stand that last album and have purged it from my iTunes.

Eminem - 'Relapse 2'

I didn't really give him a chance with this album. Apparently I should have because it was one of the most successful albums of 2009 (WHAT?!?) Yeah, I know. He kept showing up at all these awards shows and I was utterly confused. I'll give this a shot though.

Blink 182

YAY! I really can't wait for this album. I was kinda bummed out at the concert. They weren't what I expected, but that's okay. I would love for their album to be similar to their last album they released together.

Motion City Soundtrack is not mentioned in this article, however, I am very much looking forward to that CD next week. One of my all time favorite bands, and Minneapolis natives (SHOUT OUT!) And I'd love to see No Doubt put something out this year.

Okay, sorry that was much a long post, but I am hopeful for the upcoming year in music...Don't let me down!

Holla!

Well, I've decided to go all in and start blogging. It's been nagging at me for a while now. So here we are. I think... *think* I've settled on a topic. I wanna write about music. You see, it's my passion. Music has helped me get through situations and led me down my career path for a long time. And it's my passion. So here we go...I'm going to be talking about music.

I'm not going to start something tonight. I just wanted to get set up. But I'll do my best to bring you something new every day. I've already got the first few songs/topics ready to go.

Feel free to post suggestions for music!