This is one on my list every year. Usually I buy something new… something I listen to on a regular basis. But today I decided to check out something different.
I think this might be good. We will see when I get it!
Category: Music
January 14th: Buy a New Record
It is exciting to mark some of these things off my list that are possible because of things I did last year on my list.
So I bought a record player last year and it has been great to listen to music on it. It feels archaic but that feels great.
So I am obsessed with The Revivalists and have been meaning to buy the most recent record they put out in 2015 but I just always put it off.
That is the great thing about this list! Some of the things are just things that I always mean to do but always put off. So today I did it! Purchased the record on amazon.com!
I am so excited to get it. But the great thing about Amazon is it tells you other things you might be interested in. And yes Amazon, yes I was interested in this record too.
I discovered this band when listening to The Revivalists on Spotify. It was “similar”. And I do love them. So I got that one too, because I needed 5 more dollars to qualify for free shipping and it only cost 10… so I got free shipping and another record for 5 more dollars. Good thinking, right?!?
I hate that I have to wait a few days to get it. But when both records come in the mail it will be quite the exciting day!
May 17th: Sing in the Car
I actually do not drive that often and when I do it is pretty short distances, usually bobbing and weaving through traffic.
Today was a little different. I had a ton of errands to run so I was in and out of the car all day. I made it a point to enjoy the drive each time, cranking the radio and singing along.
It is a side note, and a sad one at that, that I really wanted to enjoy my time in my car while I still have it.
I have only had this car for a year and it got extensive hail damage in the last storm Colorado had about a week or so ago. I am still waiting to hear from my insurance company, but with the amount of damage it has, it will probably be totaled out.
I cannnot complain too much… it is paid off and I should get a nice amount for it to buy something new and exciting!
Regardless, today I got to drive him around and sing at the top of my lungs… 😂😎
May 11th: Write a Fan Letter
So when I came across this thing to do there was no other person/group/celebrity to send a letter to than The Revivalist. The letter describes my love for them… you can read it below… One of my tasks earlier in the year was to go to a new music venue, I went to see them. They are amazing. If you haven’t heard of them you should check them out. If you like them you should go see them live… they are more amazing live!
“Hi Revivalists,
I just wanted to put out there how much I love you guys. It’s been a while since I have found a band that I connect to so much!!
I work at a small pizzaria/music venue in Denver and always create playlists for customers to listen to… I had asked a regular for some good new music to add to the list last Fall and she told me about you guys after she saw you at a festival up in Buena Vista… I’ve been hooked ever since.
I had the chance to see you in December at the Fox Theatre and then at the Ogden in February!
I look forward to seeing you guys again at the Westword Music Showcase!
Thanks for the great music! Can’t wait to hear more.
Big fan,
Megan”
April 24th: Listen to Ambient Noise for a Few Hours
This might be one of my new favorite things.
I have been living in Colorado for over five years now and one thing I miss about Florida is the sound of rain… nearly all the time. So in my search to complete this I found this video of TEN HOURS of rain and light thunder.
Ambient Noise – Rain
It is so calming and soothing. I fell asleep and stayed asleep for a long time, which I do not do often. But then listen to it again when I wake up as a sort of meditation. The funny thing is, I half expect to walk outside to a rain shower… 😂☔️
April 4th: Discover a New Musician
Check out these guys. I just learned of them but LOVE them.
The Head and the Heart
Working in a music venue I often come across new music but I often have a hard time finding things I truly have an affinity for. These guys though… 😍
March 31st: Make a List of my 20 Favorite Songs
This is actually much harder than you might think. It is also a very fluid idea because my favorite twenty songs today are probably very different from a year ago, and I am sure in a year they will be different again.
But here it is, as of today:
1. Imagine John Lennon
2. Let Me Be Xavier Rudd
3. Alaska Maggie Rogers
4. Diamonds on the Inside Ben Harper
5. Matilda Alt-J
6. Norwegian Wood The Beatles
7. Lay Lady Lay Bob Dylan
8. Be Happy Brendan James
9. Weird Fishes Radiohead
10. Magic Coldplay
11. Rodeo Clowns Jack Johnson ft G. Love
12. Let Go Frou Frou
13. Soulshine Gov’t Mule
14. Hallelujah Jeff Buckley
15. 99 Problems Hugo
16. Crosses Jose Gonzalez
17. Work It Out Jurassic 5 ft Dave Matthews Band
18. Down Marian Hill
19. The Wanderer Marc Broussard
20. Glory Bound Martin Sexton
And now that the list is done I honestly think I need like a 100 song list. That comes no where close to all my favorite songs and I am sure I missed some…
March 28th: Listen to Classical Music
I have always heard classical music can calm you, make you think more clearly, and overall just out you in a more serene mood. I have to say, I did feel all of these things.
I had some marketing work to do today so thought I would listen to classical music as I did it.
There are plenty of articles that support this but these infographics explain it pretty well too.
March 14th: Learn to Read Music
I found this great site that really walks you through, step by step of how to read music. But phew.
How to Read Sheet Music
I find this interesting and will continue to explore it but even after reading it I do not think I have any idea how to actually read music.
I am in no way musically inclined… I have always lived more of an athletic life. So maybe this thing is a miss.
At least I tried… 🎼
March 9th: Lay Down and Listen to Music
This is quite possibly one of the most relaxing things I could have done for myself. It is almost meditative. As with almost everything else on my list, I almost always say, I should do this more often! And I should. I need more me time, time to just relax, stop thinking, and just breathe.
As I get deeper and deeper into the year I realize that this list is going to be hard to keep up with but I think if I keep at it my life will be better for it.
March 6th: Listen to Jazz
So this should be a daily habit now that I have a record player… but I just do not have enough good stuff. I have spent the last hour or so doing some graphic work and marketing stuff… and have just been walking to the living room to flip my Miles Davis record over, again and again.
There is something relaxing about jazz, even in the moments when things are heightened and almost edgy. There still seems to be a sense of relaxation from song to song. Anyway, here is my task for the day: Listen to Jazz and that is what I am doing… and probably will be doing for the next few hours before I hit the pillow and get some zzz’s.
I am still in my 30 days of purging items and I would say it is going rather well. I keep getting to different areas of my room, or closet, or kitchen space… and kind of just throwing everything away. It feels good to minimalize.
Bonus for today: I decided to grab two bags out of my closet, see what was in them, and throw out what I could. I only ended up throwing away one old box of unused black and white photographic paper… I am pretty sure by now it has become exposed and would not print anything anyway. But I found multiple boxes of my old darkroom prints from college. I did not go through them yet, but I will, and am excited to see what is in there. I will probably throw a bunch away. But maybe I will put others up on my Facebook or Instagram and try to sell them! I think there is some good stuff in there!
February 13th: Listen to a Record
This is so very exciting! My record player came last week and today I went and bought my first ever record. I bought Miles Davis “Kind of Blue” because it was recommended to me.
I am so excited… I am already listening. I am going to listen the rest of the night while I get some work done.
If anyone has some recommendations for other records, let me know! It will grow slowly, but I am excited to get a record collection going!
On side notes, I did my walk today on the golf course. It was a tad bit cold but a nice day to get out and golf. As of tomorrow I have two weeks left of no alcohol, except my second cheat day for the month… and it is going very well. Knitting and reading books on my list from January have kept me occupied. Plus, I work a ton, as always, so that keeps me preoccupied.
365 Days in 2021 