Holiday Playlist

Personally, I don't love Christmas music, but here is something about it that puts me in the holiday mood. I rounded up few playlist of the best playlist I can find around. I love a mixture of traditional and classic songs, new favourites and instrumentals.

image via

Spotify: here and here

YouTube: here and here

What are you listening to this holiday season? 

Music Pick Of The Month: Carter V, Lil Wayne

I don't know about you but I, along with millions of you, have waited for this album to drop for a long time. Lil Wayne's highly anticipated 'Carter V' highly anticipated album is out and I think its freakin' fire. The long awaited 12th studio album dropped last week, and I have been playing the fifth instalment of The Carter series since it came out.

get the album on iTunes or Spotify

Have you guys heard it? What do you think?

Best Roadtrip Playlists

This month has been rather busy and I have two road trips coming up, so I was looking to make a good road trip playlist... which shouldn't be hard but its with my work colleague and I have no idea what kind of music they like. So I went in search of the best lists already existing road trip perfect playlist on Spotify, here are five that I loved;

(image credits)

Classic Road Trip Songs

Stay Wild

Global Viral 50

Dance Rewind

Your Favourite Coffeehouse

What are you favourite road trip playlists?

Add to your playlist: Summer Dance Party

I might be alone on this but music has 100% to do with how I feel. Music can change my mood, for better or worse. Lately I ave been all over dance music, because 3 minute dance parties are a thing (Grey's anyone?), so here are 10 songs to add to your dance playlist!

IMAGE BY Denele Campbell

Genius - Banx & Ranx Reggae Remix - Sia, Diplo, Labrinth, LSD, Bank &Ranx

Girls Like You - WondaGurl Remix - Maroon 5, WondaGurl

Remember You - Victoria Duffield, Sebastian Olzanski 

With U - Tujamo feat. Karen Harding

The Inversion - Beyond Creations 

SWISH - Tyga 

Anybody - Young Thug feat. Nicki Minaj 

I Don't Dance (without you) - Matoma, Enrique Iglesias, Konshens 

We Don't Care - Signal 

Tune In - Massari 

You can see my full dance playlist on Spotify. What do you guys think?

Music of the Month: Kane Brown

Seems we are still on a country kick over in LaLaLand! It's best to listen to Mr. Kane Brown before you see his face - he doesn't sound at all like you'd expect him to look. It's a fun game! My two favourite songs to follow . . . but seriously, try to listen to a song first. 

Music of the Month: Zac Brown Band

I've been fairly disenchanted with music lately - so much on the radio just sounds the same and being played out.  Country music is in my library, but it only takes up a small shelf. But I've been on a country kick as of late and just discovered the joy that is the Zac Brown Band.

Lucky for me, these dudes have been pumpin out albums since 2005 and I've got a TON of new tunes to check out. Here's my favourite song by them right now (from 2005) but be sure to check out the rest of there stuff! 

Music of the Month: 2 Cellos

Remember back in the day when you went to school and though kids who played in band were nerds? Well well, do these fellas look like kids you want make fun of?  Heck no! 

In all seriousness though, I didn't even know what these guys looked like until right now. I only googled them so I could throw a photo in the blog. I'm actually going to see them play in Edmonton next month at a really awesome venue, Jubilee Auditorium. Tickets are sold out already but I managed to snag a couple and am SUPER pumped. 

I've had these guys on regular rotation in my playlists because they are really wicked but there's a funny story I have about them. I was helping a customer in my office one day and 2 Cellos came on - normal. The guy in my office looked like he was straight off Duck Dynasty - big ol' beard, long curly hair covered up by a touque, legit wearing overalls covered in paint. Dude looks at me and says "is this 2 Cellos?", to which I respond "yes", to which he says with a GIANT grin on his face "these dude rock so hard!". My mouth fell  open in shock at statement and the guy in my office who totally doesn't look as though he listens to the cello. 

Just goes to show, you can't judge a book by it's cover. Rugged dudes dig 2 Cellos, and cello players can totally be sexy. Enjoy!

Music of the Month: Straight Outta Compton Throwback

It took until the movie came out on Netflix for me to finally watch it. And the movie was good, informative - I mean, did you know the members of Bone Thugs N Harmony were part of N.W.A?  My mind was blown! I learned so much about the connections in the hip hop scene and I loved it! 

Here's a list of some wicked throwback tunes inspired by a pretty rad movie: 

You're welcome! 

Music of the Month: Shawn James

 

The voice on this man is RITIKULOUS. Uncomfortable sexy. His style is bluesy rock and his songs stop my in my tracks. Literally stop what I'm doing, close my eyes, and ABSORB the sounds going into my ears and soul. He does some excellent covers, wicked solo songs (Shadows), and some awesome songs with The Shapeshifters.

 

Check him out and let us know what you think! 

Reading Playlist

Aaaah music, the gateway to the soul. For some of us at least. Reading is also healing for the soul. Some people like to multitask - read and watch TV, watch TV and clean, read and listen to music. I can't read and watch TV - I get caught up in the book so intensely that nothing on the TV would be taken in. Music can be touch and go while reading. Music wins over books for me - usually. I've learned that as long as there's no lyrics, I can crank the tunes as loud as possible and still stay focused on my book. 

Here's a great playlist of tunes that don't distract (as much) from reading, while still having the pleasure of absorbing some fantastic songs. 

Canon in D:  Josh Vietti

Symphony of Shadows:  Cello Fury

Take Me to Church: Simply Three

Romance: Young Mozart

We Found Love: 2Cellos

Gavi's Song: Lindsey Stirling

Cry Me a River: Eklipse

Lose Yourself: David Garrett

Somebody That I Used to Know: Bryson Andres

Sweet Child O' Mine: Dallas String Quartet

Music of the Month: In This Moment

Maria Brink heads up this kick ass hard rock band from LA and I absolutely ADORE them! In This Moment is one of those gems that you discover way after they've established themselves and there are MULTIPLE albums to taste! If you haven't heard of them, you're welcome. You have hours of new tunes to fill your ears. They range from screamy rock to incredibly powerful ballads to some insane covers! Brinks vocals surpass even that of Taylor Momsen and Lzzy Hale - which is saying a lot because I love those women too! 

Whore

Blood

In The Air Tonight

The Fighter

Enjoy! 

Ultimate Summer Playlist aka 10 Song Played on Repat All Summer

Do you guys feel that Summer started like last week?  Where did all this time go?? Even though, Summer might be coming to an end faster that I'd like it, doesn't mean you we cant still make the most of it. Music is one the reasons I get 90% of the things done. Here are 10 songs I have had on repeat this summer:

 

1. Mi Gente - J Balvin & Willy Williams

 

2. La Gozadera - Gente De Zona feat. Marc Anthony

 

3.Black Beatles - Rae Sremmurd feat. Gucci Mane

 

4.New Man - Ed Sheeran

 

5. Buscando Huellas - Major Lazer

 

6. Slide - Calvin Harris feat. Frank Ocean & Migos

 

7. Wild Thoughts - DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller

 

8. Feels - Calvin Harris feat. Pharell Williams & Katy Perry

9. Despacito - Luis Fonsi feat. Daddy Yankee

10. Top Model - Sha

 

What songs are you guys listening to?

Music of the Month: The Glorious Sons

It's no secret that I'm a sucker for a lead singer with a gravelly voice - toss in a wicked rock band supporting that lead singer, and I'm a goner. The bonus with the little bit of grit and this crew of long haired rockers? They are local. Well, Canadian local; Kingston, Ontario. #Canadianpride

These boys are playing K-Days, Edmonton's 10 day long carnival: rides, food, games, and live music every night. Growing up, the rides were my favourite part of K-Days. Now, it's the opportunity to see some amazing local bands for less than $20! That's basically free. And the bands have continued to impress. I expect The Glorious Sons to do the same.

Here's a few of my favourite tunes from these guys! Let us know what you think!

Heavy

Lightning

White Noise

Kill The Lights

Music of the Month: James Arthur

I've been in a pretty mellow music kick lately. My "new sh!t" playlist is full of slow jams and that's not a bad thing.  Music can have such an affect on our moods and my world has been pretty full these past few weeks. The relaxed tunes have helped me relax and take it easy in the few quiet moments.

James Arthur keeps coming on the radio and the first few times I tried to shazam it - finally I downloaded the "Back from the Edge" album. SO good.

His voice is absolutely beautiful. He gets ya right in the feels. Very mushy stuff. But it has a feel good vibe to it.

The lyrics to Can I Be Him are a little bit stalkery - but that doesn't seem to phase me this time. His voice captivates me and draws me in.

Trainwreck is another feeler. Such a sense of longing paired with this man's voice. Easy to get lost in the song.

What do you guys think? Does James give you goosebumps?

Music of the Month: Dem 1-D Boys

Let's be real, when a One Direction song comes on the radio - you probably sing along. At least I do, even though I'm not really a fan. There's Zero 1-D in my music library. But I've gotta say, the solo songs being put out by these puppies are pretty great. At least until Top 40 radio stations across the nation over play them and make this a short term love affair.

First:

Not gonna lie, looking up what Niall Horan looks like may have actually made the song sound a little less good. Not offend the 1-D fans, I'm just not into cute little boys. So ignore it if you have to and give the song a listen. So smooth and sexy. Love.

Second:

Harry F*cken Styles. This song must have been on repeat for 3 hours yesterday. Another slower jam but this kid's voice is beautiful. Simply beautiful.

Third:

Let's not forget Zayn. The boy who grew into a delicious man, dating one of the most smoking hot VS model put out this jam. And him pairing with Taylor Swift was another reason for me not to like this song but I just couldn't help it.

Those are a couple of my guilty pleasures. Laugh and ridicule OR jump on my bandwagon. Either way, give the songs a go.

Music of the Month: Derina Harvey Band

We love all things local around here, and music is no different. Uncovering an absolute gem in your very own city is one of the best things ever! Now I'm probably a little biased, as the extremely talented dude playing the fiddle is my very own teacher - but this Edmonton based East Coast Celtic band is pretty awesome.

source

If you like a fantastic lead singer with HUGE pipes leading a great band, you'll love these guys too! They play a ton of shows all over B.C, Alberta, and Saskatchewan for starters, and they'll be hitting up a ton of festivals this summer. Check out their tour dates here!

This song is easily my favourite - good luck getting it out of your head any time soon.

Enjoy!

And for a classic:  

Music of the Month: Mother Mother

source

It should be pretty obvious that we love us some indie rock over here in LaLaLand. We also have a pretty wicked music scene in Edmonton. On Thursday I'll be checking out this Vancouver, Canada band live thanks to a generous Christmas present (concert tickets are ALWAYS a great gift for me).

Hayloft was the first Mother Mother I heard and loved. Most songs bring me back to some memory and this song is no different. This songs evokes the memory of my daughter singing along in the back seat of the car at the top of her lungs - belting out the wrong words. I can't recall what the heck she was saying but we both laughed a lot at her blunder. To this day we wait for the other person to sing the wrong words to a song so we can point and laugh. Mother Mother of the year award goes to me every time.

This band doesn't take themselves too seriously and often their tunes make me laugh. If you know me, this isn't a huge challenge. But they bring me joy and I can't wait to rock out just a little bit at their show!

Here's a few of my faves, hope you enjoy too!

The Stand

Cesspool of Love

Infinitesmal

Mouth of the Devil