Hello there lovely blog. 

Since we last met I have been having a world of fun at my new internship, WOXY.com (check it out!) its an internet based radio station (also on HD radio in the Cincinnati area!) and they bring in live acts all the time to do amazing in studio sessions. Seriously, go check out their site for an awesome assortment of lounge acts- there are sweet pictures and podcasts for your downloading pleasure.

This tuesday, the amazing indie band 'The Walkmen' came into the studio. I brought my friend Austin along and we got to meet them and watch them perform in a little studio, literally with only three other people watching. Pretty awesome. After their set Austin got talking to some of the guys, and asked about coming to The Walkmen/ Kings of Leon show later on that night. Pete said the guest list was full but that he could probably sneek us in, which of course made us feel ultra cool. We ended up being walked in through the employee entrance of the venue by Pete of The Walkmen. It was incredible! The only flaw in our plan was that the venue didn't have a lawn, only seats, so we had to float around looking for places to stand where people hadn't shown up. But, I guess that was part of the fun! The Walkmen killed it, and KOL= WOW. I've loved that band for awhile and they did not disappoint. 

See video of this experience here: 

Now its Saturday night and I'm blogging instead of hitting the town (pretty cool right?) Senior year is no joke. I keep trying to do homework that I stayed home to do, but get distracted by television, internet, phone, or cake baking again and again. I was pretty excited that Harper's island was supposed to be on tonight, but since i'm the only one who watches that show (and lets be honest, its pretty terrible) it looks like i may get some homework done after all. Or I might watch Billy Elliot. Either one. 

So I graduate in 41 days, not that I'm counting or anything (cough cough). I felt it in high school and I'm feeling it again: Senioritis is very very real. I can't seem to focus on anything school related for more than an hour at a time. I drove all the way to school today (on a sunday I might add) to get myself away from the distractions of home and get some work done. Is it working? Nope. The internet is too much of a distraction. I need to write a paper on Zappo's, which is actually a really cool company. I also need to write a paper on how much Green technologies are really helping, which is a topic I'm really interested about. Yet here I am, blogging instead of getting anything done worth reading. I am not rushing against the clock- I am not a procrastinator as you may believe. These projects are due in two weeks and a month; but they are big projects and I need to get started. But I am going to put them off another day. Oh well, I think I'd rather go home and watch The Amazing Race (Go Margie and Luke!) Graduation will be here before I know it, and sooner or later I will get all this work done... Just not today.

Another symptom of senioritis is that I have been making lots and lots of time for pleasure reading and for catching up on movies I should have seen by now. I just read an awe-inspiring book called "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathon Safran Foer. If you are looking for a book to read, pick this one up. Its "like one hundred dollars". I also finally saw Doubt and The Reader, both of which were good- but The Reader was great. Doubt was a little bit of a let down (of course Meryl Streep was incredible, it just didn't live up to all of the hype for me) but The Reader blew me away. Kate Winslet can do no wrong. Give her more awards. Seriously, shes that good. Go watch.

I'm going to go waste time looking at recipes on tastespotting.com.... I'm going to leave my homework for another day.

Today in one of my classes the professor asked "How many of you are on twitter?" I proudly raised my hand, thinking at least a third of the class would be raising their hands with me. I was wrong. I was one of only two people in a class of more than 50 to raise their hand. Shocking right?

I investigated things a little further and found that you could figure out your "Twitter ID #" which indiciates what number Twitter registrant you are. I am Twitter user number 19,005,712. Nineteen millionth, not too shabby.

I hardly check my facebook anymore; myspace: forget it. Twitter is new favorite thing.

Anyway, school is going well. I'm pushing through the senioritis and getting things done, thankfully. This weekend I am SUPER excited because I'm going to New York Citaaay to see the lovely Amanda Jo (theonelove.org/amanda) and many other of my favorite people in the world. The event that I am anticipating the most is Friday's taping of Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. I got the tickets months ago and have been diligently watching every episode of Late Night in perparation. Yes, I am a dork, but oh how I have loved Jimmy since his SNL days. He was my high school celebrity crush and I probably will freak out a little seeing him in person. I am crossing my fingers for a game of 'Lick it for $10', but since they have already played it once this week it does seem rather unlikely... I plan on going to Katz's, book shopping at the Strand, walking the Brooklyn Bridge, and doing all the touristy stuff that I never did while living there. Four day weekend!

So today was a great day. I had an interview to be an intern/ volunteer for this amazing internet radio station out of Cincinnai called WOXY (woxy.com). Ended up talking to the programming director of the station for an hour and a half about SXSW, my favorite bands, England, and loads else. Even though I'm graduating in June I'm going to be interning/ volunteering there for May and June, I'm excited! The first day I start there is supposed to be an in- studio session with a band I really love right now, Cut Off Your Hands. I'm hoping to expand my music knowledge and get some cool experiences. Check out Woxy's music blog 'The Futurist' at http://woxy.com/blog/ seriously, so soo sooooo much good music on there. They recorded something like 27 in studio sessions at SXSW this year with some great bands, go and see for yourself!

In order to ever finish the SXSW recap, I think I'm going to do saturday on a much smaller scale, I have too much homework.

Saturday my friend Katie got into town- I actually met her in line for a Vampire Weekend show, so I knew we were kindered spirits from the start.

Actually spent most of the afternoon waiting to get into Rachel Ray's party. Was too shy to talk to manager of band I love who probably would have gotten us in.

Was sandwiched between Eugene Mirman and said manager. Eugene had dandruff.

Got into the party after all the bands I wanted to see played, and all the free food had been put away

Drank 3 free Mojitos (thanks Rachel!)

Katie and I realized that we had said mojitos on an empty stomach, took cab to the best place on earth:

AUSTIN COOKE LOUNGE. Think Coldstone, but with cookies. YES. We each got two, you can mix in whatever you want, its AMAZING. You want to go to there, I know this.

Took a scenic walk through Austin, took a cable car ride back down to 6th street (they are called Dillos, how cute is that.)

Ate some overpriced mexican food

Went to The Parish for the Barsuk/ Merge Showcase

Saw Telekenisis, were great

Say Hi, also great

The Rosebuds, not that great, made me feel awkward.

The husband from Mates of State was the DJ between sets, played some awesome tunes including Phoenix- someone from the crowd yelled at him when he played KOL's "Sex on Fire"

Ra Ra Riot closed out the night with my last show of SXSW, played a new song '"Too Dramatic", was fantastic

Ran to meet my ride across town, got lost, got found

Sunday went to the flatstock show at the convention center and bought a sweet poster, also went to WATERLOO records, awesome record store in Austin, dropped some major change on CD's

Ate tacos for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Had too many tacos

Flew home on monday- airport was hipster city, just like Williamsburg, only more hip (really.)

This SXSW recap has turned into quite a beast. I intend to guilelessly give you the deets here for day three. Day three of SXSW was an amazing day for me for many odd reasons, a few of which probably wouldn't make sense unless you really knew me, but that is absolutely fine.

Oh wait! I forgot to tell you about the band that I accidently saw Thursday night then fell in love with- VIA AUDIO. They were fantastic and incredibly funny. Started one song by saying "This song is from the Home Alone 2 Lost in New York Soundtrack" Maybe you had to be there, but they won me over with their witty banter and grooveable tunes. Checcck them out at myspace.com/viaaudio (does anyone still use myspace for anything other than music?)

I had been looking forward to Friday all week, because it was the first time I got to see my favorite band, Ra Ra Riot. They, among others, played the Onion day party, which was great fun. My time at the party Started off with Gentleman Reg, a unique Canadian act who is striking to look at. I can't believe that I am going to use this reference, but he has pale blonde hair and a beard, so almost comes off as looking like Spencer Pratt (you know what I'm talking about). Anyway, his set was different and enjoyable. I also caught part of The Thermals set, a band out of Portland who is all over the blogispehere. They were good. Give'em a listen. Cut Off Your Hands played next and were great a second time around when I could actually see them. Its very hard not to like a band with a New Zealand accent. I can't help but think of Bret and Jemaine when I listen to them, but in a good way. I just read that the drummer of Cut Off Your Hands has to leave the band because he is losing his hearing, which is so sad. I guess he had to choose being in the band or being able to hear. That is intense. Anyway, it was so great to see Ra Ra Riot again. I fell in love with them last year after SXSW and have watched them climb to indie rock fame since then. I love how happy they always seem to be on stage; they are having fun with each other and the audience has fun with them. They sing along with their own songs, I love that. I cannot say enough about how much their record 'The Rhumb Line' means to me, and I will be honest with you when I say that a few of the songs in their set brought tears to my eyes. Maybe that sounds weird to you, or maybe you can relate. A song that makes you cry is a the best kind of song. More on them later.

Switched venues again for WHITE DENIM. I had been wanting to see them for a long time and they did not disappoint. If you go to see them, make sure to bring your earplugs, they are LOUD, but fantastic. PS how great is this picture of them:

I look a break for some Jimmy Johns (that turkey sandwich may have been the best thing I've ever had to eat.) and walked across town to see an Austin band called The Black and White Years. This venue was the same venue that Devo was going to play later and there were already people wearing their 'Whip It' gear, which was kind of fun. This was also the only venue with a security check. Devo are kind of a big deal. I was unfamilar with The Black and White Years, but they put on a great show, and I would def. recommend checking them out.

Running back across town to Maggie Maes, I made it just in time to see one of the bands I've recently come to love, Princeton. Caroline and I saw them open for Ra Ra Riot in Nashville in December and they have gotten even better. They have a fun/ beachy/ whimsical sound thats unique to them. I found out at the show that the two main guys in the band are twins (how did i miss that one the first time?). Anyway, I was extremely surprised to find that I was standing behind a few members of Ra Ra Riot at this show and I actually got up the courage to say hello. I had interviewed Milo from RRR a few months ago on my radio show via telephone, and when I told him this he said, "I remember you, that was the best college radio interview I'd ever done!" To which I replied, "No way, you're just being nice." Then he said, "No, really!" (these are not direct quotes). I was shocked and so excited to get such a great compliment from a member of my favorite band. Especially since that was my first interview. Mat and Milo were incredibly nice; I think their kindness makes me an even bigger fan of their band. Back to Princeton- their show was fantastic (Yes I am aware of the fact that I keep using the same adjectives). Wes, Allie, and Rebecca from RRR actually did a few songs with Princeton, so that was really cool to see. I got some musical recommendations from Mat and Milo for the rest of SXSW and headed to see a friend of mine and his band, Southeast Engine. They have a Ben Kweller=esque type sound and are nice guys, check them out.

I tried to go to see Au Revior Simone, but their show started wayyy late and my ride was leaving. Faced with the question of a) see Au Revior Simone and fend for myself for a ride home or b) miss their show, I ended up missing the show, which was a bummer but I'm sure I will be able to see them again at some point. On the way out we saw this crazy light show where beams of electricity (think science musesum, those balls you put your hand on and the electricity goes towards your body heat, you know?) went across a parking lot in the same rhythms that music was playing. I need to find a picture of this to explain it better, it was wicked.

There still is another day of SXSW to document...oh my. Is there a spell check on this blogging tool? Help me if there is, I have many typos...

Continuing where I left off- day 2 afternoon (thursday) of SXSW. After the NPR day party we meandered around downtown, ate a taco, then headed home for a quick power nap. Thank god for the nap, otherwise I wouldn't have made it through the evening... Sun+ walking+ loud music= pretty tiring (but worth it of course.)

Thursday evening started with RICHARD SWIFT who i saw by accicent but ended up being fantastic. Next came BISHOP ALLEN a Brooklyn based band that I really enjoy who also happen to have a cameo in 'Nick and Norah'. Their set was WAY too short, it was less that 20 minutes due to sound difficulties, which was a bummer. I enjoyed the short set though. I wish I could have caught another one of their shows, but alas it was not meant to be. The lead singer of Bishop Allen is in an indie film I just saw called 'Alexander the Last' which i really enjoyed.

After Bishop Allen I caught a few songs of Phosphorescent who are great, but not really my favorite act. I switched venues and headed to Stubbs for Andrew Bird. I waited in line for over an hour for this show, but it was so worth it. You meet the nicest people in Austin just waiting in line to get into shows. People are so friendly, and there is always something to talk about since you're usually waiting to see the same band. I love that. Anyway. Andrew Bird. There are not enough adjectives to express how amazing he is. He was flawless in his presentation, charming, and I couldn't take my eyes off of him. Sometime in your life PLEASE go see Andrew Bird live. It was worth waiting in line for an hour and then some. I would have waited all day. Thats how incredible he was. His new release, 'Noble Beast' is wonderful. Buy it, really.

After Andrew Bird I ran to a different venue to catch the end Blitzen Trapper, at the recommendation of a really nice guy I met who raved about them. They were a much happier version of Phosphorescent, though I'm not sure thats really a fair comparison. I saw a guy I used to see around town when I lived in New York last summer at this show. Its always weird to see someone you recognise but don't actually know... Anyway, he was handsome and seemed to enjoy Blitzen Trapper as much as I did.

Val Emmich played a love interest of Tina Fey on '30 Rock' and therefore I was interested to see his live set. I walked into the venue 20 minutes late only to find that the show hadn't started. He was pretty good, not great, but there were only about 20 people at his show, and when people left he said things like "Oh no, we lost one", so of course I felt obligated to stay. Its not that I didn't have a pleasant experience, I just felt like I had to stay out of guilt, which isn't the best way to experience a show. Oh! He was also on 'Ugly Betty', just FYI.

A

And that was Thursday!

I have been saying that I am going to write about SXSW for about a month now, so I suppose its time to (finally) get around to it. Not that I am not excited to write about it, I just know that I never will be able to express the magnitude of this event in a blog entry, no matter how hard I try. I'm going to give it my best shot.

I was lucky enough to go to SXSW last year, after that experience I just had to come back again. Being in Austin for SXSW is more than just an good time. Its a feeling, its an experience, its everything I love in life all rolled into one. Being there with thousands upon thousands of music fans and musicans gives me a feeling of being at home. Like I'm always right where I am supposed to be in that moment. You know? Alight, I know its sounds cheesy, but SXSW really may be my favorite thing in the world that I've experiened so far. All the hipsters, all the street food, all the new music thats there to be discoverd, its just great. If you ever get the chance to go, please go, really.

Moving on. I got to Austin on the first day of the music festival, and my great friends Mandi and Jeremiah picked me up from the airport. We headed straight to 6th Street where all the action is. I picked up my wristband (you can either get a badge for $600, or a wristband for about $130, I opted for the cheaper version, even if you don't get all the same perks), stopped for a hot dog and a Strongbow, and headed to see Bell a hip electronic type act from Brooklyn. It was a decent show, but overall I'd say that it was over-hyped. Hopped over the one of the most crowded venues to see New Zealand's own Cut Off Your Hands who sounded fantastic but I honestly couldn't see them because of the other 3,000 people in the room. Check them out though, great poppy rock, you just may like it. Next was an act called Port O' Brien who I had heard on Sirius XMU. The unfortunate thing about their set was that the sound engineer was being difficult and they didn't end up starting on time, and had a lot of sound problems. What I heard was pretty good, but after waiting for so long for the show to start, it was a bit of a let down. I'd be interested in seeing them again under different circumstances though. I was hankering to see a band that I was already familar with and enjoyed so we changed venues for the fairly new Canadian indie rock band, Ruby Coast. I had seen them a couple weeks before opening for Tokyo Police Club back home, and they were fantastic. They are fun, they are whimsical, their music is catchy. Check out their tune "Neighbourhood" (which was in Spin's 'Songs you must download now!' column this month!) Ruby Coast also gets my award for the best use of a Litebrite on stage.   

Exhaustion led us to stay at the same venue to check out the next band, called Angry vs. The Bear. Having never heard of them before, we were immediately struck by their killer outfits and over-the-top-on-purpose stage presence. The bass player had on six ties, an unbuttoned dress shirt, and about three women's belts. This same bass player who seemed to be going for a badass persona had one of the funniest accents I've ever heard, which made them more endearing in a way. Their myspace says they are the "Leaders of the space punk movement." I liked them:

At that point it was about 12:45am, and fatigue was setting in. We headed to one of my favorite venues, Maggie Mae's for Hesta Prynn who was probably great but I was too tired to really enjoy it. I saw the manager of one of my favorite bands at that show and I'm still kicking myself for not introducing myself to him. Sometimes I am too shy! But thats old news. Anyway, on to day two.

Something amazing about SXSW is that there is music going on literally at all hours of the day/ night for four days straight. Its impossible to see everything, but that doesn't mean I don't like trying. My friend Mandi and I went to some day shows sponsored by NPR at The Parish, and saw K'hann and the Dirty Projectors both of which put on AMAZING shows. I had not heard of K'haan, but he had the whole hipster crowd singing along with him. He could really captivate an audience. I was so excited to see the Dirty Projectors, they are incredible and like no-other band out there. They played all songs from their new album 'Bitte Orca' and it was PHENOMINAL. Seriouisly, this album is mind blowingly good. I definitely recommend picking it up, ASAP.

At this point I feel its necessary to take a break... If you've gotten this far you probably need a reading break also... more later. (And just think, this is just the start of day 2 out of 4 days... I should probably stop writing so much.)

So one of my (many) activities is that I am student DJ at my school's station. I (like most of the bloggers on here) have a HUGE passion for music, and try my best to keep up with whats new and whats quality. Anywho, here is my playlist from today, you should check out some of these tracks if you're in the mood for something new and or fun!

Metric: Help I'm Alive

Empire of the Sun: Walking on a Dream

Phoenix: Listomania

Late of the Pier: Space and The Woods

Bishop Allen: Middle Management

Vampire Weekend: M79

Discovery: Orange Shirt

Katy Perry: Waking up in Vegas

Princeton: Leonard Woolf

Cut Off Your Hands: Still Fond

Ruby Coast: Neighbourhood

Tokyo Police Club: Cheer it on

Alphabeat: Don't Go out Tonight

Dirty Projectors featuring David Byrne: Knotty Pine

Los Campesinos: You! Me! Dancing!

Ra Ra Riot: Dying is Fine

Via Audio: Developing Active People

Adele: Right As Rain

The Cure: Just Like Heaven

Phoenix: 1901

Andrew Bird: Fitz and Dizzyspells

The Virgins: Rich Girls

Ra Ra Riot: St. Peter's Day Festival

So it turns out I am total crap at keeping up with blogging; sorry for my sparatic updates. Senior year of college is so incredibly busy, to say the least! I have so much I want to write about in this blog, so much exciting stuff thats happened to me lately (and I still need to write about SXSW!) but I need to do six group projects, a ten page paper, a bunch of shorter papers, and two personal portfolios before I can really dig into this blogging thing, but I'm working on it.

I just spent the night catching up on Gossip Girl (you know you secretly love it) and watching my not-so-guilty pleasure, Greek. For those of you not familar with Greek, you should watch some HILARIOUS videos from one Mr. Clark Duke, who plays Dale on the show. Go to www.clarkandmichael.com for some quality entertaiment with Clark and Mikey Cera. I highly recommend it.

Does everyone love twitter? I know I do. Facebook isn't as fun anymore. On Facebook I can't get tweets back from Ezra Konig (www.myspace.com/vampireweekend)! I know its dorky, but that tweet made my day. I hope I don't come off as name dropping, I just wanted to share something small that was exciting to me, even if it is a little silly. It's the little things in life!

So so so much has happened since my last 'Ye Olde Blog'. I went to South By Southwest, had my senior spring break, and cried over my favorite song. I still need time to organize and digest my thoughts about SXSW 2009, so hopefully I can put together a great blog about what bands I saw and loved, and what bands you should look out for in the coming year. But thats later. Today, about a week into spring, I want to share with you my favorite poem by e.e. cummings.

since feeling is first

since feeling is first
who pays any attention
to the syntax of things
will never wholly kiss you;

wholly to be a fool
while Spring is in the world

my blood approves,
and kisses are a far better fate
than wisdom
lady i swear by all flowers. Don't cry
--the best gesture of my brain is less than
your eyelids' flutter which says

we are for eachother: then
laugh, leaning back in my arms
for life's not a paragraph

And death i think is no parenthesis

happy spring=)

Let me tell you. Nothing makes me happier than a nice cupcake. Seriously. Not even a pizza covered with mini pizzas (that i saw on thisiswhyyourefat.com) makes me as excited as these little nuggets of heaven do.

Look at these BALLER cupcakes.

Spaghetti Cupcakes! I have actually made these, and not only do they look amazing, they are delish! Now these, I'm not sure how good they'd taste, but what a great concept! And this is just adorable :

Finally, a one love blog! I've missed blogging. I had a Myspace blog of sorts, but since Myspace is on the way out (don't tell Tom!) this One Love blog is perfection.

A little intro about myself: I am outgoing, optimistic, love cupcakes, and have a louder laugh than anyone you know. I spend a lot of money on traveling, mostly to go to music festivals or awesome concerts. I am SO STOAKED because I'm going to SXSW next week. It's going to be aHmahhhzing.

At Southby I can't wait to see my favorite band, RA RA RIOT. If you haven't heard of them, please please go to myspace.com/rarariot. They are incredible

 Look, how cute are they! And they are the nicest people in the world. I la la la love them.