Please Don't Stop The Music

When I was sixteen I started this project. The idea was to pick a band each month and let their music inspire my life. At first it was a way to let the music be heard to its fullest potential, but as the years went by it became so much more. Not only did it allow me to find so much new music; it also gave me soundtrack to the years in my life. Now eight years later I am just amazed at all that has happened. Since I started this little endeavor eight years ago. I have had one failed prom date, a three year relationship, and countless lessons learned. This is the part where of the entry where I explain what kind of year it was and give it a theme. 2012/2013 was a year in which I found so many awesome bands and artists. The year where I said good bye to a franchise that I loved and the music that will always remind me of it. Twas the year in which I started one relationship and ended the year in a completely different one. However I suppose I will be able to explain all of that during our musical journey.

August 2012: Matt Nathanson

The musical year started with an acoustic feel. I was starting something new and listening to Matt Nathanson's voice made it seem easy. I remembered the old tunes from my college days. All We Are and Come on Get Higher. As the summer was coming to an end I was reminded about the song Wedding Dress. The mistakes someone else had made that were making me suspicious. I had a new boy in my life who was wonderful and kind. I was excited for the adventures we would share together. So I began my musical year believing that he was what I needed in life much like I needed the song Faster to take me out of my rut. As the fall started to come finally I became obsessed with the songs Bulletproof Weeks and Still. I have grown so much in the last year that August seems like such a distant memory.

September 2012: Artist VS Poet

With September came birthday fun with a sushi class and the final weeks before my best friend left with her husband for four years in Germany. The month was full of fall fun and the song Adorable made me feel bubbly and fun. Feeling like I was adorable just for all the things that others thought were annoying. I had previously heard Damn Rough Night and that is where I found my fondness for this band. They have a punky sound much like a Cute is What We Aim For. I liked the way the harmonies were sweet at times and had a wonderful pop sound as well. It made turning twenty four so much more than I expected. As the leaves began to fall and I was having adventures in Apple Orchards I felt the song Alive so much as well.

October 2012: Ed Sheeran

Little did I know when I heard a haunting melody during the winter of 2012 that I would fall so deeply for a silly redhead in his twenties. A-Team started what would be a love affair with Ed's music. I was even lucky enough to see him at Jingle Ball this year. I was shocked at how many crazy tweeny girls went mad for him because I think he is a little more sophisticated for them. However when listening to Taylor Swift's RED she mentioned the song Lego House and it became such a beautiful love song. (I'm so excited to see him w/ Taylor this year) A song I cannot help but listen to over and over again. I swear October I discovered Ed Sheeran's music like I always hoped to feel when I started this project. It seems like there isn't a song I don't like by him. I found the sad ballad of Small Bump and the sweet sultry of his deepest love songs with. Kiss Me, This, and Give Me Love.

November 2012: Twilight Music

As I said goodbye to such a wonderful part of my youth and a saga, I dedicated November to saying goodbye. I think it was decided early on in November, but as I watched the Twilight Saga Marathon on a chilly Thursday (into Friday) I remembered why I not only fell in love with the books, but the movies. The music these films and Stephanie Meyers led me too. It is amazing how something so visual can lead you to such wonderful earfuls of audio. It starts with the Paramore song Decode and Death Cab's Meet Me At The Equinox in the beginning. Finally finding the beauty in bittersweet goodbyes with Bruno Mar's It Will Rain. Finding my way to a final good bye to Christina Perri's A Thousand Years. I have fallen in love with the story of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan to this music. It was only fitting that I let November, the last November with them, be dedicated to the music of their love story.

December 2012: Better Than Ezra

With December came a new show, Roswell. I was watching an episode one day when I heard the song Closer and was reminded of all the late 90s early 00s music I missed. I think December was a busy month, but I liked this song. It was December 28^th and I was coming back from my grandma's house. I listened to this song about a young man walking into his son's room frightened that he would make a good father. It began to make me think about the future I wanted. The future Christmas days and such. So as I said good bye to 2012 I felt this was appropriate.

January 2013: Maroon 5

January was the month in which everything changed. It wasn't a planned thing. I am not a cheater I promise. However as I tried my hardest to make a clean break it was made easier the more time spent with Alex. Daylight became an unexpected song for my new love. It wasn't forced, but somehow destiny chose it for us. January 5^th, 2013 I went to a wedding. In the soft tones of the radio a confession was made and a decision needed to be made as well. It was then that I had felt how I had lost my heart and how I never really got it back. So I made a difficult choice and let what I had go for a scary unknown much like the song Harder to Breathe. As January went on I listened to all sorts of favorites like Sunday Morning and Won't Go Home Without You I started feeling like I had made the right choice. That warm feeling when I was with Alex during the coldest of months. So the year began with Maroon 5 and Daylight became our song.

February 2013: Saywecanfly

To be honest February was kind of a blur of a month. It was the month I realized that I had been in love with Alex. It was the month that we decided to make it official. So in the sweet Valentine days and birthday moments I listened to the song Dandelion Necklace. I was kind of busy keeping secrets and spending days with my love I found saywecanfly in AP Magazine and liked the song. So I picked them in the middle of the busyness.

March 2013: A Rocket to the Moon

When I picked them it was before the band broke up. However boy have they gone out with a bang. When I was younger I loved the song Like We Used To and this began my obsession with this band. Unlike the song I had found the better man. The one that didn't do things like the others used to, but better. As I spent more Snow days with Alex I listened to the song Mr. Right and it made me giggle. He always thinks that he is the one that has won some sort of prize, but I am the one the feels lucky. It was in the middle of those snow day there came the epic song the reminded me why I love this band. Ever Enough with Debby Ryan made me emotional and I fell for the sweetness of the song. The music video is such a wonderful story of love. It is about being young and in love. Not letting the harshness of the world take that away from you. That no matter what hardships you might face, as long as you face them together everything will feel better. The video showed the couple running away to get away from the stress by going to Vegas and getting married. “After all that I've done, is it ever enough.” Such a beautiful song and I think it is epic.

April 2013: Birdy

April this year wasn't like a normal April. There were not really rain shower as much as endless blizzards. In the midst of snow days snuggled with my love I was on his computer trying to find a video to show him on youtube. That is where I found the Bon Iver cover of Skinny Love by the young and talented Birdy. This young girl with braces with the angelic voice. I began to research her and found that even though I was happy there was such a beautiful tragedy to the songs. They really expressed so much of how it feels to have a snow covered April. Wishing for the sun to finally come out. I found Terrible Love and 1901. This is very District 12 type music and it was only fitting that Just a Game ended up on the Hunger Games Soundtrack.

May 2013 The Afters

Back in the days I used to go to the Sonshine Music Festival I fell in love with the early songs of The Afters. This wonderful Christian band that tends to inspire me the more I listen to them. It started one day in May when I finally was able to go to the park and listen to music. This simple thing made me feel like I had found myself again. One night I heard Life is Beautiful and it made me think of of Alex and myself. It made me think of just how lucky were are to have one another. We are not weathly in money, but this song reminded me that we are far richer in memories and in experiences. The song makes me think of all of the little things that make me feel wise and rich beyond anything imaginable. This song brought back my love of the The Afters. In January I believe my title of the new year blog was after Light Up The Sky. I started listening to them in May and it allowed me to remember my youthful years. With Never Going Back to OK and Lift Me Up! May was about worship God through music. Thanking him for finally giving us Spring after such a LONG winter.

June 2013: Delta Rae

I was listening to Cities 97 one morning on my way to work and I heard this song, If I Loved You. Immediately I felt extremely connected to it. This would be the song I would send to the boy that I started this musical year with. I realized at the beginning of this summer that I felt different than I did the previous one. While listening to this song I found that I had never been in love until I met Alex. At least not the kind of love that is spoken in scripture. I really enjoy this song, but it is so hard to listen to because it makes me feel like I was dishonest.I know now that it was never about honesty I just realized that I had fallen for someone long before I had met this other boy. I had never really let go of my feeling for Alex. It was unfortunate and I'm sorry for hurting people, but I don't regret it, because I'm happy and I've found the love of my life. Delta Rae is such a wonderful folksy band. Their song Bottom of the River was even on True Blood. I love the way this band doesn't use the same singer. Each song has its own story and voice. Like Morning Comes or Dancing in the Graveyards. Truthful folk music, such a great way to begin the summer! Listening to music that not many people know about.

July 2013: Kacey Musgraves

In the beginning of July I got the honor of seeing The No Shoes Nation Tour. Even though I missed her Kacey Musgraves was there. The first song I heard awhile ago was Merry Go Round. Last year I put it on my birthday CD because it made me feel like she really related to small town life. The kind of town I grew up in. The type that makes you feel like if you don't have kids by 22 that you are crazy. This is such a beautiful song and it is so honest. Kacey's music is extremely country and I thought it spoke to the middle of Summer greatly. Even though I don't smoke her song Blowin' Smoke it such a funny one. Talking about those old town diners and how everyone wants to get out of them. Makes me feel like I don't have to work my dead end job forever. The last song I just heard recently is Stupid. Wow do I love this song. It has this tune that just gets stuck in my head and makes me feel so fun.

So this was the type of year that you only find in move scripts. Where the girl falls for the guy, but he doesn't think he is good enough for her so he lets her go. Knowing that she will move on and find another guy. Then he comes back into her life confessing that he made a huge mistake and wants her, he always has, but he was afraid. Even though she doesn't want to hurt anyone the girl has a choice to make. She knows it will be hard, but that if she doesn't follow her heart she would regret it forever. So with a deep breath she jumps blindly into it not knowing with any certainity. If those moments don't deserve a soundtrack then I don't know what kind do? This year was one that gave me butterflies. It gave me butterflies because I not only got to share new moments with people, I got to share them twice. I grew so much to see that we don't really choose who we fall so hopelessly in love with. That we cannot fight the fate that is laid out for us. I know some years I make predictions and other years I don't. The last few years I haven't really felt like I knew, but I feel it in my bones that by the next music blog there will be something special and that my dreams I've waited so long for will start to come true. Maybe I'm just being hopeful, but either way I'm excited to fall in love to music.