Year 2, Day 334

Hey. So today's song is I've Got That Tune by Chinese Man.

I'm not sure if I've shown you guys this kind of music before. There might have been one song, but definitely not the same group. So this type of music is referred to as Electro Swing. It became popular in the 2000's and incorporates elements of swing music, which is probably why Betty Boop is dancing on the record. She fits the swing feel. Despite her being created in the 30's, I grew up watching Betty Boop. If you don't know who she is check out a couple cartoons, but also just check out this song.

Peace.

Year 2, Day 333

Hello. So today I give you Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend by The Puppini Sisters.

Clearly this is a cover. It's too classic of a song to not be done a million times, but I enjoy this version. These girls are taking after the Andrew Sisters and keeping the old style alive. If you don't know the Andrew Sisters you should go listen to them. Anyway I thought this was an appropriate song for today. I got to go for a ride in a limo today just for the hell of it, so naturally Sammy, Will and I went to Tim Horton's. Gotta look classy when you get your coffee! Also I was explaining to Will who the Puppini Sisters are and showed him this song, and he laughed at me for knowing the words "talk to Harry Winston, tell me all about it." What. It's a classic about tossing men to the curb for what women really want which was (and probably still is) very accurate. So check this out, and tell me what you think.

Peace.

Year 2, Day 332

Hey. So today's song is Gun-Shy by Grizzly Bears.

This song is really cool, but the video makes me squirm so be forewarned. It involves needles and plucking and mold. Don't watch if you can't handle that.  These guys are very weird, but I like it. I can;t really put it any better than the one commenter did. "This song is a breeze massaging my imagination." That is a good way to put it, so I'm going to leave it at that.

Peace.

Year 2, Day 331

Hi everyone. So today's song is Pop Goes The World by Gossip.

So a couple of things have happened today. For one thing, because of the flooding there was a bridge collapse here. A CP train carrying oil almost fell into the river when the CP bridge collapsed. They have inspected it eighteen times since the flood and deemed it safe. Yet this is what it looked like today. Our mayor was holding the Canadian Pacific Railway guys under the bus, demanding for the names of the inspectors and to know what action was taken against them. Luckily nothing actually happened and the train was kept from floating away so we're good.

The other thing that happened today is that it is Greg's birthday!! Greg is my kind of brother and it's his sixteenth birthday. See my sister is dating his brother and we've hung out a lot this summer bonding over our love of Castle Crushers. He is family and so we tracked him down (surprisingly hard because he has no cellphone and hasn't been home for days) to give him his card and force him to eat Crave cupcakes. Those cupcakes are delicious, but so sweet that I almost want to puke. Here's a tip: if you buy the cupcakes, get the bite sized ones because eating one big one by yourself is a difficult task... Anyway I just wanted to wish him a Happy Birthday. I chose this song because it's strange, but good and kind of clubby. Greg is also strange in a delightful way and seems to have a weird fascination with club music. So I figured this was appropriate for today.

Peace.

Year 2, Day 330

Hello. Today I give you Wake Up by Sliimy.

So this guy is a French singer, and yes I found this song because it was featured in a movie. Shazam has really been helping me out lately with stuff like this. There are some incredible song featured in films that get lost in the white noise and you never think about them. I suggest that if you're in a bind and want some new tunes, go pop in an old movie and listen to the track from it. You get some pretty neat stuff. I love the concept of this video. I'm talking about the different colors filling the part sectioned off by a black line. I used to make drawings like that except instead of different colors it was a different pattern. It always turned out cool. Anyway, that's my random tidbit for the day, so enjoy it and the song.


Peace.

Year 2, Day 329

Hi. So today's song is Twist Me To The Left by The Dollyrots.

I found this song because of something one of my favorite bands tweeted. I really enjoy this song. The reason they tweeted about it is because one of the guys in the band has multiple side projects. One of those projects is apparently making videos for other bands. It's a pretty awesome video honestly. It definitely shows personality from the band which is good. I admire the Dollyrots for making an album purely for the fans. Clearly they love what they do, and who can play them. Each time I hear this I love it more! The style of doing whatever they want fits in with the videos my guy does for his own band. I'll tell you what: if you can guess which band it is I'm talking about you will get my awesome award for the day.

Peace.

Year 2, Day 328

Hey Guys. So today's song is Carry On by Fun. The real reason this is the song choice today is because of this video about the flood. This shows a vast array of pictures from Calgary, High River and others small towns affected.

So I posted on a video from the flood about all the horrible comments people were putting, saying we deserved what we got. I told them "Okay I'm from Calgary and some of your comments are sickening. This has nothing to do with wealth, gas prices or the oil sands. This is a freak occurrence because of nature. I have seen kindness in the affected places, and only disrespect from the people beyond it. Like every city there are people who do stupid things, but don't stereotype us. Think about the fact that more than 100,000 people were evacuated and only 1500 of them had to go to evacuation centres. Focus on that instead of your hatred." Then some guy decided to argue with me about it. I had to keep defending the city I hold dear, and all the people in it. It really bothers me how rude some people are when there is a natural disaster. Today in Calgary, as if to prove I was right, thousands of Calgarians came out to McMahon Stadium where volunteer groups were being formed to clean up the city. It was incredible. Now that the waters are going down, the real heart of Calgary is coming out.

Year 2, Day 327

Today's song is Don't Stop Me Now by Queen. I felt it was appropriate.

 So I showed you guys a picture of an underpass here in Calgary, so you could see the damage done. Well here is the updated picture of that same spot as of today.

Pretty awesome right? The last picture is a bit closer up than the others, but it does show the difference. Today more communities got to go home and our first responders, Edmonton Police help and the army spent time pumping the water out of downtown and other flooded areas. Weather seems to be nice based on the fact that my neighbor is cutting his lawn. That means that it's dry enough to do so.

Even with the message from our Mayor to stay of the river, there are people riding seadoos around the streets. Unfortunately I don't have a picture, but I am not surprised. My dad used to tell me stories of the last time it flooded, when our neighbor (the one currently cutting his grass) canoed down the street. I should also mention the last flood was minor and we were supposed to be safe from more flooding based on precautions put in place after that one.

17th ave raft party?

Apparently my fellow Calgarians are taking the opportunity to do things that will otherwise never be possible...like boating down the street. I do have a picture of that one to show you, as it pretty much embodies the attitude here. Along with that picture I've included some other ones that show Calgarians making the best of a bad situation.
 

caught a fish outside her apartment!

We've got quite a bit of cleanup to do, so if you want to help you can donate to the redcross. And for anyone who was supposed to come down for Stampede: don't worry. As far as we know Stampede is still on. We even have a new slogan. "Hell or high water: Calgary Stampede." It was made more as a joke than anything, but it kind of works. If you are coming for Stampede you might want to stay home until it is actually July, or you may find yourself in the middle of a city wide cleaning spree.

nonchalantly passing a cop car...

Year 2, Day 326

Hey. So today's song is Higher Ground by Stevie Wonder.

Things have gotten a bit better today. It's been really warm and sunny, which has dried up a bunch of the water. Four neighborhoods had their evacuations lifted, so that's a good thing. I kind of love Calgary. City is still flooded, but it's sunny for the first time this summer so everyone is out walking around and hanging out. You would think it was just a normal day. Our city is doing pretty good right now...well, except for the dome. I think that place is officially toast. They've been pumping the water out of it so it's only filled up to the eighth row now, but all the Stanley Cup memorabilia is destroyed along with electronics and mechanical things there too. Even so, Calgarians are showing their humour as demonstrated below.

I also attached a message from our Mayor which pretty much sums up how I feel. There are still idiots here, but luckily our Mayor is not ignoring them.

Year 2, Day 325

Hey. Today's song is Alberta Bound by Paul Brandt.

 This is ridiculous. Half of my city is underwater. Luckily I took the cowboy philosophy and I live in the higher part of the city. So I get to stay in my house and my neighborhood is dry, but everywhere else if covered with water and debris. I thought this song is suiting. South Alberta may be flooding and washing away, but we are strong. Some thing people have been saying are so true.

Inside the saddledome.

"You know you're in Canada when there are more volunteers than evacuees."

underpass downtown before and after.

"More than 100,000 people evacuated and only 1500 needed to be at the evacuation centres. Everyone else has been taken in by other Calgarians."











Nothing shows how resilient we are than a natural disaster. I've attached some of the most impactful photos so you can see what I'm talking about.

night shot of downtown bridge during flood.

Year 2, Day 324

Today's song is The Flood by Take That.

Hey guys. So things are going to be a little different for the next few days. I'll continue to post a song, but I'll more or less only be talking about the situation going on in my city. We're in a state of local emergency because mother nature has decided to make us the new Altlantis. It'll probably being going on for a few days. You can read about it here. Wish us luck!

Peace.

Year 2, Day 323

Hello. Today I give you Chicken Payback by The Bees.

Weird song name, I know and that isn't the only weird thing around here. Seriously...what is with this video. I stopped everything and watched it because I was so dumbfounded. Though I must admit that this guy has some pretty good dance moves. His outfit is ridiculous and I'm pretty sure the machine would shut off since he's not doing the moves, but other than that...cool? The crowd seems into it for the most part. Anyway I enjoy this song and that's the point of displaying it here, but you need to watch this video.

Peace.

Year 2, Day 322

Hi. So today's song is Go by Livingston.

Like everyone else on YouTube, I found this song because of the movie Chalet Girl. I mentioned it a few days ago because of another song and band. This movie just has all around great music. It's awesome to jam to. I had a lot of stuff that I should've been doing today, but instead I took a day for me. This included me blasting this song dancing around my house. It's the best thing to do when you're home alone, especially because I tend to sketch myself out if it's too quiet. Since I'm such a scaredy cat I always have my music playing, so this song makes a good edition. Give it a listen.

Peace.

Year 2, Day 321

Hey. So today's song is The Lion The Beast The Beat by Grace Potter & The Nocturnals.

Originally it was Anna who introduced me to Grace Potter, but I wasn't particularly keen on her back then. It was only a few years ago, but I've changed a lot since then. This is probably the best song I've heard by her. I agree with the commenters that it can't be too loud. The beat to this song is incredible (as it should be based on the title) and then you hit this moment where the guitar just bursts out with awesomeness. It's depressing that the crowds in this video doesn't seem into it. They really should appreciate what they're hearing. She's a good singer and when she hits that high note, I get chills. Check it out.

Peace.

Year 2, Day 320

Hey guys. So today's song is The Chronicles of Life and Death by Good Charlotte.

One of my favorite bands during my angst phase. Somehow I always find myself back at Good Charlotte when my mom is around. I'm really not on good terms with my mom, so I end up back in angst mode where life sucks and I hate everything. This song pretty much embodies that because it's all about how nothing matters in your life because you start and end life the same way. At the same time it's saying that today could be the best day of your life so enjoy it, but I tend to automatically go to the darker message. It's something about how I saw them when I first discovered this band. I'm curious where on the scale you guys sit. What do you think he's trying to say? Let me know!

Peace.

Year 2, Day 319

Hello. So today's song is The Wolf by Miniature Tigers.

This song got noticed by me because it was featured on Teen Wolf. I kind of love that show...mostly because I love Dylan O'Brien. It's one of those shows that I feel like I should be ashamed for liking, but I don't. At least it features good music since it's done by MTV. I miss when that was a music channel...This song is so cool. I agree with one of the commenters about the Weezer feel to it. It's subtle, but this band does remind me slightly of Weezer, who I featured a few days ago. Whatever. I enjoy this music, and I'm hoping you do too. Let me know though. There is a comment section for a reason.

Peace.

Year 2, Day 318

Hey. Today's song is Where We Belong by Lostprophets.

 

I get so inspired by this song. I found it by watching the movie Chalet Girl, which is a British movie that takes place in Austria. You can find it on YouTube if you really want to watch it. I should say though it's really odd that they have the option for English subtitles on an English movie....whatever. Back to the song. Just listening to the lyrics makes it obvious this is an inspirational song. "Singing death or glory" is my favorite line. I can't even tell you how much I enjoy this. It's perfect. Please listen to it and check out this band, because they are awesome.


Peace.

Year 2, Day 317

Hi. So today I give you Vocal Chords by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.

This song makes me so happy. Not many people have heard of it, but it's been popping up more frequently recently. I figured these guys should have more fans than he does right now, so I'm sharing it with you. It really bothers me that people only like music if no one else knows about it. Who cares if it's super popular or hugely underground? It's still good music, and I believe this song is good music like that. So give it a listen, show it to your friends, post it on your social media. Anything. I find it hard to believe that this music is unlikeable. Here's a little fun fact before I go: the band was named after NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. This is why the band name might seem a bit odd.

Peace.

Year 2, Day 316

Hey Guys. So today's song is Texas Boys by H.A.W.K ft. Grit Boys.

Have you ever seen the movie Drum Line? I have and I love it. It's the only movie I've ever seen about marching bands that is decent. Also drums are just rad so when you focus on a drum line...it's just so cool. The marching band performed this song in the movie and although I like it better as just the instrumental without the rapping, that is in the actual song so I will deal with it. For those of you who want to listen to the version I like, I've attached it here. Whichever one you choose, I hope you like it. And just a heads up to anyone who plans to rip me a strip about not mentioning how there are different types of marching bands and undoubtedly thinking I'm ignorant and know nothing...my sister was in a marching band, so I do know what I'm talking about. It wasn't show style like in this movie, but this is more entertaining for people who don't really care about marching band.

Peace.

Year 2, Day 315

Hello. So today's song is Challengers by The New Pornographers.

This is a really mellowed out song. There isn't really much more to say about it, you just kind of have to listen to it for yourself. Now the video doesn't make sense to me. I mean it looks cool, but if it's supposed to have some deep meaning...I'm not getting it. Although according to the video description it "features some of the most vibrant colors digital technology can buy." Apparently that's important? Well if you guys have any ideas about this video let me know.

Peace.

Year 2, Day 314

Hi everyone. Today's song is Troublemaker by Weezer.

So recently I asked my friends a very intriguing question. I wanted to know what song (only one) they would use to describe me. I got some pretty vastly ranged answers, from Wild Thing by The Troggs to Angel by Shaggy. I don't think I've had either of these on my blog, but I've just attached the links here instead of waiting for a few days. So congrats, you get the hat trick of music today. As you can probably tell just by listening to the two songs those people clearly have different ideas of who I am. So finally I asked Anna what she thought today, because she's been my friend for practically my whole life and has seen all the phases I've gone through. At first she wouldn't give me one, because one song doesn't work for a person, but eventually she decided on Weezer. Her reasoning? Because of the line "I'm gonna play some heavy metal, wishing you would die." ...Yeah. Pretty accurate to me honestly, but not many people know that. If you're curious how people see you, ask them this question. If you do though, make sure you tell me the results. Have fun!

Peace.

Year 2, Day 313

Hey. So today's song is Gets Me Down by AMPOP.

Here's a song more applicable to the feel this year. I've never made a shout out to this country before, but here is a thumbs up to Iceland for having this band! You may find the name a bit weird, but the band is actually named after the first song they ever wrote and the style of music they thought they were playing. I'm not really sure what type they are classified as, but it doesn't really matter to me. So from Ambient Pop, we get AMPOP. Makes sense. The music is awesome and I highly suggest listening to more than just the one song.

Peace.

Year 2, Day 312

Sup. So today's song is I Like That by Static Revenger.

Now I know for sure that I've told you guys about my love of Step Up 3, and how awesome I think Adam Sevani is. This song is from that movie. In the film it's edited differently, but I still enjoy it. I can't honestly listen to this song without imagining the scene with everyone dancing to it, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Now let me clarify something: a pocket rocket is a mini bike. Basically a motorcycle for tiny children that adults still seem to ride and do tricks with. It's not something dirty, it is a vehicle...kind of. Anyway, I know this is a little strange and has a different feel than the other music I've shown you this year, but give it a chance and tell me what you think.

Peace.

Year 2, Day 311

Hello. Today I give you Into Your Dream by Foreign Born.

So as a band, these guys formed in 2003 and moved to Los Angeles together. This song in particular has been used in the pilot episodes for Chuck and Reaper. Okay, I honestly love this song. From the first second it starts the instrumental is incredible. You get sucked in to such a rockin beat, and they refuse to lose you throughout the duration of the song.  I learned today that the record label these guys are signed to is called Secretly Canadian.... I felt this needed more investigation. This is an American record label based in Louisiana. Why are you called Secretly Canadian? I can find nothing explaining the choice of names. This is really going to bug me, so if anyone has insight into this please let me know.

Peace.

Year 2, Day 310

Hi Guys. So today's song is Young Blood by The Naked And Famous.

This song has been used for many things: SSX (video game), Chuck, FIFA and 21 And Over. These are all some pretty fast paced settings for this song. I find that strange because I don't consider it to be on my list at all for sporty, high energy tunes. It's more mellowed out. So pairing the calmer music with these outlets could have gone one of two ways. Turns out, it went the best way because the use of the song turned out brilliantly. Plus if they hadn't used it, I probably wouldn't know what it is. So now I'm continuing the circle and showing it to you. Tell me what you think.

Peace.

Year 2, Day 309

Hey. So today's song is Now We Can See by The Thermals.

This is such a cool song. Now it is from awhile ago; it was used as the promo theme for a show on the cartoon network called Unnatural History. I've never watched it, but it looks interesting. Pretty much like a modern Tarzan where a kid grew up everywhere except for America and now has to go to high school there...kind of like how Mean Girls started with less girl drama. It was also used on Chuck more recently. I love it. Usually I wouldn't be a fan of music where the singer doesn't really...well, sing; but this song has just enough groove and melody in the oh's to make it good. I highly recommend you guys check it out.

Peace.

Year 2, Day 308

Hey. So today's song is There It Go by Juelz Santana.

I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but I've gotten really into Fast and the Furious lately. I just never appreciated it when the films first started coming out. Granted I was only eight, so there was no reason for me to be interested in cars and badass dudes who drive them... Now I am. Anna has never seen the movies and this is not okay. She was really on me yesterday about how I've never seen Zoolander, and how badly she wants me to watch it. So we struck a deal. I would watch Zoolander with her if she watches every single movie in the Fast series with me. I think I won. This song is in one of those movies, and every time I watch it I think that it would be good for my blog. Today I finally made that happen, so enjoy.

Peace.

Year 2, Day 307

Hi everyone. So today I give you Once In A Lifetime by Talking Heads.

When I was a kid I always hung out at Maggie's house. She would babysit all the kids in the morning and after school while the parents were working. I had my grandma for that, but she lived down the street so I would spend time with the other kids. Maggie moved to Ontario awhile ago, but she's back this week to visit because of Tyler's graduation. Her son Tyler was in my sister's grade and so we always were together and went camping a lot as kids. He just graduated from the school I'm at now, so despite not seeing him for years, we still have stuff in common. It was nice to see him and Maggie because it was such an unexpected time in my life. No one ever remembers that I did have guy friends and spent my weekends with them. I even forget. I don't know how it happened, but I'm glad it did. Anyway, that was how my day was...So what did you guys do?

Peace.

Year 2, Day 306

Hey. So today's song is Furr by Blitzen Trapper.

This is a beautiful song. It's simple and easy to listen to. All the music I have ever heard from Sub Pop Records has been fantastic. If I was a credible singer, I'd want to sign with them just for that fact. They seem to be good judges of musicianship. I really enjoy what the one YouTube commenter says. "discovering a song from a TV show doesn't make you less of a music fan it just makes others seem pretentious and like they don't want the artist at hand to be successful." So true. It's fine and good to know how you found an artist, but give them credit where it is due. And asking people to thumbs up because you found it from the same thing is ridiculous. Just love the music. Be a fan of that, not this insane hierarchy of the internet in which your self worth is directly related to how many strangers agree with you. Be yourself, like what you want, and screw everything else.

Peace.

Year 2, Day 305

Hello. So today's song is Tortures Of The Damned by Bayside.

This is a shout out to Will, so I had him choose a song for you. Today was his Bus Rodeo for the second year of him being a school bus driver, so Sammy, Anna and I went down there to support him. Hanging out in our camp chairs watching buses parallel park for three hours sounds anti climactic, but it's pretty interesting. In the end Will placed fourth overall, and his team got first place. He's a little mad at himself for messing up the alley obstacle, which if he hadn't would have put him in second, but oh well. The fact that he is fourth is still pretty great considering there was more than fifty competitors. I'm home now and completely sunburnt in some hilarious places...which is going to be fun to deal with, so I'm going to take a cold shower and you can enjoy this song.

Peace.