danapop

I’ve always been a fan of solid Brit pop. From the ’90s Blur, James and Oasis to today’s Travis and Coldplay. I’m a sucker for brooding scowls and accents duking it out with a catchy beat.

As I’ve mentioned before, we’re traveling for a wedding in mid-August and we’ve just begun the planning stage. It’s looking fairly certain that we’ll have three legs to this trip–England, Hungary, and Poland, or more specifically, London, Budapest, and Krakow.

For now, I’m putting together the London version of my playlist that includes a heavy dose of UK invasion, plus a few I think will be perfect for gazing out train windows, daydreaming

Time has Told Me by Nick Drake (One of my favorites by him, such a waste that he only made it to 26).

Maybe Tomorrow by Stereophonics (I don’t think I’ve made a playlist yet without including these boys … I never tire of them and my friend who’s getting married introduced me to them).

There Goes the Fear by The Doves (The great thing about traveling is you can step outside of your norm, fear included).

Dreams by Passion Pit (Their version of the Cranberries original is so beautiful).

Daylight by Matt & Kim (Fit it all in from sunup to sundown).

You Told a Lie by Camera Obscura (The summer before my own wedding in 2003, I went to Scotland with said friend, though we didn’t make it to Glasgow where this band is from).

Quelqu’un M’a Dit by Carla Bruni (Model, singer, and married to the President of France, a luxe life indeed).

Sleep the Clock Around by Belle & Sebastian (A sleep mask and dose of Ambien will aid in the time change).

Svefn-g-englar by Sigur Rós (Almost eleven years to the day the brilliance that is Ágaetis Byrjun was released; such a gorgeous album and particularly this song).

Daniel by Elton John (It’s so strange when you go to a new place how many people remind you of others you know, my interpretation of this song is a bit of that).

I Was Made For You by She & Him (I know Zooey Deschanel’s doe eyed act bothers some, but I do think she has a fabulous voice and everyone could use a sing-a-long).

Shiver by Coldplay (I was gifted this album long before it was cool to own and could not get this song off repeat).

Back to This by Helio Sequence (The trance-like beat on this one is unbelievable).

Young Americans by David Bowie (Can you really list Brit bands without Bowie? More importantly, we’ll do our best to blend in during our travels).

Subterranean Homesick Alien by Radiohead (We won’t be gone long enough to really get homesick–other than missing Otis the wonder puppy).

Holiday by Hourly Radio (It’s ironic how everyone but Americans call vacations a holiday. Going on holiday sounds so official, like you’re declaring it festive, period).

Lay me Down by The Frames (I adore this band from Dublin whose lead singer has since become one part of The Swell Season, equally as good).

Song to Say Goodbye by Placebo (This is an angst-riddled song that’s perfect to blast when you’re feeling frustrated or better yet, totally over it. The lyric, ‘you lying, trying, waste of space’ really sums it all up).

Talk her Down by Starsailor (This English band is said to be influenced by Jeff Buckley. I’ve seen them live several times and believe the comparison).

1901 by Phoenix (I gulped the Kool-Aid, love, love, love this song, muah).

In keeping with tradition, it’s time for the annual playlist fitting of all the turkey and tension your family can handle. This year’s list combines all the components of both food and family dysfunction with a side of past relationship awkwardness. The whole mess equals a true symbol of going home for the holidays in music form.

Here’s to not taking our issues, others, or ourselves too seriously this season. Oink oink, my good man!
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An ode to the season of heat…the ultimate road trippin’ summer set playlist loaded with lots of oldies and some new goodies, perfect for parties or long rides on the open highway…

Load up the iPod, gather your friends, get out the map, throw caution and inhibitions into the wind…Jack Kerouac would be so proud.

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It’s pretty inspiring to meet people who do what they love, and if what they love has taken them off the beaten path, even more so. My friend Melissa Simmons does just that. She manages musician Edwin McCain as president of Harrington Management. You might remember McCain’s 1993 hit, “I’ll Be,” better known as the first dance wedding song anthem. But, he’s so much more than that…a platinum-selling singer songwriter who crosses into folk, soul, and rock genres seamlessly – and a nice guy to boot.

This summer marks her 10^th year working with Edwin and I recently spoke to her about the ever-changing music business, memorable travel, and of course, those pesky groupies. And just to amp up the coolness factor in a bit more – Melissa’s in Japan right now…for her job. Jealous.

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In On the Road – Jack Kerouac’s defining work of the beat generation – the existential query,  “What’s your road, man?” served as a siren song that lured thousands to answer the call of the open road, leaving the establishment behind in search of new meaning.

Beat Studies Productions - an Atlanta-based independent hip-hop label, like Kerouac, calls out the establishment (the hip-hop one) on its complacency when it comes to the commercialization of the genre. Beat Studies is paving a new road for a new generation of hip-hop artists who want to make what founder B.J. Alden calls “intelligent music.”

One of those artists is SIMP (a.k.a Duran Butler). For the record, SIMP is just about the freshest thing to sprout out of the South since, well, the Dogwood.

Here’s my enlightening Q&A with SIMP.

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I’ve always had a special appreciation for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations – my top three reasons:

1.    One of my nieces was born on this day…she’ll be celebrating with shamrock shaped birthday cakes and green Bud Light (post-21, of course) for the rest of her life. Happy 3, E.

2.    One of my best friends was born and raised in Dublin – she and her family are just about some of the dearest people I’ve ever met.

3.    The first St. Patrick’s Day my husband and I spent as a married couple we were at an all day pub crawl – I kept complaining about side ache – he told me to just keep drinking – some 12 hours later we realized I was having an appendicitis. Oh, and apparently, I’m HILARIOUS on morphine. Good times.

So, in honor of the Irish, I’ve put together a playlist of my favorite artists from the Emerald Isle.

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Pop life. Everybody needs a thrill. Pop life. We all got a space to fill.

This is my space to fill and I can’t help but fill some of it with music.  After I chose the name danapop I kept coming across songs with the word “pop” in the title or lyrics.  One day while brainstorming with my graphic designer (the fabulous Kristen Alden) when the site was still in its peanut of an idea phase that morphed into the idea for a pop playlist. A few of these songs’ lyrics made it to the site’s sidebar menu, but so many others that I love didn’t survive the necessary design cut.

So now that we’re up and running, here’s the extended playlist for you to enjoy – a token of my affection and appreciation for the fabulous readers and those in my life who’ve supported every step of this crazy mess of a concept. So, pop your collar, pop the champagne, and just keep it poppin’.

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I’m running a half marathon in February. I signed on for the race partly because it’s something I’ve always wanted to do and also because it’ll hopefully curb my tendency of eating and drinking my way through the holidays.

I’ve found with the training, the iPod playlist is crucial. Working out is one of the rare times I adore pop music. But, with running I need a bit of pop, plus motivation – so, here is a running list, filled with an equal mix of boys I find sexy (lead singer of The Killers) plus pop tart girls that have the tummy I’m striving for (pre-Federline Britney), a dash of pissed off angst (any tune that makes me think of images of things breaking or people marching in protest), and the old stuff that reminds me of my family (the John Lennon, Mick Jaggar, Elton John trifecta). (more…)

Thanksgiving is just weeks away, so I’ve put together a little holiday tension playlist. This includes ex run-ins and dinner table tunes, as well as, family meddling melodies. (more…)