May Music: Day Two

I realize this post is about twelve hours late, but I got home last night and wasn't good for much else besides sleeping.

Yesterday was day two of Music May, and the featured listen of the day was this.

 Niamh Ní Charra is a fiddler and concertina player from Co. Kerry, Ireland. She's an utterly brilliant player; she's toured all over the world with Riverdance and really just blows you over with her playing. She just released this album a couple of weeks ago as a tribute to Terry "Cuz" Teehan, an Irish musician from Kerry to emigrated to the US (Chicago, I think) in the mid-20th century. The album has a little bit of everything, and for those of you familiar with trad albums, you'll know that's unique. There are dozens of guest artists, lots of jigs and reels. But the thing that makes the album interesting is it's "Kerry-ness". There are a lot of polkas, too! (Which are not played that often in trad recordings). And there's even a song or two. Throughout the tracks, Cuz himself hums a few ditties to get the recording artists going (his voice comes from a recording he left Niamh when she was young!). All in all, it's a great trad album.

Niamh actually ran a FundIt campaign in order to get the project going last year, and I contributed and received this lovely note from the artist herself!


Super fun!

Anyway, Happy May 2nd (3rd now... eep!) and happy listening!

Musical Thoughts for May: A Project

Throughout April, a good friend of mine decided that each day she would post a Facebook update of some little thing that struck her as special that day. Her posts ranged from the ice cream cones she enjoyed to the children giggling on the street in front of her. Another friend started a year-long project of posting one picture a day of a new place she's been to, and her posts have covered everything from the local consignment shop she visited for the first time to Morocco.

So I've decided to copy. Each day in May will be musical! Musical May. Everyday in May I will try a new musical experience: learning a new tune or piece, attending a new music scene, choreographing a new song, or listening to a specific album, etc Trying to expand my musical horizons over here! I spend most of my time working with music somehow any way, so here's a personal challenge to try to mix it up a little and find new inspirations!

So here we go! And happy May!

I'll kick off May 1 with the album I listened to on my morning run (which was about 17 hours ago, so excuse the lame ass writing that's happening tonight!) Florence and the Machine 'Lungs'. I was feeling nostalgic this morning and this album always makes me think of Ireland and all of my lovely and best study abroad friends. I'm pretty sure 'Dog Days Are Over' was our personal theme song!

The Year's Bucket List

It's important to have resolutions. It's a good idea to have goals, plans, and dreams. However, increasingly, the trend is also to have a bucket list. For those of you who cannot figure out what bucket lists are, then I won't explain them. I will simply make mine, and you can figure it out on your own!

Now, I've never really had a bucket list before. But browsing Pinterest has recently become one of my favorite pastimes. So if you want a more expansive bucket list from me (or anyone else for that matter) check it out here.

But for now, let's talk about this year's bucket list! I know we're four months into 2013, but it's never too late to make a bucket list, I think!

In no particular order:

- Run a 10K
-Learn to surf
-Travel to London and Paris
- Germany and Scotland



And now some fun summer ones:

Head to the beach with the ladies!

Attend a Irish Trad festival!

Host a family reunion!

Beach reunion with the Irish lads

This bucket list is a little bit like my New Years' list and is constantly expanding. Keep checking back for updates!

Have your own bucket list? Share it with me!!