Lose Yourself

So last week I gave you a few song suggestions for both exercising and for relaxing. I purposefully left off one song in the "being active" list because I think it deserves it's own blog. Quick history: I grew up listening to a very large array of different types of music...all except one--hip hop. I'll go ahead and admit that I'd never put in the time to try to engage in this genre...the idea of listening to someone just talking, sometimes disturbingly vicious, without a melody or harmony of any kind wasn't appealing to me. So it's my own fault that it took me till I was a junior in high school before I really made the effort to listen to a hip hop song (I was actually forced to listen to it by my opera-singing voice teacher, of all people), and actually pay attention to the lyrics from start to finish. And of course, by the end, my mind was completely blown. It was an Eminem song, unfortunately I don't remember which song it was, but my entire view of hip hop changed after hearing his perfect rhymes, creative phrasing, catchy hooks and arrangement. I'll go out on a limb here and assume you've all listened to a hip hop song, and I mean really listen from start to finish, but if you haven't, I highly encourage you to. I still have so much to learn about hip hop, but I'll wager that if you aren't already a fan, the lyrics alone will leave you at the very least, a little more intruiged by the genre.

Ok back to this one song I left off last week's list. It's by Eminem titled "Lose Yourself." What can't I say about this one? Well to state the obvious, this is THE hip hop song I encourage you to listen to if you've never heard one before! And for most of us, we are all pretty familiar with it because it's the hit theme song from the movie 8 Mile. It even won an Academy Award in 2003 for Best Original Song, the first rap song to ever receive this award...and it's arguably Eminem's best song in the past 10 years, or ever. (If you don't know who Eminem is, please look him up. He is a highly talented white rapper and producer from Detroit). This song is motivation. It's provocative and pushes on pressure points, powers momentum. It applies to every circumstance, and ties in to life as a whole. We get one chance.

Please blast this song when you are: exercising, going somewhere with headphones and want to tune out the world, feeling antzy, wanting to make a change in your life, needing a kick in the ass, needing a push in the right direction, feeling lost, feeling down, feeling energized and/or excited about something, wanting to make something count, preparing for an interview, preparing for a show, wanting to tell someone something important, just wanting to have fun.

I can't stress this enough: If you need some motivation in any aspect of your life, listen to "Lose Yourself," hear his lyrics and message, let it penetrate you, and go get 'um!

Much love,
Genevieve

Time for the Yummies

For the last two weeks it's been about one of my great loves, working out, and this week it's about another great love: FOOD. And unlike my obsession with getting good and sweaty, I am fully confident that every single person alive likes food. Can't really be alive without it. So don't try to quietly back out of the room without being noticed, and attempt to convince me that food isn't really a big deal to you...no one can hide from this one.

I figure now is a good a time to dive into this pool since Valentines Day is approaching and since some of you might be scratching your head wondering what to cook for the occasion. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a house with a mother who is practically a chef, and whose culinary talents never cease to astound me. Though I will never come close to her capabilities, I do take a lot of pride in my slowly-expanding library of recipes I've been able to conquer. Since in my house I am usually the one cooking, and I am frequently left with the question of "what should I cook tonight," AND I have a somewhat sophisticated palate, I therefore have a handful of very helpful, insightful, and creative websites that 100% of the time, have the answer.

Oh, oh but that's not all. What about the dessert?? Arguably the most important part of any meal. Actually some of my favorite dinner food sites also have some incredible sweets ideas that always fulfill that certain craving.

I give you my word that the effort it takes you to click these links will be well worth it. Also, screw Valentines Day, use these for any night of the year!

Here are some of my absolute favorite food sites:

1. tablespoon.com (and I thought I was creative!)

2. hungrygirl.com (For super healthy food)

3. chef-in-training.com (a chef's blog, always new ideas)

4. foodnetwork.com (If you like Bobby Flay or shows like "Chopped" and "Iron Chef"... )

5. halfbaked.co (These goodies can be shipped to you! They're delicious, and half the fat!)

6. bettycrocker.com (the momma bear site for pretty much anything)

7. wholefoodsmarket.com (believe it or not...some good ideas here!)


Any sites you love to use for your culinary insatiables?

Much love,
Genevieve

Time to be Active...or not

For those that know me it's no secret what pleasure I get out of being active. Now, I know this isn't everyone's bag, in fact most of the time whenever the topic arises most people usually just brush aside any suggestion, opinion, fact, tip, advice....anything I have to offer, based on the assumption that I'm a bit of a freak, so whatever I say must be considered utterly ridiculous. Sure I admit that (let the judging begin) I enjoy feeling the burning calluses on the palms of my hands from the weights, I love the feeling of being sore, and sometimes I think sweat tastes good, and ooh! nothing makes me happier than how fast I feel when I run in a pair of brand new pillowy socks. But there's also something that I deeply cherish, and that is a moment of peace and quiet. Time to sit and just be. With all this in mind, I understand the importance music has in every aspect of these polar opposite extremes of existence, and everything in between. So I'll plant my feet right down the middle of the line and suggest some songs (in no particular order) for not only those moments of quiet downtime, but also for those moments when one wants to get their heart rate pulsing. You may not like an artist or band on this upbeat list, but don't shrug these tunes off at first glance....I.promise. they sound big and empowering in your headphones. And also don't shrug off the relaxing songs...they'll pull you into a pleasant peaceful place, and wash away all those thoughts of traffic, errands, and of course, the reminder that you need to go to the gym later. Believe me, if you don't already know these tunes, these are some goodies:

Songs to get you revved up:
1. "Hysteria"- Muse
2. "I Need a Doctor"- Dr. Dre feat. Eminem & Skylar Grey
3. "Princess of China"- Coldplay feat. Rihanna
4. "Empire State of Mind"- Jay Z and Alicia Keys
5. "Alejandro"- Lady Gaga
6. "Somewhere Only We Know"- Keane
7. "Noticed"- Mute Math
8. "Feels So Good"- Sonique
9. "Pretender"- Foo Fighters
10. "Tie You Down"- Shaimus

Songs to calm you down:
1. "Here Comes the Sun"- The Beatles
2. "Don't Panic"- Coldplay
3. "Georgia"- Ray Charles
4. "Hard Sun"- Eddie Vedder
5. "Golden Slumbers"- Ben Folds
6. "Out of the Woods"- Nickle Creek
7. "The Heart of Life"- John Mayer
8. "Hide and Seek"- Imogen Heap
9. "New Soul"- Yael Naim
10. "Mad World"- Gary Jules

I am of course missing oh so many golden songs. Any you suggest for either side of the fence?

much love,

Genevieve

What Ever Happened to...

The musical trends have obviously changed over the years. It seems like each decade has a certain vibe or feel...whatever was new at the time, either electronically, sonically, or even visually. The way in which the radio plays songs has stayed pretty consistent...the stations slash the companies that own them, choose a select few big names, names that are hot at the moment, and play their singles into the ground. As of right now, those names would arguably be the likes of Bruno Mars, Adele, Rihana, Lady Gaga, Coldplay, and Katy Perry, etc. Wanting to change the station each time they come on is nothing new (and it's not necessarily because I don't like these artists/bands, in fact I like some of them very much), but I've found myself missing some of the very songs that used to be played incessantly, from just a few years ago it seems. Sigh, remember these? What ever happened to:

"No Diggity"- BLACKstreet featuring Dr. Dre
"Creep"- TLC
"Fantasy"- Mariah Carey
"This is How We Do it"- Montell Jordan
"I'll Make Love to You"- Boys 2 Men
"Survivor"- Destiny's Child
"A Thousand Miles"- Vanessa Carlton
"Hunter" - Dido
"Macarena" - Los del Río
"Kiss From A Rose" - Seal
"Don't Speak" - No Doubt
"Everyday Is A Winding Road" - Sheryl Crow
"All for Love"- Brian Adams
"I Want You"- Savage Garden
"How Bizarre"- OMC
"Your Woman"- White Town
"BitterSweet Symphony"- The Verve
"I Want it That Way"- Backstreet Boys
"Killing Me Softly With His Song"- The Fugees
"Bitch"- Meredith Brooks
"Gettin' Jiggy Wit It"- Will Smith
"The Way"- Fastball
"One of Us" Joan Osborne

Any songs you miss hearing?

Much love,
Genevieve

25 Best Orchestral Movie Theme Songs!

I've put together a list of the best orchestral theme songs. Please feel free to give your opinion on this list. I think you'll be hard pressed to find one that you seriously think is good enough to be on this list that isn't already on it. Yes, there's tons of GOOD theme songs, but it's tough to find ones that are GREAT. Here are the top 25 in no particular order:

25 Best Orchestral Movie Theme Songs:
Star Wars
Superman
ET
Dances with Wolves
Gladiator
Jurassic Park
Pirates of the Caribbean
The Last of the Mohicans
Braveheart
Rocky
Gone with the Wind
Schindler's List
The Godfather
The Land Before Time
Indiana Jones
Terminator
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
2001: Space Odessy
The Delta Force
Batman (The Original)
Harry Potter
Lord of the Rings
Supergirl
Jaws
Gulliver's Travels (The Original)
Homeward Bound

Honorable Mention (these are good, but not good enough, in my opinion):
Titanic
The Neverending Story
Whistle Down the Wind
Austin Powers
Requiem for a Dream
Amelie

Much love,
Genevieve

Entering 2012!

Looking back on my previous blog I realize I haven't written anything in almost 3 years. I think my New Years Resolution (though I hate new years resolutions) will be to write more blogs.

Since 2009 a lot has happened and life has gotten more complicated, both for the good and the bad. My band has since broken up, I got married, and I, 3 years from my first post, am still in the same dilemma I was in back in 2009: making music in Los Angeles and always missing living in Colorado. Living in Los Angeles has its perks, and I've found myself noticing them more often in the past year than in all 6.5 years of living in this strange city. Some of these perks may not be understood unless one lives here but I've got a short list of things:
1. the most obvious- the beaches
2. being able to find a grocery store within one or 2 miles from wherever I am
3. Disneyland and Universal Studios are both close by
4. the people in the industry live here, so there's always the possibility of working with them
5. lots of studio lots are also here, which creates random work for someone like me i.e. CBS Studios, Paramount Studios, Warner Brothers Studios, Sony Studios, etc.
6. delicious Mexican food from those amazing little food trucks.
7. even though there's no Rockies, finding a place to ski that isn't too far away is never difficult

Here's some things the city could improve upon (to name a few):
1. get some restaurants that know how to make pizza! And I mean GOOD pizza, like East Coast-style pizza
2. get some restaurants that know how to make SANDWICHES!! just good old fashioned delicious sandwiches. if they do exist here, there are not nearly enough
3. why is there no: Egg & I, Sonic, Dunkin Doughnuts and Famous Footwear (to name a few) in this place?
4. why is it $15.00 to order a salad in this town? Ridiculous.
5. I'll throw in the horrendous traffic problem, that's a given
6. and lastly, everyone just needs to slow the hell down. On the roads, everyone is in a hurry which makes me feel like I'm always in a hurry, which means I'm going to eventually have a heart attack at the age of 35. I shouldn't feel like I might die every single time I get behind the wheel of my car!!

From here on in I'm going to start blogging about things that will make you think and things that I encourage you to state your opinion on. Coming up....a blog about some awesome music!!

Much love,
Genevieve