my life » Music

Country music

Devon — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:26:41 +0000

I composed this post during my lunch break while sitting in my car listening to Rascal Flatts’ Still Feels Good. I’ve been encouraged to diversify my music collection to include more country music, which is probably a reasonable request. I’ve already listened to Lady Antebellum’s Need You Now album at least twenty times (none of which I regret), so I’m trying to branch out to other up-tempo country artists, Rascal Flatts being the first. Those who know me well should recognize the significance of this step – having been overexposed to the genre growing up in Oklahoma, I’ve effectively shunned all country music for the last 10 years or so. Which basically means that I’m a complete pushover when a really cute girl suggests a new album for me to listen to. To her credit, she also knows all of the lyrics to Owl City’s Ocean Eyes, so it’s safe to assume that she has decent taste in music.

The Fray w/ Jack’s Mannequin

Devon — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 07:35:17 +0000

This post is long overdue, but better late than never, especially since this was, by far, the best concert that I’ve ever been to.

After taking far too many pictures at concerts using my phone’s camera, I finally took the plunge and purchased a new semi-compact with F2.0 wide angle lens, which arrived just in time for this concert back at the end of July and the family trip down the Pacific Coast.

Children of Eden

Devon — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 23:17:49 +0000

On Friday, I had the opportunity to attend BYU’s final performance of Children of Eden with a date. It was an amazing musical, and I was glad to be able to see it. My date and I were both grateful that our knowledge of our Heavenly Father extends beyond that which is found in the Old Testament. It would be so depressing to think that God no longer spoke to His children, or that there would be no way to experience His love for us until we returned home upon our deaths. As beautiful as the musical was, it was even nicer to know the true nature of God’s love toward His children.

Memento

Devon — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 01:47:39 +0000

One of my best friends from high school just uploaded some videos of the band he played in with some of my other friends … brings back some great memories.

http://www.youtube.com/user/drumist#play/user/8A54BFAC9E4A4EA4

And no, I didn’t play anything in the band, I just helped with the equipment … continue reading: Memento

Country Dancing

Devon — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 07:40:42 +0000

No, my blog hasn’t been taken over by redneck hackers. I actually went country dancing this evening. And while I don’t plan on going back anytime in the near future, I did enjoy it. Evidently, like golf, country dancing is something you can enjoy while still being completely horrible at it.

Per the scale given previously, I’d score it at a 5.5 … continue reading: Country Dancing

Utah Symphony @ Deer Valley Resort

Devon — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 06:11:56 +0000

Our employee party for the summer was at a Utah Symphony concert up at the Deer Valley Resort in Park City. Now, I have to admit, Park City is probably my favorite place in the whole state. Yes, Utah has some amazing natural beauty in its national parks, but nothing quite compares to the serene, wooded landscapes of Park City and the amazingly fresh mountain air.

The guest artist of the evening was some crazy carnie with an electric harp. I won’t go into details because a) I don’t want to relive that experience again and b) I don’t want to spread the tortute via my blog. Needless to say, everything leading up to the final performance was a disgrace to the institute of music. The finale was sans harp, thank goodness. To end the evening, the Utah Symphone performed Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture with real antique cannons. I think more songs should be performed with artillery — it definitely adds to the ambiance.

Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband

Devon — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 05:30:42 +0000

This evening my aunt and uncle hosted the leading Unicity distributors from Japan. We had just over a dozen Japanese here, with other Unicity employees showing up for the concert. Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband performed for about an hour and then signed copies of their album Dream Big and took pictures with … continue reading: Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband

Keane in Concert

Devon — Wed, 13 May 2009 18:34:23 +0000

Last night I had the chance to see Keane in concert up at Kingsbury Hall on the University of Utah campus. The concert was downright amazing — the first opening band wasn’t too impressive (and no one even knew who they were), but then Mat Kearney came on and played about a dozen songs, including a few from the upcoming album City of Black & White.

There was a rather long bit of prep time before Keane finally came on, but it was well worth the wait. They had a terrific stage presence, and the music sounded just as good live as it does on the album, even with the less-than-great acoustics of the Hall. Not only did they go through practically all of the songs from the Perfect Symmetry album, but they also did a few of their hits from Hopes and Fears and Under the Iron Sea. The set design was pretty basic, but they had a ton of lights and strobes in place which the audience (myself included) absolutely loved. Below are the few pics I was able to take with my phone.

Finals begin, summer approaches

Devon — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 03:52:05 +0000

Taking a short respite from studying to post, bear with me just a few more days!

Despite the presence of a good 8 inches of snow yesterday, summer is rapidly approaching, and I am quite glad. More like ecstatic. Not just because classes will be ending, either. Now that I have a steady job and a little more free time on my hands, I’ll be able to get back to the things I reallly enjoy (hint: efficiency algorithms and design patterns aren’t on the list.)

I’ve already purchased tickets for the upcoming Keane and Relient K concerts, and I should be able to get in two or three other shows as well, minimum. I’m also going to try and work a few 4-10′s so that I can take some weekend trips down to southern Utah (or anywhere else within a reasonable distance, for that matter.)

My list of books to read has been growing over the last month (I haven’t done any significant reading since No god but God), so I look forward to catching up on that. Last summer I was far too lazy about my reading goals, and didn’t really get back into it until I met someone who was perhaps even more of a bookworm than I am. And this year I won’t be wasting any time installing window screens — thank goodness for that.

The Ting Tings / We Started Nothing

Devon — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 03:18:51 +0000

New music Friday! On Saturday! This album has recently gotten some serious playtime in my car — listen to it and you’ll understand why. I think I have to give most of the credit for this find to Pandora, although I had heard a few of the tracks before Pandora brough it back to my attention. Some of you may recognize the track We Walk from the new iPod Shuffle video on Apple’s web site. Yeah, I do actually visit Apple’s site occassionally. Shocker.

Album: We Started Nothing
Artist: The Ting Tings
(Official Site)

The album itself features a pretty wide variety of styles — all upbeat, but a broad spectrum within that range.