Tag: mellow

TunesDay: New Year, New Tunes

TunesDay: New Year, New Tunes

by christina ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

You thought I was done, didn’t you?

FEAR NOT.  Because a new year means more new music for your petite lil’ ears.  Or not petite.  I really don’t know how big your ears are or if that dictates whether you hear music more clearly.

I was trying to figure out a theme for the first TunesDay of 2017.  Did I want to go the mellow acoustic route?  Would I rather hear hip R&B beats on a gloomy Tuesday morning?  And then I thought, “well, hey, this is my playlist, I’ll add whatever I please!”  So that’s pretty much what I’m doing.  If you’re not into it…well, there’s always next week.

I hope in 2017, you listen more clearly and give new voices (and new music) a chance.  2016 had some pretty great albums, but I am looking forward to seeing what music fills our hearts and minds in the upcoming year.

What artists are you looking forward to hearing more of?

Happy TunesDay // TunesDay Takeover

Happy TunesDay // TunesDay Takeover

by christina ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Everyone.
I am so excited.

!!! The exclamation points are supposed to help indicate the level of excitement I am feeling !!!

Look, I’ll be the first one to tell you how unable I am to let go of certain things. Squishy pillows and those weird plastic tubes of colored liquid we played with as ’90s children come to mind. Also TunesDay. TunesDay, though not really a tangible thing, is something that I’ve become so attached to. It is probably the longest standing relationship I have outside of my family and select friendships.

But you know, attachment to intangibles can be particularly unhealthy. So, in the spirit of introspection and self-improvement, I thought I’d let go of my need for control and let loose a little this week for my very first TUNESDAY TAKEOVER.

Cue confetti cannons and expressions of shock & awe.

I know, right? Why did I not think of this brilliance earlier? I have a ton of wondrous friends and acquaintances with pretty fantastic music taste. I will be asking a cool person to takeover TunesDay once a month…so who knows, you could be next, dear Listener/Reader!

But for now, let’s diversify our music mix and get into it!

Introducing this month’s TunesDay Takeover DJ is my dear friend, Sam.

Y’all. I knew he had good music taste before, but I found out last week that he legit has good music taste. As in, stop peeling back the layers of this onion so quickly because I am going to cry. I mean, I know music preference is subjective, but SUBJECTIVELY, his taste is grand.

His mix will not disappoint. You will feel a tumult of emotions. Like when Michelle Obama said, “when they go low, you go high”…you will go low and high and all the heights in between.

Anyway, as this is the first TunesDay Takeover, let me know whose music tastes you admire! Maybe I’ll take your recommendations to heart.

Sending you lots of love, freedom, and virtual tissue hugs,
Christina

 

Watercolor background from Jen Lashek for Design Love Fest.
Happy TunesDay: Collection 24

Happy TunesDay: Collection 24

by christina ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

“Better late than never” is what they always say, right?

I really need to work on consistency and timing for my TunesDay posts, but at least I didn’t skip completely!  That’s something, at least.

This week, I compiled some of my favorite mellow & jazzy Spanish songs to keep me focused on learning Spanish and to keep me motivated before I leave to Costa Rica in June with two of my good friends, Diana and Cesar.  The tunes are from all over Latin America and the Spanish-speaking diaspora.  I included a band based in Portland, Y La Bamba.  Honestly, they’re one of my fav bands, and it totally makes sense that they’re based in Portland because their sound is so relaxed & effortless, yet incredibly funky.  For a good English song of theirs, try November.

Anyway, if you don’t know, I’ll be returning to Mastatal, Costa Rica for the third time to work on a bird preservation documentary.  Diana, Cesar, and I have all been to the community of Mastatal twice before through UCI’s Costa Rica Program, and we have the immense privilege to return and work with Marcos, the founder & owner of Finca Siempre Verde.  Once created, the film will be donated to La Cangreja National Park & given to the local primary and secondary schools as an educational resource.  We’re incredibly excited, nervous, and super ready to return to Mastatal and the community that has welcomed us so warmly time and again.

Learning a language is incredibly difficult, and I’m super grateful to my pals, Diana & Cesar, because they will have to be amazingly patient with me as I practice my Spanish in Costa Rica!  Even though I don’t have a lot of time to brush up on my Spanish, I’m confident I’ll get by…maybe.

If you have any favorite Spanish songs, please recommend them!  I’m open to all genres, but if you have any indie/pop/jazzy vibes, that would be tremendous.

pura vida y muchas gracias mi amig@s,

Christina