Luxury hotels are using music in new ways!

As a music connoisseur, I’m always curious to know when…

…a business, like a hotel, is using music in new ways!

That there hotel you see above is of course the Fontainebleau Miami Beach. I’ve always wanted to stay there, and one day I will, but what I find interesting about this hotel is that there is so much live music there by the pool all year round.

However, live music is not what this blog post is meant to highlight. It’s meant to highlight how luxury hotels are using background music in new ways to attract a certain target market for their guests and to offer an upscale experience.

There was a great article in The Wall Street Journal today that spoke at great detail as to how hotels use music.

I can understand how a hotel might like to use background music to add ambiance for their guests, but come to find out, luxury hotels are taking this guy’s advice…

#WholeNuthaLevel

Essentially, that’s what the cream of the crop hotels are doing. They have begun to work with music-design companies, which I didn’t even know was a profession, to create playlists for different spaces during certain times of the day. Now I want to be a music designer HAHA *sigh*

For example, in the fitness center they play Top Pop songs which are commonly songs that are above 120 beats per minute and in the spa, the songs stay around 60 BPM so as to keep guests relaxed.

Wish I was here!

The amount of consideration for music goes even further than that according to Alix Rumsey, former director of music programming at Prescriptive Music. In regards to the busiest check-in and check-out times between noon and 3 pm, she said: “There’s going to be a lot of talking, a lot of milling around. You don’t want it to sound like a business meeting.”

To appeal to a wider range of guests, low tempo jazz music has been replaced with upbeat indie music in the lobbies! That’s a great idea if you ask me!

In conclusion, music is important and ambiance for a hotel is the key to happy customers and a healthy business.

Watch out, Fontainebleau! Here I come!!! 😀

Garrison Keillor is retiring from A Prairie Home Companion!

I can’t believe I’m saying this but Garrison Keillor is…

…retiring from Prairie Home Companion!

Hey guys! Sorry for playing hooky again, but I was still doing the ever-dreaded thing you all refer to as “moving” and then yesterday my car crapped out after hitting yet another country pothole. Better late than never, so here I come…

You may not know this about me, but I was once the biggest Lindsay Lohan fan in the world at large. I saw all her movies and owned her albums…yes she sings too! HAHA

Well I just brought up LiLo to say that she was my first link to Garrison Keillor because she was one of the many actors featured in the movie A Prairie Home Companion which came out in 2006. Garrison is the host of a real live radio variety show of the same name which was the inspiration for the film 🙂

Lindsay is in the cowboy hat, of course!

At 72 years old, Garrison just announced that he is stepping down as the host of APHC which is the radio show he created and fostered for 4 decades!

That famous baritone voice that everyone knows and loves is heard by 4 million listeners nationwide on 700 public radio stations…and that’s every week!

#APHC4LIFE

Garrison said: “I have a lot of other things that I want to do. I mean, nobody retires anymore. Writers never retire. But this is my last season. This tour this summer is the farewell tour.”

It’s been confirmed and I can be happy to say that my mom and dad took me to see a live taping of A Prairie Home Companion at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minnesota. That was when I was looking at colleges early as a junior so I’d say about 8 years ago in 2007! GK read my joke from the stage:

“Where do boats go when they’re sick?……The dock!”

A cheeky one-liner, I know, but he said my name live on the air and my hometown which was oh so exciting!

I’d say 40 years dedicated to any job or any project is an honor and I congratulate Garrison!

Happy Trails to you, my friend! Your legacy will live on forever!

Switchfoot’s Jon Foreman releases 4 EPs!

One of my favorite bands is Switchfoot and their lead singer…

…Jon Foreman is putting out a collection of 4 EPs!

I’ve been following Switchfoot since about 9th grade I’m sure and my basketball team loved their album…

The Beautiful Letdown

That album was released in February 2003 and totally rocked everyone’s world. Standout songs like “Meant To Live” and “Dare You To Move” put Switchfoot on the map!

So as a fan of Switchfoot, I’ve always followed them and I’ve always followed the solo work of their lead singer Jon Foreman 🙂

With great ambition, Jon set out to create an EP project called “The Wonderlands”. The project includes 4 separate EPs (which are meant to depict a journey through one full 24 day) and are called: “Sunlight”, “Shadows”, “Darkness”, and “Dawn”.

#EPsForYouAndMe

About the EPs, Jon said: “It’s an alternative universe that looks at our own with a fresh perspective. I wanted to capture that idea where you can create a place where people could go and maybe find themselves there. Music has been my companion throughout the day, documenting my life, providing clarity. I thought, what if I can create a day with music, 24 songs for 24 hours that could travel with me. That’s where the concept came from.”

I think his inspiration for the EP collection is brilliant and it just goes to show what an unique artist he is! 😀

“Sunlight” was released in May, “Shadows” was released in July and you can expect “Darkness” to be released on September 4th followed by “Dawn” on October 23rd.

Jon is also planning on celebrating the EPs by performing 24 shows in 24 hours on October 24th!

Be on the lookout for Switchfoot on tour with Needtobreathe this fall as well!

Thanks Jon for always challenging the listener! We love you!

Elementary school choir brings hope to their teacher!

This story is heartwarming to me as I’ve been seeing how…

…an elementary choir sang a tribute song to their teacher!

It was just a regular old day at Public School 22 in Staten Island, NY until students broke into a song that they were dedicating to their teacher. What was the song you might ask?

 Martina McBride’s “I’m Gonna Love You Through It”

The teacher that was chosen to have a special song performed for by the school’s choir was Adriana Lopez who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.

Every year at the elementary school a lucky teacher is chosen to have a special song sung to them and this year it was Adriana’s turn.

Take a look at that special performance here:

#TearJerker

After a tear-filled moment, Lopez said: “It’s not easy but I will get through it because I have wonderful friends at this school.”

Boy, I’ll say! What an amazing group of kids! They sounded so good together 😀

Martina herself gave a shout-out on Twitter:

Music is so powerful and I am blessed to have been given this song. Thanks P22 Chorus and much love to Adriana Lopez http://t.co/O2Nn0ghg4k

— Martina McBride (@martinamcbride) July 22, 2015

The video went viral and has over 1 million views!

I’m sorry for an afternoon cry session, but all I’m trying to say here is that music is powerful AND healing 🙂

Thank you Martina McBride for the powerful message of this song in which it depicts the struggle of people battling terminal illnesses such as cancer. It’s a lovely depiction of how they aren’t alone in the fight as we will love them through it.

Here’s to Adriana and let’s hear it for these talented kids!

Nicki Minaj takes a dig at Taylor Swift!

If you were on social media yesterday, you probably saw that…

…Nicki Minaj had a Twitter war with Taylor Swift!

Was it a dig or not? That’s been the word around town recently ever since Nicki Minaj composed a tweet that seemed just like she was talking about Taylor Swift and her infamous “Bad Blood” music video.

Here’s what she said:

If your video celebrates women with very slim bodies, you will be nominated for vid of the year 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

— NICKI MINAJ (@NICKIMINAJ) July 21, 2015

That’s a dig, if you ask me!

Okay, so Taylor Swift happens to be best friends with many high profile supermodels from the likes of Gigi Hadid to Karlie Kloss and from Lily Aldridge to Cara Delevingne.

As seen here:

#BadBlood

To me, I can’t hardly say that Nicki Minaj wasn’t taking a dig at Taylor Swift, and as much as I love Nicki, I have to stay true to my convictions. Taylor is one of my absolute favorite artists in the world too so I can’t say that I enjoy them fighting with each other.

Taylor’s response was distasteful in my opinion:

@NICKIMINAJ I've done nothing but love & support you. It's unlike you to pit women against each other. Maybe one of the men took your slot..

— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) July 21, 2015

OUCH!

“Maybe one of the men took your slot”, is she serious?! Now I don’t know if you know, but “taking your spot” in the hip hop community would mean the same thing as if someone told Nicki Minaj that Iggy Azalea took her spot. That was offensive to me and I know that Taylor simply meant that “one of the men” took her spot for an MTV VMAs nomination for Video of the Year, but still, those are fighting words!

Then came the real kicker, a response from Miss Minaj:

Huh? U must not be reading my tweets. Didn't say a word about u. I love u just as much. But u should speak on this. @taylorswift13

— NICKI MINAJ (@NICKIMINAJ) July 21, 2015

Even though Taylor was unsure of what “this” was? HAHA

“This” to me was Nicki’s own commentary of how body-shaming and racial discrimination is still prevalent in the music industry. I don’t want to get all political on you, but I can see just as you can that because Nicki Minaj’s music video “Anaconda” wasn’t nominated for the MTV VMAs Video of the Year (after amassing hundreds of millions of views on YouTube AND breaking the internet) she could very well infer that the color of her skin and the voluptuous bodies she attempted to glorify were to blame. That seems a bit generalized, but not necessarily since her video was prominent and notable too!

Then Taylor stuck her foot in her mouth:

@NICKIMINAJ If I win, please come up with me!! You're invited to any stage I'm ever on.

— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) July 21, 2015

What?!

Taylor just invited Nicki Minaj to come up on stage after this thing happened:

She doesn’t need anyone to pull a Kanye again!

I’m excited for the MTV Video Music Awards and I watch it every year of course! The nominations came out yesterday and Nicki did get nominated for Best Female Video for “Anaconda”.

Now let’s all get along Taylor & Nicki and don’t let there be bad blood 😉

Why are Blake Shelton & Miranda Lambert getting divorced?

The big shock in Nashville lately is regarding our first couple…

…Blake Shelton & Miranda Lambert AND their divorce!

Sorry guys for not writing since Thursday. I promise that Music Row Girl and I are not divorcing too! LOL I’ve just been busy moving and you know how that goes! I took a few days to pack up, but you know what, I’m still a Nashville girl for working, but I prefer the country for living (and for WAY cheaper rent!) 😀

So I know you heard that country music’s first man and first lady have called it quits, but why?!

#Why

Between moving and sweating up a storm in this summer humidity, I got texts from my mom and my friends about BS & ML hanging up the towel. I didn’t have time to Google it then and I know you’ve heard the news…but I’m here to search the rumor mill for why they are splitting up in the first place.

 According to TMZ (which is Tinsel Town’s official source for everything), the country music extraordinaires filed divorce papers “a while ago” and their marriage was officially ended (legally) yesterday, July 20th!

Courtesy of TMZ

4 years and no kids, Blake and Miranda could potentially have a clean split if of course they didn’t have to be constantly reminded of each other. I don’t mean the grieving process, I mean the fact that he is one of the best male entertainers in country music and she is one of the best female entertainers in country music!

Same industry + Same genre = OUCH!

The couple gave a public statement to the Associated Press that said: “This is not the future we envisioned and it is with heavy hearts that we move forward separately. We are real people, with real lives, with real families, friends and colleagues. Therefore, we kindly ask for privacy and compassion concerning this very personal matter.”

That’s a very classy statement if you ask me, but why?! And why am I so upset about this?! HAHA I really love both of them AND both of them TOGETHER!

The pair back in their glory days 😦

In January’s issue of Marie Claire, Miranda was quoted for saying about her marriage: “I’m not sunshine and roses. Blake’s the happiest person on the planet…He pulls me out of my darkness….literally, everything is the best about being married.”

Sounds like all was well back then and in March when this was taken:

#SoAdorable

There have been rumors for a while about infidelity and even Blake was married when he met Miranda before they dated and they claimed it wasn’t until he was divorced! For him, it was love at first sight.

You know, after much research and reading 1,800 articles, I don’t see a definite reason for the divorce. It’s upsetting, but I think these are two country strong people and there’s no way they would get a divorce unless there was abuse or cheating. Any other reason seems irrational and that’s not Blake & Miranda to me!

I’m so sorry they couldn’t stay together, but I wish them both the best!

The Maine announces 100% free tour!

The Maine is a great pop punk band and it was just announced…

…that they will be going on a free tour to thank their fans!

The thing I didn’t tell you is that I saw The Maine at my favorite concert venue in Florida (State Theatre) when I was home on May 15th.

The reason I didn’t write a concert review was partially because I forgot to bring my $600 Sony camera home to Florida and because time was rushing by so quickly and I was trying to see as many people as I could before I had to come back to Nashville.

What is cool about it though is that The Maine was playing a concert while I was in Florida and my best friend Rosa and I were able to go to it 🙂 We also saw Needtobreathe again so it was a concert-filled week…as it should be!

The Maine is a great band! I’ve enjoyed following them over the years and going to see them on the road. Now the good news is, they are taking the time out to be sweethearts to all of their fans with an absolutely 100% free concert tour!

I’ve never heard of such a thing and it’s making my heart melt for these boys! I’m not immune to boy bands and I never will be HAHA I can’t help myself!!!

The Maine will be going on the Free For All Tour where there are no tickets and admission to the concerts is 100% free of charge!

All Bridesmaids movie references are welcome!

The 13 date FREE tour will begin in Henderson, Nevada and end in Tustin, California!

Those “Free For All” tour dates are as follows:
8/30: Henderson, NV – The District At Green Valley Ranch
8/31: Salt Lake City, UT – The Club At 50 West
9/1: Westminster, CO – Orchard Town Center
9/3: Minneapolis, MN – Mill City Nights
9/6: Westland, MI – Westland Shopping Center
9/11: Howell, NJ – GameChangersWorld
9/18: St Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live
9/19: Orlando, FL – House of Blues
9/22: Dallas, TX – House of Blues
9/23: Mission, TX – Las Palmas Race Track
9/28: San Diego, CA – Quartyard
10/1: Fresno, CA – Strummer’s
10/2: Tustin, CA – District At Tustin Legacy

Check out The Maine officially announcing the tour:

#FREE

The free shows are meant to be in malls, parks, or venues that can and will accommodate a large crowd since it’s free!!!

I would usually drop a link here for tickets, but hey it’s FREE so you just show up! 😀 I can’t get over just how awesome this is!

More Free For All dates are coming so maybe they will sprout up in Nashville after all! I would love that!

Thanks to The Maine for making your fans feel special every year!

Drake revives the entire Hip Hop genre!

There are many people I could point to that have positively affected music…

…but I think we need to pause and hear it for Drake!

Aubrey Drake Graham goes by his middle name “Drake” and has proven to the music industry that he’s not only a staple, but a beacon of hope for other artists to get seen and heard.

He’s been going hard at his craft (working on music) since he was making mixtapes (the Hip Hop equivalent to albums) in ’06 and then in 2009 he made a million dollars off the mixtape So Far Gone. Excuse me, I want you to realize that Drake was an unsigned artist and made $1 Million off a mixtape! That’s way out of left field and unheard of! No marketing team, no social media craze, no nothing! Just simply by word of mouth!

When I look at Drake, I see persistence, a dream, and determination. A young rapper from Toronto turned into a global superstar all because he hustled and he got taken under the wing of one of the most respected rappers…

Lil Wayne!

So besides being a protégé, Aubrey found his way up the musical ladder by being passionate and nobody could deny his talent and his art.

You see, Drake took rap back to the most beautiful form: Spoken Word. He brought it back to the days where it was all about speaking your mind, not censoring yourself, and real talk. He brought poetry to the forefront and I can say that the albums and individual songs I’ve heard from him are exhilarating no matter the topic! He has an air about him and he’s too good for words. I cannot say enough good things about Drake and the flavor he has added back into Hip Hop. He made everyone step their game up!

Proof is in the numbers and such is with Drake’s album sales! His first album, Thank Me Later, sold millions of copies and was SO highly anticipated it’s not even funny! Then his sophomore album Take Care sold 4.6 million copies worldwide and the third album Nothing Was the Same sold over 7 million copies worldwide!

The best trilogy since The Lord of the Rings…I’m just sayin’!

I know what you’re thinking! What about:

I know, right?!

Okay so that’s a trilogy + 1 because Drake’s mixtape If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late was a smash hit tying a Beatles’ record for having 14 hits on the Billboard 100 at the same time! There are 17 songs on the mixtape…

You do the math! 😀

With great success comes great influence and that’s what Drake has inherited little by little, or more like lot by lot! What I mean is how he is perceived and how he has been able to help the careers of The Weeknd, PartyNextDoor, and Ilovemakonnen. All of which were unknown before Drake was featured on their songs and then their career skyrocketed in no time flat!

Speaking of which, The Weeknd just performed with Taylor Swift…I’m so jealous!

Drake’s 4th studio album Views From the 6 is coming out this year and at the WWDC15 hosted by Apple, he announced in person that he will release it on Apple Music!

Take a look at him taking the WWDC15 stage here:

#DrakeLovesApple

He’s brought Hip Hop to mainstream as pop artists are welcoming features by rappers at an all-time high. I do feel as if Drake has revived Hip Hop music, and trust me, I think Hip Hop does too!

Congrats Drake on your success! Trust me, none of your contributions go unnoticed!

Lily Allen is trying to find her place!

It’s not that farfetched to say that artists go through phases and thus…

…is the case with one of my favorites: Lily Allen

It’s being reported now that Lily is looking to find her place in the music industry and to find where she fits.

A source told Grazia magazine: “Lily is a bit lost and trying to find her place. She is so extreme and she’s used to focusing on being one thing at a time: how to be a pop star, a mum and a wife – she’s still working it out. It seems her default mode to go wild because it’s what she’s always done.”

I can respect her for honestly losing her way at times because hey, it happens to the best of us! It’s okay to question and to wonder what is the way we should go. It’s okay to be unsure. I will go ahead and say that right now without batting an eye 😀

Lily burst into the music atmosphere in 2006 with songs like “Smile” and “LDN”. She became well known fast and did very well for herself playing major festivals like Glastonbury.

LA faded into the distance in the music business when she married her now-husband Sam Cooper in 2011 and started a family. She had a great run last year with a brand new album in 2014 called “Sheezus” which was a tongue and cheek reference to Kayne West’s last album “Yeezus”.

#Sheezus

I remember hearing about the most recent Lily Allen news and that was that she collapsed at Glastonbury! The festival was one that Allen has played every single year and this year she partied with her friends too, of course!

According to her friend and fellow rapper, Dizzee Rascal, Lily had been sober for 10 months straight and drank heavily for the first time. To me, I thought heat exhaustion was to blame, but actually that makes a whole lot of sense! I heard that Lily hadn’t had a sip since December, so I’m not quite sure exactly how long she’s been sober from alcohol to be honest.

Dizzee knows best?

In better news, Lily has just signed a contract with IMG models and is hard at work on her 4th studio album which I cannot wait to hear! I’ve loved all her albums so far!

I’ve got confidence that Lily will find herself just in the nick of time 🙂

Zayn Malik calls out Naughty Boy!

Zayn, Zayn, Zayn! I’ve been sick and tired of his tirade…

…and now he’s causing even more of a ruckus!

The brooding gent seen above is of course one of the former heartthrobs from the British boy band One Direction.

On March 25th, the internet broke with the news of Zayn’s departure from one of the most commercially successful boy bands of all time! Every one was asking “Why?!” and “What the heck is he thinking?!”

I remember thinking “If you think you’re gonna pull a Timberlake…you’re mistaken! I don’t even think Harry Styles can do that!”

Despite not having the monstrous success of *NSYNC’s Justin Timberlake, he’s been causing trouble by saying he wanted to be “a normal 22 year old” and then he’s leaking new music that placates his to desire to become a solo artist!

#Betrayal

Zayn has been fighting back and forth with the producer Naughty Boy who was the guy who initially leaked the solo track of Zayn singing a never before heard song…if I recall correctly…THE DAY after he quit the band!

To make matters better, the song was a One Direction song, but Zayn was the only one singing it on the demo that Naughty Boy leaked!

He IS naughty after all! HAHA

Well now that Naughty Boy has released a cover of Rae Sremmurd’s “No Type” sung by Mr. Malik…Zayn went off on him on Twitter saying:

Talk about “rude”!

I’m going to side with Naughty Boy on this one! I’m sorry, but I’m SO tired of Zayn being a punk and acting out. It’s time to grow up and see that is being hyped up aren’t even things that represent Zayn’s sound as a solo artist. It’s just being released for the shock value, but you know, normal 22 year olds should just get on with their lives and not feel bad about something getting released that is akin to me singing “Happy Birthday” in my own stylistic preference which would be Jazz, of course. That’s all I’m sayin!

All things aside, I’m looking forward to hearing what Zayn’s sound will be!