Another month, another playlist. 

NOTABLE TRACKS: 

• Ray Lamontagne's "Let's Make It Last" - Ray's back with a new album and it has all the scruff and swoon that we missed during the Ouroboros era (not that it was a bad album, just a bit less swoony than I prefer). 
• Speaking of new albums, The Kooks are slowly rolling out singles for their new album. Their new track "All the Time" has a pretty catchy chorus and solid baseline. I'm in for this new era.  (While we're talking about new album from British bands, how are we feeling about the new Arctic Monkey's album? I'm not fully invested in it, tbh)
• Rosehardt's "Fall Into You" was COLORS youtube video find. And has been stuck in my head for ages. 
• Justin Nozuka's "All I Need" reminds me of another song or artist and I can't quite figure out who it is. But I still dig it. 
• When life gives you lemons, listen to Iris Temple's "Lemonde".
• Bruno Major's cover of "Like Someone in Love" is the ultimate swoon. I saw him play at a local venue this month, and in a set packed of really wonderful songs, this cover continues to stand out to me. 

Another month, another playlist. 

NOTABLE TRACKS: 

• Ben Howard's "A Boat to the an Island on the Wall" -- After four years away, the second saddest boy with a guitar is back (just barely beating out Bon Iver for the number one spot). His new album is coming this June, but in the meantime, this new track has the musical beauty that he's known for. But it doesn't feel the same as everything he's previously released. (I can't wait to full sob when I see him live in September.)
• Lake Street Dive's "I Can Change" -- Speaking of new music, LSD dropped their third album on Friday. And while I haven't had a chance to get invested in the album yet, their single "I Can Change" has been on repeat for the last few weeks. 
• Zak Abel "Love Song" -- The lad always puts out a jam. 
• Hobo Johnson "Peach Scone (Live)" -- The live video of this song was submitted for the NPR's Tiny Desk Competition, and went viral. For a good reason. Hobo's been building momentum in Sacramento the last few years. 
• Grace Weber "Space Jam" -- Like Michael Jordan, but with killer vocals. 

Another month, another playlist. 

NOTABLE TRACKS: 

• Thirdstory's Over (When We Said Goodbye) - Their first album Cold Heart dropped in March, and this is probably my favorite track on it. I've linked a live acoustic version below. 
• Jordan MacKampa's cover of Walk on the Wild Side - For Mahogany's Covers is so good. Not a massive fan of Lou Reed, but this cover is so lovely. 
• Allan Rayman's Friend of The Devil - Speaking of covers. Honestly, Allan Rayman has become a staple in my musical rotation over the last month. I really dig the tone of his voice. 
• Shawn Mendes' Lost in Japan - Am I ashamed of loving this pop hit? Nah, dawg. 
• Leon Bridges' Bad Bad News - He's back, he's talented. I'm all the way in. 
• Dermot Kennedy's Moments Passed - I think I had a track of his on Feb's playlist, which basically mean we're in love. He's playing Outside Lands this year and I'm going to try to drag my friends to his set.*

*TBH they're not into the sad boys with guitars genre, so I may fly solo on this endeavor. 

This post is in a partnership with Palladio  

A few weeks ago on a sunny Sunday, I headed the thirty minutes down the road to my hometown of Folsom to spend the afternoon doing some retail therapy at the Palladio. Way back when I was in high school, the Palladio was our go-to spot for all events. We'd catch movies at the theater, meet up for Black Friday shopping at the 4 big stores there at the time, and have all our big event dinners at the Chicago Fire there. In the 8 years since I've graduated it's totally bloomed into a full dining, shopping, and immersive experience. To be honest, I'm kind of sad I don't live 5 minutes away anymore. 

As I was driving out to the Palladio, I called my Mom to meet up for a 'Girls Afternoon'. We couldn't have picked a better day to wander around the gorgeous outdoor set up. The sun was shining for what felt like the first time in ages, and was sadly the last time for a few weeks. I guess that's March weather for you though.

We started our afternoon at Petra Greek. Here's what you may or may not know about me -- I exist on almost exclusively hummus. So you can imagine all of my dreams coming true when they told me they had a regular hummus dip, or the option for a triple dip plate that also had a spicy feta dip. We also ordered the spanakopita which is essential a delicious, flaky spinach pie, and the dolmades which is rice in grape leaves. The menu has a ton of options for all you meat eaters out there, but your girl just wants to survive on hummus and veggies. If the photos below don't make you crave all the Greek food, then we probably can't continue this friendship. I'm still dreaming of that hummus dip. 

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

After stuffing our faces, we had to walk off all that food. We wandered over to one of the newer additions, Barnes & Noble. Now, I have no shame in telling you this, but it's probably one of my favorite places to hang out. I love a bookstore. And I especially love a bookstore with a restaurant inside. Growing up going to the bookstore was the highlight of my week. My parents could leave me in the aisle for hours. No one is surprised I ended up as an English major. Between the books and the vinyl selection in there, I wanted to walk out spending my entire paycheck. Instead I opted for an album I've been eyeing for a long time now, Ray Lamontagne's 'Trouble'. Catch me crying about Jolene basically forever. I also grabbed "I Wrote This For You" which is a collection of poems from Ian S. Thomas. 

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Then we popped into Charming Charlie, which I always forget has so many accessory options. I'm not a massive jewelry girl, but I do love a new purse. I've been looking for a new bag that is compact, but still fits my camera in it. And by the grace of the shopping gods, I found the best structured black satchel. I've been carrying it around everywhere. It's going to be perfect bag to travel with the next few months. 

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Our last stop, and quite possible my all time favorite store, was Nordstrom's Rack. It could be said that 78% of my wardrobe comes from the Rack. That blue tank? The Rack. Those Topshop jeans? The Rack. Those tan booties? The Rack. I was looking for some more spring attire and found the cacti shirt of my dreams. I paired it with these fringed jeans I found in the sale section. (Hint: You can find some serious treasures in there.)

As always, an afternoon spent wandering around the Palladio never disappoints. Though I wish I would've had time to fit in a movie at their fancy new Luxe Cinema. Maybe next time! 

Thanks to the Palladio for sponsoring this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Another month, another playlist. 

Notable tracks: 

• Thirdstory's Still In Love - They originally posted it as a live video on Facebook like two years ago, and I've been dying for a studio version ever since. Dreams come true kids.
• Frank Ocean's cover of Moon River - Just cry about it. It's fine. I am too. 
• Wolfie's Obi Wan - Solid song title. Just the right amount of groove. 
• Lake Street Dive's Good Kisser - One of my favorite bands and they're getting ready to drop a new album. 
• Joe Hertz/Bassette's Playing for You - I've been dancing to this for more than a month. Start boogie-ing too. 
• Jordan Rakei's Add the Baseline - I don't care what else you do with your life as long as you promise to dance to this song for me. Okay? Thanks. 

Last year my goal was to post a playlist every other week. Clearly, that didn't happen. 

Here's why: 

1. I am terrible at posting anything on here regularly. (Sorry.  Will this year be different? Hopefully?!)

2. I get stuck listening to the same things over and over again. 

3. I ended the year listening to a ton of Ben Howard and Bon Iver. (It was December, and cold, and perfect for sad guys with guitars. 

SO...

This year, I've decided to post a new playlist on a monthly basis. That way you get a longer playlist, that's more reflective of the things I've been obsessed with that month. 

January was a giant mess of overworking myself, getting my creative side up and running again, and a car accident (oops!). I spent most of the month updating this here website -- DO YOU LIKE IT? I do! As well as, taking all of the photos with some of my favorite people. There's plenty of new pictures scattered around here to see, and I'll also be posting more of them here. But these last two weeks I've had to slow myself down. I had the unfortunate pleasure of rear-ending someone on the highway one Saturday morning, and as a result, I've been massively sore and without a car for two weeks now. Luckily it wasn't much worse, but my bank account and my back are definitely not pleased with the current situation. 

I've been doing my best to look at the silver lining of all this though. Because I'm sans-wheels this week, I've been working from home. I kid you not, this week has been the most productive week I've had in MONTHS. Seriously, I've worked into the night almost every night this week. It's great. I love it. I'm not being facetious here. I feel like I've crossed off so many things on my to-do list. How is that possible? (Probably because I don't have to waste time getting ready in the morning, or commuting 30 minutes (an hour really) each way.  

Anyway... 

January's playlist has some notable moments. Eliza (Doolittle -- remember the 2010 hit Skinny Jeans? Well, she's back) dropped Wasn't Looking and it's groovy. That's the only descriptor I'm going to give it. Sorry! I also fell in love with this band out of Alabama called The Brook and the Bluff. They haven't put a lot out yet, but what's available is so worth tuning into. I threw in a little bit of SZA and a touch of Billie Eilish, both are badass babes making real names for themselves lately. SZA was nominated for 5 Grammy's (and subsequently robbed of Best New Artist) and Billie is only 16! But I ended the playlist with Give Hope, a spoken word piece by Anthony Anaxagorou accompanied by Karim Kamar. It's magical and important. Please listen to it. 

August flew by -- a blur of suitcases, cityscapes, and new faces. I spent one a weekend in San Francisco dancing around at Outside Lands, and then popped down to LA a few weeks later to attend Yellow Conference. (Which, by the way, was absolutely incredible and empowering. I'm so inspired to make some changes around here soon.) Somehow we're nearly through September, and it's finally starting to cool down out there. I'm talking one layer of sleeves if we're lucky. But I'll take what I can get. Just waiting for fall to really set in so I can break out my boots! I'm sure we'll be in scarves soon enough though! 

That being said this playlist has been a long time coming. It's been just sitting in my Spotify account since the end of July. It's been in my commute cycle constantly and I thought it was finally time I released it into the wild. 

This is probably the longest playlist I've shared with you all. It's nearly 2.5 hours long, and while it starts out slow and mellow about halfway through it picks up the pace. I opened it with some really beautiful covers from Years & Years (Joni Mitchell's 'Both Sides Now'), Ady Suleiman (Bill Withers' 'Lean on Me'), and the Staves (Bruce Springsteen's 'I'm on Fire'). While listening, please take the time to cry a little bit over Amber Run's 'Haze' and Ben Howard's 'Old Pine'. I'd like to think that Jacob Banks' 'Sink or Swim' is the turning point where things start to pick up. Some of my other favorites are Alice Gray's 'Pink Cadillac', Billie Eilish's 'Bellyache' (Marian Hill Remix), and Ryn Weaver's 'Pierre'. Also, I put a few tracks from Dua Lipa in here. Her debut album was the perfect background for summer. She just did a cover of Amy Winehouse's 'Tears Dry on Their Own' with Gallant for Amy's 34th birthday (Can we just take a second to recognize how immensely talented Amy was?). Lastly, I closed the playlist out with Sevdaliza's 'Human'. It's equal parts dope and weird as hell. 

Sometimes you just need a little something sweet to make a Monday morning less sour.

I think I've watched this Ben Howard at Lowlands 2012 video at least 10 times in the past week alone. It's the perfect video to put on while you're going about your other business. But before you dive right into your work with this magical man as a soundtrack, take the time to watch the first song -- 'Depth over Distance'. It starts at about 2:30 and ends around 9:30. (Also picture me shedding tears to how amazing this is.)

If you're curious as to what Ben Howard's been up to lately, check out the track from A Blaze of Feather below. He's teamed up with his touring band to create this album. They were announced to be playing a few of the bigger UK festivals this year before they'd even released any tracks. 

According to all those who frequently post quotes, Claude Monet once said (wrote?), "I must have flowers, always and always" And I'm over here like, "Same, homie."

This past weekend I co-hosted a Sacramento Fashion meet up for bloggers and photographers. It was such a gorgeous, positive afternoon and I definitely have some portraits coming your way, but the real highlight was getting to borrow my friend's 75mm & 45mm lenses. I took way too many pictures of flowers. I have no shame. 

So as my girl, Miranda Priestly said, "Florals for spring? Groundbreaking."

The most FOMO-inducing weekend of the year has come and gone. After all the countless Instagram Stories, live stream sessions, and hashtag scrolling, the #NoChella peasant had to endure, it's time to wrap up the weekend with some of my favorite looks of Coachella Weekend 1. 

First of all, WeWoreWhat's Danielle Bernstein is always killing it. It's literally her job, so none of us are surprised. But I loved her Day 2 look -- those braids, that shiny dress, and all the denim fringe you could possibly want. (So much denim fringe this weekend, I'm into it.)

Day ✌🏻

21.8k Likes, 123 Comments - Danielle Bernstein (@weworewhat) on Instagram: "Day ✌🏻"

Rocky Barne's gorgeous fringe dress. (Seriously... give me all the fringe.)

Coachella day ✌🏼 #rockytakescoachella #boholuxe 📷 @matt_coop

29.2k Likes, 226 Comments - Rocky (@rocky_barnes) on Instagram: "Coachella day ✌🏼 #rockytakescoachella #boholuxe 📷 @matt_coop"

This braid from Janni Delér. 

Braids and glitter for #Coachella2017 ✨🎡 Made by my babe @emitaz 👯

53.6k Likes, 222 Comments - Janni Delér (@jannid) on Instagram: "Braids and glitter for #Coachella2017 ✨🎡 Made by my babe @emitaz 👯"

Obsessed with Camilla Coehlo's entire weekend wardrobe -- especailly this painted jean jacklket. 

✌🏼🎼🎡 May our day be filled with AMAZING energies! -------- Que nosso dia seja somente de energias positivas! ✌🏼🎼🎡 #coachella

137.3k Likes, 330 Comments - Camila Coelho (@camilacoelho) on Instagram: "✌🏼🎼🎡 May our day be filled with AMAZING energies! -------- Que nosso dia seja somente de energias..."

And as we all know I'm basically in love with anything Claire (HeyClaire) does ever. This look is no exception. (See, I told you. #FringeForver.)

Fill 'er up ⛽️

30.1k Likes, 76 Comments - Claire Marshall (@heyclaire) on Instagram: "Fill 'er up ⛽️"

Another look, more fringe. (I'm not joking here.)

The best dancing jacket. Day 2 #ootd wearing @revolve 💃🏻 #revolvefestival

58.4k Likes, 120 Comments - Tess Christine (@tesschristinexo) on Instagram: "The best dancing jacket. Day 2 #ootd wearing @revolve 💃🏻 #revolvefestival"

And Jac Vanek for all your angelic vibes. Only she and all the Victoria Secret models could pull a look like this off. (Hey, no fringe!)

Day 3. White on white on white. 🌴💕💋👌🏻

9,189 Likes, 85 Comments - Jac Vanek (@jacvanek) on Instagram: "Day 3. White on white on white. 🌴💕💋👌🏻"

So if lots of denim, baker boy hats, bandanas, and endless amounts of fringe are what we have to look forward to this summer, please count me in. 

It was bound to happen, a playlist exclusively featuring songs with Sunday in the title. How gimmicky is that? Super. I know. 

But I searched through a surprisingly saturated selection of songs about Sundays (say that five times fast?) and collected some of my very favorites. 

We have to talk about my love for Etta James, and her song 'Sunday Kind of Love'. It's probably one of my favorite songs in all the land. She was just so incredibly talented. It took me years, but a few months ago I found her At Last! on vinyl and I may have shed a single happy tear. Of course, I threw in some Eryn Allen Kane and Chance the Rapper a la Donnie Trumpet and the Social Experiment, because I cannot stop listening to either of them.  There's also the ultimate Maroon 5 Sunday classic "Sunday Morning". I couldn't help but add in my favorite emo Sunday song, "Remembering Sunday" by All Time Low. I must it admit it's super eclectic and not really cohesive, but whatever. I'm putting it out in the world, and I really hope you enjoy it. 

It's March! Well, it's been March for a while, but we're only going to acknowledge it here and now. The sun has finally emerged and I can start putting all my winter clothes away. Thank goodness. I've been ready for spring dresses and sandals for ages (socks are the worst). 

It's been a super exciting week over here. I may have a lot more projects in the pipeline, and I can't tell you how excited I am about them. Stay tuned friends. 

View fullsize

This playlist has a lot of killer ladies on it, including Gabrielle Aplin, AURORA, Sabrina Claudio, and my girl Eryn Allen Kane (Secretly she's on here twice). AURORA's whole album is worth checking out. She has this etherial vibe going on. I threw in Sylvan Esso's new track "Die Young", because they're always killing it. If you're planning on listening to their old album, may I suggest "Coffee" or "H.S.K.T.". We also need to talk about Stormzy's new album Gang Signs & Prayer. It's so good. He's really picking up steam in the UK, so I would bet real money on him breaking America soon. Then there's "Sunday Candy" from Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment, a group led by former Kids These Days members. It's a bit of an older track, but how can you not love a song with Chance the Rapper singing about his grandma. It also features the unreal talent of Eryn Allen Kane, who continues to amaze me and is featured yet again on one of these playlists. 

I hope you have a great rest of your week. Cheers to any upcoming St. Patrick's Day festivities this weekend. I'm off to Oakland on Saturday to see Lake Street Dive. 

View fullsize

View fullsize

Let's all laugh at how many times I've said, I'll post on here more. It's a lot, and clearly I'm full of empty promises and delusions of grandeur. Seriously, I have no real excuse as to why I can't seem to get my act together. I've written many to-do lists, all of which have the words "Write a post" listed, and I've managed to completely ignore that friendly reminder. 

Sure, I have ideas of things I want to write. I have titles and summaries for at least 10 posts, but I feel like none of them really want to be written (or I cannot find the right words for them). 

But for the 3009th time, let's try* this whole thing again. 

Here's a little life update for you: 

• I've been sick for like two weeks. The amount of tissues I've used is both gross and impressive. But I'm so ready to be healthy again. 
• Trying to step all my social channels up. I've been taking HootSuite's Social Media Strategy courses lately, and have found a lot of their information really helpful. That being said, if you aren't already following me on Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest... Do it now. (#desperate) 
• I'm looking at taking more Marketing/Advertising courses online. Please let me know if you have any recommendations. I've found a program that seems super rad, but holy hell I cannot afford their prices. 
• I'm obsessed with lentil pasta. No shame. It definitely has a different flavor and texture compare to regular pasta, but I really like the added flavor -- especially any of the red lentil ones. Throw all the veggies on top of it and it's perfect. 
• Cannot. Stop. Watching. Criminal. Minds. Why is it so addicting? 

That's it. That's all I've got. Just trying to figure out how to be a real ass adult who gets their shit done on time. 

*Don't trust me on this one. 

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

1. Let's just acknowledge it now -- I am the actual worst and should probably never classify myself as a blogger since I'm so terrible at consistently posting. Like, I should probably make a New Year's resolution to put more effort into posting, but I'm just not going to. Soz, babes. I will make more of an effort for you though.  

View fullsize

2. We also need to acknowledge that it's pretty dope that this is Weekender | V.13 and I'm posting it on Friday the 13th. (Also, considering getting another piercing, because it's cheap and why not?)

3. Today, I went to my local Creative Mornings meet up where I drank all the coffee, and am now very caffeinated. If there's a group in your city, I highly recommend attending their next event. It's a great way to meet other local creatives, hear an interesting lecture, and find some inspiration for your Friday. Today's take away from writer Melody Stone (@Melody_Stone) is "Don't discount that 'What the Fuck' moment." 

View fullsize

4. This playlist is just a collection of artists I've been obsessed with for the last few weeks. Sinead Harnett's whole EP has been on repeat constantly. Her track "No Other Way" was on my very first Weekender. Basically, I just think the sun shines out of her face, and that there's a strong likelihood we're going to be seeing a lot from her this summer.  Bibi Bourelly's track "Perfect (ft. Earl St. Clair)", is bluesy, and wonderful. Fun fact: she wrote Rihanna's "Bitch Better Have My Money". I'm also obsessing over NAO again. Her song "Bad Blood" was my go to last spring (Weekender | V.5), but her whole album has been on repeat this past week. I'm still really digging Klangstof, Allan Rayman, and JONES, who all have plenty of excellent tracks to check out.  

5. Have an excellent weekend friends! I'll be in search of eggs florentine and bottomless mimosas. Cheers! 

Sometimes you just need a little something sweet to make a Monday morning less sour.

So I'm not sure when Shihan performed this Saul Williams piece on Def Poetry. But I distinctly remember watching it in high school and being so impressed with the delivery and the message. It's just so sweet. I took an Intro to Acting class in college (Waddup GEs?), and our final was to do a 5-minute soliloquy. Guess what I picked. 

P.S. My delivery was nowhere near as good as this, there is a definitive reason why I try to avoid public speaking. 

Holy hell. How is it December? I know I say this all the time, but how has this year gone by so fast? If we're being real here, I'm stoked 2016 is almost over. What a crazy year this has been. (I'm side-eyeing you America). 

Anyway.... 

This playlist is just a combination of songs I'd want to dance to and songs I'd probably cry at if need be. Really digging Jessie J's cover of Can't Take My Eyes Off of You, but let us never forget Heath Ledger singing it while sliding down the flagpole during 10 Things I Hate About You.  Also, I'm mildly to moderately obsessed with Daniel Ceasar. I think I threw one of his other tracks onto V.7. I'm anticipating great things from him in the next few years. Labrinth, RY X, Josiah Bell and Mantaraybryn are all so immensely talented and I just want to lightly weep over their music. 

Enjoy. 

Sometimes you just need a little something sweet to make a Monday morning less sour.

I've been obsessing over Thirdstory since December of 2014. They basically just ooze out talent, and I can't stop swooning over their harmonies. I saw them in September while visiting Chicago and managed to slip my way to the front. I can neither confirm, nor deny, the presence of a single tear. But put them on your radar. I have a feeling their going to release a full length album in the next 6 months or so. Here's a Ted performance of their first EP. 

Sometimes you just need a little something sweet to make a Monday morning less sour. 

Shout out to all my fellow procrastinators who know how hard the struggle is, and to Tim Urban for being able to articulate it. 

Sometimes you just need a little something sweet to make a Monday morning less sour. 

Last week I stumbled upon the website for Creative Mornings. It's an organization  
that brings the creative community together in a series of breakfast events in 150+ cities. Luckily, they record and post their talks. After watching a ton of videos, I sat down and really listened to this talk from Holley Murchison titled '8 Lessons in Love'. Take the 33 minutes and appreciate Holley explaining how to choose love. 

"If we are going to change the world, we have to be open to the perspectives of what other people are going through -- whether you've experienced it firsthand or not." - Holley Murchison 

Holy shit. It's November. How did that happen? I swear I was just ringing in 2016 a few weeks ago. Apparently not?! 

I've pulled a few of the tracks from this week's playlist from my Discovery Weekly playlist Spotify puts together. If you're not already listening to it every Monday, then you're missing out on exciting musical things. Take note of Nick Wilson's 'Closer' because for some reason I can't seem to get it out of my head. I've also thrown in a song off of Tove Love's new album, which is pretty kick ass. Also, apparently Will Smith's kids have the musical talents, and it took me at least a week before I realized that the track 'Wait a Minute!' comes from his daughter Willow. What?! How?! We also need to talk about Shawn Mendes, because while I recognize that he is probably a teenage dreamboat, he's got a huge amount of soul buried in his little 18-year-old body. The song 'Ruin' is a jam. It was probably one of my most played tracks in October (#noshame). Seriously, I can't stop listening to it. 

Hit play, and have a great weekend. 

P.S. DON'T FORGET TO VOTE ON TUESDAY THE 8TH. Seriously though, read up on all the measures and vote for the better candidate at every level.