The Nerdy Girlie's Music Monday #17: Indie Christmas Playlist

Tis the season nerds! Who started listening to Christmas music the day after Thanksgiving like me?! My favorite way to consume Christmas music is via my record player....ahhhh the sweet crackling of a spinning vinyl, sipping a warm mug of something sweet, watching the Christmas tree lights twinkle...heaven on Earth!

I WISH I could have all of these songs on vinyl but my iPhone will have to do. Enjoy a taste of my FAVORITE bands at Christmas!!

1. A Christmas Song - A Silent Film.

2. Baby It's Cold Outside - The Filthy Souls.

3. You're Just Like Christmas - The Crookes.

4.  Merry Little Christmas - Bad Veins.

5. Just Like Christmas - Dan Croll.

6. Christmas At Our House - A Silent Film. Because you can never have enough A Silent Film at Christmas time! I've been bugging them for two years now to make a Christmas vinyl! This song is an original song and the video is of Robert singing his cat Woody to sleep! #dead

I just also have to mention that my absolute favorite Christmas album is Lee Greenwood's Christmas To Christmas. I'm not a country fan, but to me this isn't country, it's just a cozy home-y Christmas vinyl! Do you nerds have any obscure favorite Christmas tunes?! I'd love to hear them! I LOVE Christmas music so much! Let me know what you think of my list in the comments below!

San Diego Comic Con 2015 - Geeks Go Glam

👉 Grab my Comic-Con checklist here

I cannot believe that one small silly idea three months ago when Being Geek Chic's Liz came out to visit/work in LA came to fruition just a few days ago. When she came to visit both of us were going through a rough time {part one / part two}. It was meant to be that we came together at that exact moment. I don't think that Geeks Go Glam would have been born otherwise.

The party was an amazing success. We learned A LOT. And we did it together!

Quirk Books brought an amazing custom photo booth with a background straight out of Sam Maggs' The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy. It was a hit all night long! I WISH I had time to be in it more. THOUGH I was in in quite a bit and LOVE the photos with my nerds. I will be framing them when I get back home! I LOVE these nerd girls!

Kombucha on Tap brought us some amazing drinks! It was my very first time trying Kombucha and I loved it! They also had coffee which I HAD to Instagram in my #100cupsofcoffee series!

High Voltage Magazine brought my favorite band The Filthy Souls down from LA. Dave Green gave a smashing solo show! So much so, that people who were just walking BY the party wanted to come rock out with us! Dave even dedicated my favorite song of his to me I'm Dirty And I Know. #happytears Above is his amazing cover of Let's Get It On! Perfect for us nerds at SDCC yes?! LOL

We also had to hit up the photo booth with his GORG and talented girlfriend. I'm so happy to have these cool kids as friends. #LA4Eva

Wattpad provided our guests with some AWESOME swag bags...which included a super nerdy Cards Against Humanity deck! I've never played before and I cannot WAIT to use these cards! Who's ready for a game night?!

This party would NOT have happened if Liz and I didn't have some amazingly awesome nerdy friends. They volunteered at the party and made it perfect! They aren't just volunteers they are our nerd family! Thank you to Tillie, JD, Els, Noel, Joie, Brooke, Dan, and John for making our party amazing and letting Liz and I enjoy it!

People were freaking out for our awesome giveaway items from Think Geek Solutions, The Geeky Hostess and High Voltage Magazine. Thank you guys for making our guests so happy!

ONE MORE BIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGGGGG thank you to EVERYONE who was apart of this party, who came and who supported us and believed in this idea. Liz and I met for the first time at San Diego Comic Con three cons ago {we'd been Twitter friends for longer} and I cannot image my life without this strong and inspiring woman. I would have never have done this party without her. My CON-fidence has grown ten fold thanks to her.

NOW who's ready for Geeks Go Glam 2016?! We would love to do it again next year and make it bigger and better! Stay tuned!

SDCC 2015 Wrap Up Posts:

WB Swag Bag Dress 2015

The Nerd Fu Podcast & Preview Night 2015

Day One: The Wrath of Con Panel

    Geeks Go Glam

Day Two + SherlockeDCC 2015

Day Three

Day Four

Keeping Up With My Blog At SDCC

Geeks Go Glam The Sponsors: High Voltage Magazine Presents The Filthy Souls

This is the announcement that I have been dying for! 

Welcome to the Geeks Go Glam party High Voltage Magazine! You MIGHT know that I do in fact work for High Voltage Magazine, so I don't think it was too hard to twist their arm into giving Geeks Go Glam some love at San Diego Comic Con. BUT none the less, having even MORE of my nerdy loves in attendance makes me even more excited for the party to start!

High Voltage Magazine was created in 2003 by music fanatics who wanted to share their love for music with the rest of the world. They started as an online publication and in March of 2006 their first print issue of High Voltage Magazine was released.

What began as a music publication has turned into the ultimate fan destination. High Voltage Magazine now cover ANYTHING you can be a fan of via their quarterly print issues, weekly radio show and daily website coverage. High Voltage Magazine is here to help you discover (and geek out about) your new favorite fandom!

High Voltage Magazine also has a line of constantly evolving limited edition fandom merch. Find them on Etsy AND at their Geeks Go Glam table!

Along with their table set up at Geeks Go Glam, High Voltage Magazine is the official sponsor of our musical act, one of my band loves, Dave Green of The Filthy Souls.

Fun Fact: High Voltage Magazine is the one who introduced me to The Filthy Souls' music! From the very first opening drum beats of Destroy You on High Voltage Radio Hour, my music heart was hooked. As soon as I moved to LA I caught my very first The Filthy Souls show at the Troubadour and the rest is history. I love these talented, fun and passionate guys.

Dave Green, the brain child of The Filthy Souls, splits his time with the full band and doing solo sets. I love TFS as a full band, but for Geeks Go Glam, Dave's relaxed and passionate solo performance is going to be perfect for the party! Watch the video above and try NOT to swoon.

NOW go get your tickets for Geeks Go Glam! Purchase them HERE before they are gone! I cannot wait to party with you nerds and share my favorite band with you!!

High Voltage Magazine: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Website
The Filthy Souls: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, FREE Music

The Nerdy Girlie's Music Monday #12: A Filthy Road Trip

{Heads up this is gonna be a looong one, so settle in! #MusicIsLove}

One night when I was still living in San Diego, I was listening to High Voltage’s radio show. A few songs were played that I enjoyed and took note of, but then something magical happened.

A pounding drum filled my speakers. For a second my heart stopped, and just as suddenly it began to beat again in time with the rhythm. The song was "Destroy You" and the band was The Filthy Souls. Within just a few beats of a drum, I was hooked.

The magic continued when I was able to see them perform live for the first time in October 2014, my very first official LA resident show. Since then I’ve done all that I can to tell anyone and everyone about these phenomenal guys, and I have been lucky enough to have their guitarist as my guitar teacher.

You might have noticed that a post went up last Monday about A Silent Film and The Filthy Souls that had nothing on it. Well, that is because I thought after spending the entire weekend on the road with The Filthy Souls I would be able to come back and write a post about it for Monday...WRONG! A week later and I’ve still not had a chance to breathe or recover from an eye opening weekend with my band.

Thursday morning the guys met and I loaded up our two very small cars with all of their gear, all of our luggage, and us. It took some serious Tetris skills but eventually everything and everyone ended up finding a place and we were ready to take on the horrendously boring drive to Phoenix so they could open up for A Silent Film on Saturday.

Through the wind, the rain, and endless stretches of nothingness, we finally arrived in paradise. We actually had a bit of time to enjoy it since the guys were not scheduled to perform until Saturday. Insert leisurely breakfast at one of my favorite places, Snooze, emergency trip to Guitar Center for a tambourine, and a quick game of mini golf {I got 2nd place} before lounging by the pool. 

Gathering photos for this post was actually difficult for the first time ever. I was having so much fun that I didn’t want to use my phone or take photos. I’ve discovered that lately, I’m more happy to be in the moment and with people, unobstructed by technology.

When the time came to introduce my two favorite bands to each other, it was a completely surreal moment. Lead singers Robert {of A Silent Film} and Dave {of The Filthy Souls} are total polar opposites, but in the best way possible. I couldn't love either of them more for who they are and what and who their music has brought to my life.

Like I said before, this was the first time I had seen the full band play together since October and they did not disappoint. All of the craziness that happened up until they hit the stage was gone in an instant. These four have such an infectious chemistry. You can tell how much they love each other and enjoy playing together. It was so fun to witness and to capture for the first time. This is why I love them so much and want others to love them as well. Their music is pretty amazing too! I couldn't help but dance the entire time I was shooting.

Dave Green

The lead singer, the pretty one and the one whose music captured my heart. Ever since moving to LA I’ve secretly found everyone here to be super cool and hard to talk to. I’m pretty good at faking it. Dave is one of those cool kids. He has the confidence I wish that I had. His talent is such that he can sound check for five minutes or not at all and still lead the band in a jaw-dropping set.

Danny Wagstaff

Danny is my guitar teacher. He is definitely the quietest one of the bunch, but you would never know that the minute that he steps on stage and shreds the guitar. I am so happy to be taking lessons from such a talented and kind musician. And even more happy to have him be one of my very first friends I made upon moving to LA!

Topher Daniel

Since Topher is the youngest and around the same age as my brothers, I felt like I was hanging with one of my brothers. He is super sweet and we totally bonded over our love of emo music and McDonald’s. He rode in the back seat to and from Phoenix making me feel super old while he slept and listened to his iPod. LOL

Daniel Curcio

I had never had a chance to talk to Dan before this trip. Dan was another one of those cool kids. But what I soon realized is that he is a complete sweetheart and was great at making me feel included. I think all the black and leather threw me off. ;) As soon as he stepped off stage he gave me a big hug and thanked me for the photos. 

How can I love two completely different bands with all my heart? What it really comes down to is, I’ve realized, is the people. The music captured my heart, but the people who create it it, hold it. I’ve grown so much in the past couple months and I feel like I am at this point in my life where I need A Silent Film’s passionate love and The Filthy Souls' well…filthy love. 

It’s not too much to ask for both, am I right? I finally feel that I can say and realize that and truly mean it and won’t settle for less, no matter how long it takes. Thank you, The Filthy Souls, for inspiring me to live the life I love.

The Nerdy Girlie's Music Monday #11: The Filthy Souls

Did you read my last week’s Music Monday?! I had a bad case of concert blues and band jealousy. Thankfully, this week, the slate was wiped clean and I got my groove back, all due to Dave Green of The Filthy Souls.

You might remember my novel about how I came to find The Filthy Souls...and what came after...if not, you have to go read one of the most favorite posts I’ve ever written {5 Songs That Changed My Life}. Go a head and read it, or even read it again, then come back...I’ll wait!

There are only a handful of bands that give me all the FEELS and The Filthy Souls is one of them. I’ve seen them once before as a full band, but this past Friday at O’Brien’s in Santa Monica {my backyard!} it was the lead singer Dave Green, solo.

I can always tell that a show is amazing when I don’t want to take pictures {so sorry these aren’t my best!}. I love when an artist can capture my attention, keep me in the moment and make me only care about the music. I definitely had this “trouble” during Dave’s set. He is such an emotional singer that I didn’t want to fuss with capturing it in camera, I wanted to capture it in my heart and soul.

One of my favorite parts of any The Filthy Souls set is Destroy You {fave song, LISTEN!}. During this song Dave’s stunning and talented girlfriend, Taryn joins him on stage for a duet. They have such amazing chemistry, it’s intoxicating. The picture above is from their show at The Troubadour this past July. See what I mean when I said, I hardly took any photos?!

We all know those "LA girls," the ones that are too pretty, cool and intimidating to talk to. Taryn is pretty, cool and a joy to talk to! We are both taking guitar lessons from Danny, the guitarist of The Filthy Souls, so right away we had something to bond over. I love how this city, which I was so intimidated to move to, has brought truly genuine and rad people into my universe.

Dave played a bunch of new songs during his set and the new stuff had me hanging onto every word as much as the songs I already knew and loved. This is why I love live music so much, if an artist is great, they can hook you even with songs you’ve never heard. The bonus that night was that I was able to be there with amazing friends. When you can look over at someone who gets a band as much as you do, the experience means so much more.

A cherry on top to any amazing band is how they interact with their fans. Dave and I have interacted back and forth on social media for awhile now, and have met once in passing at guitar lessons, but never have been formally introduced. So when Danny officially introduced us it surprised me that Dave knew me by name and The Nerdy Girlie.

Taryn, Danny, me, Dave.

This never ceases to astonish me. It means that the artist takes their job seriously and shows that they are truly invested in the people who love their music. Wouldn’t that make you want to shout from the roof tops and cheer them on?!

What is your favorite part of the concert going experience? Friends, photos, band interaction?  Share your stories in the comments below! THEN go listen to The Filthy Souls and get ready for them to explode this year!

5 Fandom Friday: Songs That Changed My Life

{LISTEN on Spotify}

Music has been a major part of my life from as far back as I can remember.  It makes me dance, inspires my writing and makes me feel all the emotions!  I LOVE how music makes me feel and the joy I get when I can share that with people.  Here are the five songs that made the biggest impression on my life.

1.  Harbour Lights - A Silent Film.  I've shared this story a million times with you all, and I still never get tired of telling it.  So for those who haven't heard it, here it goes.  The Music Maven made me her best of 2012 album and Harbour Lights was the very last song.  From the first note I knew it was special.  From there I got ASF's album Sand & Snow and listened to it everyday until my 30th birthday party, where I got to see them live for the first time. Since then I have never looked back.

The Lads are the so kind and sweet plus their music goes straight to my heart.  I have been so inspired by their music and have made some amazing friends {Lamplighters} who I would have never of met otherwise.  I am so thankful to A Silent Film and would do anything for them.

2.  Hands Down - Dashboard Confessional.  Speaking of all the emotions, enter Dashboard. The MTV Unplugged album got me through some "tough" times.  This past year I was finally able to meet Chris Carrabba in person for the first time and he exceeded all of my expectations.  After all these years, he still comes out to the line and talks to his fans.  He takes pictures, asks questions and is a completely authentic person, loving what he is doing.  I was so happy to finally see that for myself after ten years of being a fan.

Chris is also the one who made me to want to play the guitar in the first place. Though it took ten years, and being re-inspired by ASF, I finally did it and celebrated my one year anniversary this Thanksgiving. {MORE about that to come below!}

3.  Chocolate - The 1975.  It may seem that I think that every song is something special, but that couldn't be further from the truth.  The Music Maven and others suggest bands/artists to me all the time and not all of them stick.  Then came Chocolate.  Who wouldn't want to listen to a song named Chocolate?  While editing The Gamer Geek's post My Blog As A Mix Tape, I found myself intrigued by the title, and went straight to You Tube to have a listen. One listen and I was then down the rabbit hole.

That was the beginning of my The 1975 lust.  I completely admire how self aware and comfortable they are in their own skin.  I wish I could be that free.  I listened to them every single day since The Gamer Geek's post up until I saw them live this past November, to The Hunny's dismay.  You can read all about the amazing time I had at their show HERE.  I got a VERY unexpected story out of this show!

4.  Up & Go - The Starting Line.  I feel very nostalgic about TSL.  I went back and listened to them a bit while writing this and the memories came flooding back.  They were the first band I found all on my own back in my 20s and I was quite proud of that fact. I followed them around to multiple shows in Pennsylvania and had such a great time with my good friend Tommy!  I will credit them with my passion for concert photography {those above were all taken with my cheap/giant film camera} and my wanting "the tour life"!  Guess what?!  I still feel the same to this day!  Some things never change!

5. Destroy You - The Filthy Souls.  One day while listening to the weekly High Voltage Magazine Music Hour the lovely ladies {and SherlockeDCC 2014 party sponsors!} introduced this song.  From the first drum beats my heart stopped and I knew this song was something special. Straight away I went and found out as much as I could about the band {British boys!} and got their EP.

I was living in San Diego at the time and was dying to see them live.  They live and play only in LA, so it wasn't until I moved there this past July that I was able to attend my first show of theirs.  It was my very first LA show and I was alone, though that is not unusual.  I was nervous about parking and the neighborhood, but soon found nothing to fear.  The Troubadour is on a gorgeous street and is a lovely venue!

I rocked out the entire time and their performance was entirely worth the wait!  Jump to a few weeks later when I decided to FINALLY search for a guitar teacher.  I'd gone as far as I could on my own and was informed that The Filthy Souls' guitarist taught lessons.  I mentioned it to The Hunny whose first and only question was "Is he British?"  With that I was off to my first lesson in North Hollywood at night with a guy I had never met.  Safe? Totally!

Danny, my instructor, is THE BEST!  I am super hard on myself and he is always encouraging, patient and kind.  I love chatting with him and he always takes the time to play me something special.  It is like a private mini concert each week!  And guess what?!  I am also now working for High Voltage Magazine and JUST wrote my first article!  It is amazing to think back on what one song can do in your life.  What a complete full circle moment!  Thank you High Voltage and The Filthy Souls for helping me fall in love with LA.

BONUS
I couldn't end the list without mentioning my boy band obsession.  It started with New Kids on the Block, peaked with Nsync and Backstreet Boys and continues to this day with One Direction!

Bye Bye Bye - *Nsync.  I always hated the Backstreet Boys vs. *Nsync rivalry.  I loved both, but I couldn't help but be swayed a bit more to the *Nsync side when Bye Bye Bye was released {though seriously I Want It That Way is PERFECTION!}.  I remember watching the Making The Video on MTV with baited breath, teaching my brothers who each member was and finally seeing them in concert!  It was such a magical feeling during the not so magical teen years!

Whew!  Are you still with me?!  I love rambling about my music loves and this has to be my FAVORITE 5 Fandom Friday we have done!  I cannot WAIT to hear what your life changing songs are!  I LOVE music so much, have I said that before?!  Make sure you share your links below and tag me on Twitter for a RT!

ORIGIN OF 5 FANDOM FRIDAY!

PAST POSTS & COMING SOON:

October  3rd:  Gateway Fandoms That Made Me Who I Am Today

October 10th:  Geeky Clothing Items I Need In My Closet Immediately

October 17th:  Characters I'd Love To Dress Up As For Halloween

October 24th:  My Must See List of Halloween Movies

November  7th:  Comfort Foods That Always Make Me Feel Better

November 14th:  Smart Phone Apps I Cannot Live Without

November 21st:  Characters I Would Invite To My Thanksgiving Feast

November 28th:  Black Friday Purchases I Would Sacrifice A Night Of Sleep For

December 5th:  My Favorite Holiday Songs To Spread Cheer

December 12th:  Presents I Want Santa To Bring Me

December 19th:  My Must See List of Christmas Movies

December 26th:  New Years Blogging Resolutions

January 9th:  My Favorite Things About Winter

January 16th:  Conventions I've Been To Or Wish To Attend

January 30th:  Favorite Fandom Accessories I Own

February 6th: Favorite Funko Pop Figures

February 13th: Favorite Fictional Couples I Ship (Valentine's Day)

February 20th: Things I've Bought But Haven't Read/Watched/Played Yet

February 27th: Character's I Would Name My Kids After

March 6th: Favorite Snacks/Drinks To Consume While Blogging

March 13th: My Fictional BFF's

March 20th: My Comfort Films

March 27th: One Fandom Item Styled Five Different Ways

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The Nerdy Girlie's Music Monday #8: 10 Songs To Nerd Out About!

{LISTEN to the Spotify playlist}

I have been a lifelong fan of music.  It was my first fan-girl obsession {along with the NES and Popples}.  My music tastes back then were not as refined as now *cough* {Backstreet Boys, *Nsync and NKOTB}.  But with guidance from The Music Maven I have been introduced to some awesome bands {more props to follow!}.  

So let's roll the windows down, let our hair blow in the breeze and make up dance moves to these squee-able songs!  {in NO particular order!}

10.  Harbour Lights - A Silent Film.  First thanks to The Music Maven for introducing me to these awesome Lads.  Harbor Lights was one of her top ten songs of 2012 and with that song I fell in love.  When I found out they would be in San Diego for my 30th birthday I got a group of ladies together and we had an amazing night rocking out!  Finding out that the band were also kind was a bonus!  I was even more excited to be able to see them WITH The Music Maven...and the rest is history.

9.  Soldier - Gavin DeGraw.  I have been a fan of Gavin DeGraw since the beginning.  His newest album, Soldier caught me right away.  I am such a hopeless romantic and this song totally plays into that.  Plus it was easy to make up my own dance to {I only do that with songs I love}.

8.  Not In That Way - Sam Smith.  I have a really blessed life.  I don't have many troubles to deal with, but sometimes I'm weird and like to pretend.  That is when I turn to Sam Smith and THIS song.  I LOVE belting it out when no one is around and have all the FEELS {and the Oscar goes to...The Nerdy Girlie!}.  He is my go to writing inspiration and chill out music. #swoonmusic

7.  Pavement - Mona.  Mona was another of The Music Maven's top albums of 2012. The song she added Lines in the Sand was my first favorite, but after getting the entire album Pavement just grabbed my heart with its pure raw emotion.  This would totally be my karaoke jam!

6.  Nursery Rhyme - Bad Veins.  The Music Maven's top album of 2012 and I have to agree!  Nursery Rhyme just makes me want to get up and dance!  I was happy to have been able to see Bad Veins multiple times and they put on an AMAZING show!  BONUS:  The nicest nerdy dudes who are fun to talk to.

5.  Skip the Charades - Cold War Kids.  Another one of The Music Maven's all time favorite bands.  This entire album I love, but this particular song is my stand out!  You can feel the heartbreak in this song, I love songs with powerful emotion! {Insert my 2nd Oscar win}

4.  Kathleen {live} - Josh Ritter.  Josh Ritter is best heard LIVE.  I had never heard him before and my friend Susan took me to his show.  I fell in love right then and there with the way he emotes on stage and brings his songs to life.  You can see on his face how much he loves what he is doing!  Seriously that smile?!

3.  Chocolate - The 1975.  One word, chocolate.  Yeah I wanna hear a song about that amazing sweet!  Do you love eating chocolate?  Then you are going to LOVE rocking out to this song.  It is so completely delicious and infectious!  I dare you to not like it!

2.  Juliet - Royal Wood.  I credit Being Human U.S. for my love of Royal Wood.  Their first season had a few of his songs and that prompted me to get the vinyl.  His songs are so romantic and I am alway a sucker for the use of a piano in music!  As you will find out with most of these bands I have picked.

1.  Destroy You - The Filthy Souls.  Listen to just one note of this song, you will be hooked.  Before any lyrics were sung, I was done.  BUT that's not it!  Just wait till you get to that chorus!  Yeah you'll be dancing in no time.
  

As I was half way through this write up, I realized that it is difficult to explain why something grabs me!  There are so many songs out there, why do these ten do something different to me?!  What do YOU think of them?!  I would love to know if the feelings are mutual!

PLUS you have to tell me what songs YOU have to close your eyes and just dance to!  Share them with me in the comments below!  I love finding new musical loves!

Also it looks like I need to see Sam Smith and Royal Wood this year!  They are the only band on my list I haven't seen live!