Tac and I don’t get to as many concerts as we would like. Our children’s main reference in regards to concert attendance is seeing me get really excited because “so and so” is touring, then watching as I try to put together some kind of plan for how we could travel 100’s of miles to see “so and so” while still getting kids to school and husband to work, and then the inevitable pout of despair as I realize its hopeless.

From this they have inferred that it must be pretty fun to see live music, and they would like to see some for themselves. Taking them to a concert would be dangerous, sometimes illegal, the boys would whine and make us miserable, and it would be embarrassing.

I compromised with them by finally telling the boys they were too young; sorry, and promised Emma that if Seve vs. Evan ever came to town I would take her. I knew they would be at an all ages venue, and figured out of all the bands Emma and I both love they would be the safest (clean, fun, all around good time, etc..)

She made her own t-shirt for the night, it was so very cute. It was brown with a green Seve robot and a red Evan robot. We had a really good time, Tac was in Sun Valley so he couldn’t come, and while he asked me nicely to get him a shirt I totally forgot, so once again “sorry honey.”

We stood up front because Emma couldn’t see past all the overly tall teenagers. This was fun, but proved dangerous as said teenagers started a pit right next to us. One of them fell into me, causing me to fall into Emma, shoving her into the speaker. Luckily we had one of our own overly tall teenagers because my “baby brother” Kyle (he’s at least 1/2 foot taller than me) watched over us after that.

Seve and Evan sounded great, pretty much exactly like they do on their cd’s. Seve had a keyboard and a microphone, and Evan had the drums. I hadn’t noticed until then how much drumming there is in their music, Evan was impressive. Seve sang, played and talked to the audience like he does it all the time, but afterwards he told Emma that he had been a little nervous. He was really nice to the youngest member of their audience.

Emma has now been to a concert, her little brothers have Seve vs Evan pins; one on his backpack, the other on his “Wall-E” hat.

Somehow, S vs E fit perfectly in my music puzzle. Shoved in there somewhere between Muse, The Pumpkins, and Mew, underneath AquaLung, Say Hi, and Silversun Pickups is a little indie band from Utah. Honestly, I don’t know how anyone could not like them, especially if you have kids that you want to brainwash into liking cool music…they won’t be able to resist. Play a fun little video game on their site and listen all at once, Seth and I have been playing it lots today.

One of the things I love about Stephenie Meyer so much is that music makes a big contribution to her writing. She is then so kind as to share her playlists with us, so we can hear what songs and voices inspired her books. She also thanks the band Muse in more than one of her books for creating their beautiful music, as it has fueled her awesome writing even more. Since I love Muse *almost* as much as Billy Corgan, that kind of thing makes me all happy.

Not all of the bands on this list are held in my highest esteem though, some of them were never even considered for my own personal “Twilight” playlist, and while I am no expert in this, it would seem almost scientifically impossible for such fabulous writing to have been inspired by songs I feel such animosity towards. But I learned a long time ago that not everyone can share in my exact vision of what perfect music is

Breaking Dawn Playlist

Book I

* Beach Boys — Wouldn’t It Be Nice
* Billy Idol — White Wedding
* (INXS — Never Tear Us Apart)
* (Muse — Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You)
* Blue October — Congratulations
* Plain White T’s — Take Me Away
* Jack’s Mannequin — Dark Blue
* Coldplay — No More Keeping My Feet on the Ground
* Fuel — Hemorrhage

Book II

* Nine Inch Nails — Down In It
* Aerosmith — What it Takes
* Incubus — Earth to Bella (part 1)
* Interpol — No I in Threesome
* Korn — Twisted Transistor
* TV on the Radio — Wolf Like Me
* My Chemical Romance — The Sharpest Lives
* Motion City Soundtrack — Point of Extinction
* R.E.M. — Accelerate
* Blue October — My Never (song not released until March 2009)
* Jimmy Gnecco — Someone to Die For

Book III

* Smashing Pumpkins — Today
* Right Said Fred — I’m Too Sexy
* (Jimmy Eat World — Chase this Light)
* (Jackie Wilson — Your Love is Lifting Me Higher)
* Linkin Park — Pts. Of Athrty
* 3 Doors Down — Duck and Run
* Simon and Garfunkel — Hazy Shade of Winter
* Death Cab for Cutie — I Will Follow You Into the Dark
* Muse — Intro [Absolution]
* Muse — Take A Bow
* Muse — Assassin
* Ok Go — Invincible
* Travis — Safe
* Arcade Fire — No Cars Go

As much as I never wanted names like Linkin Park, Korn, Incubus, or Fuel to ever, EVER, make an appearance on this blog, I decided to give you the full (un-jen-edited) version. Stephenie’s site has a cool little player where you can listen to all of these songs if you like.

I was thrilled to see INXS’s “Never Tear Us Apart” because that was a favorite song for many years of my young life. “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” by Muse was a new found treasure for me, and I have enjoyed it a bunch. NIN’s “Down in It” paints an accurate picture of the emotional pain taking place in the book, I have not listened to that song in years so it was fun to hear it again. TV on the Radio’s “Wolf Like Me” is the most perfect song for Jacob, plus I totally like that song, and I always dig a little My Chemical Romance.

FINALLY!!!! The Smashing Pumpkins made it on one of her playlists; and “Today” is one of the greatest songs ever, its also one of their most popular and being the fan that I am I wish one of their lesser known songs could have found it’s way to the list as well…perhaps “Eye” since that is such a hot sexy song, and so is the PG honeymoon scene in the book…but I’m still overjoyed for “Today.” Also, “Invinsible” by OK Go is such a perfect song for the end of Breaking Dawn, great song pick. I have not heard Coldplay’s “No More Keeping My Feet on the Ground,” but it gives me something fun to look forward to buying soon…(along with Block Party’s new album which I was so happy to read was released today).

If you really liked the books, you might enjoy seeing a few pictures from a little Breaking Dawn party my cousin had a couple weeks ago. You can see them on my lovely sister’s site. Enjoy!

I am having a dirty, hot, sweaty love affair. With my new mountain bike. Earlier in the month Tac and I took the kids to Tamarack for a little biking vacation. It was so fun. Yesterday for Tac’s birthday he and I went up to Tamarack *without the kids* and had such a fantastic time biking, anyways I did…he broke his rib.

He hoped after a nights sleep he would be up for more biking today, but he was in much pain. Happily for me he is a very sweet guy and read a book most of the day while I biked. Also happy for me, we invited my sister and her husband Rich (whenever I say Rich’s full name I always think of Hyacinth from the BBC show “Keeping Up Appearances”) to join us today so I had someone to bike with.

As we were driving up to Tamarack we listened to My Chemical Romance almost the whole way. I’ve already received an online lecture from a complete stranger about how dumb and immature I am for listening to that “teenager” music, so spare me another one if you were thinking of trying to help me better myself. There are some days when I am really in the mood for some MCR, plus they have a theatric flare to their music that I dig.

On the way home, we listened to everything by The Smashing Pumpkins on shuffle. It confirmed to me that as hard as I was trying not to get too excited about their new song coming out in September, I am in fact fairly excited. Also, when the song “Bring the Light” came on I realized that was the perfect soundtrack song for my day; the best part being taking the lift and riding the downhill trails. They were amazing and fast and technical and without being all tired from a long uphill, I had so much energy to devote to the downhill. The fact that it was the best biking day of my life, made me double sad for Tac though (especially since it was his birthday). I hope he gets better soon.

Our family went to McCall, ID last week and we got to go biking at Tamarack every day. It was incredibly beautiful, the trails were so nice, and our kids totally impressed us with their hard work and tenacity…in other words there wasn’t too much whining and the words “I quit” were only said once. I am so proud of them, they worked hard and wrecked hard (mostly Xzavier), and we all had a great time.

Here I am riding through a gorgeous meadow, and I know it’s hard to tell from here, but I have a really cool bike (I don’t think I have gushed about my new bike on this site yet…I love it)

This is of the kids in the car after one of their best rides, they were so sweaty and in such high spirits. Much “woo hooing” was done that day.

Tamarack has a stunt park area with all these neat (scary) raised wooden tracks that tilt all crazy, including a huge teeter totter. This is Tac riding part of it.

Xzavier before we entered one of the trails.

I took this while Tac was pulling Seth on the tag a’long bike and Emma and Xzav rode through the meadow.

Here’s Xzavier on a different part of the stunt park. He was almost fearless in here.

First, Tac BBQ-ed some fantastic bugers, then as I was baking cookies and slicing up watermelon for dessert we all gathered round the kitchen table where my laptop sat playing the DVD “HAARP” which is Muse live in concert at Wembley Stadium in London last year.

It was our first time watching it, ( I ordered it right before we left for vacation last week, which I will write about tomorrow because it was very fun) so spirits were high. Seth, our 4 year old, called out at least 4 times that it was “awesome.” He was almost as excited watching Muse live, as he was during the fight scene in Kung Fu Panda, where he was bouncing up and down in front of his seat wildly.

“HAARP” is incredibly captivating, lovely and rocks you like a hurricane. It is so much fun to watch Muse play, I especially enjoyed the piano parts….oooh and everything else. I still dream of seeing them live in person, but this serves nicely to placate me in the mean time.

I have been under the impression for quite some time that I didn’t like Shiny Toy Guns, for a “good reason” too; I heard one of their songs and didn’t like it. The song was “Le Disko” and I still have no love for it, but the rest of their album “We Are Pilots” is fantastic. Oh the luck of hearing the one song that I would passionately dislike, leaving me no desire to hear anything else by the Shiny Toy Guns.

At the same time I realized “STG” was going to be one of my favorite bands, I was reading “The Host” by Stephenie Meyer (which is about aliens taking over human bodies, and one body in particular that resisted, its really good). So now I associate “We Are Pilots” to the book, and it will most likely be the headliner for my own personal book soundtrack. I love having/making a book soundtrack, I just put them in my playlists on my ipod and then whenever I listen, I am kind of immersed in that book again.

So after a bit of a dryspell in the music department of my life, Shiny Toy Guns and their smooth electronica sound came along. DO listen to them if you have not already, and DO listen to more than one song before you decide if you like them…especially if that first song to play happens to be “Le Disko”

I was actually listening to them yesterday when a car rear ended me ON THE WAY HOME FROM THE BODY SHOP WHERE MY CAR HAD BEEN FOR OVER THREE WEEKS GETTING FIXED FROM THE LAST PERSON WHO REAR ENDED US. (I mentioned in a previous post that we were in a car accident almost a month ago, and we are still in pain from that one.) It was truly unreal, I never know if I want to laugh or cry more when I think about it, it even happened at the same light we were hit at last month!!! I was just sitting at the light, listening to music, happy to have my car back when the Crunch came. I was not my normal sweet self either, I got out of the car and sort of let the guy have it. Then he tried to make me feel sorry for him by pointing out that the damage was worse on his car, as if that was in any way my problem.

Here’s a link for a Shiny Toy Guns music video, it’s kinda funny in a we’re performing while water is being splashed all over us sort of way. Enjoy.

My husband Tac graduated this last weekend from the Boise State University Executive MBA program. Yeah!! I am so proud of him and so happy that he is done with school. Good job Tac! Hot and educated…what more could a girl want? Plus he has great taste in music

“what if this sound could bring you peace?”
I always love that line from the song “Apples + Oranges” on The Smashing Pumpkins spectacular album Adore. Because whenever I hear it, that is exactly what is happening; I am feeling peace, well-being and soothingness from the sounds Billy Corgan & Co.
This actually isn’t even a post about Billy, or music for that matter, I was just thinking of it and wanted to write it down.

This is more of an explanatory post on what else I have been up to lately, accompanied by music of course…..my life would be dreary without my daily soundtrack. Life got hectic for us almost two weeks ago when we were sitting at a stoplight and got rear ended HARD. No one was seriously hurt, but the little aches and back pains have not gone away yet. Also, the process of talking to insurance and getting a rental car takes huge chunks out of one’s day. That is reason one that I have been a slacker.

Reason two is that I have an addiction problem with a series of three books written by Stephenie Meyer. Since the accident I have manged to re-read (for the third time in 6 months) the first two of the series; Twilight and New Moon. Since her newest book The Host comes out this week, the third vampire book, Eclipse, will have to wait. What is going on with me? My favorite authors have always been the classics like Charles Dickens and Jane Austen, and I still read those…in between the vampire romance adventures.

There is a movie coming out about the first book, Twilight, and here it is for your viewing pleasure


I have also been reading a very exciting Peter Pan trilogy to my kids, the first book in the series is called Peter and the Star Catchers. My 3, 6 and 9 year old are all totally “hooked.” It has been so much fun reading to them, I think we will read the Eragon books this summer.

I have to give an honorable mention to watering, and weed pulling in this post on what has been taking me away from posting on music that I love.

And one very last cool thing, my husband is graduating from the Boise State Executive MBA program this month. Yahoo!! No more homework.

While I have been slacking, have any of you heard good stuff? (thanks Jason for the comment you left a couple weeks ago)

My husband Tac posted something kinda sweet in his blog the other day, so for anyone who is a music/web 2.0 guru or just wants to see a cute picture of Tac and our youngest son, see here.

Today is the first day of Spring Break for my kids. It was also the last day I had to do my much needed grocery shopping before the Easter festivities begin. Yikes! Grocery shopping with all 3 kids right before a holiday…not a good way to begin Spring Break; for either of us.

So, I woke up at 5:00 and did my pilates like normal, threw some sweats and a hat on and was at the grocery store by 6:15, ALL BY MYSELF. Tac stayed home with the kids, but I had to get back home quick so he could go to work.

The actual point to my story: I took my ipod and some headphones and had a major dose of musical euphoria. When I walked in those sliding doors with the Silversun Pickups “Little Lovers So Polite” blasting in my ears, I heard all kinds of wonderful details and experienced uninterrupted sound clarity that I am not accustomed to. Next, “Pressure Suit” by Aqualung, followed with “Here Is No Why,” “Galapogos,” “Cupid De Locke,” and “Destination Unknown” by The Smashing Pumpkins. I was listening to my Amore mix, you know my make out music. There are lots of other artists in this song mix, but there are some especially nice streaks of 4 or 5 Corgan songs in a row; the ratios are in his favor.

On a side note, about 3 weeks ago Tac told me he wanted to guest blog about a band he has been loving on lately (in the Amore mix also), so hopefully the next time you read this blog, it will be his post you read *hint to Tac, hurry up*

My question to you: what songs (Billy or no) do you like to “make out” (this is a PG rated blog) to?