lovelytheband at SXSW 2018

I first discovered lovelytheband on twitter a few months ago and, after getting to meet them at the Pale Waves show at Stubb's, I finally got the chance to see them play at the Stubhub showcase at this year's SXSW.

Even though it was a short set, I was so enamored by lovelytheband from the second they started playing. Their interactions with each other and the crowd were so genuine that I didn't doubt for a second that they loved every bit of their performance as much as we did, they created a lighthearted and fun environment that I never wanted to leave (plus, who doesn't love a cover of Pony at 3pm on a Wednesday? Magic Mike is shaking). 

My favorite part of the set was the few moments before they played their single, Broken (which just broke top 5 on radio, can I get an amen?), when Mitchy opened up about how the song came together and offered a message of hope to the crowd, reminding them that despite whatever made us broken, we are loved and always welcome. This was so important because this song definitely resonated with me and to hear someone so publicly discuss his experience with the same things that I struggle with was comforting and made the song that much more special. 

Thankfully, these guys are coming back to Texas soon to open for Vance Joy on his upcoming tour, be sure to catch them in Dallas and Houston, I know I'll be there! 

- Marissa 

(p.s. LOOK AT HOW BEAUTIFUL THEY ARE.... ok  I'm done)

 

 

CO.YH. North American Tour

Well guys, I'm back with another flor post. We all knew it was coming. 

On February 17th at 4am, I got on a flight to New York City (ok Newark, but it's close and NYC just sounds so much better so let me live), to surprise my favorite band at the biggest show of their first headlining tour and follow along to Philadelphia.   

Toward the end of last year, thanks to the magical world of twitter, I found a home in a small group of flor fans that live too far away from me. After months of late night phone calls, pep talks that we all needed to motivate us to work longer hours to be able to afford the trip, and about a million "ASDHFGADFG CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING" messages (stan culture, amirite?), we finally got the chance to meet in person. 

Up until NYC and Philadelphia, I had attended every single flor show I'd ever been to alone. To finally have people with me that loved these guys just as much as I did and to laugh and dance and sing with was what I could imagine my version of heaven would be, I'm devastated that we could only go to two shows together, but excited that we will have the opportunity to plan more.

And then flor came to Texas

Ok ok, I know they've been to Texas before, but this time it wasn't for a way too short set at SXSW, or as an opener, it was all them.

Seeing my favorite band in my favorite venue in my favorite city is something that I will never forget as long as I live. Everything about the Austin show was absolutely perfect (even with the little technical difficulties), the fact that it sold out just made it that much more special. My first time seeing flor in Austin was during SXSW 2 years ago, in a tiny bar right across the street from Stubb's, with an audience of less than 10 people and very few actually knowing who flor was, so to hear so many people singing their songs back to them had me on the verge of tears all night. 

Austin was absolutely my favorite flor show, but Dallas is now a close second. For my last show on this run, I was an emotional mess all day (sorry to everyone I interacted with- haley, sarah, soul, thank you for relocating my chill), and made a point to savor every last second of every song. By the end of the night, I was teary-eyed, exhausted, but so full of love for these guys that it outweighed everything else. 

This whole post is kind of a jumbled mess, and I'm sorry, but my brain is sort of mashed potatoes after this week... in the best possible way. 

P.S. their openers, Handsome Ghost, are great and the sweetest humans, go listen to them and thank me later.

flor, 

You have changed my life in so many ways, I love getting to watch the world fall in love with you the way I have. 

This is only the beginning. 

The Weedz (Joanna, Tiffany, Miranda, Nicole), 

Thank you for crying with me (only one minute, set a timer), laughing with me, and for holding up boxes of raisins with me during No More Time because we all know the real lyrics are "hold me heart raisin".

love you guys. 

Sorry that was messy, but here's some not messy pictures of flor to make up for it!

Let me know what you think! 

 

 

DCF, Chase Atlantic, and Lights at Emo's

On February 16th, Lights came to Austin, Texas and in the process gained a new superfan. 

WOW. Y'all. Admittedly, I only attended Lights' show because my latest obsession, Chase Atlantic, was the opening act, but after that night I absolutely fell in love with her (and Chase was brilliant, as expected). 

Earlier in the day, I visited Waterloo Records for a signing and acoustic performance with Chase Atlantic, just adding on to my excitement for the show, so by the time they came out on stage at Emo's I was half professional and half excited fan girl (ok maybe 60%-40% if I'm being honest) in the photo pit. Chase Atlantic were exciting, a little risqué, and dominated every inch of the stage. What I enjoy most about Chase Atlantic is their willingness to share the spotlight, each member got their chance to shine. I know for a fact that Chase Atlantic is going to be a massive success, I can't wait to see what they do next. 

Lights is on a whole 'nother level of extraordinary. I didn't exactly know what to expect from her, I went in having only heard a few of her songs here and there, but I knew the second she took to the stage that I was seeing someone special. She was the definition of an artist at her prime, confident, cool, but somehow warm and approachable, the perfect combination of total badass and your new best friend. After this show, I will one thousand percent go and see her the next time she rolls through Austin. 

Check out the gallery below, and,as always, let me know what you think! 

 

Walk the Moon at ACL Live

On February 1st, Walk the Moon brought their Press Restart Tour to Austin, TX at ACL Live, and I'm sure glad they did. 

I have to preface this by saying that I was a very casual fan of Walk the Moon before this show... honestly if you'd asked me to name one of their songs, I'd have named "Shut Up and Dance" and couldn't tell you another one. But, after listening to so many of my friends talk about them incessantly, I figured I'd go to their show here in Austin to see what all the hype was about. 

Their opening band, Company of Thieves, were beyond incredible, the lead singer, Genevieve, completely commanded the stage with a fierceness unlike anything I'd ever seen from a performer. I left their set feeling proud and empowered, seeing a woman so powerful and in charge always makes me feel like I can take on the world. This is without a doubt my favorite part about live music, a lot of my favorite bands i've discovered as openers for someone else, Company of Thieves is no exception. 

While we were waiting for Walk the Moon to take the stage, I got to speak to some fans who gave me a run-down of what made this band, and especially this tour, so special to them. They explained that this tour had been canceled due to issues within the lead singer's family, and that the band had come back from their heartbreak stronger than ever. Learning about the meaning of "Press Restart" made the opening song that much more impactful. Everyone around us was screaming along with the band, singing the anthem of revival and a new beginning. 

Granted, I didn't really know much about this band before the show, but the strength and confidence they demonstrated on stage was the mark of what I could only believe to be personal triumph over whatever obstacles they'd faced last year. 

As the show continued, and despite briefly forgetting the lyrics to Aquaman (it was actually one of my favorite parts of the show, the man certainly knows how to adlib some new lyrics and make the best out of an awkward situation), I was enamored by the atmosphere that Walk the Moon created. I've been to several shows in this venue and I've never heard a crowd so loud in that room, the fans even had specific dances they would do during some of the songs (the best part was, they were easy to pick up on so I was dancing right along with them by the time the choruses came back around). Several times during the show, the lights would come up and the band would play very softly, just so they could listen to the crowd singing their songs back to them, parents, children, old, young, it didn't matter, everyone was singing loud and proud. 

Walk the Moon put on one of the best live shows I have seen in a while, and absolutely gained a new fan last week.... I may or may not have downloaded every song I could get my hands on, they're now a staple in my playlists. If you haven't listened to them since they were all over the radio with "Shut Up and Dance", I suggest you give their new album a listen and catch them on tour with Thirty Seconds to Mars this summer, you'll definitely see me there.