Artist Profile: Miranda Lambert

OLA!

Hi guys! Sorry for the two week hiatus, I went to my graduation in Victoria, had a fabulous time, but was so busy that I haven't even had time to think!


So for my blog post this week, I've decided to do an artist profile once a month for some of my favorite artists and to share my musical taste with everyone! This week I decided I would feature country's badass sweetheart, Miranda Lambert.

       When it comes to country music, I feel that I identify with Miranda. She is a strong woman and is encouraging to all women to stand their ground and stick up for themselves. She also stays strong to her roots and doesn't let the glamourous world of stardom push her into the clouds, a quality that is difficult for recording artists to hold on to.

      Miranda Leigh Lambert was born on November 10, 1983 in Longview, Texas and was raised in Lindale, Texas by retired police officer turned private investigator Richard Lambert and his wife and business partner Beverly Lambert. She grew up with a tomboy, country lifestyle, as her father taught her about guns at an early age and as she grew up, she became an avid deer hunter. When she was nine, her parents took her to a Garth Brooks concert and her love of country music began. Miranda and her father began to perform country music in various restaurants.

        At 16, she began to play on the Johnny High Country Music Revue in Arlington, Texas, the same show that launched Leann Rimes' career. This landed Miranda a recording session in Nashville, but she was deterred by the overly pop sound to the music. This sparked her to ask her father to teach her the guitar and to start writing her own music and taking charge of her own career. I love this quality about her. She didn't let the record company dictate who she was as an artist and was willing at such a young age to forego the glamour of instant stardom and gain success on her own terms.

   Miranda's songwriting material is sufficed through many of her experiences both in childhood and adulthood. Her close relationship with her parents has brought the inspiration for such songs as "The House That Built Me". Her parents are very generous and empathetic people and when Miranda was young, they opened their home to an abused woman and her daughter. This experience sparked the lyrics for the 2008 hit "Gunpowder and Lead", a personal favourite of mine. The fact that she is a strong, independent woman that can defend herself is what makes me relate to her.

   Miranda's big television debut was on the singing competition show "Nashville Star", which she placed third in in 2003. She was later signed to Epic Records and began recording her first album, "Kerosene", which merited hits such as the title track "Kerosene" and "New Strings" which both topped the Billboard charts.

    It was clear that after the success of Kerosene, Miranda Lambert's name wouldn't be off the country music radar anytime soon. Her next two albums, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2007) and Revolution (2009) were major successes, yielding memorable hits such as "Gunpowder and Lead" and "House That Built Me".  On Revolution, Miranda entertained collaborative writing styles of such legends as Blake Shelton (her boyfriend at the time), Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum. The lyrics on both of these albums are so heartfelt and give the listener an ability to identify with the situations.  "House that built me" really resonated with me, as I have moved around a lot and still remember my childhood home. I still to this day will listen to this song whenever I need to feel at home.  Revolution landed Miranda 9 CMA award nominations, setting the record for most nominations for a female for the organization.  She won 2 out of those 9 nominations, including Female Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year.

   Her most recent album, Four the Record (2011) is another mecca of heartfelt and beautiful songwriting. The songs "Over you", which she wrote with husband Blake Shelton about Blake's late brother, "Baggage Claim" and "Fastest Girl in Town" are a few of my favourites. The amount of emotion in "Over You" is astonishing. It brings tears to my eyes every time I listen to it. It won the 2012 CMA for Song of the Year and both were in tears.

   Miranda is an amazing role model and is virtually unstoppable. Not only does she have a multi platinum solo career but she has recently in 2011 launched a girl group project, the Pistol Annies with friends, Ashley Monrow and Angaleena Presley. Their first album and title track "Hell on Heels" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Music Chart. Her talent is impeccable and she recently opened an antique shop, The Pink Pistol, in the town where her and husband Blake Shelton live, Tishomingo, Oklahoma.


  Another thing I admire about Miranda is her relationship with husband, Blake Shelton.  They have big shoes to fill, often being compared to country power couple Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, but they do a beautiful job at it.  They don't let the calamities of fame and paparazzi tear down their relationship, but rather are two very grounded and genuine people that have found real love. Their chemistry is pure magic and gives me hope that one day I will find my own Blake!! Who knows, maybe I already have with my boy ;).

  
      Miranda is a refreshing face to country music, as there has become this superficial new country woman persona that can seem diluted and teeny bopper (No offence Tay Swift!), but Miranda brings back a sense of traditional country roots.  She has a take no crap attitude with a traditional country girl lifestyle reminiscent of Tammy Wynette.  She also isn't this stick thin celebrity that looks like a skeleton. She is a healthy beautiful and strong woman that pours her heart out into her songs so that girls like me can feel at home. Thanks Miranda, you brought some life back into the country music scene!!I suggest that all of you beautiful people take a listen.

Xoxo Love you all,

S.


[Sources :

1. ^ "Nashville Star Show and Television Series – Miranda Lambert Musician – USA Network -Character Profile: Miranda Lambert". USA Network. Retrieved 2013-06-24.

            Us Weekly, Collectors Edition. The Women Of Country & Their Amazing Love Stories. Retrieved 2013-06-24. ]

Graduation Dress & Decorum - 10 Gift Ideas

Hi guys! Sorry for the late post, this week at work has been insane to say the least. So for this week, I just wanted to start off by saying Congratulations to all the grads out there, both from high school and from uni! It is such an accomplishment to have finished something that you have put years into.  I know I am feeling a plethora of emotions, both happy to be moving onto my next chapter and sad to be leaving this era behind. Nonetheless, it is an exciting time for all experiencing it! So UBCO had their grad yesterday and today and from all of the photos, the dress code includes a large variety. Some people are going garden party like those shown in the photo collage below (Congrats girls!) , while I have seen others in more formal dresses.

Those girls look fab! Now for my dress.. here is a peak , but look at my horrible tanlines! Any suggestions on how to rid myself of them would be much appreciated so comment!!

Now, Decorum for grad gifts. My coworker and I were having lunch on Wednesday and she was torn on what she should get for her friend's graduation and it got me thinking. Now, for myself I am not expecting anything lavish from friends, even just a congrats shoutout or message is perfect for me!! But if you are wanting to get the grad of your life a gift, its a hard job. Is it formal enough for something huge like wedding style or should it just be a small token that shows that you acknowledge their accomplishment. It's up to everyone's own discretion I guess, but I did some research and here are my

Top 10 Grad Gift Ideas (in no particular order)

1. Bottle of Wine/ Scotch (For the boys). Obviously if anyone knows me, this would be a suitable gift. Now that we are graduated and educated, we want to be sophisticated too !! What better than a gift to start our copious selection of reds and whites to entertain our esteemed colleagues ;) (or just get licked in the first week, haha!).A Couple of my fave Okanagan Wines? Try the Quail's Gate Chasselas, the Summerhill 2011 Riesling, or  the Kettle Valley Pinot Gris for whites and for Reds, The Cellar Hand Red, The Quail's Gate Old Vines Foch and the Mission Hill Cabernet Sauvignon.  And the scotch for the boys, who have now become gentlemen, Try the Talisker 10 year. Yup. I Know that :).

2. Cash. Simple, and straight forward. Those last 4 or 5 years have driven us into debt close to bankruptcy before our careers have even started. So some extra cash on the side is much appreciated to put towards those stacking bills and loans. Or to squander on travelling and more wine :)

3. Gift Cards - Boutiques, Electronics, Clothing, Restaurants. Now, some find these impersonal but I personally love gift cards! Now that I am working full time I feel guilty if I splurge on a new outfit or out on the town for some dinner and drinks! But with a gift card, it's justified because I have to use it up somehow!

4. Spa Day- Massage, Pedicure, Facial , or Hair Color/Cut. Those 5 years took a serious toll on my stress levels. What better than a relaxation massage or pedicure to unwind and take a break! I just so happen to work for a PHENOMENAL salon and spa and maybe if you all are lucky I can swing  you a deal ;). Plus now with the prospect of getting hired at a Big Girl Job, I will need a new, hot professional look !!

5. Flowers & A Heartfelt Card. This idea is for the budgeters. I don't care what any girl says, but getting a nice colorful bouquet of flowers always gets a smile and the warm fuzzy feeling :) Plus a heartfelt card with how proud you are of that special grad with some other personal anecdotes will be sure to get a happy tear and resonate with them :)

6. A Piece of Jewellery - (Watch/Ring/Necklace).  Very traditional and original, but classic and still appreciated! Although this is more for the big spender, it can still be a great gift. My fave for watches obviously a Michael Kors with a big face plate (avail at the Bay, Spare Parts, Holt Renfrew) and for guys, this company I stumbled upon FarmFresh is awesome. A canadian company, their watches are mint, ask my very happy boyfriend :). For necklaces, my fave for right now the Pyrhha Talisman Necklaces! The Reward for Perseverance Talisman (202$) or the Follow your Dreams Talisman (166$) seem quite appropriate.  For Rings, anything Wolf Circus (wolfcircus.com) for girls, and for guys a classic class ring type is very cool.

7. A Gym Membership/Yoga Pass. I know what some of you are thinking, wont that be offensive? But actually, for a lot of students we get really cheap gym passes and fitness classes while we are in school but once we get out, that disappears and memberships can be pretty pricey! So a starter membership or yoga pass for a couple months is actually a great help rather than an offence, just maybe chat with the grad first about their needs!

8. Phone Cards/Euro Train Passes . For that grad planning on spending their next year abroad travelling and gaining some "culture" in Europe. It'll be a nice start to be able to get home when you get beligerantly drunk in Amsterdam and wake up in a barn with no pants and surrounded by goats with a bottle of Absinthe hanging from your neck. (Not saying this from experience or anything)

9. Concert Tickets. In my country lily form, of course music would be a fantastic gift! Now that we have some more time, we can actually attend that concert/festival we have been putting off!! Yes Please!

10. A Painting/Photo Collage of the Grad's day. This is an after the fact gift, but take some great photos at the Convocation and create a scapbook. If you have known the grad throughout their time in school and have some chronicle photos of their time there include those and write little notes. Inexpensive, yet very thoughtful and will last a lifetime.

That's all I got for now, but any of those I would be SOO happy with! Again, Congrats Boys and Girls, all of that hard work has paid off! Whether youre off to an exotic wonderland or are gearing up for graduate/medical/dental school or are just going to enjoy the time as a uni grad like me, that took a lot of work and we should be proud that we got through it! YAY US!

xoxo

S.
(ps. for the photos in the collage, no credit goes to me. As you can see, I sniped them from insta! NO copyright issues ! haha xo)

Nashville Dreams & The use of my degree?

Hi guys! So for this week's post, I decided to kind of combine two topics. One thing that I am having some serious difficulties with is my career ( a fully loaded subject, I know).

Bachelor of Science in Biology - So What?

So as some of you know, I just recently graduated from the University of Victoria in Victoria, BC with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology. When I was in high school, I was told by many peers and faculty members that this degree would set me up for an unreal future and open many doors of opportunity and jobs. Well, I would like to say that didn't exactly pan out.

Currently, I am living in Kelowna, BC, which needless to say is not so much a "recent graduate job opening" mecca, but it's my hometown.  In saying that, my BSc isn't totally useless, I'm just having such a hard time finding a job that pertains remotely to my area of study. What I think should happen is that they prepare high school grads for this hardship and advertise the need to get more involved in campus activities and networking. The only faculty at UVIC that has strong emphasis on this was the BComm faculty and all others advertised very little when it came to university involvement.  Because I had to work full time to put myself through school, I was unable to partake in a lot of involvement through the university and that may be why I wasn't as "engaged".

Its just funny to me that I have paid well over 25000$ for this degree that I can barely even use to get a restaurant serving job which if I had just worked there in the time that I was in school, I would be in better shape financially and without the debt.

Aside from this, I am fortunate to even have a job at all, but I just feel as if I am wasting my education. Does anyone else share my pain, or maybe am I just an exception and need to be patient?

Nashville & My Dream 

So in light of the theme of my blog, Music, I feel the need to include something that is in relation to that so I thought I would share my plans to visit my own graceland, Nashville, Tennessee. So in the last few weeks I have been trying to write something meaningful lyrically and convince my talented and amazing friend Matt to come with me! Honestly How amazing is Nashville to anyone who has gone? 

I previously have said I wanted to move there and try to pursue my music career, however I think I need to figure out my life first. I love music but I am a practical human and I do know I need to get my life sorted first!

So here would be my ideal

Get some money to pay off my school debt so I can start fresh -Acupuncture school next?
Buy a guitar (and learn to play it)
Convince Rob to move to Nashville with me in an apartment near Music Row
Find a job doing something to finance my music aspirations
Kill it at the Bluebird then take off from there!
oh and also buy a golden retriever puppy!

:D I hope hope hope!

Maybe a pipe dream, but its still a dream!

<3 love you all,
S.

Artist Profile : Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

Hi guys! So for my first post I decided to do an artist profile on one of my favourite bands, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals (GPN) is a female fronted rock band signed with Hollywood Records in 2005.  In 2005, they released a self-produced album called Nothing but Water, which was praised as a modern take on roots and blues.  For their next three albums, the band collaborated with many big name producers and influential songwriters such as Jim Scott, who has done phenomenal work with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Other collaborations have been done with Rich Costey and Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys. The fact that they are self produced and have collaborated with some big names tells me that they have some serious talent and that they stick to their rock roots.  I like that about a band, especially one with such a powerful female voice.  

The media perception has been more than positive. GPN has been referred to as “ a timeless, organic brand of American Rock and Roll”.  Grace Potter herself has been referred as a heart pumping rocker whose nuanced singing, organ playing and phenomenal songwriting belied her age when she debuted at 21 years old.  She is praised for having a raw sense of sexuality, being amazingly glamourous and talented. The band’s ability to transcend genres from blues and R&B with hard rock and cool psychadelics reminiscent of 1960s and 1970s rock with Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac and the Kinks. The band is musically sophisticated and innovative in that their lyrics have the nostalgia of neoclassic rock while still being modern and fresh.  

The front woman, Grace Potter is from Waitsfield, Vermont and formed the band in 2002 while attending St. Lawrence University in upstate New York with drummer, Matt Burr. In 2004, they added two more guitarists, Scott Tournet and Benny Yurco. They were part of the jam band community in Vermont and were once an up and coming modern jazz and blues band being compared to Norah Jones and Lucinda Williams.  Their amazing stage presence and ability to completely take over a show gained them some respect from this community. Their next album after their debut, This is Somewhere, took more of their neoclassic rock approach with which they’ve come to identify with and stemmed the buzz of this “sexy new female badass rock group”. Her influences include The Band, The Rolling Stones, Little Feat and Neil Young to name a few.  The newest album, The Lion The Beast The Beat is a little more commercial, but lyrically is acclaimed as their best yet. 

For marketing, GPN uses their talent for live shows to their advantage. They have played many music festivals (Bonnaroo 2009-2011, Lollapalooza, Coachella to name a few) and have made many live television appearances.  Potter’s songs have also been featured in a few TV shows such as Grey’s Anatomy and One Tree Hill.  They are active online, with Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Myspace and active YouTube channels with many videos available.  On their website, you can access previews to their albums and songs and even purchase their albums all in one place, which I thought was cool. Their music is downloadable, however she seems to release a couple of songs here and there on youtube to catch listeners’ ears and then offers the full albums on her website, which I think is smart. Friends of the band include Jim Scott and Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys), Kenny Chesney and Time McGraw to name a few.  She met Chesney and McGraw while doing the Brothers of the Sun tour in 2012, which was a mainly country tour.  This shows that ability of transcending genres, showing that she is capable of pretty much anything.  GPN’s target demographic includes what they call “college radio and music-heads that typically scour record stores for that rare Kinks record”. However, the fact that they just finished the country tour shows that they do have a broad audience.  The image of the band is important as it is kind of their identity, being repeatedly referred to as “hard hitting badass rock with a raw sexuality and edge”. Their reputation for their amazing live performance quality is what I believe is their best marketing strategy.  Many videos of their performances and interviews are available, outweighing those that are actual studio recordings. This shows real talent I believe and takes us back to a time when the live show was the music. 

If I ever make it in this cruel world, I want to take a similar path as Grace, but more into the country route. Bridget Bardot meets Suzi Quatro with a little Miranda Lambert. Love it.

xx S. :)

Debut Post: Who am I?

Hi! So in the spirits of my first blogging attempt, I would like to formally introduce myself to the blogworld.
My name is Stacey Caroline Chore and I am a Kelowna, BC born and raised girl with strong country roots and a big city attitude. My life has been pretty insane so far and the things that I have seen and experienced with my wild and insane family and friends have been crazy to say the least. I started this blog to document my deepest passions, thoughts and adventures to anyone who would be so inclined to read about them. For my first post, I'll just let everyone know just a little bit about my life.

Being born and raised in a beautiful paradise such as Kelowna, I can honestly say that I feel so fortunate. After my first 12 years on this earth, my career superwoman of a mother was transferred to Ottawa, ONT where my life changed. Previous to this, I was a pretty normal child, with a pile of brothers and sister and an active lifestyle. I had early passions for soccer, dance and music. Vivid memories of being in our 1990 Ford Windstar (it was a beast) singing at the top of my lungs to god knows what (most likely the melodic sounds of No Doubt or Garbage or something else in my rebellious teenage angst-y sister's repertoire). Throughout these highly underrated vocal performances, I would stare my 7 years older sister in her eyes with her looks of 10 seconds away from her strangling me or ripping out my tongue. Either way, I loved to sing.

But back to the big move, I was at the absolute worst age to be the quintessential "new kid". My first day in a new Grade 7 class and I was mortified. 3900 km away from everything I knew, I hated Ottawa and felt alienated by these new children in my classes. What was worse was this was my first real experience with girl bullying. Luckily the cyber age was in its infancy and there was no Facebook, but we still had some forms of internet outlets for abuse. For 2 years, I endured cold and gutless hounding by teenage girls until my family decided they would try Edmonton, AB as our next stop on our cross-Canada "culturing" tour. As much as I endured this form of abuse, I did meet some great people in this city, including one of my best friends, whom I still keep in touch with.

Edmonton wasn't as bad. The girls were decently friendly and I made friends much better, as Ottawa taught me to be more open and outgoing when it came to new people. However, it was now males that were giving me a hard time. I didn't know what it was about me that seemed to spark the bullying but it was becoming a pattern. I stayed strong throughout the year and channeled my passion into soccer where I thrived and met some more amazing people. Finally in April of 2005, my family decided that they were sick of the Edmonton frost and it was time to head home. Kelowna, I had missed you.

It was a sunny June day when we drove around the bend from Vernon to Kelowna and I saw tears stream down my mother's face. We were finally back home. True Kelowna locals out there know this feeling, that wherever you are in the world, you know that in this amazing and beautiful valley we have something special, almost magical.

My experience throughout high school was amazing. I met lifelong friends that I can say I will never let go of. These people are extraordinary and beautiful people that live the most epic and amazing lives. I met people that I had amazing connections with and my love for music came back to me when we started to jam out in our friend Nelson's garage. But as contemporary society instills, I decided that once I graduated, I would go to college. I always had a knack for school, as I loved to learn and even more, loved to be right, which I often decided I was. In elementary school, my mother recieved numerous calls from my grade 1 teacher who would send me to the Principal's office for calling her out on being wrong during class.  I really was a treat of a child.

After high school, I attended the University of Victoria in Victoria, BC and my journey into my amazing 20s began. I met more lifelong friends, fell in love, was heartbroken, fell in love again and experienced a wave of challenging tests, emotionally, mentally and physically. At many points of my undergraduate career, I considered quitting and coming home, admitting failure and moving on, but I pulled through.  Five years later on my last drive to the ferry as an islander, tears were shed at the end of this chapter of my life. Presently, I have become a strong, independent woman and have found a passion in science, specifically in alternative medicine and overall health and wellness.

Now I am back in my lovely home of Kelowna, and loving every moment of it. The hot summer sun graced me with her presence last week, welcoming me back to our mini Kelownafornia paradise. With a degree under my belt, I am ready to pursue the next chapter of my life with many hopes and dreams in my head. Music is my first love and always has been, and just recently I have been trying to become more open about that passion. That is where Country Lily comes from. Since I was young, I have had a soft spot for country music and I have always felt like I have had a connection to it. Lillies are my favourite flower because they remind me of my dear Grandpa, whom I loved and cherished with all of my heart. He always believed in my greatness and I aspire for the rest of my life to always make him proud.  Now that is a bit (lot) about me that many people don't know, even some of my closest loves so there you go. I hope you enjoy my blog and I will start working on my official first countrylily post this week.

Cheers babies!

S.