Tuesday Tunes

Ready for more Tuesday Tunes?! Check out the songs I can't stop listening to this week!

1. Drag Me Down – One Direction
Have you heard the new 1D song? It needs to be on repeat. The boys sound amazing as a four piece and their new sound makes me so excited for their next album. They all sounds so great individually and together, it’s amazing. Pay special attention to the end of the song and Harry’s riffs, they’re just beautiful.

2. Hold Me Down – Halsey
She’s releasing her new album soon and she’s about to blow up! It’s easy to hear why. Her sound is just edgy enough to be cool, but pop enough to be on the radio. I’m loving this song and her other single, Americana.

3. Little Talks – Julia Sheer and Jon D
This cover of the Of Monsters and Men song is amazing! I already really liked the song, but I LOVE this cover. It’s acoustic and a little slower and their voices sound so good. Check it out if you’re already a fan of the song.

4. She’s Kinda Hot – 5 Seconds of Summer
The first single from their upcoming second album, She’s Kinda Hot is pretty punk rock. It’s already all over the radio, and if this song is any indication of how their new album will sound, I’m pretty excited.

5. John Cougar, John Deer, John 3:16 – Keith Urban
This is just a quality country song. It’s catchy and it hits any southerner right in the heart. You’ve probably heard it on the radio any time you get in the car.

6. Yoga – Janelle Monae
This song is super catchy even if it doesn’t make 100% sense. Plus they give a shout out to Atlanta, which is always exciting.

7. 679 (feat. Remy Boys) – Fetty Wap
Fetty is taking over the world currently, and I’m happy to let him. I love this song, his voice is so cool and the sound is just overall awesome.

What have you guys been listening to lately?! Share in the comments below!

xx Kristen

Atlanta Adventures: Monday Night Brewing

I don't know how I've gone this long living in Atlanta without going to Monday Night Brewing! Seriously one of my new favorite breweries, the atmosphere, the people and the beer were all on point. 

I got the chance to go to a fundraising event with my friend Ashley and her parents at Monday Night last week. I suppose this isn't the most typical way to experience the brewery, but it was a great time. The event had food, which I'm sure isn't usually there and a musician, which may be there usually? The space also featured ping pong tables, foosball and ties everywhere. I hate that we missed the brewery tour, but every employee we interacted with was so nice and helpful. 

Now for the most important part: the beer. I think the selection of beer is what impressed me the most. When I go to breweries I try to taste all of their beers, usually there's only about 2/3 that I really like. Sometimes breweries try and be different, or make unique tastes and it just don't work out so well. However, this was not the case at Monday Night. I honestly would go out and buy a six pack of any of the beers I tasted, but here are my three favorites:

Fu Manbrew

"A bright, spicy Belgian-style wit. An effervescent, easy-drinking wheat beer, brewed with Belgian yeast, German hops, and a whisper of ginger from the Far East." (from the website)

Eye Patch Ale

"A crisp, drinkable IPA. The earthy deliciousness of Cascade and Magnum hops, combined with upfront malt flavor, and balanced with a pirate’s sensibilities. Our Eye Patch Ale is a uniquely drinkable take on the American IPA – sweet caramel, citrusy flowers and swashbuckling adventure abound with every pint." (from the website)

Bead Head 

"Unfortunately, we don’t make coffee, we make beer. So we turned to our local coffee roaster, Batdorf & Bronson, to roast us up something special. A limited batch of Tanzania peaberry, an earthy, single estate coffee that is the perfect match for a veritable mound of hops. Coffee isn’t just for breakfast. And beer isn’t just for non-breakfast. Wear that bed head proudly." (from the website) Get it nitro if you go to the brewery, the bubbles make it creamier and so delicious!

I haven't been to a brewery in a while, but Ashely informed me that they recently passed a law where breweries can sell bottled beer on site! It's weird to think they weren't allowed to before, but honestly I never noticed one way or the other. Monday Night now offers deals that include walking out with a six pack of their beer at the end of the tasting. It's really a great addition for any brewery and beer lover.

Monday Night is now one of my favorite Atlanta breweries, go on a Monday night if you want to be really cool. I can't wait to go back again with all of my friends, although I will miss the cupcakes the event had. What is your favorite Monday Night Brewing beer?

xx Kristen

5 Seconds of Summer - ROWYSO

Kim came back to visit one more time before she flew away to Denver for the 5SOS concert at Aaron’s Amphitheater. I had seen the band open for One Direction almost a year ago and they had just released their new single She’s Kinda Hot. We were pretty pumped for the concert.

I first heard 5SOS on the radio when their single She Looks So Perfect came out. I instantly loved it and went to iTunes to listen to more of their stuff. When I read in their description that they took a lot of musical inspiration from All Time Low, I was sold. Since they’re an Australian band, they actually hadn’t released an album in America yet, so I had to settle for ripping their YouTube videos until their album came out.

We got a couple of lawn seats and weren’t really sure what to expect. We were probably some of the oldest people there that weren’t somebody’s parents. I can’t even explain some of the outfits we saw sitting out there. There were so many children in crop tops and just a sea of converse shoes. That’s the fan base this band has, but we’re sitting there too so who are we to judge.

The opening band was some group called Hey Violet that 5SOS had signed to their record label. They were pretty good; I didn’t know any of the songs though. In the time leading up to the boys coming on stage, girls near the front would just start randomly screaming, only for us to find out they started playing a music video...

The concert itself exceeded my expectations. We’re pretty big fans of the boys and their music, but seeing them live were such a great experience! They interact with the crowd so much, which I love! A lot of bigger bands forget to do that, they get into a routine and it’s just the same show, different location. You could really tell 5SOS love their fans and want each show to be its own special experience. I love how into their own music these guys are. You can see how much they love what they’re doing.

The person who impressed me the most was Michael, I’ve never really given him much thought one way or the other, but he has so much talent. His guitar skills blew my mind and he sang a lot more than I thought he did. He sounded amazing. All of the guys put on a really great show. The crowd would go crazy every chance they got, and Kim and I were right their screaming along with them. There were a few songs we didn’t know, but they actually have so many songs for only having released one album. Every time they release a single, they release an EP and it usually has extra songs on it. I’ve never seen a band release so many EPs.

This concert was seriously so much fun. Kim and I had the best time jumping up and down, singing and laughing along with 5 Seconds of Summer. They put on a great show that blew my expectations out of the water. I’m excited for their new album that comes out in a few months. If their single is any indication of the direction they’re heading, they have a bright future ahead of them. I can’t wait to watch them grow and mature as artists and hopefully see them live again.

xx Kristen

She’s Kinda Hot – 5SOS
She Looks So Perfect – 5SOS
Amnesia – 5SOS
End Up Here – 5SOS
Don’t Stop – 5SOS

A Weekend In Atlanta - Kim Edition

I am so far behind on writing this it’s not even funny. My friend Kim has already flown home to Denver and started law school again! She visited me probably a month ago while she was home for a few weeks during summer vacation. I only get to see her every like six months so it’s always exciting when she we reunite! So here’s what we did with our weekend in Atlanta!

Thursday

Kim came up around lunchtime and we spent the day at the malls shopping. There really isn’t anything better than a shopping day with your bestie. You always end up buying more things than usual though. We checked out the new Top Shop, picked up some Lush face-masks for later and bought way too much stuff.

That night we grabbed dinner at Atlantic Station and saw Paper Towns. It was a super cute movie, another great one from John Green. The cast was wonderful and it had a great message at the end. You should for sure see it; I’ve actually seen it twice now.

Friday

I took Kim to the Beltline, starting in Old Four Ward! I had never walked it and I figured it would be perfect during the day with less people. We started near Krog Street Market and walked pretty far. We didn’t make it to Piedmont Park, it was seriously so hot. We used Kim’s polaroid camera and took some great pics along the way. We wanted to get a juice from some place just off the Beltline, but they were closed for renovations. We settled on a couple of King of Pops popsicles and headed back to the car.

After eating some leftovers we had a spa day at home watching movies and enjoying our Lush face masks.

I took Kim to Dark Horse Tavern for dinner and then we went and watched Metal Karaoke! It’s one of the coolest things; the live band really makes the experience unique. We were front and center singing along to some amazing rock songs. We left around midnight to meet up with some friends at the Buckhead bars.

Saturday

We didn’t do a whole lot Saturday, but we did make it to Tin Lizzy’s for lunch and met up with some friends to watch Trainwreck in theaters! I’ve already talked about how much I love this movie. Kim and I usually end up seeing multiple movies when we get together, we love movies.

Sunday

Sunday was so much fun! We went to Tallulah Gorge in the North Georgia Mountains! I had wanted to do it for a while, and I knew Kim liked hiking so it was the perfect chance! The drive wasn’t too bad and Tallulah Falls was amazing! It’s not like a normal hike though, there are a million stairs you go up and down to get into the gorge and see the falls. It was a really cool experience! The suspension bridge was one of the best parts, slightly scary when people start trying to make it swing.

Before we left the area we stopped by a local BBQ place for lunch. It was absolutely delicious! Kim also got a huge basket of fried pickles, which were apparently really good too, not my thing.

It was such an amazing weekend and I loved getting to do some different things around Atlanta that I don’t normally get to do! It really sucks having your best friend live so far away, but it always makes our visits that much more fun! What should we do next time she’s in Atlanta?! Share some ideas with me in the comments!

xx Kristen 

 

Top Five Friday

Fridays always get away from me so fast! I feel like I haven't done a Top Five Friday in forever, and I'm sure my many readers (ha) are dying to know what I've been loving lately.

1. Class Pass

My friend Ashley introduced me to this and I love it! Basically you pay for Class Pass and have access to a ton of fitness studios in your city! This includes barre studios, cycle studios and even Blast! I've been having so much fun trying out all these different classes! They have an easy to use app that you can use to sign up for a class and to keep track of your classes. You do get charged a fee for missing a class or canceling a class less than 12 hours before it starts. However, I will say this has only motivated me to actually go to the classes! I used to be so bad about making up excuses not to go workout, but now losing money is a great motivator.

2. VHS by X Ambassadors

I tweeted about this CD a while ago and I actually went out and bought it! It really is a great album! If you love their song Renegade, then you'll want to hear the rest of them. Their sound ranges from upbeat and fun to soft rock to a little alternative. They also have interludes for all of their songs which you don't see very often anymore. It adds a cool layer to their sound. Some of my other favorites on the album are Gorgeous, Unsteady and Hang On. Give them a listen and let me know what you think! They'll be at Music Midtown so I'm excited to see how they sound live!

3. Art Cart

I love art and I have a lot of art supplies. It had all been stuffed under my bed and I honestly didn't even know what all I had. So I went to Target, picked out this nifty cart and spay painted it gold! It's perfect for all of my supplies and now I can see everything I have and it's within arm's reach whenever I need it!

4. Sunglasses

I got these a few weeks ago and I'm slightly obsessed. I had been wanting a pair like this for a while, just an oversized fun pair of sunglasses! I found these Kenneth Cole Reaction ones at Nordstrom Rack on sale and had to get them. They're probably way too big for my face, but I don't care. I also really love tortoise shell and I didn't have any like that yet, so that was just an added bonus.

5. Trainwreck

I saw this movie with a bunch of girl friends and I have to say it completely lives up to the hype. Amy Schumer is real, funny and not afraid to laugh at herself. The movie had great storyline, it was witty and fresh. It was a lot more romantic that you might have expected, but they did a great job poking fun of that in a way. The athlete cameos were on point too. LeBron James impressed me with his acting skills, he was one of the best parts of the movie. I also loved seeing random SNL cast members pop up throughout the movie. You'll definitely want to go see this one, and I'm sure I'll be purchasing it when it come out.

I literally wrote this post almost two Fridays ago, I've just been so bad about sitting down and writing and editing pictures lately. Ready to rededicate myself this week though. Expect more posts soon! Have an amazing Friday!

xx Kristen