Hey all!

Here, as promised, is my year’s end music mix!

Since this is the first time I get to publish my list online, I guess I’ll explain how I put it together. Throughout the year, as I go to shows and discover new music and listen to old favorites, I put all the songs that really strike me into a list. At the end of the year, I narrow the list down to however many songs I can fit onto a CD and voila! Christmas gifts!

Each song always comes with a story about why it was chosen and what it meant to me in the year. I see it as a replacement for one of those Christmastime letters detailing all the important events that occurred to a person in the year. For me, those important events all revolve around music anyway!

So, here we go, my 2010 Music Mix:

1. “Broken Headlights” – Joey Ryan

Joey Ryan entered my life last year (opened for Carney), but it was 2010 when he released an EP entitled Kenter Canyon. I still contend this is my favorite audio release of the year. Every song is pure brilliance. Being based in Los Angeles, I’ve seen Joey quite a few times. When he started playing with Kenneth Pattengale, it was like the second coming of Simon and Garfunkel. One of the most memorable shows this year was when Joey and Kenneth played Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 along with Joel Eckles and The Kin. “Broken Headlights” was the first song off Kenter Canyon that really struck me.

http://www.joeyryanmusic.com/

Joey, Kenneth, and The Kin at Room 5:

~ Kristen

track 2: After Midnight Project