Author: MarissaMortati

Valentine’s Day: Cycles of Love: Post Break Up

Posted on by MarissaMortati

I think if someone complied all the songs ever written and categorized them by topic, an overwhelming number of them would be written about the wake that follows after a tragic break up.  This is why Amanda and myself had to separate our lists just to accommodate the number of songs written on topic.  Just lean on our shoulders and cry a while why you listen to these bummer numbers or if you’re the angry type, we will help you destroy all their things too.

 

Post Break Up

Amanda’s Picks:

Local Music – Breakin The Chains of Love- Fitz and The Tantrums

Love can be a drag. It can wear you down and make you forget about who you were because you were too busy trying to be who the other person thought you should be (not healthy, by the way). It’s time to break those chains and move on. Sing it Fitz!

Top 40 – Raise Your Glass- Pink

This song isn’t really about break ups per say but the message is still clear, ‘no matter our flaws, faults, and otherwise messed up selves, we still rock.’ If that isn’t an anthem for picking yourself up and getting a move on from that stupid person who dumped you or the stupid person you got involved with, I don’t know what is. This song may be pop but it makes you get up and dance (and feel empowered) which is really what you need after a break up.

Alternative Radio – Gives You Hell- The All American Rejects

I’m fairly certain we all need some kind of retaliation against the one who hurt us. Or at least the knowledge that we are doing better than they are after the break up. The All American Rejects know what I’m talking about. I hope you see me and realize what an idiot you are and how much better I’m doing with out you. I hope you suffer! Muah ha ha ha.

Soundtrack – Breaking Up Is Hard To Do- Neil Sedaka

The name says it all. Breaking up is hard to do. It’s shitty and it sucks but at least you know you are not alone.

Misc – The Test- The Academy Is…

This song was on standby after my breakup when I just wanted the knowledge that the other person didn’t care and that I was losing it. Sometimes the best feeling in the world is surrendering to the loss and acknowledge being broken. It really takes the pressure off. Perhaps my favorite line is the chorus (which gave me my validation or maybe vindication) is, ‘if this is a test, I’m losing my shit would it kill you to care as much as I did?’ Honestly, would it kill them to care?

Marissa’s Picks:

Local Music – Shifty Eyes – The Howls

A Howl: to utter a loud, prolonged, mournful cry. The Howls do exactly that as John Cooper sings about the woman who ripped his heart apart.  A cry of both anger and sadness, it was my first pick for a post break up song.

Top 40 – Fuck You – Cee Lo Green

Sometimes you just got get real and just say “Fuck You.”

Alternative Radio – Hate It Here – Wilco

Being in love is like being addicted to a person.  They invade every part of your life and when they leave there is this massive dis-function that is left behind.  You have to relearn how to live and Jeff Tweedy, an addict of many things, knows that sometimes mowing the lawn is all that keep you afloat without the one you love.

Soundtrack – Both Sides Now – Love Actually

Joni Mitchell’s song “Both Sides Now” paints a bleak picture of love, but none so bleak as paired with Emma Thompson’s beautiful performance in the movie Love Actually after she finds out her husband may be unfaithful.

Misc – You Turn Clear In The Sun – Telekinesis

Michael Benjamin Lerner is Telekinesis and I think he has one or two bad girlfriends in his past.  “I never loved you, I’ve never love anyone.” It’s his want of erasing the memories, the bad, the good, the everything that pings home with me.  Needless to say, if MBL ever needs consoling, I’m his girl.

Still trying to get over it? Me too, but tomorrow is another day…

Valentine’s Day Playlist: Cycles of Love: LOVE!!!

Posted on by MarissaMortati

LOVE! Oh it is the reason for all of this madness anyways.  In fact most of our lives are dedicated to the thing.  So for all things that are associated with love, being in love seems like a minuscule minute in the grand scheme, so let’s celebrate it!

Love

Local Music – Like a Cloak – Joey Ryan

Joey Ryan always gets my soul stirring with his tunes and while he doesn’t really do love songs, this is the exception. Your love is like a cloak that makes him super strong. That’s all he really needs.

Top 40 – I Got You Babe – Sonny and Cher

Do I really need to explain this?

Alternative Radio – I Believe In a Thing Called Love – The Darkness

This song has that pizazz that is new love, after all it is The Darkness. So stop humping each other for half a second and make sure this song is playing on loop, cause not only is it super fun, it’s super lovable!

Soundtrack – Once Upon A Dream – Sleeping Beauty

The whole premise for the song is that Princess Aurora (yes I know her real name) knows her true love because she walked with him once upon a dream.  Foretelling dreams of love are romantical, but I don’t recommend taking up with a stranger you meet in the woods just because he can harmonize with you.

Misc – Ramble On – The Lillingtons

This may not technically be a love song, but technically I think this is how most people feel when they are in love and that feeling is kind of sick and overwhelming.

First Comes Love Then Comes Problems? Oh No…

Valentine’s Day Playlist: Cycles of Love : Sprung!

Posted on by MarissaMortati

DAMN! You are looking fine today! To be sprung is a more than a crush and slightly less than ripping each other’s clothes off. It’s when you see that devilish grin from across the bar and your jaw suddenly feels a little loose and your pants a little tight.

Sprung
Local Music: Josephine – The Nervous Wreckords

We’ve all waited by the phone, just hoping it would ring and it would be “that person”, but what if that person was a bill collector?  I think I’d go default and all my credit cards then, call me Josephine.

Top 40: Baby Got Back- Sir Mix-A-Lot

This song haunted me in high school. I would hang out with the AV nerds and as soon as I walked up, they would put on this song. I can’t help it if I’ve got back but it’s nice to know someone out there that gets sprung by it.



Alternative Radio: Are You Gonna Be My Girl – Jet

From the first shake of the tambourine, your heels start tapping and your hips start shaking.  Jet may be sprung over a girl with long brown hair, but we’re are definitely sprung for Jet.

Soundtrack: Summer Nights – Grease

You know what they say about summer nights, right?



Misc.: Storm Warning- Hunter Hayes

Yes I know this is another country song. No I don’t care. This is a fun song about needing a heads up because this rad girl is rolling in and you just don’t know what to do. I also have to give props here because this song is completely written by Hunter Hayes from the guitar to the drums to the piano. Just watch the video and you’ll see what I mean.

We know you’re hard up for that sexy person. But have you maybe crossed the line? Stay tuned!

Valentine’s Day Playlist: The Cycles of Love: Puppy Love

Posted on by MarissaMortati

Puppy love always evokes that naive sense of new young love that’s really no deeper than be heavily infatuated with someone.  The second thing it evokes a sort of do wop, pop, smiley dreams and rainbows while we hold hands and skip down the street.
Puppy Love

Local Music: Starstruck- Parade of Lights

I realize this song has been posted on LMN before but it’s a favorite of mine and frankly, being ‘starstruck’ by someone makes me think of puppy love. It’s the beginning of something new, it’s cute, and all your friends hate hearing you talk about it.

Top 40: Wouldn’t it Be Nice – The Beach Boys

Everything about The Beach Boys seems to be a little viewed through rose tinted  glasses, this song, even though it’s one of their more well known tracks actually has a bit of depth to it.  There is actually obstacles that prevent our heroes from living out this perfect love, it may be even a little realistic in a sense, but all the while remains so optimistic.

Alternative Radio: Follow You Down- Gin Blossoms

I miss the 90’s. I miss the computer games, the carefree life, the less complicated times, and the music. I don’t miss the fashion though. Anyways, Follow You Down from the Gin Blossoms was one of those happy songs from happy times. What says puppy love more than, “anywhere you go, I’ll follow you down.”

Soundtrack: Then He Kissed Me – The Crystals

Like most people I first encountered this song while watching Goodfellas and fell in love with it.  It depicts that somewhat nervous feeling you get when you first go out with someone new.  The lyrics tell a boy meets girl, is nice to girl, boy and girl get married, oh and there is some kissing.  Just pure cotton candy goodness.

Misc.: We Owned The Night- Lady Antebellum 

This song evokes images of the beginnings of a new romance with someone you are so enamoured with. Everything this person does is enchanting and amazing and you’re happy just to be a part of their world. You both own the night after all.

Having a hard time keeping it in your pants? We know you got sprung!

Valentine’s Day Playlist: The Cycles of Love : Sexy Times!

Posted on by MarissaMortati

She’s driven you crazy with all the teasing and flirting and you’re ready to burst both literally and figuratively.  So seal the deal! Put some groovy tunes on to seduce the hell out of her!  As the Silver Jews once said, “How Can I Love You, If You Won’t Lie Down?”
Sexy Times
Local Music –  Love Me, Chase Me – Carney

Not only is Reeve Carney’s voice sexy (singer for Carney) but this video is sexy too. With a title like Love Me, Chase Me the only image I can’t help but conjure up is the beginning of sexy times where the boy chases the girl (or vice versa depending on how you like to roll) and he catches her at which point they fall into the leaves and begin making out.

Top 40 – Kiss – Prince

Prince is the King of sexy. He could seduce the pants off pretty much any girl and the song “Kiss” works alright with me.  If you can sing as high as Prince, then you deserve whatever tail you can rustle up, but leave the sexy times to that purple high heel wearing, tiny little man that is Prince. (Sorry About the Glee Video, Prince Doesn’t Authorize His Music On Youtube)

Alternative Radio – Closer – Nine Inch Nails

So the first song that came into my head for the sexy category was “Closer” by Nine Inch Nails.  I mean the song says, “I want to fuck you like an animal”, NIN isn’t pulling any punches.   I forewarn you that the video is equally raunchy and disgusting.

Soundtrack – Need You Tonight – INXS

I don’t know anything sexier than a song about needing someone tonight. As in right now. I remember this playing in the background of Coyote Ugly when Violet is trying to sell off Kevin to the highest bidder to make the money she owed Lil. Nothng says sexy like ‘I’m selling you off to pay for my debt.’

Misc – You Shook Me All Night Long – ACDC

A classic ACDC riff and a classic line about thighs, no wonder strippers like it.  So strut in, strip off your jean cut offs and let them know you mean business.

 

Now that business is all done, are those stars in your eyes or is it Puppy Love?

The Delaware Mind Grape Conspiracy Theory

Posted on by MarissaMortati

Obviously this blog is called Local Music Nation, so my first thought when the lovely Miss Amanda Bard asked me to guest as a writer was to write about local music. With the global takeover of the World Wide Web, the universe has shrunk to fit into an icon on our desktop. You can touch a few keys and have information from pretty much anywhere come flying through the digital expanse of space and time to your phone, laptop, mac or preferred electronic device. Do we even understand how crazy awesome this is? This is straight up magical. We could impress Gandalf and Dumbledore with this kind of wizardry. In order to listen to new music from deepest darkest Delaware or Denmark, all we have to do is log on to a search engine and start looking. We have signals that travel up to space, ping some satellite floating around up there and bounce the signal back down to us so that we don’t have to wait even a few seconds to hear a brand new song by a brand new band. This is a miracle in the holiest sense of science and technology and it happens millions of times a day. However, this is the opposite of local music because, while sit immersed in our overwhelming vast online catalog of endless possibilities, down the street there is a great local band busting its balls on stage trying to stir up some kind of following. Although I wouldn’t discourage following some band from Delaware, as a culture we should open up our ears to what is being home grown, like going to the farmer’s market for your tomatoes.

Local music allows you to connect to your community. I would have never met Amanda or Kristen if it weren’t for a mutual love of a local band. In fact, most of my good friends are friends because of our interaction at a local show. Just like buying that tomato from your local farmer, buying tickets and drinks from your local music venue stimulates your local economy. Instead of paying three hundred dollars for Coachella, (where you will become a sunburned, sweaty, dirty, smelly mess) spend that money on tickets for thirty different local shows and make new friends and become a local legend. It’s always exciting when an out of town band rolls through town and you get to catch a live show that you may only get to see every once in a blue moon. Local bands play more at home. This means more shows, more happiness, more dancing, more fun, and overall a longer life expectancy. Okay, I may be lying about the life expectancy thing, but it means better quality of life for sure. This past January I was able to see one of my favorite bands live five times. This is amazing.

It’s really okay to leave your house. I promise, the world is scary, but it’s exciting and in full resolution all the time. Your DVR will record The Walking Dead and if it doesn’t then you can watch it online or on demand or streaming or pirated or something new that they invented in the last thirty seconds. When time passes in real life, it doesn’t repeat itself. Go out and experience it. You will never be lovelier than you are now. Listen to music as it’s being played, be connected to a song in a way that doesn’t exist outside of live performance. Shout, “I AM ALRIGHT!” over and over again with two hundred other people and be part of something real and tangible. Then eat a California burrito at 4 a.m., cause that’s being alive. Take a chance, venture out your front door and you may find something worth your while. Plus the internet is stealing our mind grapes.