There’s a party tonight that you’ve been dying to go to, but your energy level is way low. You can’t even get up to find pants.

Maybe because you haven’t stopping partying for the past 3 days? It’s OK - it’s Welcome Week.

But it’s not OK, because even that Red Bull you chugged isn’t working. And you really wanna go out.

The solution? Music, duh.

Invite a few of your girl friends over to help ramp up your partying spirit: throw back a few cocktails, put on your party face, and listen to this awesome mix. If this doesn’t get you goin‘, get back into bed. You are dunzo for the week. Read More »

I remember being in middle school when I first heard about Supergrass. I always wondered if their name wasn’t just code for marijuana…and I still wonder that after having seen them in NYC at Webster Hall…but I mean that in the best of ways. The band, to be honest, gave me a whole lot more than I bargained for. I went into the show rather aimlessly with a friend and waited for them to start their set.

The crowd around me was buzzing, filled with twenty and thirty somethings; all thoroughly enthusiastic about the show. I sipped on my Corona and waited. Finally, the band boldly took their stage-hollow-body guitars in hand.

Automatically, I was taken back by their energy and their actual songs. Unlike so many other acts these days, they didn’t employ a crew of dancers or fancy lighting techs to help take the focus off of their songs. (Note: Why do so many bands do that these days? Wouldn’t it just be cheaper to work on the music than to hire an entourage of cover-up specialists? Just a thought.) They brought their songs to the table eagerly and the audience eagerly received them. Read More »

If my life was a movie, I’d look jaw-dropping-hot in a little black dress, and every college hook-up would involve a Freddie Prinze, Jr. lookalike leaning in for a kiss, while Six Pence None the Richer’s “Kiss Me” plays in the background. But, since my life is not She’s All That, my spit-swapping stories involve a lot of liquor, and a lot of regrets. There’s a Now! That’s What I Call Music CD out there with Aaron Carter’s “Aaron’s Party (Come Get It)” on the track listing. I know this because it made up the soundtrack of a one night stand a few years ago. Yeah, that’s how my sex life goes down.

Life doesn’t come equipped with an orchestra. If your sexcapades, like your iTunes, are on shuffle, here are a few songs you probably don’t want on your playlist.

1. “Dat Baby”–Shawty Putt feat. Lil Jon

With a chorus of “Dat baby don’t look like me,” and an opening line, “Dat baby ain’t mine… I’m sorry, bitch you heard Maury,” this jam is an instant libido-killer. The last thing a guy wants to hear as he’s sliding into home base is “You are NOT the father!” Sure, you’re using protection, but condoms aren’t 100% effective…paternity tests, on the other hand, don’t lie. Besides, no woman wants to find out that her cute college hookup won’t take responsibility if an accident does happen. Read More »

Most people’s first encounter with the ultra hip, uber talented band, The Ting Tings can be attributed to Steve Jobs and his brilliant iPod commercials. Their song, Shut Up and Let Me Go, was catchy, fun and piqued everyone’s interest…in more than an MP3 player. Fortunately, that song wasn’t the only trick up The Ting Tings’ sleeve.Their newest album, We Started Nothing, is further proof of this duo’s serious talent. Unable to get those songs out of our heads, CollegeCandy just had to get the story behind the band. So, we did. The good news: Katie White is just as down to earth and cool as she is talented. And, though we didn’t get to chat with Jules, we are pretty sure the same goes for him.

CC: We Started Nothing is chock full of textured beats, irresistible melodies and witty lyrics- where do the songs come from?
TT: We didn’t intend to form in a band so I think it came from a very honest place, because when we wrote these songs we didn’t think anyone would ever hear them. We just wrote them to play for our friends at parties. We were both feeling quite frustrated at the time and very sort of, I don’t know, like, invisible. We had been in a band that hadn’t worked out, we had a bit of a horrible time with it; I think it came from a real frustrated point of view, but they weren’t negative songs; they were just songs to make us feel better.

CC: Could you describe your song writing process?
TT: It’s completely different for every song. Both myself and Jules write everything together. Sometimes it will be that I will come up with something on the guitar and then we’ll come up with an idea on top of that. Or Jules might come up with something on the guitar or drums, or we’ll play keyboards or we’ll just have this little percussive sound. We just turn to sing like guy vocals and then an idea will come out of it.

CC: A year and a half ago, you were playing living room parties for friends; what’s the largest venue you have played to date and how does the experience differ from the early sets?
TT: The largest venue we’ve played to date so far is the festival for the BBC one big weekend in the UK. I don’t know how many people there were, but there were thousands and thousands all singing our song. It’s very different. We just try to keep it the same really, we haven’t tried to change the bond, we haven’t tried to make it anything that it wasn’t; we just keep being ourselves and you know, people either like it or they don’t. We don’t try to manipulate it for other audiences or anything. Read More »

[Warning to the reader: Story line and contents of this episode are discussed below].

Bret and Jemaine have moved to NYC from New Zealand. This first episode – the pilot – is my favorite, as FOC packs in a number of songs, allowing the viewer to get a real sense of what their act is all about. (The other episodes, I’ve found, don’t include as many songs as this first one).

With a full introduction to Bret and Jemaine, the show also highlights all the side characters. There’s Mel (Kristen Schaal), the “fan” (viz. a stalker); Murray (Rhys Darby), their incompetent “agent,” who is, as I mentioned in my previous piece, also a representative for the New Zealand consulate; and Dave (Rick Shroeder), their uneducated, coarse American friend.

THE PREMISE

Although Bret and Jemaine are trying to get gigs, there’s another issue – the two musicians are both on the look out for “hot girls,” and long to have a real girlfriend. As it turns out, when one or the other dates a girl, problems ensue, and the hilarity of these situations is a delightful highlight. In this case, the main love interest, for Jemaine, is a woman named Sally (Rachel Blanchard).

Jemaine first sees Sally at Dave’s party. She is in a spotlight, her make-up is impeccable, and her hair is blowing around her face. When Jemaine sees Sally from across the room, he begins to belt out a song, called “Part-Time Model.” As the first song for FOC, it demonstrates their ability to weave tunes into the story line – its seamlessness is nothing short of impressive. (Incidentally, all references to songs hereafter will be listed below each recap, and if you want to read the actual lyrics, HBO provides a useful page for that). Read More »

Dear Jeff Buckley aka Scotty Moorhead,

You passed away during this month, 11 years ago. And I still love you. Someone’s gotta love dead rock stars, and I guess it’s me. But let me assure you, Jeff, you are at the top of my list of boys I want to date in the afterlife. Your voice is like honey, your song writing like gold…and you are…err…were…..beautiful. Drop dead gorgeous.

You graduated from high school the same year I was born, but I don’t think that our age difference should really be relevant in the afterlife, do you? I love the way you play guitar. Even if you don’t know this, I’m pretty sure a lot of your songs were about me. I’m sure you didn’t even consider the possibility that the girl for you wouldn’t figure out that she was, in fact, for you until long after your death…but it’s a crazy world we live in.

Basically, what I’m trying to say is that I would really like to go out with you in the after life. You’d probably know where we should go better than I, but to be honest, I don’t really care. Maybe we’ll take a stroll down streets of gold? Perhaps we can toast marshmallows in the fiery pits of Hell? The problem really is that I don’t know exactly WHERE I’ll end up, but I have a strong confidence that it will be the place as you. Send me a sign, let me know what you think, or just holla at yer girl when I’m hanging out post-death style with you.

Love you ETERNALLY,
Your sweetheart, the drunk.

It’s always a toss-up to say what the best part of an evening out is. Pregame and preparation are always fun, but last call is just a crucial part of a night out, especially when you’re going to school in the Midwest and the town closes down at about 2 AM.

You can really get a sense of the type of establishment you’ve been frequenting by learning what it closes with each night. In New York, sometimes a sick sense of accomplishment coincides with every last call you actually make it to. 4 AM is much easier said than done when you’ve been trained to turn in after 2. Sometimes, though, regardless of the time, you’re going to get the same gratification.

What’s sad is that no one actually NEEDS that final drink at last call, but everyone panics all the same, as though they haven’t been drinking all night anyway.

By far, on my undergrad campus, the favorite establishments were moderately-to-very dirtball bars filled with a slightly frat-tastic crowd of kids, and sometimes bartenders in basketball shorts. Some of said frat boys were known to wear sweatpants on the rare occasion. But the best part of these bars was the unquestionable fact that come 2 AM, the lights would flicker on and the speakers would be blasting either Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” or “The Gambler” by Kenny Rogers, depending on which venue you had chosen for the night. Read More »

The 2008 Grammy nominees were recently announced.

In case you don’t know, winning a Grammy is sort of similar to winning the superlative for “like the most coolest, most awesome, most fabulous person EVER!!!” in your 12th grade yearbook.

The Grammy Award is one of, if not the most prestigious award to win in music. Unlike the American Music Awards or MTV’s Video Music Awards, feathered boas and pasties aren’t exactly appropriate attire. Artists don their Lorraine Schwartz jewels and their vintage haute-couture gowns and put their classiest act forward.

So naturally, when I read that Amy Winehouse is up for six Grammy noms (including both record and album of the year), one must wonder how a girl who is too drugged out to function will manage to:
a) Dress appropriately
b) Give a speech in the event that she wins
c) Actually show up (and not be totally obliterated)

The Grammy’s just got so much more exciting don’t you think??

Kanye is leading the pack with 8 nominations, and others up for awards include Justin Timberlake (What Goes Around Comes Around), Beyonce (Irreplaceable), Rhianna (Umbrella-ella… that song is STILL in my head) and Plain White T’s (Hey There Delilah… and that song STILL annoys me). Read More »