Hi friends! BIG NEWS! On Monday, Mass Musings will be moving to a new site with a new look and three new team members! I can't wait to share with you the big things that we have been working on and I hope that you'll be just as excited as we are! Stay tuned on Twitter and Instagram this weekend for more updates and hints as to what's coming. Until then, here is your Music Friday playlist:
NEW YORK CITY! This weekend I am headed to the big apple for a weekend full of friends, music, dancing, and photoshoots! Can't wait to see the people I haven't seen in a while and meet some new ones while I'm at it! Here is my playlist to take you into this crazy weekend [side note CAKED UP at Webster Hall tonight! Who's coming with?]
Meet Sam Kopelman (aka Branchez), a New York native who has
been pursuing his passion for music since middle school. Most of you probably
know of Branchez from his remix of What So Not’s “High You Are” which,
truth be told, is still a favorite of mine. He has been killing it all over the
country recently, and he’s only getting bigger! Just off his Feel This Tour
with Giraffage, Branchez is amped up to create more soulful beats and take the scene by
storm in a big way.
A couple weeks ago, I
caught up with Branchez to ask him the questions everyone wants to know. We had a great conversation - he was super easy to talk to, very chill and gave some funny answers to the questions I asked him (I love it when that happens). Read
on for some more fun facts about your new favorite producer:
Hey there! Thanks so much for chatting with me today. First things first, have you always known
that you wanted to make your music into a career, or did the goal evolve
over time?
Well, I’ve known I wanted to make music for my living since
I was in 7th or 8th grade. I played the drums back then
and went to college for music so it’s definitely always been the goal. I’m very
lucky for that and very grateful!
What inspired your
name “Branchez?”
I actually came up with it in seventh grade, it was my
street basketball name. It carried over into my music when I started creating
sounds and beats on Garage Band on the school computers.
What is your spirit
animal?
*pauses* A sloth. I sorta look like one I guess and I’m
generally slow with every-day tasks… Don’t get me wrong I’m definitely
motivated! Also I love Sid the Sloth from Ice Age, so I think that’s why it’s
my spirit animal.
Lights on or off?
On.
What is the most
bizarre thing you have seen while performing, or just at a show in general?
Wow, that’s a good one… I’d have to say the most bizarre
thing I've experienced happened in a crowd. It was after I had performed on The
Cold Crush Tour with Paper Diamond in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I was in the crowd and
happened to look over right as this dude punched a girl in the face. Yeah, that
happened. I think he may have been defending his girlfriend but he still rocked
a chick. It was pretty aggressive.
Boxer or briefs?
Boxers.
How about the
weirdest experience with a fan?
It’s mostly just social media ridiculousness. No dick pics
or anything crazy like that, but this one time I accidentally followed a girl
on twitter. It wouldn’t have been a big deal but she freaked out and was overly
pumped about it – I think she thought we had some deep connection.
Want more Branchez? You can visit his SoundCloud here and make sure to like him on Facebook. Also, for all of my fellow Bostonians – you can join me at Naga on May 7th for the Branchez show! Buy your tickets here and I hope to see you all there, it's sure to be a good time!
This weekend my little sister (Chi O) is coming to visit me on an impromptu visit to Boston. I AM SO EXCITED! My big also lives here so it should be a great family reunion. Doesn't it feel good to be able to be weird and have people love you anyways? Counting down the minutes till she gets here (for the record I have to wait all day.. ugh). To get me through, I'm jamming to some party songs that I will share with you here. Happy Weekend!
Welcome to the Weekend crazies! It's Spring Fest at Gettysburg College this weekend and I'm so sad I'm not going to be there getting weird in the ATO basement (shout out to all my Chi O's!). Instead, I'm doing what any respectable alumni does when they can't join in on the fun... I'll be sipping margaritas and blasting music while cleaning my apartment. Maybe I'll finally finish the 195 Webster series?? (who knows hehe). Enjoy the Spring weather and have a great weekend everyone!
It's Friday again! Surprisingly my weeks have been flying by quickly. Unfortunately, so have the weekends but hey... I'll take what I can get. This week/weekend is a celebration of Passover and Easter so Happy Holidays to all of you out there observing either. Spend some quality time with friends and family and reflect on the important things in your life. As always, here are some links to take you into the weekend.
HAPPY FRIDAYYYYYYY! I'm SO ready for warmer weather and dancing this weekend! I hope you are all KILLIN IT this Friday! Here are some shopping and music links to take you into the weekend:
Hey you crazy kids, it's that time again. FRIDAY! Tonight I'm going to see a co-worker perform in her panto. It should be hilarious and I'm excited to see her work the stage!
To take you into the weekend, here are some links:
Hey everyone! Happy Friday! Every Spring I tend to get a little nostalgic of the past. One of my biggest struggles has always been letting go and just accepting things for what they are. I also sometimes feel sad because I'm not able to constantly keep in touch with everyone that I care about, which leads to hours of Facebook-stalking old pictures in an attempt to re-create the past. So, when I saw this quote today, I felt it very fitting. Going forward, my goal is to remember the past fondly, but let that be a former part of me so that I can continue to grow as a human.
In other news, here are some great sales and offers happening! So if you need a little Friday pick-me-up, here you go.
Today I am SO EXCITED to be featured on the {hub}LINKS Boston roundup! My post about local Boston boutiques is featured along with some other fabulous bloggers and their opinions on shopping in our great city. Make sure you check it out!
This weekend I'll be busy doing me with my mama. I'm going to try to tackle a wicked cool Washi tape project this weekend so check Instagram to see my progress. Hopefully you all have great plans to do you too! In honor of being so awesome, here is a soundtrack to take you into the weekend:
I like to think that I was taking “selfies” before they were considered cool. Let’s be honest. Most of the pictures I took in middle school were of myself … Okay who am I kidding, I still take selfies every day. We all take selfies every day, regardless of if you want to admit it or not.
Perhaps that is why The Chainsmokers song #SELFIE has over 4 million views on YouTube. If you haven’t heard of The Chainsmokers, you may want to catch up to the curve. Not only did they just sign with Dim Mak Records, but they also were just announced on the lineup for Ultra. Still don't know who they are? Let me spare you some Googling:
Meet Drew Taggart and Alex Pall, the two heart-breakers who are winning over the EDM scene one show at a time. Self-described as sexy and aggressively handsome, these two both “graduated from prestigious North-Eastern Universities, [they] like hot chicks in yoga pants, enjoy a good burger, and have been rejected from many of the venues they now play at.” It seems to me that neither of them cares about boring their fans with the gory details so I won’t either. If you want to know more about their background, you can visit their website here or their Facebook page here.
I was fortunate enough to catch up with Drew and Alex for a quick interview sans boring questions. I loved how they answered so I’m leaving them untouched, in their own words, for you to really get a sense of their personalities:
Do you guys have an item of choice that you like to wear during shows? Maybe some lucky underwear or some weird accessory?
We both love All Saints so we are both prlly wrapped up in their goodness… Drew usually has his Bara Bracelets and Alex wears his Patagonia hat… but none of it is about luck…
Are you totally sick of #Selfie yet or are you loving every second of it? Also be honest, how many selfies do you guys take every day?
Haha are you kidding we love it… we have worked our whole lives to make a song that ppl enjoy like this and talk about, while we didn’t think it would be about selfies, we are still very happy… as for the amount of selfies it varies from off days maybe like 10 and on show days maybe 100….
What is one thing that you absolutely can’t say “no” to? (can be in relation to anything, not just music based.)
Free steak… fireball or patron shots, sour patch kids, new episodes of Game of thrones, a good BJ… free wifi….
What’s the most embarrassing thing that has happened so far during your careers as The Chainsmokers?
Honestly nothing… there surely have been so strange moments, music shutting off, getting denied at clubs or by ppl, getting the run around but it’s all been amazing… you gotta enjoy the ride… although Alex did once go skinny dipping in the ocean with some girls, then they all lost their clothes, accused security of stealing it as they were naked and then found it feet from where they were standing…
Are you actually chain-smokers? (Sorry but I had to ask.)
No, we actually hate smoking….
As you can see these guys are pretty great. They’re certainly enjoying the experience and I feel like they want their fans to jump right in with them. So what are you waiting for? Stalk them on social media, go see a show, I don’t care what you do (and neither do they) as long as you blast #Selfie when you’re getting ready to have a great night.
Loving Selfie but want more of The Chainsmokers? Make sure to check out their SoundCloud site for more great music. Until then, I leave you with this:
Happy Friday you beautiful people! I hope that you all have some fantastic plans for this weekend. I'm attending a concert tonight and tomorrow, Drew and I are taking my parents to a Celtics game. Should be a good time! Regardless of what you have planned, I hope that you spend some quality time with someone you love. A friend, a family member, or a significant other... maybe even some random people you meet out and about?
Here are some jams to take you into the weekend, you know in case you need more of a reason to get excited for Friday night.
I have been absolutely craving summer and festival season for months now but lately it's gotten pretty bad. I can't stop imaging frolicking in Sherwood Forest without a care in the world. Drew and I were talking in the car this morning about how we feel that we never really relax until we are at a festival dancing like weirdos and grooving to great music with great people. So, as an attempt to make all of you feel the summer vibe that I'm trying to channel, I'm posting some great songs to take you into the weekend. Happy Friday people. Rock out with your...
I've known Keelan Donovan for years now. We met through
friends in high school, but it wasn’t until we were in college that I
discovered his amazing talent. “I like to make people dance,” reads Keelan’s
Facebook tagline, and dance we do. The infectious songs that Keelan creates not
only have great lyrics, but they will also have you grooving and smiling until your
cheeks hurt. It’s no surprise that Keelan has been growing his fan base so
quickly either. His personality and demeanor are just as appealing as his music-
you truly can’t find a more genuine person than Keelan.
You can learn more about his upbringing in Maine and his
musical influences here (think The Avett Brothers and Jason
Mraz) but I was able to catch up with Keelan last week and I asked him a few
questions about his music:
So when did you
decide to pursue music so seriously and why did you choose to take the leap when
you did?
I just love making music. It’s who I am and it makes me feel
great. I’ve always known that I wanted to pursue a career. The reason why I
chose to move to Nashville when I did is simple. I will always love my home in Maine
and the people at Orono [where I attended college], but there are so many connections
in Nashville. The people are nice, the music is amazing and everybody knows someone in the business. It’s been a great
experience so far!
That does sound
really great! It must be so different for you now performing in front of larger
crowds. What was your first show like? I’m sure you have some stories.
*laughs* Well… For Mr. CHS (Cheverus High School’s
school-wide variety show) I peed my pants. Yeah… so it was my first performance
ever. I was definitely nervous about playing for my friends and teachers for
the first time. That’s not why I peed my pants though. That part was a joke but
I actually did make myself pee on stage. Definitely added to the show, that’s
for sure.
Wow. That was totally
unexpected and absolutely the best answer you could have given! The last
question I’ll ask is what everyone is dying to know: What is up next for Keelan
Donovan? I know you just wrapped up a tour but can we expect any new music
soon?
Actually it’s funny you ask because I’m launching a
kickstarter campaign to help me record a new album! It’s a cool concept; its main focus is to involve my fans in a fundraising campaign. If
they donate a certain amount of money, they get something in return. The
amounts range from a few dollars all the way up to $2500. If you donate
the top amount you win tickets to all of my shows for the next 15 years. I’m so excited to be able to do something
like this and I can’t wait to start recording new music!
There you have it people! Now get up and get donating! I
promise you that you won’t regret it. In the meantime you really need to visit
these links below to see Keelan in action. His music is guaranteed to make it
onto your next playlist.
