Music Monday: Keith Harkin Band

So it took me absolute ages to post this feature…I’m sorry but vacations, sickness, and just the fact that I took a ton of pictures meant I had my work cut out for me. I swear all of my posts these day’s begin with an excuse…shame on me. Anyway back in December I had the great pleasure of attending a Keith Harkin Band gig, yep that’s right a Keith Harking BAND! I’ve seen Keith perform many a times and I am always blown away by his artistry and musicality, but oh my goodness to experience the kind of energy that is brought to the stage when there is a full band is nothing short of AMAZING! I had such an incredible time and I’m sure you can tell from the pictures everyone else was too! 

If you weren’t fortunate enough to catch Keith at Poor Davids back in December fret not because he’s coming back March 18th and you can reserve your tickets here if you’re not able to make the gig might I suggest purchasing Keith’s LONG AWAITED SECOND ALBUM: On Mercy Street Here. Every song is so raw and honest you feel as if you have your own private show with Keith right there. I hope that you all enjoyed the pictures and that you all continue to support true artists like these lads here! Cheers!

 

Keith Harkin at Poor Davids

Hello all! Today’s post is all about my fabulous Saturday night. I was fortunate to attend/handle merch at Poor Davids Pub for the Keith Harkin gig, and man it just never gets old…I look forward to every gig of Keith’s like its the first time, and when its all over I leave even happier than the last.

Fortunately this go around I was actually able to step away from the merch table for a bit and snap a couple of pics of the opening act, Phoebe Hunt and Connor Forsyth. All I can say is wow! The amount of style and artistry they brought to each song was astounding. Both are phenomenal writers Connor is master of the keys and Phoebe’s voice is the kind of voice that you would want to have singing the soundtrack of your life. The depth, soul, and incredible variety this lady displays is absolutely mind blowing, not only does she have the voice of an Americana bluesy gypsy angel she can tear it up on the fiddle as well as the guitar. Can you tell I have a bit of a girl crush working? This duo is musical perfection and I implore you to see them live. Keep up to date with Phoebe and Connor through http://phoebehuntmusic.com/home 

Odds are if you’re a regular here on my blog you know my love for Keith Harkin’s music. If this guy is in town I go to his show, simple as that. Keith is not to be missed. I am constantly in awe of this gentleman, his vocals are so strong and invoke so much emotion, his skills as a song writer are incomparable, and his ability to merely play the guitar in such a way you’d swear he was playing with a full band is just outstanding.  I’ve been pretty blessed in my concert outings and have see many a highly skilled artists, but I can truly say Keith still stands out as one of the most talented acts I’ve ever seen. The man doesn’t hold back, he pours his heart and soul into everything he does and it so evident in his music. The crowd, setting, and how tired this weary traveler is have no bearing on his performance he truly lays it all out there and its pretty magical to experience firsthand. If you’re fortunate enough to live somewhere Keith has a gig you really HAVE TO GO! Keep up to date with this phenomenal guy through his website and his various social media platforms (facebook, twitter, and instagram )

As always Keith absolutely killed it, and was kind enough to play several of his new songs. Just when I think this guy cannot get any better he does, the new songs are just out of this world amazing and have me chomping at the bit for his next album…which according to Keith shouldn’t be too far off now. YAY! So now more than ever is the time to hop onto the Harkin bandwagon because I know he’s only going to continue to grow stronger and stronger as an artist, which is really saying something because this guy has Herculean musical strengths 😉
describing his parents’ “domestic bliss” 😉
Everytime this guy plays he shares his soul and its just beautiful.

This guy is the best and that’s all there is to it.

Now here are some pics my sister snapped of me working the merch table…and amazingly I don’t look as lazy as last time 😉
See I’m even grabbing shirts here!Of course it wasn’t all hard work though haha 😉

I had such a wonderful time and want to thank everyone of you who came out to show your support, and an extra thank you to those of you who had to put up with me selling merch again. I really hope you all enjoyed this post and that you show these multi-talented musicians your love because they really deserve it. Happy Wednesday.

Fashion Friday Poodle Hair

Yes I know, guilty yet again of outfit repeating. But can you blame me? I am absolutely in  love with this chambray shirt. It’s super cute and quite functional. A lot of the time button downs can be a bit constricting, but I wore this outfit while working the merch table at a Keith Harkin performance last week, and let me tell you nothing will put a shirt’s comfort level to the test like the diving through mountains of merch at the beginning of a gig, and I am pleased to report my new shirt passed the test with flying colors. So ya I will continue outfit repeating without shame!

This shoot was a good bit of fun cause I was having a pretty fun poodle hair day, my little sister’s pug decided he would join in on the “modeling”, and turns out apartment complexes have quite a few photo ops. So a good time was had by all.

Frank is the real model clearly.

Bandana: Cavenders I think but I cannot find them on their site I did find some at REI though.

Earrings: I borrowed them from my mom but you can purchase some from Claires

Shirt: Target

Jeans: Old Navy

Flats: Payless

Hope you all enjoyed this post and that you have a great weekend. Happy Friday!

An Evening with Keith Harkin

Last Thursday I was fortunate enough to attend/work the merch table for the Keith Harkin gig at Poor Davids Pub.

The night started off with a stellar performance from The O’s (sorry I didn’t take any pictures I was manning the merch table at that time). I must say Poor David’s certainly knows how to pick talent, not once has there been an opener that I was unimpressed with. But I have to admit The O’s particularly blew my mind. They are true performers, their music is absolutely spectacular, and their between song banters are priceless. Lucky for me The O’s are a Dallas based band so they have lots of local gigs coming up, but they also do quite a bit of expansive touring so if you’re not a local fret not. Check out their site http://wearetheos.com/ listen to their music, go to a gig, and have a blast!

Now for everyone who bought merch thanks for being so sweet and patient with me, I’ve never worked in any form of retail (I’ve always been on the creative side of work) so this was quite a new experience for me. Despite being “out of my element” I had an absolute blast, interacting with everyone was quite a fun experience, and I hope I get to go it again soon! I think I met just about everyone who came out that night, you all are excellent shoppers 😉

Here are some pictures my sis took of me looking like the least helpful merch worker in the world. To be fair though these were taken after the show when less shopping took place.

I swear I did more than just stand around with my hands on my hips. 

Keith you sir are a joy to work with.

After the O’s Keith took the stage and delivered an incredible performance as per usual. After seeing an artist perform live several times suddenly their shows can seem a little less exciting, but I’ve seen Keith on multiple occasions and I still walk away saying “That was the best show yet”. I think its because Keith has found the perfect balance to his gigs. By playing his own original songs, Celtic Thunder favorites, and classical covers like End of Innocence and Heart of Saturday Night Harkin has insured that no matter your musical taste there will be something that you will absolutely love. You can check out his site here http://www.keithharkin.com/ and keep up to date on touring and find all the links to his other social media platforms that are full of good craic!

Now Thursday was a good night, but it was a very emotional one too. Just the night before, fellow Celtic Thunder performer George Donaldson passed away. One particularly touching moment of the night was when Keith performed Caledonia as a beautiful tribute to his dear friend. George is a great man and will be sorely missed.

As you can imagine everyone who knew George is incredibly shaken, and his friends and family would really appreciate that you respect their privacy as they go through the difficult grieving process. Should you wish to make a gesture to George’s family you can make a donation to help further his daughter’s education through the Celtic Thunder site https://www.celticthunder.ie/content/george-donaldson-0

Let us remember to tell those in our life how much we love them, we never know long we have on this earth. God bless you all and Rest in Peace George.

Fashion Friday Featuring Klen Laundry

So sometimes you just don’t feel like dressing up, you feel like wearing you’re favorite t-shirt, yoga shorts, and a comfy pair of socks. Let me tell you I have never loved a pair of socks quite like the way I love Klen Laundry’s! I received my package from Klen Laundy on Saturday and I felt like a kid on Christmas, you may think its silly to get excited about socks and such but I don’t care, its the simple things in life afterall right? So I thought I might share my comfy Fashion Friday with you all.

As long as I’m on a yoga mat I might was well do yoga right?
 adorable drink koozies

and because I clearly haven’t any idea of what is socially acceptable you may now feast your eyes on this picture.

Yes that is me in with a pair of underwear on the outside of my yoga shorts with a towel cape. Sorry mom this picture alone terminates any chance I had of becoming a future president. All joking aside these underwear are super soft and so comfy, and while they may be meant for guys, that’s not stopping me from wearing them. They fit like boyshorts which I love. So ladies if you’re a fan of boyshorts buy yourself a pair, and guys since they’re clearly made for you lot you ought to buy yourself some.

Keith Harkin T-Shirt: I got this shirt from one of my bestest buds who lives too far away. Keith didn’t have the shirts for sale when he was in my neck of the woods, but he did when he was near my dear “mindtwin” so she bought one and shipped it to me! How great is that? I saw that Keith was thinking of selling these online so I bet if we bug him enough it’ll happen 😉

Yoga Shorts: Old Navy http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?vid=1&pid=387930002

Socks, Koozies, and yes even underwear: Klen Laundry, an awesome company who’s products are made of bamboo so they stay nice and fresh, because goodness knows socks can get pretty gross even with regular washings! Another really awesome thing about this company is that for every pair of socks you buy they plant a tree. I mean how awesome is that? Find more about this killer company here https://klenlaundry.com/

Hope you all enjoyed this post and had a good laugh at my ridiculousness, again sorry mom. 😉 Happy Friday.