Top 11 of '11 Songs & Albums

Top 11 of '11 - Songs
These are my favorite songs in or around the year 2011.

1. Pumped Up Kicks - Foster The People
(I know, I know, this is the cliche song of 2011... also why it is number 1)

2. Live Those Days Tonight - Friendly Fires

(Need a good song for groovin'? This is it. Great tune.)


3. C'mon Talk (Live) - Bernhoft

(This song will blow you away. Very talented singer.)

4. Usual Suspect - Ha Ha Tonka

(Band out of Missouri, love the feel of the entire album)

5. Paradise - Coldplay

(A great song with some unexpected moments. Good song to cruise to.)

6. Darling Buds of May - Viva Brother

(Maybe my most surprising song choice, fun song from a EuroPop band)

7. On The Ocean - Guster

(This song never gets old. Neither does this band.)


8. Jaques Cousteau - Swimming With Dolphins

(Electro-pop vibe. Been liking this song since it came out in May)


9. Heaven Come My Way - Abandon Kansas

(Great tune. Great lyrics. Great band. Great guys.)

10. Barton Hollow - The Civil Wars

(Another country-ish song snuck on here. And for good reason, this song is fantastic)

11. Monte Carlo - U.S. Royalty

(Amazing guitar riffs and catchy tune. Good song to get lost in.)


Honorable Mention
This Is Why We Fight - Decemberists
Every Drop A Waterfall - Coldplay
The Canyon - From Indian Lakes
Windows Are Rolled Down - Amos Lee


Top 11 of '11 - Albums

1. Coldplay - Myloto Xyloto - Easy choice for the number 1 album. Fun album to listen to over and over.
2. Friendly Fires - Pala - Great album to groove to. Catchy rhythms and fun lyrics.
3. Abandon Kansas - Ad Astra Per Aspera - Outstanding album. Looking forward to what these guys have in store for 2012.
4. Cut Copy - Zonoscope - Another good groovin' album that got a fair share of play time this year.
5. Adele - 21 - Album of the year on everybody's charts. And for good reason. It was the 'Year of Adele'. However, I got burned out on this album overall. Great singing, but whiny lyrics.
6. Hyland - Weights & Measures - Excellent album. Awesome lyrics and great rock songs.
7. Mutemath - Odd Soul - Love this band. Not overly impressed with this album, felt like it was over-produced. Still some good tunes.
8. Animals as Leaders - Weightless - Instrumental rock? Youbetchya! One of my favorite finds of 2011.
9. Guster - Easy Wonderful - Just a fun album. This band's music never gets old.
10. Swimming With Dolphins - Water Colours - Anticipated this album since this time last year and was not disappointed.
11. Hugh Laurie - Let Them Talk - Must surprising album award goes to... Hugh Laurie. Known for playing Dr. House on TV, this guy can lay it down. He put together a great country-ish album full of good knee-slappin' tunes fit for a hootenanny.

Honorable Mention:
M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
Viva Brothers - Famous First Words
Boy & Bear - Moonfire
Foster The People - Torches
Childish Gambino - CAMP
Fang Island - Fang Island

2009 in Review

Stephen's Best of 2009:
*Graduation with Bachelor in Fine Arts (and a Minor in Literature) in May
*Getting a full-time job at Keating in May
*Leaving Keating in August
*Finding an apartment in one weekend in Overland Park in August
*Getting a job at Crossover Graphics in August
*Paying my truck off completely
*Traveling to Colorado to see my Uncle and go hiking and fishing in the Rockies
*Turning 24 (old dude)
*Late Night Trivia at Auntie Mae's with Matt, John, Aubrey, Dillon, Todd, and others
*Kings of Leon concert with the Abandon Kansas boys
*Swell Season concert with Kyle + friends
*Killers concert with Jeremy, Brad and others
*Abandon Kansas includes me in their first released CD on their new label
*Winning tix on the radio to the Jet/Flock of Seagulls/Black Joe Lewis/Ravonettes/White Rabbits concert with Aubrey, Matt
*Minus The Bear/As Tall As Lions concert with Jeremy
*VIP at Spoon/Hockey/Metric/The Bravery concert with Jeremy
*KC Royals game vs Red Sox with Cy Young winner Zack Grienke pitched a shutout
*Becoming roommate with Kyle Gach (then sadly, ditching him for KC)
*ENGAGED to my beautiful girlfriend
*Designing a mural for West Hall 4th Floor (link to old post)
*Dallas Design conference with friends AND getting my poster entered
*Commerce Bank Student Art Show in Manhattan, getting poster entered
*Seeing Abandon Kansas live about 20 times
*Justin's wedding
*Kenny's wedding
*Ali+James wedding
*Applying to Hatch Show Print
*My brother Sam getting Prom Prince
*Another great year with Antony Miguel Cardenas Cortez, my sponsored child

(please feel free to help me add to this list if I'm missing anything!)

Gotees & Mullets

(Had to post something about my excitement for these guys!)

Some of my very best friends are in a band called Abandon Kansas. The lead singer, Jeremy Spring, has been one of my best friends ever since he moved to Kansas in 6th grade. He and I grew up thru high school and eventually put together a band called $12 Skolarship (even won the talent show Senior year, hear a song here). That didn't last past high school for me, but as for Jeremy it was only the beginning of what would become Abandon Kansas.
They are responsible for much of the beginnings of my design work. They let me design all sorts of shirts, posters, etc for their band. It was pro-bono work, but had it not been for them, I wouldn't have had nearly the amount of contacts that I had to be able to have a semi-steady income from doing free-lance work.
I was also able to spend a whole month last summer on tour with these guys. One of the most incredible adventures I had ever been on.
I was talking with Jeremy last night and he told me some of the most exciting news I had heard all week:
Abandon Kansas is signed to a label!!!
They signed with Gotee Records who has produced such artists as: Relient K, TobyMac, DC Talk, John Reuben, Force Family 5, Jennifer Knapp, and many more of the top christian artists. This is very exciting news for the guys. I have been told it is a 3 year contract and that they will be recording their first album under the label in May.

Abandon Kansas stops in Manhattan

Some of my best buds, the Abandon Kansas boys, made a stop last night and played a show at PJ's in Manhattan last night.

Fun pics:
(that's me making a cameo and shakin my groove thang)

Really fun show!

New song, "Make Believe":