(to clarify, that was joke. a bad one, but a joke
still) Anyway, these thoughts are a jumble, so buckle up!
First things first. LISTEN. NOW.
(please)
The lead singer, Brittany, has a
tattoo of the state of Alabama on her right upper arm. Whatever you have to say
about my love for MS, I have yet to take it to the permanent ink level.
Like countless other youth in revolt around the
country I've been listening to the Alabama Shakes
on constant repeat for the past four months. I love these Athens, Alabama
natives and I'm anxiously counting down the days until I get to see them in
May! There first full length album came out this week and the buzz around
them is growing into something closer to a rumble. They've gotten tons of love
and most of you probably already know about them. While I wanted to share my
love for them with the world via blog, I also wanted to talk about their email
list. They send out the nicest fan emails ever! You can tell that these are just
four kids from Alabama who had never left the country until a few months ago
and now are embarking on an international tour. Check out these opening lines
from the latest email blast...
"First and Foremost, thank you. Thanks for all
of the support and love you have shown us. As our record is released and we
take a second to reflect on the last 6 months, we can't help but smile and feel
blessed to be where we are right now and feel excited for the future. Thank
you, thank you, thank you."
So that is just the first paragraph but the whole
thing sounds like friends updating other friends on their lives. Join the email
list! It will make you smile every time you get an update! I'm thinking about
making a sign for when I see them in Dublin that says "I"m from
Mississippi and I love your emails." Maybe they will give me a special
shout out in their next email? Things to think about.
Next up on the list of good people, Old Try.
"I spent
five years in Mississippi, riding around the Delta, the Piney Woods, the Coast,
the Hill Country. Pulling into and driving out of hollers and fields and
getting into trouble and finding myself growing from a boy into a man. I found
my Saviour there and found my voice. And now even though I’m far removed from
it, I still think about those crisp Indian summers and that oppressive humidity
and the bugs and the howling dogs and the laughter of the place that the world
simply doesn’t get. I still don’t fully get it – but it sure got me."
-the
description underneath the print on the website
To start with, how could I not buy this print with
that description under it? So maybe he read North Towards Home one too
many times, but so have I. The description isn't really the best part
here. Yet again I get another awesome email! My "shipment"
notification email was this personal email from the guy who makes the prints
saying that he spent his morning working and listening to the Alabama Shakes
(OMG-what is going on in Alabama, they are stealing all our thunder MS!) and
that my print should be safe and in my hands soon. Quirky, funny, and totally
unexpected.
LESSON OF THE DAY: SEND NICE,
FUNNY EMAILS! (when possible...)
I've posted before about Southern Hipsters, Old Try
and Alabama Shakes are more proof for my theory (ok, not really my theory. More
like what Southern Studies academics spend their lives talking about. maybe
I'll let them take the credit for the theory).
So if you read the title you are probably wondering
where seders come in? Ahha curve ball, not just about southern hipsters.
Tonight my good friend Jess is hosting a Passover Seder for all of us non-Jews
out there. This will be my first seder (which shouldn't be too much of surprise
seeing that I grew up in Hattiesburg, MS) but this is what my little bit of
research has taught me...a seder is a family/community meal where everyone gets
together to celebrate and retell the story of the liberation of the Israelites
from ancient Egyptian slavery. The retelling involves different stages and
songs and drinking of a special wine for four cups. This could all be wrong, my
ignorance is embarrassing, but hopefully I'll be a little less ignorant after
tonight. I'm looking forward to learning more and sharing a good meal with
friends! It will be a seder, with lots of good people!
Oh and don't worry, we planned ahead and bought the
wine needed for our seder yesterday! I know y'all were worried! I hope everyone
enjoys their time off for the Easter break!
I've got big life updates happening at the moment,
I'm holding in all the excitement until the right moment to share it on the
blog. Ah, who am I kidding my mom already knows...
Cheers Y'all!
Chelsea
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