Chasing Rainbows

Right place, right time. Happened to be filming what a rainbow magically appeared. Thought I would share it with you guys. Enjoy.

Chasing Cover Drive

Cover Drive is back! They didn't actually go anywhere but they started doing a weekly YouTube show called Chasing Cover Drive. It's basically a reality tv show that follows the band around while they are on tour, getting into hilarious misadventures.

Amanda, Bar-man, T-Ray and Jamar are working their way through the music industry and we get to be a part of their journey. What's special about their story is that it feels completely organic. Their fans love them and they love their fans. There is real passion here, and that translates into a level of authenticity that is delightful. Plus, it helps that Amanda, throws shade like nobody's business and the guys take real pleasure in torturing her poor soul.

If you haven't already seen an episode, I demand that you stop what you are doing and immediately start watching from the beginning. Chasing Cover Drive is more entertaining than half of the reality tv out there and the music is better than the other half. 

If you want to check out the first article I did on this talented Bajan band, check it out here. Then leave a comment below of the funniest moments in the show. 

The View From The Balcony

Another time lapse video from Barbados. I still have to learn how to make better use of these short clips I've recorded. But this is what I have so far. Enjoy and let me know what you think in the comments below.

Simple Plan - Summer Paradise ft. Sean Paul

Did you know this music video was filmed in Barbados? Well it was, and its awesome. Its called Summer Paradise because it is. Simple Plan and Sean Paul both visit the island a lot so its only fitting  they got inspired to make sweet sweet music.

The video fits the music perfectly. Best listened to relaxing on a boat, or laying out on the sand. Book your tickets now.

But if you can't leave for Bim now, better buy the song and listen to it on repeat.

Travel Music (Mike Posner - The Truth)

Mike Posner is an amazing artist. I've been listening to him since his 'Cooler Than Me' days, where people knew him if you played that song but they didn't really know him as an artist. The reason I got so into him was because I bought his CD and listened to it from beginning to end on repeat. Not all artists can carry you on a journey like that.

His albums have always had a travel type title to them, but thats mostly because he's about to carry you on a crazy ride. He carries you up high, then brings you down to some profound lows and takes you right back up again. The titles also act as a good metaphor for where he is with his music;
31 Minutes To Takeoff (First Album), The Layover (Mixtape), and finally The Truth (New EP).

I love Mike's early stuff but I've recently rediscovered all of his new stuff and I've got to say; I'm impressed. It's incredible having music you are nostalgic for because it perfectly fits a time in your life, but to have that artist grow with you and change too. Then do it all over again, that's unbelievable.

'The Truth' is short but every track is profound. It feels like your old travel buddy who's been on the road for a while, finally coming home and you guys are just chilling. Sitting down over a few beers, he tells you about his experiences and you realize he's been through some serious shit. Every lyric is dripping with wisdom. Just sit there and be in awe. This EP is more deep than fun, but its profound. Mostly I just want to see what comes out next. Guess only time will tell.

Hope I didn't oversell it though. Check out Mike's EP here. Let me know what you think. And if you are a fan or even just a little interested, take a look at his blog. There is a lot of really interesting stuff on there, worth reading and listening to.

The Sunscreen Song by Baz Luhrmann

Ladies and Gentleman, of the Class of ’99. Wear sunscreen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientist, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. O never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me in twenty years you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now, how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind. The kind that blindsides you at 4 pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other peoples hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long. And in the end, its only with yourself.

Remember compliments your receive, forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know, didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40 year old's I know still don't.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they are gone.

Maybe you'll marry. Maybe you won't. Maybe you will have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40. Maybe you'll dance the funky chicken at your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else.

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it. Or what other people think of it. Its the greatest instrument you will ever own.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.

Read the directions even if you don't follow them. Do not read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents, you never know when they will be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They are your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go. But for the precious few, you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle for as the older you get the more you will need the people you knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths. Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You too will get old. And when you do, you will fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders. Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you will have a trust fund, maybe you will have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair. Or by the time you are 40 it will look 85.

Be carful who's advice you buy. But be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more that its worth. But trust me on the Sunscreen.

Life from the Shore requires Sunscreen. If traveling is about learning and developing yourself. Baz Luhrmann is a high priest of travel and the Sunscreen Song is his gospel. It's simple advice that comes from his experience. Not everything he says will resonate at once. But if we are talking about inspiration to live a happier life, he gives quite a few important tips. Baz says what works for him, and you can do with that what you will.

CoverDrive

Driving around I noticed a bus stop that really took me by surprise. CoverDrive is a young Barbadian grown band. They've gotten pretty popular in the UK in the last few years but they still always rep Barbados. Its funny seeing familiar faces, even if they aren't faces you know personally, get famous.

None the less, these kids are good. Their music is their own. Lots of different pop, rock and caribbean influences, but it works. Proof that there is a lot of local talent that is internationally competitive. Check out a few of their songs and let me know what's your favorite CoverDrive song.

Wanna hear more? Maybe buy their album? Check them out on iTunes.

Travel Music (George Ezra - Wanted on Voyage)

George's album 'Wanted on Voyage' could be the only travel buddy you need on your next trip. I discovered his album on a particularly grueling flight from Sydney to New York. I had just finished my fourth movie and I was looking for something different. Luckily, they were advertising Ezra as a featured artist and I knew the song 'Budapest' from before, so I bit.

On the first listening, he managed to sing me to sleep. Which was appreciated since I'd given up on sleep after two sleeping pills and no effect. But on the second listen, I'd found a travel brother. Listening to him was like having a conversation with another traveler, where you don't have the same experience but you know exactly where they are coming from. Its that traveling communality that binds us all.

According to the commercial, George wrote most of the album while he was traveling. It shows. Name dropping all over the album; Amsterdam, Budapest, Barcelona, he's not shy about letting you know his passport is pretty active. But more than that, its the experiences he talks about, the randomness of the encounters. That are profound but ultimately fleeting. Everyone can relate but travelers are the ones that really understand.

If you are traveling remember to load him onto your iTunes: George Ezra iTunes

And if you want another sample: