Animal Collective is a New York based band that has a really awesome sound. They are a mix of good beats, Psychedelic and nice vocal harmonizing. They can sound a bit weird at times, but always get my toe tapping. My Girls, Summertime Clothes, and Brother Sport are some tracks I recommend listening to if you’ve never heard them before (in that order). Not recommended when you are in a bad mood 
But good for morning music. Please check them out here.
Jack Peñate is an English musician and singer-songwriter signed to XL Recordings. We would classify him as Euro Pop with some soul.
This is good driving music, good monday morning music, and music to play during a photo shoot. One of our favorite tracks, Tonight’s Today is on Peñate’s new album, Everything Is New. Pull My Heart Away is great too! Click Here to listen to his new album.
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed Lady Day by her friend and musical partner Lester Young (also recommend listening to him), Holiday was a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing. Her vocal style, strongly inspired by jazz instrumentalists, pioneered a new way of manipulating phrasing and tempo. Above all, she was admired for her deeply personal and intimate approach to singing.
Really great to have playing on a rainy day or at your next dinner party.
Sample her music and other similar artists HERE
My dad is 65 years old and has more drive for adventure then most twenty somethings I know. This year he took a dip in the Atlantic on New Years day for a local polar bear plunge event. Immediately after he jumped in a total of 3 times, I told him I wanted to take his portrait.
Metric is a Canadian indie rock band. Originally formed in Toronto, the band has also, at various times been based in Montreal, London, New York City and Los Angeles
The band consists of vocalist Emily Haines (who also plays the synthesizer and guitar), guitarist James Shaw (who also plays the theremin), bassist Josh Winstead and drummer Joules Scott-Key. Their first full-length album, Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?, was released in 2003 and earned a Juno Award nomination for Best Alternative Album. Live It Out was released on October 4, 2005 and was nominated for the 2006 Polaris Music Prize for the Canadian Album of The Year and once again the Juno Award nomination for Best Alternative Album. (thanks wiki)
We like to listen to Metric when we are editing photos or going on road trips. They have a real youthful sound are great to listen to in the mornings when you are gearing up to start your day. Check them out HERE
This past December was our 2 year wedding anniversary. Believe it or not we haven’t made an album or even had photos printed yet!!! I wanted to show a few of my favorite little details from our wedding. They remind me of Valentine’s day, with the red, soft magentas and pinks. We did our wedding on the cheap . We used tea cups/pots for flower vases, spray painted willow branches for center pieces and put together the bouquets and boutonnieres the night before. We filled tea cups and antique bowls with our favorite candy. Our friends and family helped out a lot and were very supportive. It was the most perfect, simple, loving wedding. But then again, I am kind of bias.. : )
photography by Steve Exum
Hot Chip are a Grammy-nominated British electropop band. They rule period! Check them out HERE.
Gillian Howard Welch (born October 2, 1967 in New York City) is an American singer-songwriter. She performs with her musical partner, guitarist David Rawlings. Their sparse and dark musical style combines elements of Appalachian music, bluegrass, and Americana that is described as “at once innovative and obliquely reminiscent of past rural forms”.(thanks wiki)
I first heard Gillian Welch one night in a painting studio at East Carolina University. A girl was playing the Time (The Revelator) album and I just could not get enough of it. That particular moment actually shaped the way I feel about folk rock music. I had never been a fan, but a switch was flipped at that moment. I recommend listening to Gillian Welch when you’re relaxing on the back porch, perhaps road trips and for when you’re feeling a little down. Warning – Not gonna make you feel better, but will go right along with your low mood. Check her out HERE
Hoping for some more snow here in North Carolina!! Here are Polly and Jessica doing the snow dance. Well, Jessica dancing, Polly not so much..
Bouldering in Asheboro, North Carolina with photographer/artist B. Neil Craver and friends. 
Crystal Castles is an experimental electronic music band from the province of Ontario consisting of producer Ethan Kath and vocalist Alice Glass. Crystal Castles are known for their chaotic live shows and their lo-fi, melancholic home productions. To listen to Crystal Castles “is to be cast adrift in a vortex of deafening pain without a safety net. You get the feeling you could do anything in the world, but that ‘anything’ would ultimately mean nothing. Crystal Castles marks a nuanced emotional territory that dance music never covered before (BBC). They are good for pre-gaming before a party. Check them out HERE!
Phantogram is an American electronic rock duo from Greenwich, New York, consisting of guitarist Josh Carter and keyboardist Sarah Barthel. Barthel and Carter were friends since junior high school, but Phantogram didn’t officially form until 2007. That summer, Barthel returned home dissatisfied with pursuing a visual arts degree and Carter returned home after a brief stint in New York City with Grand Habit, an experimental band formed with his older brother, John. The two friends reunited and then worked on finishing some beat ideas Carter made earlier. They then finally formed the band.(Thank you wiki)
We recommend them for hanging out with friends and/or doing some chores. (b/c they make chores fun!!) Check them out HERE
Neko Case is a Grammy nominated American singer-songwriter I guess you could label her, alternative country. She was born in Alexandria Virginia and eventually made her way through Seattle and finally to Vancouver. She is best known for her solo career and her contributions as a member of the Canadian indie rock group The New Pornographers. I love her voice, period. I’d go as far to say it is magic. I have been listening to her while driving, preferably with the windows down and while working at the computer. But I’d recommend her for any occasion. Check her out HERE and visit her site HERE.
Bon Iver is the name of American indie folk singer-songwriter Justin Vernon’s current band and most notable music project to date. The band now also consists of Michael Noyce, Sean Carey, and Matthew McCaughan. The name, Bon Iver, is a play on the French “bon hiver” (good winter). Vernon independently released Bon Iver’s debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago in July 2007, the majority of which was recorded while spending three months in a remote cabin in Northwestern Wisconsin. Recommend for road trips and relaxing around the house. Check them out HERE.
