over the past few years, at the bottoms of sleeping at last email newsletters, i’ve included a section called “things i love right now” – which is exactly what it sounds like it is: a list of random stuff i love. they’re fun for me to write, so i think i’m going to do a list of things i love every wednesday as well. why not? so what if it seems a little bit like “oprah’s favorite things” – i’m not oprah, true. but i do like stuff. plus, maybe it’ll help me be a better blogger and actually post stuff more often.
here’s a list of things i love right now…
1. Warm Chocolate Chip Cookies (and a glass of milk. yikes. whoever invented this combo first truly hit the culinary jack pot.)
2. Koss “PortaPro” Headphones (they may look silly and outdated, but they’ve been a fav of mine for many years now. for regular use, not studio mind you.)
3. “Day One” App (so, this little mac/ios writing app is incredible. clean. beautiful.. and is my fav. writing app ever. from henceforward, i shall write my lyrics strictly within this little beaut… and sometimes on paper too.)
4. Nadeau (okay, i’m not typically passionate about furniture, aside from using it, but this furniture store is amazing. fact. lovely things they sell.)
5. Grapes (i think i’ve listed grapes already, but guess what… i still love grapes. they are, perhaps, the most candy-like of all fruit? i think so.)
hmm… i am not a fan of how much time has gone by since my last blog post… sorry about that! so, i think now’s a good a time as any to fire this thing back up a bit.
firstly – how has 2012 been for you? i hope it’s shaping up to be a truly fine year, perhaps your best one yet? here’s hoping! my 2012 has been great so far… full of lots of planning and busy, busy buisness. generally, i’m not a huge fan of intense “planning” (my personality leans a little more day-to-day i suppose) – but when planning things out that i’m really, really excited about, it’s a good thing. so i’m thankful for this time of recalibration and mapping. i think it’s going to be a really good year!
the last couple weeks have been spent working on projects that i’m not actually able to announce yet. i know, i know.. it’s lame to mention things you can’t actually talk about. but i’m wayyy excited about it all and have really enjoyed the work! so it’s been really fun to jump straight into creative waters so soon this year.
in addition to my aforementioned extra curricular activities, 2012 will be full of new sleeping at last music. very, very, very excited about the ideas that are hovering around lately.. plus, i plan on doing a bunch of touring this year… something i missed a bit last year, due to work on “yearbook” – can’t wait to share many of those (and perhaps even newer songs) live soon.
so of course i’m excstatic about all of that.. but gosh, there are SO many movies coming out this year that i’m really, really looking forward to. i was just talking with a friend about this, but most of the ones i’m looking forward to this year seem to be giant blockbuster films… don’t get me wrong, i love a good blockbuster from time to time, but i haven’t had as much giddy excitement about so many in a row in a long, long while. here’s a list:
the hobbit (bilbooooooo!)
batman: dark knight rises (any film my mr. nolan will be at the top of my lists)
pixar’s “brave” (pixar’s return to perfection? i hope! no offense to cars 2, which was “good” but it was the only pixar film so far that i didn’t love.)
the amazing spider-man (reboot the heck out of it.. i don’t care. i’ll probably be into still on reboot 45.)
prometheus (coooool)
skyfall (new 007 film)
breaking dawn – part 2! (awwws yeahs)
avengers (why not?)
in addition to those mega-gazillion-dollar-making-movies, i’m way excited for:
moonrise kingdom (new wes anderson!)
the great gatsby (with leo decaprio!)
life of pie (tiger! boats! tiger on a boat!)
… so there’s way more, but i’m feeling like this sleeping at last blog is turning into just a nerd-fan movie blog. sorry.
I hope your holidays were nothing short of spectacular!AND I hope 2012 is already shaping up to be your favorite year yet! It’s been truly great over here – lots of very exciting plans in the works for this new year – I can’t wait to share soooon. Hint: Lots of new music, music videos, exciting tours and more! I have confidence that it will be a truly lovely year.
GREY’S ANATOMY
So so so excited to inform you that a song of mine will be featured on ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy“ this Thursday! Hoorah! As usual, I’m not allowed to say which song just yet, but I can tell you that it’s from “Yearbook.” So thrilled to be a part of the show again!
The episode airs this tomorrow, (Thurs. Jan. 12th) at 8PM CST on ABC - hope you’ll tune in!
NEW YEARS SHIRT SALE
In honor of the New Year (which is now well underway) the Sleeping At Last online store is offering 20% off ALL clothing (Shirts, Baby Onesies, etc!) – Just use the coupon code: BESTYEARYETwhen you check out! Expires next Wed. (1/18)
There are many, many announcements coming your way soon! Can’t wait to share all that’s going on lately! May this be a truly beautiful year for you and yours! Speak real soon.
Much love, Ryan – Sleeping At Last
PS here’s a list of things i love lately:
1. Temple Run (my latest fav iphone game… addicting. running. jumping. apes. awesome.) 2. Modern Family (how was i not a fan of this show before now? it’s good, fun tv. phil’s the best. duh.) 3. Top 10 Lists (i love lists in general, but this time of year i love the many “top” lists that appear. i did one for my fav movies of ’11! check it here!) 4. New Year’s Resolutions (although i try to make them all throughout the year, there’s something beautiful about people wanting to be their best at the start of each year.)
a little late to the “best of” 2011 party, but here’s my 10 favorite movies of last year. in no particular order… i couldn’t decide. too tough.
1. the muppets (clever, sweet and just super fun. i’d say this movie wins the funnest movie of the year in my book. on a side note – the music makes me miss flight of the conchords even more than i already did.)
2. the artist (very, very clever as well. beautifully made and it takes an idea that could have so easily felt like a gimmick and ended up just making a beautiful film)
3. arthur christmas (this one was the biggest surprise – i absolutely loved this. not ashamed to admit that i teared up at least a couple times. it’s very funny, very sweet and the story is just great. was pretty sure i wasn’t going to be a fan and i’m so glad i was way wrong. it’s great)
4. being elmo (really great documentary about how elmo came to be. as if you needed more reason to love elmo, this movie manages to give plenty more reasons. very sweet story.)
5. x-men: first class (aside from christopher nolan’s batman movies, i haven’t had this much fun at an action/comic book movie in a long while. and it’s certainly my favorite x-men movie. loved it)
6. super 8 (come on… it has all the right ingredients: jj abrams, spielberg (and spielberg-ness), beautiful score (mr. giacchino!), an alien/monster, great kid actors, coach taylor from friday night lights… win, win, win.)
7. attack the block (it’s been compared to district 9 a billion times already, but it’s true – a small-ish budget alien movie that is actually great. enjoyed it a bunch.)
8. drive (this movie is intense. i loved it – it’s brutal, but i was thoroughly engrossed the entire time.)
9. bridesmaids (the winner of the funniest movie of the year in my book. kristen wiig is something special. a comedic force of nature)
10. harry potter and the deathly hollows – part 2. (a great conclusion to a really great, fun series)
more movies that i loved last year: 50/50, win-win, moneyball, crazy stupid love, hugo, harry potter, mission impossible: ghost protocol, midnight in paris, the tree of life … and i’m sure there are plenty more. definitely missed a couple i wanted to see… i might have to add to the list later, i suppose. i sure do love lists. anyway…
how about you?!? what were your absolute favorite movies of 2011??
much love, ryan
ps. i did not include “breaking dawn” ONLY because i’m obviously a bit biased, of course! i enjoyed the movie a TON. fact.
I just wanted to wish you and yours the most beautiful Christmas and holiday ever! I hope that, wherever this note finds you, you are enjoying a safe, restful and genuinely happy day with loved ones!
one year ago, i attempted to write my first original Christmas song. i called it “snow.” last year, shortly after the song was written/released, a good friend of mine, bob davidson helped me put together a music video for it. the idea was – i’d ask listeners all over the world to email small clips of holiday footage (snow, christmas lights, etc) and my gifted pal, bob would compile all of these little clips together, creating the video for “snow.” i think it turned out real nice and i wanted to re-post it, since the holidays are now well underway!
be sure to click the little snowflake icon in the youtube controls tab! it adds a wintery experience to the whole thing
much love to you!
love, ryan
p.s. be sure to grab the FREE 11-song Christmas Collection from NoiseTrade now, while it’s still up! Only a few more days left to grab it! (includes “snow” and this year’s 2 additions “silent night” & “Christmas is All Around” from the film “Love, Actually!”)
The holidays are HERE! And I sincerely hope that this year’s are your finest yet!!
In keeping with Sleeping At Last tradition, I am pleased to inform you that this year’s FREE Christmas cover recordings are now available!!!
I chose the Christmas classic, “Silent Night” for this year’s song… AND for fun, as an added bonus, I recorded a little version of “Christmas is All Around,” which is of course from the film “Love Actually” (a favorite holiday movie of mine)… In the movie it’s sung by “Billy Mack” (played by Bill Nighy) and is a rather silly song.
Hope you enjoy ‘em!!
There are TWO ways to grab these songs for FREEright now…
1. If you already have the previous year’s Christmas recordings (“Christmas Collection“) – you can download JUST these two new songs and add them to your collection by clicking HERE!
(Note: You must “Like” the Sleeping At Last Facebook page to access the downloads!)
2. If you DON’T have the previous year’s songs – go grab the “Christmas Collection” for FREE right now via NoiseTrade, where this year’s songs have been added! (Making a total of 11 FREE Christmas songs! Hoorah!) Grab the whole thang here!
Happy Holidays, friends!! You are incredible and I can’t thank you enough for this amazing year!!
Much Love & Warmth, Ryan – Sleeping At Last
P.S. HUGE thanks to my good friend, Chris Bethea for his excellent work mastering “Silent Night”! If you’re a musician, check him out! And a HUGE thanks to my pals at RootMusic for their help and incredible tools for musicians!
Here in Illinois, we got our first “real” snow today. Not exactly a wintery-wonderland just yet – just an inch or two, but it’s definitely looking like the holidays are well underway around here! I hope you’re staying warm (physically and emotionally…)
Just wanted to tell you about a few things on the Sleeping At Last front.
YEARBOOK BOX SETS
Pleased to inform you that the Yearbook CD Box Sets are NOW shipping!! Just posted pictures of what the box set looks like… take a look.
If you’re looking to buy this as a gift for someone super special, my amazing merch team has told me to encourage you to place your orders soon, as we are working hard to make sure everyone receives their stuff in time to give these little beauts as gifts before the big day arrives.
Also wanted to remind you that the official Yearbook Art Prints are now shipping as well! They turned out so lovely and of course feature the beautiful cover art for each of the Yearbook EPs. Check ‘em out here!
As if those two items weren’t cool enough gift ideas – we also have a gazillion shirt options. We EVEN have clothes for little ones – official Sleeping At Last Onesies!! Check all of that out here.
“TURNING PAGE” LIVE VIDEO
Just uploaded a brand new video of my song “Turning Page.” Recorded live at Eletrical Audio in Chicago! Check it outttttttt here!
HUGE thanks to Bob Davidson, Justin Ahrens of Rule29, Brian MacDonald & Jose Rivera of Wonderkind for making this video possible, and to Chris Bethea for an incredible job mixing the song!
DEC. 15th SHOW IN CALIFORNIA
On Dec. 15th, I’ll be playing music with several incredible musicians (Jon Foreman being one of ‘em!) for an Invisible Children Benefit show at the Troubadour in Hollywood, CA! Hope to see you!!!! Info can be gotten here!!!
CHRISTMAS COLLECTION
In keeping with tradition, I’m giving out my version of a Christmas card – a FREE 9-song Christmas album via NoiseTrade! Visit noisetrade.com/sleepingatlast to download it! PLUS I plan to add this year’s Christmas recording soon… will keep you posted!
Whew… there’s even more to tell you, but this email is getting long, so I’ll be in touch again soon! Thanks so much for reading!! I appreciate you a lot!!
Much Love, Ryan Sleeping At Last
p.s. here’s a list of things i love right now…
1. “Amazing Breaker” (yet another addicting iphone game… i can’t help myself) 2. DVR(with how crazy the last year has been with deadlines and time constraints, DVR has become my best friend. oh tv, how i love thee.) 3. Arthur Christmas (i admit, after seeing the trailer i had little to no interest in seeing this movie. BUT it’s amazing and one of my favorites of the year… go see it!) 4. Rule29 and Wonderkind (2 incredible companies made up of incredible people! they are responsible for the “turning page” live video mentioned above AND the upcoming official music video for “emphasis”… more info to come!)
the “yearbook” CD box sets have arrived! so thrilled with how they turned out!! and i am pleased to announce that we have already begun shipping these beauts…
here’s some pictures of the set…
box front (logo foil stamped in white!)
box (featuring a slide-out tray)
36-page booklet (lyrics, liner notes!)
12 5″x5″ art cards (on thick watercolor-like paper!)
about a month ago, i spent a day in my favorite studio in the universe, electrical audio in chicago. my time there was multi-purposed – i wanted to film the upcoming official music video for my song “emphasis” there, but since the studio has so much incredible live recording gear, i also though it would be fun to do several live song performances as well. several of those tracks will be released in the coming months, in addition to the “emphasis” official video. one of the songs i filmed was a piano and vocal only live version of “turning page” from the breaking dawn soundtrack/movie.
it has been officially posted – hope you enjoy it!
HUGE, huge, huge thanks to following folks for making this video possible!
Mixed by Chris Bethea
Engineered by Greg Norman
Directed by Bob Davidson
Produced by Justin Ahrens and Rule29
Director of Photography: Brian MacDonald
Production by Wonderkind Studios
Edited by Jose Rivera
