Mondays

Monday Morning Music: The Next Storm

/ Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

I’ve always enjoyed the rain. While others get depressed by storm clouds in the sky I tend to find them soothing.

In fact, I think it’s kind of funny when people freak out about a little precipitation. I know some people who won’t leave the house or drive their car if they see a rain drop.

And to be fair these people are probably more sane and just living more safely than I am, so I can’t really fault them.

It’s just that I don’t think hiding from bad weather is any way to live your life. So if you’re staring into storm clouds this week, maybe you could use a little Monday Morning Music to motivate you to step outside: 

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Monday Morning Music: All Your Favorite Bands

/ Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

It’s Monday.

Your mind is consumed with all things you have to do for all the things you have due.

After a weekend full of forgetting all your cares, the alarm on your phone reawakens all your troubles.

If only there was a simple solution. If only there was a way to stop worrying about all your problems. If only there was a way to take your mind off of yourself.

Maybe you could use a little Monday Morning Music.

dawes-albumOver the past few years Dawes has been churning out raw and honest music that hearkens back to the glory days of Jackson Browne and other west coast songwriters. While many of their songs tell long and intricate stories, the title track to their latest album tells a simple one. Continue reading →

Monday Morning Music: Joel The Lump Of Coal

/ Alex Doriot / 1 Comment

Mondays can feel like a big lump of coal in your stocking.

You spend the weekend full of the holiday spirit – picking out a tree, wrapping presents, enjoying a glass of egg nog and the yearly viewing of Emmet Otter.

Then that alarm hits Monday morning, waking you up from that wonderful Christmas dream and bringing you back into the reality of the workweek.

Ugh. For all the joy and merriment of the Christmas season, we still have lumps of coal to deal with in our lives.

Maybe you could use some Monday Morning Music to get you back in the spirit.

What if there was something more to these lumps in our stockings? What if the things we think are meant to upset  us have a deeper meaning buried inside? Continue reading →

Monday Morning Music: Kansas City

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(Click Here if you can’t see the video above)

One of the most buzzed about musical projects of the year is The New Basement Tapes. It’s a collaboration between Marcus Mumford (of Mumford and Sons), Rhiannon Giddens (of The Carolina Chocolate Drops), Jim James (of My Morning Jacket), Taylor Goldsmith (of Dawes) and Elvis Costello (of Elvis Costello).

That all-star lineup in and of itself is awesome enough. But that’s not even the coolest part.

What makes The New Basement Tapes special is these artist have come together to record a set of newly discovered lyrics written by none other than Bob Dylan. Continue reading →

Monday Morning Music: Rise Again

/ Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

Mondays can be a like punch in the face.

You spend all weekend having fun, sleeping in, enjoying your family.

Then the alarm hits. 4:30 AM. You struggle to get yourself up. Barely make it through your bagel and coffee before you walk in the door.

You open the door to the office and BOOM. Monday comes at you swinging and knocks you to the floor.

When Monday knocks you down you don’t always want to get back up. Sometimes it feels like you can’t get back up.

You need an anthem. You need to know you can Rise Again. You need some Monday Morning Music.

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Monday Morning Music: Tennessee

/ Alex Doriot / 2 Comments

It’s hard to think about rest on a Monday.

Let me rephrase that:

It’s hard put rest into practice on a Monday.

Resting sounds good in theory. When God commands us to take a sabbath, we love the idea of it.

But the work comes calling.

I am terribly guilty of not putting sabbath principles into practice.

Instead of taking a full day to rest, I spend the weekend working and worrying about all manner of little things that need to get done. I think if I rest I won’t have the time to get everything done.

You may do the same thing.

Even worse, you may not have even had a day off this weekend. You may have worked double shifts. Or you may have been up all night taking care of a couple of screaming babies.

If you missed your chance at rest this weekend, maybe you could use some Monday Morning Music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkK5eHkY46o Continue reading →

Monday Morning Music: How Could We Not Believe

/ Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

What do you believe in on a Monday?

Do you believe in a dreary, hopeless work week?

Or do you believe in the first day of a new set of possibilities and opportunities?

If you’re having trouble believing this Monday could be any different than the rest, maybe you could use some Monday Morning Music.
20140318-benharper-x1800-1395176898

(Click Here to listen to How Could We Not Believe from Ben and Ellen Harper)

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Monday Morning Music: Walt Grace’s Submarine Test, January 1967

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(Click Here if you can’t see the video above)

If you’re anything like me, you look at Mondays the same way as Walt Grace – you’re done with them.

Walt Grace is the title character from John Mayer’s song “Walt Grace’s Submarine Test, January 1967” from his Born and Raised album. It’s kind of a goofy title. And it’s kind of a silly song.

But I just love it. “Walt Grace’s Submarine Test” is the perfect type of Monday Morning Music. Continue reading →

Monday Morning Music: The Broken Beautiful

/ Alex Doriot / 2 Comments

It’s hard to feel beautiful on a Monday.

You wake up late, still hungover from a weekend of fun, forced to go back into the work and grind. You don’t have time to pick out a great outfit or fix your hair the way you like it. You still feel guilty over the mistakes you’ve made – the same ones you made last weekend.

You may not see something beautiful staring back at you in the mirror. You may not see a beautiful day ahead outside your window. You may not be able to see through the fog of shame you carry with you.

Maybe you could use a little Monday Morning Music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jxZRDB_DU8 Continue reading →