Song of the Month April 2016

It's the end of April already-how did that happen?! I'm telling you, this year is going in so quickly! Well we all know what happens at the end of each month here on 'The Hat Hippie'. Yep, that's right I pick a song of the month to share with you all. Sometimes it's a more recent song and sometimes it's a wee blast from the past but what they all have in common is that it's a song that I love and hope that you guys love just as much.

As you all already know one of my favourite musicians Prince sadly passed away just over a week ago and needless to say I am absolutely gutted. So I've decided to pick one of his incredible songs as April's Song of the Month. Although, picking just one song was pretty difficult-maybe I'll do a Top 10 Prince songs at some point in future.
Anyway, I can now reveal that the Song of the Month is......

'Let's Go Crazy' by Prince

I've specifically chosen a live version of this song performed by Prince and his band 3rd Eye Girl in Manchester back in early 2014 because this was just a short period of time before I saw Prince live. The original is amazing but I recently found this video again and thought it would be the perfect song choice this month. 

Watching it brought back great memories of the Glasgow gig I attended back in 2014 where Prince and his band opened the show with this particular arrangement. It has a more rockier vibe compared to the original studio recording and sounded amazing live. This was actually the first Prince song I learned to play along to on bass just weeks before the show. I remember sitting there in the audience that night playing the bassline in my head as I watched. I came across the footage on YouTube the other day as I hadn't seen it for quite a while; I had shivers watching it and couldn't help but smile!

I totally recommend checking out this version as well as the original. Both are amazing! Enjoy everyone!

Until next month,

Love & Peace,

The Hat Hippie xx

The Hat Hippie Presents 'Faux-Chella'

It's that time of year when thousands flock to Coachella to enjoy music and make memories with friends. In spirit of festival season TickPick got in contact with me and asked if I'd like to create my own dream Faux-Chella line-up to get you all in the mood. TickPick is a no-fee marketplace where you can bag tickets to some of the hottest concerts and live events in town at great prices! To visit their website and see what tickets you can find click here. Now, I'm not going to lie but trying to decide on just ten bands/artists to complete my Faux-Chella line-up was surprisingly difficult. There are so many great artists out there to choose from so the festival could easily go on for days if you let me away with it. Eventually, I did in fact come to a conclusion and this is what I decided:

I've chosen Fleetwood Mac, Paul McCartney and Queen and Adam Lambert as my headliners. In recent years I've been lucky enough to see all three acts live and have raved about them for weeks following each gig, in fact I'm still going on about them to be honest! All three bands are incredible live, each have a catalogue filled with an endless amount of hits and certainly know how to get the crowd going! They're all unique in their own special way and their music brings people together hence why they're a must for my headlining acts at Faux-Chella!

As you all know I love older music (although I don't see it as old; music is music and should never be judged by age, all that really matters is that it sounds good!) but I thought I'd throw in a more recent band who's music I've been loving lately and that is Coldplay! They're new album 'Adventure of a Lifetime is brilliant-there's so many great songs in there! I've never seen them live but I think they're the type of band that would be a great addition to a festival line-up and I'm sure many of you would agree!
This is followed by Wet Wet Wet who I recently saw in concert and thought they were brilliant! They're gig was so much fun; the atmosphere was great, the band were amazing and the music had everyone up on their feet singing and dancing along! What more could you possibly ask for?! So I think they would make a great addition to the line-up!
The Jacksons come next; they're without a doubt another great band with a music catalogue filled to the brim with hit songs. A completely different style from the other bands I've chosen but I thought it would be great to change things up a little and bring a little bit of the RnB/Disco vibe to Faux-Chella. 
Up next we have The Waterboys who'd bring something completely different to the line-up yet again. In recent years I've started listening to the music and would really love to catch them in concert next time they visit Glasgow. Beside their many great songs including 'The Whole of the Moon' I'm also a big fan of their cover of Prince's 'Purple Rain' so would have to throw in a little request to add that to their Faux-Chella set. But seriously, if you haven't heard it, go look it up on YouTube. The first time I heard their version of 'Purple Rain'  on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show I was absolutely blown away! 
Next, there's Paolo Nutini who I heard perform a little bit of his set at the Isle of Wight Festival last year via radio coverage and was extremely impressed. He sounded amazing! So I thought I'd give those of you (including me!) who missed out on his festival performance last year the chance to catch him at Faux-Chella!
And last but certainly not least is Orianthi, the woman who inspired me to start learning to play guitar when I was just ten years old. Ori has performed with some of the biggest names in the music industry including Michael Jackson, Prince and Alice Cooper to name a few as well as taking centre stage and recording her own solo albums which I'm also a huge fan of! It would be an absolute honour to have her come and perform a set at 'Faux-Chella'! If you love rock, blues and guitar solos; you're bound to love Ori!
So that's it folks; that's my Faux-Chella line-up! If only I really could have my own music festival-it would be so much fun! Although, as organiser I'd probably get distracted from all of my duties and end up in the crowd watching the bands perform-who could blame me? Honestly, could you imagine having all of these amazing acts performing at the one festival?! I'd be there in a flash! There could be so much going on besides the music to get involved in as well. I'm seriously getting ahead of myself here; I've got it all arranged in my head! I just need the funding to make it happen! 
Anyway, I had so much fun creating this post! Before I go I want to say a huge thanks to TickPick for getting in contact with me and asking if I'd like to write this post! I really love getting involved in such exciting projects!

A 17 Year Old Fan's Tribute to Prince

 

I'd been sitting in the garden working away on my laptop and stopped for two minutes to grab a quick snack when my younger sister came rushing the down the stairs with her phone in hand. 'I'm really sorry about Prince, Robyn' she said to me. There was a blank look upon my face as I tried to comprehend exactly what she'd told me. 'Prince passed away' she said. For a moment I thought she was joking but realised by her serious look that she wasn't joking. I immediately popped on my iPod and was met by articles plastered all over social media; I'd only been offline for a few minutes and they'd all suddenly appeared. Needless to say I was and still absolutely devastated! I am a huge Prince and this was the last thing I expected to hear today!

I actually spent the morning before heading to a medical appointment in HMV going through albums and stopping to have a conversation with my Mum about Prince as I looked through his albums and wondered when he'd released the Hit n' Run Part 2 album here in the UK. Later on, after my radio show this afternoon we stopped at Sainsbury's to do the weekly shopping and popped into the café for a refreshment as I was extremely thirsty from talking so much. As we were sitting chatting, Sinead O'Conner's cover of 'Nothing Compares 2 U' which was originally written by Prince began to play.And then this sad news broke out-strange or what?

I decided to write a tribute here on my blog as I'm sure many of you have probably gather by now, I am a very big fan of his. To some degree I've always been familiar with Prince's music but didn't truly appreciate it until I met my music tutor a few years ago who introduced me to the world of Prince. Thanks to him I was jamming along to Prince's music just weeks after I first picked up a bass guitar. 

Back in 2014 Prince announced a UK tour and one of the dates just so happened to be in Glasgow. I was beyond hyper as I often told my parents that Prince was on my concert bucket list. You know what it's like nowadays; ticket prices are ridiculous and I just couldn't afford the prices. I was just fifteen years old after all and well, pocket money doesn't exactly stretch that far particularly when the concert was just three weeks away! Somehow, I came across Prince's manager's email address and decided to contact her, a couple of days later I was sitting in my room, crimping my hair and decided to check my emails out of boredom when my eyes fell upon a reply to my email from Prince's manager.  She said she would like to invite me to Prince's show as a guest. Can yo  imagine my excitement? I was shaking as I read it; didn't expect to actually receive a response! I immediately burst into my Mum's room to share the exciting news-I was actually going to see Prince in concert!

On the lead up to the gig, I listened non-stop to his music and watched some of the very few videos on YouTube. Then the day of the gig came and funnily enough, Chris Evans was even playing Raspberry Beret on the radio that morning! I dressed in purple and wore a long, cream coloured jacket covered in fringes. I have to admit it was quite fun arriving at the box office to pick up my tickets and actually having MY name on Prince's guest list! As we were waiting on the show to begin I was pretty sure I spotted the pop singer Lorde in the crowd as she happened to be in Glasgow that weekend.

I remember the lights dimmed and the music began and they had a big curtain up on stage which dropped down to reveal the band as they began playing 'Let's Go Crazy', a song I'd been learning on bass. Throughout the show he performed back to back hits. What really caught my attention and blew me away was hearing 'Purple Rain' live, right there in front of me. It was a magical moment which blew me away. Hearing him perform that inspired me tremendously and from there on in I think it'll always have that have that breath-taking affect on me. I wanted to play instruments like Prince; I wanted to be good enough to one day work with Prince. Sadly, that'll never happen but I'll continue to play, learn and be the best I can be! I remember at the end of the show, Prince left the stage and returned moments later with a big bundled of balloons in his hand and let them go into the audience and that was the last moment I ever saw Prince.

When I left the Hydro that night, I never imagined that, that would be the first and last time I'd ever see Prince. I've always said that one day I'd see him again but sadly I won't. I am however, glad I got the opportunity to see him during his final show in Glasgow. It's times like this that makes me realise that I should ALWAYS take every opportunity that comes my way in life. You never know what tomorrow might bring and you might one day regret the things you missed out on.

Tomorrow, I plan on wearing purple in tribute to Prince and would love to see as many people get involved so whether it's painting your nails purple, sporting a purple scarf or wearing purple from head to toe; why not get involved! Send me your photos of your purple outfits and perhaps a few lines about why Prince inspired you or your favourite Prince song and if I get enough I'll feature some here on my blog! To send them in email using the following email address: thequeenofhats14@gmail.com.          

Before I go I want to say Thank-You to Prince for all of the amazing music he gave the world, for giving me some great tunes to listen through some difficult times over the past few years and for inspiring me to fight for what I believe in and being a massive influence to me as a young musician. I'm sure his music and legacy will continue to live on for generations to come! 

 

 Rest in Peace Prince,

I love you! xxx

My Favourite Childhood Book

I recently heard about a campaign in support of an amazing organisation called 'The Library Project' who supply orphanages and schools in China and Vietnam with books, libraries and reading corners, through Camilia from Twenty Three Pages who was asked by 'The Library Project'  if she'd like to write about her favourite childhood book. A whole host of bloggers have decided to get involved and write about their favourite childhood books so today I thought I'd dig into my younger years and share my favourite book with the world. Personally, I believe that every child should be entitled to the luxury of being able to pick up a book and explore a whole other world hence why I've decided to show my support and take part in this today. If you want to find out more about 'The Library Project' please click here.

Now to some degree this was a tricky decision as I've loved indulging myself in a good book ever since I was a little girl, so picking just one isn't exactly easy. However, there is one book that sticks out in my mind from my childhood and has always played a big part in my life. And that is of course 'Peter Pan & Wendy' by J.M. Barrie. I cannot remember exactly when I first discovered the magical story of the boy who never grew up but it's faithfully been there throughout my life. Even now in my late teens, it still holds a very special place in my heart.

I'm sure most of you are familiar with this classic novel so I won't go into too much details about the story itself but if you haven't read it, I'd completely urge you to go out there, find a copy and read it! I'm pretty sure you'll fall absolutely in love with it just like I have.
Being a patient at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London for the first thirteen years of my life, I was submerged in the world of Peter Pan; everywhere I turned was some sort of reference to the story. There was murals, statues both inside and outside the building, photos from the 2003 film and even a Peter Pan ward. For a hospital it was pretty magical I must admit. What some of you may not know was that J.M. Barrie actually donated the rights of the story to GOSH. This meant that all of the royalties would go to the hospital and in turn help the hundreds of children that went through its doors each and every day.

The story of Peter Pan; the boy who never grew up is truly magical and captures the hearts of people of all ages. In my world it was light during the dark days in hospital and always put a smile on my face and for that I am truly grateful. I think we can all relate to the character of Peter Pan who was adamant that he would remain a child forever and never grow up. Don't we all wish that sometimes?

As a young child I think the whole idea of a boy who could fly and lived in a magical world called 'Neverland' enticed me. I'm sure there was a couple of occasions that I peered out the window whilst in GOSH, which just so happened to be situated in Bloomsbury where the Darling family lived in the story, hoping that I'd spot Peter Pan flying in the dark night sky.

And it wasn't just Peter Pan that captured our imaginations; the book was filled with many wonderful characters that made it all the more special. There was characters like Tinker Bell, his trusty fairy companion (what little girl doesn't love fairies!?) that gave him the power to fly, the Darling family who accompanied Peter to his magical world in hope of adventure, the mermaids, Princess Tiger Lilly and the pirates of course! I must admit even though the pirates are looked upon as villains, there's something pretty cool and intriguing about them at the same time. What's better than a book filled with so many unique and marvellous characters that jump off the pages and bring the story to life!? That to me is a sign of a good book!

J.M. Barrie's most famous and beloved novel certainly had a major impact on my younger self and like I said earlier in this post; it still holds a very special place in my heart. It makes my eyes twinkle and I feel warm and fuzzy inside as I read it. It'll always remain a firm favourite of mine and I'm sure will continue to be loved by many for years to come. And in those few words; that is why 'Peter Pan and Wendy' is my favourite childhood book!
 

Now, I know it was a fairly short post today folks but I want to get all of you involved so make sure to leave a comment below and tell me what your favourite book was a child!

Update April 2016

Hey Out There!

So it's been a while since I last properly posted on here which I'm a little frustrated about I must admit. It's been a busy few weeks for me and I've not had a chance to keep up with things like my blog and YouTube channel hence why it's been so quiet on here. I really miss being unable to write on my blog so I thought I'd make some time to write a quick update post and let you all know I'm still alive and haven't been kidnapped by fairies or something crazy like that!

So first and foremost, one of the reasons I haven't posted was that I caught the flu virus and have spent a lot of time in bed or cuddled up on the sofa feeling absolutely miserable. I've had no notion to do anything apart from laze around and quite literally do nothing which is so unlike me!Usually, I can't stand sitting down, lying in bed and doing nothing as it reminds me of being in hospital but in this instance I had to in order to get better.

It was by far the worst I have felt in a very long time, I could barely lift my head off of the pillow and was very sick which as you can imagine was not fun at all! I spent most of the days watching TV, catching up on daily episodes of The Ellen Show (I'm so glad we finally have Ellen in the UK-she is absolutely hilarious and never fails to put a smile on my face!) and working my way through all of the Disney films on Netflix (I'm such a big kid!). I wouldn't say that I feel completely better but I'm getting there and that's the main thing.

I've also been absolutely run off my feet working on a few side projects which I'm not going to tell you too much about as of yet-sorry, my lips are sealed folks! What I can tell you is that I am very excited about everything I'm currently working on and I hope you guys will be equally as excited when I tell you more.

As you know I've been studying Art and Music this year as part of my home tutoring which I really love and enjoy. My art tutor has been working with me on an art portfolio and a range of work, I've definitely improved ALOT and learned a variety of new skills since we started working together in August last year. Turns out that the work I've produced in this time frame is nearly enough to achieve a National 4 in Art and Design which I am absolutely delighted about! I've been working very hard during the past little while to complete all of the required work in hope that it'll be ready in time for it to be submitted. And hopefully I'll achieve the Nat 4 qualification which for me would be a major achievement! But I'll keep you all posted with how everything goes-wish me luck!

Anyway, I better go and check whether my latest YouTube video has finally finished uploading or not-it takes forever! Hopefully, it won't be too long until I return with another post but until then why not check out some of my older blog posts if you haven't already!

 

Love & Peace,

The Hat Hippie xxx