Thank God for this Woman, Amen

The title of this post is a line from the latest Home Free cover titled "Woman, Amen/Female" which is a medley of Dierks Bentley's "Woman, Amen" and Keith Urban's "Female".

Both these songs are in their different ways a celebration of women. While Dierks' song is about a more specific woman being the savior in ones life, Keith's song is more about women in general.

I hadn't heard any of these songs beforehand, which often is the case for me with the songs Home Free cover, so I went to YouTube to have a listen. I always do that when Home Free release a cover, and I always find their version better than the original. That certainly doesn't mean the originals are bad in any way, it just means that the way Home Free perform music is more to my taste.

I love the depth in their sound; it's so full, but you can still hear the distinction between the different parts. This song is no different. I love both of the original songs for several reasons; the lyrics are pretty amazing and speak for themselves, really, the melodies fit the lyrics and the respective voices of Dierks and Keith enhance the songs. All those things are important to me.

One thing one has to remember when comparing an original song to a Home Free cover is that Home Free does not use any instruments - all sounds are made with the human voice (and the occasional body percussion, and in 2 songs violins). I am in no way knowledgeable enough to understand the difficulty in transforming an instrumental arrangement into a vocal arrangement, but think about it - how do you replace drums, bass lines, guitars, pianos and other instruments with simply voices AND MAKE IT SOUND EVEN BETTER AND FULLER than the original? It can not be an easy task to do!! To me that deserves a lot of respect and admiration.

Because this is a medley of two songs with different tempos the Home Free arrangement has a faster pace of the "Female" bits of the song as the original is much slower. I like both the original slow pace and the higher tempo of Home Free's cover.

So what do I love about this particular cover? Well, everything, but to be a bit more specific than that I love Tim's bass line - it is absolutely amazing! It always is, but for some reason this one hits home a lot for me. I love Adam's bass drum and steady heavy beats - that man really is a freak of nature. How can those sounds come out of one man's mouth? It's crazy, I tell you! Crazy! Chance is amazing for the lead, as always! His voice is so smooth and so raw at the same time and it fits this song perfectly. Austin is the one singing the "Female" bits of this medley and it's of course a perfect fit with the more uptempo pace matched with his voice and joy of life. And then we have Rob - loving, caring, cuddly, sweet Rob who so clearly sings about the love in his life, his wife. Rob's part is the chorus and when he sings it you feel how content, in love, joyful and safe he feels in his love for her. He believes and means every word he sings. If you watch the video you will see it in his eyes, in his smile, in his body language; if you listen to the song you will feel it in his energy. And I'm in love with it!

All of these guys are radiating with love, always, and that is a huge reason why I love them so much, why their music and they speak to me so profoundly. They love music, they love life, they love their lives, they love their loves, they love what they do and they love their fans. And it shows and it spreads.

This song makes me just a little bit happier than I already am, and I am a very happy person.

This song has come to mean a lot to me, and I'd like to share the reason why; I love personal growth, it is one of my great life passions and I am a huge fan of loving oneself. I believe that it's the key to live a happy life and I believe that living a happy life is the key to a happier world. Here's how and why; if I am happy I automatically allow the people around me to be happy too, but if I am unhappy the people around me have a tendency to hold back their own happiness because they don't want to "rub it in my face". It's how we are taught to act and react - to take care of other people's needs first and foremost, before taking care of our own needs. We are taught to spend our lives making other people happy before making ourselves happy, and when everybody is taking care of everybody else first than no-one is taking care of themselves. Here's the problem with that; people who don't take care of themselves are not happy. It's like with the instructions you get on a flight; take care of your own oxygen first before taking care of your kids' oxygen. Why are we told to do that? Because if we can't breath and get oxygen we are of no use to our kids. If we don't make sure we are happy first, we can't help anyone else be happy.

So what does all this have to do with this song, you might ask? This song is a celebration to women, and a woman that saved a drifter specifically - I am that drifter, but I am also that savior. So when Home Free sings "Thank God for this woman, Amen" I think and feel "Thank God for this woman, I am". Because, I am so grateful and happy for who I am, but I am also so grateful and happy for who I was, and I am so grateful and happy for who I am becoming. So, thank God for this woman I am! being me has saved my life - because being me means caring for myself first and caring for myself first has brought me to a place where I can truly say that my life is magnificent and happy in every single way.

Remember I mentioned earlier in this post that I am a very happy person? This is why. I take care of myself first and foremost. So what about the people around me, how happy are they? Well, because I don't take care of them they get to take care of themselves. They make their own decisions and do what makes them happy in their lives. I see them thrive and I see them being happier than they used to be when I used to take care of them first before me. This means everybody is happier. And because they take care of themselves first the other people in their lives get inspired to take care of themselves first too - and so we are creating a happier world. It all starts with you being responsible for your own happiness, and with you allowing everybody else to be responsible for their own happiness. Who wouldn't support someone they love in the pursue of their happiness? I'm sure this is part of the secret with the love Home Free are spreading; they are following their own happiness leading everyone around them to feel happier as well. I am simply following my take on their lead.

Now, this is my way of thinking and living, and I find that it works perfectly in my life and for the people in it. I follow my happy paths towards my dreams and I'm having a heck of a lot of fun doing so!

So here's to me! And here's to all of you; Enjoy your life, dare being happy!

Who do you think about when you sing or hear this song?

Love//
Carina

Blue Looks Good On the Sky

We have waited for months for something new from Home Free. We haven't seen a new video since December when they released White Christmas. We haven't heard any new music since October when they released How Great Thou Art. But, finally, finally, finally, we could stop waiting earlier this week. 

Personally, I feel it was worth the wait, although I don't really want to wait for that long ever again. 

What they gave us is fresh and exciting and I can't wait to hear and see what else they have in store for us. 

Keith Urban's Blue Ain't Your Color is a bluesy country ballad that reached the top spot on several music charts around the world, including the US Hot Country Song (Billboard) chart where it spent 12 weeks as Nr 1. It is a great song that sticks in your memory, but I still get kind of bored with it halfway through. That's something I never get with Home Free's songs - they have a way of keeping them interesting all the way through.

So how did Home Free do covering this Grammy nominated song? I am not surprised, but as always pleased, to say that they knocked yet another one out of the park. They stayed close to the original, but still managed to give it a fresh and different twist. 

Bass singer Tim Foust and beatboxer Adam Rupp lay the - as always - solid foundation for Tenor Rob Lundquist who takes the lead. With his clear and unbelievably smooth voice Rob adds some soul to the mix of blues and country. Add the impeccable doo-wop harmonies, Austin Brown's high pitch oh-oh and Adam Chance's baritone to the second part of the song and the Motown feel was complete. 

Yes, this is a soulful, bluesy, country song with a touch of old school Motown a la Temptations or Franki Valli and the Four Seasons. And it works. It works incredibly well. Home Free's producer and arranger Darren Rust did it again! 

The Motown feel could have stopped there, but I am so happy that it didn't. The band decided to bring it to the video as well and in it we will see the five Guys standing in a straight line with microphone stands in front of them doing some slick and smooth classical Motown style dance moves choreographed by Kristin Denehy! And I am so happy I could cry. Honestly and for real! I mean, I love the old Motown feeling because it has heart and soul. I love Home Free because they have heart and soul. Bring the two together and I am in heaven - and blue really do looks good on the sky! And on the Guys of Home Free! There are so many things I love about this cover and video I could go on for ages, but I won't. I need to let you check it out for yourselves! 

But before you do - on another Home Free note; they are coming to Europe next month for 2 shows in Austria, 1 in Denmark, 1 in the Netherlands and 1 in Spain - I will be at the last 2 of them. Woohooo!! For more information and tickets check out their website. Oh, and the show in the Netherlands sold out in a matter of minutes! How cool is that!!

Also, they are working on a full European Tour for September of 2018 - to be announced in September later this year. I can not wait!!!! 

I hope you are enjoying your Sunday and I promise you that if you watch this video you will enjoy it even more - or start enjoying if you weren't already. 

Take a Chance and Try Everything For Success

I while back I told you about Home Free's founder and baritone Chris Rupp's decision to leave Home Free to pursue his solo career. His last days with the band he has so successfully lead through good times to great times are getting closer and in a couple of weeks he has done his last performance with them as part of the band. As I also mentioned at that time Home Free took on Adam Chance, former bass singer of Street Corner Symphony, as Chris' "replacement". I use the word replacement lightly because nobody can truly replace Chris and his voice nor should anybody try to, and Chance has said that he's there to bring his own thing to the table.

Unlike a lot of the other Home Fries I was never worried what it would sound like without Chris and with Chance, I was merely eager and excited to hear what the new sound would be like, but there was never a doubt in my mind that I would like it or that it wouldn't be great. I have complete faith in all of the Guys of Home Free, their dedication and love for what they do, and for Chris not leaving until they had found the right person to add to the mix. From the moment I first heard Chance sing, SoS songs, I loved the warmth and fullness of his voice. The first song could not come fast enough for me. As sad as a part of me is that Chris is leaving, as happy and excited am I for his new adventures and I will be following him closely, and I'm also excited to see what the future holds for Home Free.

I haven't seen the film Zootopia yet, Zootroplis in some countries, but I have heard the song "Try Everything" with Shakira from it. I have a love for Shakira and her voice and she is one of few artists I enjoy listening to over and over again, even though I don't follow her and haven't heard or know all of her songs. Also, the song in itself is good and I love the lyrics and it's got a catchy melody to it, I have liked hearing it when it's come on even though I have not gone hunting for it anywhere.

Now, mix all these things together, Home Free, Adam Chance and Try Everything, and what do we get?

We get success!

Yes, we finally got to hear how Home Free sounds with Chance mixed in, and let me tell you, it is perfection! I knew it would be great but this is far and beyond great, in my opinion. Chance brings an edge to the sound that I think I have been missing without really knowing it. I love his deep, full and a bit rough voice, that is still mellow and full of emotions. It has character. And I love that in a voice. Always have and always will. I think this is a great next step for Home Free. Since Chris had to do his own thing for happiness sake I'm glad they took a Chance (yeah, yeah, incredibly lame, but still funny, right?).

The song is, obviously, Try Everything and as per usual they shoot it through the roof like a rocket that has no intention of ever coming back to earth ever again. Yes, that's how fantastic it is. And, we not only get to hear Chance mix with the other Guys, we get to hear him sing solo. And I frekkin' love it!!

Now, this rendition is so much more than just Chance and a great song, though. It has a fantastic beat by Adam Rupp, a beat that makes me want to move my butt every time I hear it. And it has actually taken me jogging twice in last week. It's a heavier beat than we are used to hear, but I like it! Thanks, Adam. Like, really, me jogging. Weird. We also have Tim's bass line that catches my ear every time I hear the song, especially in the second half of the song. I love it! It's groovy! And the way his and Chance's voices blend is smooth and makes me want more of it, like right now! Of course we have more leads and harmonies by both Rob Lundquist and Austin Brown. Both, in my humble opinion, singing their hearts out in the most perfect ways. There's a fullness to both of their voices in this song that I really love and the way Chance's deep and lower baritone voice lifts Austin's and Rob's voices is simply gorgeous. And without loosing any of the harmonies we are so used to hearing.

I first heard this song last Wednesday when it was released to Home Free's Patrons, on Patreon, and I've had it on repeat ever since and I am still not even close to being tired of it. To me it is the sound track to my life right now as I have some really big changes going on and coming on in several different areas of my life. I'll Try Everything. Almost.

If you haven't checked it out yet you really need to do so RIGHT NOW!!! Just GO! I'll be here waiting to hear your opinion of our new baritone-bass Guy!

All that is left to say today is a big, fat, huge and very excited, WELCOME to Adam Chance!

Great debut, Chance! You will do!

Love//
Carina

5 + 5 Reasons to Watch

I was going to do this video as part of my 5 Reasons to Watch series, but I honestly have a problem picking only 5 reasons whenever it comes to these Guys. That would be 5 reasons that are not the 5 Guys, because that is what I want to do. Just list them one after the other. They all bring so much to the table that it seem unfair to only pick one or two of them. And, sure, I could do that, but then I wouldn't be able to list anything else and there are so many other things I want to list about this video.
So, I am just going to start listing and see where I end up. This can be fun!

Here we go!!

??? Reasons to Watch Home Free's cover of Garth Brooks Friends In Low Places:


1. The song - I love it!! I have heard it before, even though I don't think it was ever a very big hit in Sweden. I'm not really sure what it is about it that I love, I just do. Sometimes it is hard to put your finger on it and this is one of those times. Let me know why you love it, if you do!
2. Tim Foust - that voice! Oh man, that voice! This song showcases it better than any other song I have heard him sing. Just listen to how easily he goes from those low notes to those high notes and down to low notes again. Brava, Tim! Brava! I can't get enough of him singing this song.
3. Austin Brown - I am a big fan of Austin, and I have been from the first note I ever heard him sing (Ring of Fire feat Avi Kaplan). And as much as I love hearing him sing solos, I utterly adore hearing him do the type of harmony and high notes he does in this song. It lifts the song, it lifts Tim's voice and it lifts me. The fullness in Austin's voice is at it's best here, in my opinion. I love Tim in this song, but I think I love Austin just as much.
4. Adam Rupp - Great "drumming", Adam, as always! But also, great harmonizing! I am still waiting for the day we get to hear Adam sing a line on his own. Those doo-woops are awesome, but we need more, k!
5. Rob Lundquist - Come on! That whistling! We know he his an absolutely amazing whistler and he proves it yet again in ths song. I don't think I have heard anybody that can whistle that well ever before in my life.
6. Chris Rupp - yet again Chris' flawless harmonies acts like the glue between the rest of the guys, it fills the song out preventing it from sounding empty which is so important to the Home Free sound. That is something they do better than any other a cappella group I have ever heard. It might not be easy to pick up Chris specifically all the time, but he's there - lifting everything and everyone to higher grounds.
7. The scenery - what is not to like about the ocean, the colours, the wild life, the beach. I feel right at home with them there on the beach. I was just down at the beach today, different sea, different beach, but under the same sky.
8. The ice cold water over Tim's head - how much fun is that! I still laugh at his facial expression every time I watch this video. It's priceless.
9. The fun - As always these guys know how to have fun. And it shows in this video as well. This is one of the many reason's why I love them so much. They have so much fun, and they share it and show it. It's contagious. It makes me smile and laugh and feel like I'm there with them.
10. The chicken - if you are a Home Fry you know all about the chicken, and I know I have promised the rest of you the story about the stealth chicken, A question to the non-Fries in here; have you ever seen a chicken of any sort in any other Home Free videos? I'm sure you have because there is at least one in almost all of their videos starting with "All About That Bass". Sometimes it's hidden in plain sight and sometimes it's harder to find. I always have trouble finding it because I get so distracted by watching the Guys.

I think that's it for now. This post grew from 5 to 10 reasons to watch this video. I'm sure I could list more, but I'll save it for another time.

I hope you enjoy the video and the song as much as I do!

Love//
Carina

I'll Be Home For Christmas

The last couple of days have been very exciting days for Home Free and the Home Fries, both happy exciting and disappointing, and just stressful.

A few days ago they announced that they had been invited by Kenny Rogers to sing "Children, Go Where I Send Thee" with him on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on the 14th, as in yesterday. They, and the Fries, where all very happy and excited about it. It happened to be on a rare day off in the middle of their "Home Free For the Holidays"-tour, this year's Christmas tour, so it was perfect.

They set out to fly from Nashville early yesterday morning but ran into flight problems. They actually boarded two different planes, and were de-boarded from both; then they were booked on yet another flight; but mechanical problems and weather conditions were working against them. So they ended up chartering a private jet to get to New York, and just as they had done so the show pulled the plug because they had no chance of making it there in time for rehearsal. They were so bummed, so heart broken, and it was so hard to follow their tweets without having my heart bleeding for them. This was a dream about to come true, that got broken in the last minute. However, they were not defeated and since the jet was already paid for they decided to fly there to support Kenny anyway.

They got to meet Jimmy Fallon and his crew, they met Channing Tatum (hello, handsome) and they got to hang out with Mr Rogers in the green room where they watched the airing of the show, chatted about old country legends and they even sang through the song with him without anybody else being around. A memory to treasure for them, I'm sure.

The Fries on the other hand got busy tweeting and messaging Jimmy Fallon and the Tonight Show to re-book Home Free, to give them a second chance and invite them back and other variations on the same subject. I have a mental picture of Fallon and his crew sitting there, scratching their heads, wondering wth happened to their twitter as it must have exploded all of a sudden, I know I had a few hundred nofications about it. Woooaaa! Never underestimate the power of the Fries! Of course, we don't know if it did any good, but at least they must have noticed both the Guys and their loyal fans. And the Guys felt our support and love which were much needed. They have all expressed their gratitude for the love we all showed them. As is their style. That's one of the reasons we love them so much.

Anyway, one way or another it so happened they announced that were going to be on a different TV-show early this morning instead. It was not their first appearance on Fox & Friends, they've been on there a couple of times before, but this time it was well needed, I think. Certainly for us fans, but obviously mostly for the Guys.

In my honest opinion things worked out in a great way because Jimmy Fallon never even spoke to Kenny Rogers on the show. Kenny just sang his song, and that was it. If Home Free had been on there they would have been the back-up singers to him, and then nothing else. People might have thought they were good, but not thought much more of it. Kenny is the big name. Kenny would have been in focus and would have gotten all the attention, at least to the audience sitting in front of the television sets at home.

On Fox & Friends, they were mentioned and lightly talked about before coming on and when they came on they were talked to both before and after they sang. And, boy oh boy, did they sing!! Rob sang like an angel. It was so beautiful I think the angels up in heaven must have cried. They all sounded absolutely amazing! It was more than perfect.

Maybe not as many people are reached by Fox & Friends as by the Tonight Show, but being in focus instead of being a back-up must be a lot better. I love the support and love they are getting from Kenny Rogers, it is amazing to see everything he is trying to do, and does, for Home Free, but it's out there now. He sings the song with Home Free on video in the background on every show during his "Once Again It's Christmas" tour, they are featured on his album, they have the video with them all singing together and he brought them to the Tonight Show and surely Jimmy Fallon must be curious and have their eyes on them now. But maybe, just maybe, this worked out better for them in the end.

The video-clip of them singing on TV this morning is up on the show's Facebook page, and it already has more than 50,000 views (5,5 hours after it was posted). So maybe, the flight problems were a blessing in disguise. I always believe things happen because there are greater things waiting instead.

So, what song did they sing?

They sang one of my all-time favourite Christmas songs "I'll Be Home For Christmas". It was originally written for soldiers during WWII, and performed by Bing Crosby. Home Free dedicates it to soldiers and their families that have to spend the holidays apart. Their just released video for the song is heartwarming and moving with real footage of returning soldiers surprising their families at Christmas time mixed with the five Guys of Home Free sitting in a Christmas dressed cabin, just singing. It brings tears to my eyes every time I watch it. The combination of Rob's soulful and angelic voice and the footage of happy families re-united hits home even after having seen it 20 times or so.

I have spent Christmas all alone because I couldn't go home to my family because of work, but I can't even imagine what it must be like to be at war, or to have a loved one at war. All I know is that it was one of the hardest and saddest days of my life knowing that they, my family, were all there together and I was all alone. It was a very good lesson to go through, though, because it certainly made me look upon the holiday season with different eyes. Whether you are near or far from the people you love the most, remember to share your love in any way you can.

Of course, today's video is the video already mentioned, if you want to see the live performance from this morning you can find it right here, but first check out the video below.

Love//
Carina

The Pulse And The Beat

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago in this post, Home Free was founded by the brothers Chris and Adam Rupp. Adam is the younger of the two, and he is the pulse and the beat of Home Free. He is the drummer, and the drums.

Adam has a bachelor’s of arts degree from Gustavus Adolphus College in St Peter, Minnesota, with a focus on trumpet. Gustavus Adolphus College is an art school that is ranked among the top 100 liberal art schools in USA today. The school is firmly rooted in Swedish heritage and is actually named after the Swedish King Gustav II Adolf. 

When Home Free was founded, in 2000, Adam was singing with the others, until they discovered vocal percussion. Adam was chosen to learn how to make drum sounds using only his mouth. He spent hours listening to other vocal percussionists, to begin with Jeff Thatcher and Rockapella, analysing every sound and nuance, practising to make them himself. After 2 years he was able to percuss along with Jeff, while listening to the album Rockapella; In Concert. Being a trumpet major helped him a lot with the mechanicals and the muscular use of the art form.

Later he went on to learn from other percussionists and also discovered beatboxing (a more contemporary form of vocal percussion where other sounds than drums are also used).

Today he is very likely one of the best vocal percussionists/beatboxers in the world.

This first video is filmed live at one of Home Free’s most recent concerts, on March 7. This is Adam’s solo. This is craziness, in my opinion. This is brilliance. Enjoy! 

Thank you Heidi Rancour for catching it on film, and for letting me use it! You can check out all the songs from this concert on her YouTube channel!

The second video is an official Home Free video where you can listen to Adam using his skills in a song. Every time you hear a song by Home Free, and you hear a drum sound, stop your thoughts and remember that that sound is made by a man and his mouth. This is one of my favourites. A cover of Kenny Chesney's American Kids.

So, what do you think? Isn't he amazing? Let me know your thoughts in the comments. 

Love//

Carina

Sources: homefreemusic.com

wikipedia, and YouTube

8 Reasons To Watch Home Free's Thinking Out Loud/Let's Get It On Video

I was going to wait a few days with this post, but I am just so excited about this new video and cover mash up that I had to write it now. And when I have written something, I need to share. Why wait?

I first got access to this awesomeness on Friday when it was released to us Patrons, and I fell. Hard. To me, this is perfection! I have not stopped listening to it and watching it except for sleep and work. I have been waiting for days now for it to get released to the public, and finally; here it is!!

I absolutely love this! I just.... love it!! Love, love, love it! Did you get that I love it?

So, what exactly is it that I love about this mash up? Except that it is Home Free.

I broke it down in parts to help you see better;

1. The main song used is one of my favourites at the moment, the sweet, loving tune by Ed Sheeran; "Thinking Out Loud" (I shared another mash up where that song is used in this post here), and Marvin Gaye's sexier and rawer "Let's Get It On". I shouldn't have to say more than that to make you want to hear it. For real!

2. This song is just under 5 minutes long and the video is shot in one take. I think it's very cleverly done with a good mix of letting us see the Guys of Home Free as well as a story of a couple's first date. It's cool!

3. Bass singer Tim Foust is known for his crazy 5 octave range, and he uses it all in this song. Seriously, you need to have good bass in your speakers or headphones to get how low he can go. In this song he will impress not only with his low notes, but also with his high notes. Unreal!!

4. Austin Brown, the lead high tenor, is killing this. It's amazing, it's soul full, it's soft. It feels real. And he's wearing a jacket that only he can pull off, because that's who he is. Unique!

5. The couple in the video is adorable. They are played by husband and wife, Reilly and McKenzie Zamber of The Hound + The Fox that I shared in my latest Music Sunday post. Check them out! It's cuteness overload!

6. FifGen Films, is the production company that pulled off doing this one take video. Reilly and McKenzie are not only acting in this video, and have their own musical career, they are also a part of this team that has shot most of Home Free's videos since last summer. This video is one of the eight Home Free videos they shot in eight days in February. Crazy!

7. The Guys. Well, there's not really much else to say than HOT! I'm sure every girl can find a favourite among the 5 of them. Take your pick!

8. The musical arrangement. It is brilliant. It is sweet. It is hot. It is amazing. It is by Tim Foust. Foustastic!

There you have it! I'm sure I will find more things to say about it as time goes by. But this will do for now. What do you think? Are you ready to watch it yet?

Love//
Carina

The Gift From a Fry

On the bus home from work today I was contemplating what to write here today. I have a few ideas to choose from, but I was in a slightly bad mood as it's freezing cold today, so none of my ideas felt right. It's really, really cold. In my mind played the idea of something called When Hell Freezes Over, because that's what it felt like. The post in mind was a rant about things that annoy me, like being cold, and annoyed. Being annoyed annoys me a lot. Like, A. Lot!

I got off the bus and checked my mailbox. Usually there's nothing fun in it at all. It tends to be filled with flyers, and letters from the bank. But today there was a handwritten brown letter from the States. The name on it said the name of one of my Home Free Home Fry Friends, or Frie(nd)s.. All excited I opened it up and took out a small envelope with my name on it, inside was a card with the words "Thinking of you" on the front. This is what it said on the inside:

It sure put a big smile on my face!! A BIG smile!

I reached into the brown envelope to take out what else was in there. It was a Home Free Bottle Koozie, you know like a warmer/cooler for bottles. This one;

Yaaaay, I got a Home Free merchandise!! Of course, I already have my Home Free Travelers Mug (Best Mug Ever!), but more is always better when it comes to Home Free Merch! Obviously!

And then, then I turned the Koozie around. And I swear my heart stopped for a split second, because THIS is what I saw;

Yup! It's AUTOGRAPHED!! By all the Guys!! For real! (Please insert time for fainting right here!) Told you these Guys make you a total fangirl!

Seems silly to you? Just imagine getting the autographs of your biggest idols.

As I came inside I obviously Thanked my amazing Fry Friend right away, and while messaging back and forth with her I got an email from Patreon with the link to the Home Free Patron exclusive song, for reaching another milestone.

All in all! This day is now called When Hearts Defrosted! This gift means so much since I have no idea when I get to see them in real life. This will certainly help me until then.

Thank you again, Linda! You rock!

Love//
Home Fry Carina, a grateful fangirl

All About That Band

So, I love Home Free. I mean, I really, really love them. What's not to love? They are a bunch of good looking, funny guys with incredible talents, all around. They make me swoon, laugh, smile and sing. And I have made a whole lot of new friends through their music.

Home Free is a country a cappella group who won my heart about 6 months ago when I first stumbled upon the video of their rendition of Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire. The mix of the smooth tenors, the reggae beat, the deep bass and the fantastic arrangement got to me from the first listen. I spent that whole night looking at their videos, and other's videos of them (their Sing-Off performances and fan videos), and the following day, week, month  as well. I'm not kidding. I hardly slept at all that first month. They are completely, and totally addictive. I'm not alone in it, I know this much after speaking to my new found friends. I turned into a fangirl, at the age of 44. Maybe even more than I ever was in my teens.

Home Free is five guys, using only their mouths, making awesome music. The group was founded in 2000 by the brothers Chris and Adam Rupp, and 3 other guys. Over the years the other three guys have left and been replaced by bass singer Tim Foust and tenors Rob Lundquist and Austin Brown. Chris Rupp is the band baritone and Adam Rupp is the vocal percussionist, the beatboxer. The blend of them is out of this world, in my opinion, and so are the individuals. 

I will, over the next few weeks, introduce them each in individual posts, so I'm keeping this post dedicated to the whole band. 

Home Free used to sing at Fairs, Colleges and Cruise Ships, before they won the Sing-Off, season 4 in fall of 2013, on national television in USA. By doing so they were discovered by a broader audience, and they started to find their way into people's hearts all over America (now spreading to the rest of the world). They released their Crazy Life album about a year ago, an album that is still selling very well. After the Sing-Off tour they kept entertaining at Fairs and Colleges, with the difference that the audience now came out to see them, they didn't have to pull the people in anymore. During the fall of 2014 they went on their very first headlining tour, Crazy Life (although they actually didn't perform the title song, go figure), almost immediately followed by their second headlining tour, Full of Cheer; a Christmas tour named after their second album, Full of Cheer (and, yes, they did perform the title song on this tour). They were now singing in sold-out venues and even a sold-out arena in their home town of Mankato, Minnesota.

Even though they are an a cappella band, singing country style songs, people who have never before liked country or a cappella find themselves loving their music. There's just something about them!

Home Free have just finished recording their up-coming album, and a whole bunch of new videos, and are now on tour again. There doesn't seem to be an official name for this tour yet, so it unofficially goes under the popular name of the Spring Tour Tour by the fans (Home Fries). 

Speaking of videos, you can find a whole bunch of them on their YouTube channel as they have been releasing 1-2 new videos per month since the summer. They just released one a couple of days ago, but I am not going to share that one today. Instead I will share my favourite video. It is the amazing cover song/video of Meghan Trainor's All About That Bass. This video just won the 2015 Popcrush Fan Choice Awards for the Best Cover Song Performance, crushing their competition of big names like One Direction, Meghan Trainor, Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran. This hilarious video is directed, filmed, edited and developed by the talented Kristine Slipson, keep an eye out for her name as well.

After, or before, you watch this funny video, check out the original here. You see, it's not only a countrified cover of the song, but also a countrified cover of the video itself. And after you have watched them both, head over to Rachel Cheng's blog post where she compares the two videos side by side. It is really, very clever. And fun! Did I mention these guys have a great sense of humour?

I hope you enjoy it!

Love//

Home Fry Carina, a fangirl

A Cappella Won a Grammy

Well, not a cappella as a genre, but the most successful a cappella group in the world, Pentatonix (PTX in short), They won the GRAMMY for Best Arrangement, Instrumental Or A Cappella together with the fantastic arranger Ben Bram for their arrangement of this! Wow!! Remember, No Instuments are used! 

This talented group won the Sing Off a few years ago, the season before, although it was 2 years in between, my favourite group Home Free won it. This Grammy is important, it means a cappella is getting recognition in the music industry, and it means it's getting accepted. And since I am a fan of a cappella I think that is amazing.

I am not going to get more into it right now, but I'd like to share another Home Free video with you, this time it is an amazing cover of Johnny Cash' Ring of Fire, and joining the Guys of Home Free is bass singer Avi Kaplan from Pentatonix.

Make sure you have got some nice head phones on, because you need to feel, and hear, the bass.

Happy Monday!

Love//
Carina

Writing is Joy! Creating is Fun!

One of my favourite things to do is to write. My dream is to write a book. And to make money writing. When I write I feel uplifted, and I breath easier. Not that I am having any problems breathing otherwise. It's just how it feels. It's how I feel. Writing is Joy! It's Love, and it's Hate! And it's Fun!

I am currently doing an online course in creative writing at The Writer's Bureau, I started it about 6 months ago, and I got stuck on my second assignment. Not the writing part of it, but a part where I am supposed to analyse publications before writing. That part is boring. And not all that easy as I live in a country where English is not an official language. Finding publications of the sort I need to find, in English, is, it seems, impossible. So, I have to find other ways to get what I need. And I will.

I am thinking about becoming a Creator on Patreon, as a Blogger and a Writer. I think I might do a series of flash fictions, for Patrons alone to read. If you have never heard about Patreon it is a wonderful place where creators of different kinds of art can share their work with their fans. The fans can choose to pledge a small, or big, amount of money in support and appreciation for a reward. It is a place of love between artist and fans. You should head over there and have a look for yourself. At the moment I am a Patron of Home Free, that did that awesome song and video I shared in my last post, and also my son Robin, who is an aspiring composer. Check them out, and help them out. Here is a link to one of my favourite songs by my son. He wrote this little piece for me, for my Birthday last year, and I love it.

I'm also writing on a book now. Actually, I started this particular book almost 5 years ago, but lost my inspiration and put it aside. Ever since it has been in the back of my head, puttering. It is written in Swedish, and I prefer writing in English, so I have just let it be. Until a couple of weeks ago when I bought this new laptop and the background when I started it up was a picture that shows exactly how my book begins. I dug out on my trip to Sweden 2 weeks ago, and I read it on a train ride. I sobbed my way through it. So, I will be busy in the future. Writing, Creating. Sobbing. Laughing. Loving my Life!

See you soon!
Love// Carina

Welcome to Carina's Joys of Life!

I have been wanting to create a new blog for a while now. It's been clear in my head what it should be about, and what I should write about and post on this blog, for some time. What has not been clear was the name. Which is quite funny since the whole time I've been thinking about this blog I've been thinking about it as my joys of life. That is what I will be sharing with you here. The Joys in my life. And still, the name didn't come to me. I'm sure I've thought about it, this particular name, and I think someone might even have suggested it to me. But it just didn't speak to me. And then, all of a sudden, there it was. THE NAME. And it feels just right. It's all about the state of mind and timing, I suppose. 

So, finally, here we are. 

I'm sure you are curious about what I will be sharing here. I'm anxious to get started so you ought to be anxious for me to start because it will be fun. 

I will be sharing some of my favourite things in the world. My favourite music, my favourite books, my favourite foods, my favourite moments, my favourite anything. Whatever makes me happy. 

I will write some flash stories for you to read, because I LOVE writing, and flash stories intrigue me. And they're short, very short. 

I will start out by sharing one of my favourite songs, by my all-time favourite band. You will be hearing a lot about them, but I assure you it is worth it. 

If you have not heard them before, let me introduce you to Home Free Vocal Band, also known as simply Home Free. They are a country a cappella group, meaning they don't use any instruments, although it is very hard to believe when you hear them. They do a lot of covers of all sorts of songs, not just country songs, and they put their own twist to them, but they also do original songs. You can tell that they love what they do in everything they do. 

They released a new video, to one of their original songs from their debut album Crazy Life, only a few days ago and it has a message that I love. Watch it, and let me know what you think. 

Until next time, remember to make someone smile everyday! :D