And…another trip around the sun.  Birthday week has come and gone again.  Here are the songs that accompanied my week of cake and celebration.

1.  When I’m Drunk – David Philips

I stumbled across David on SoundCloud a few months back and then randomly happened to win a copy of his album, Heal Yourself Alone, for liking his page on Facebook.  This UK neo-folk songwriter resides in Spain and has played guitar with some AMAZING artists (Sting, Gil-Scott Heron, and one that will catch Stacy Gilroy’s attention, Richie Sambora!), and it’s easy to hear why when you listen to songs like “Love Is Gonna Ruin A Good Thing” and the very Marc-Broussard-ish “Right Back.”  He recently released a new album, The Rooftop Recordings, totally self-recorded and produced, and I’m SO loving this track (which, by the way, is played on ukelele).  And…huge bonus, he’s amazingly interactive on his social media sites, which I absolutely love. Go check out more of David’s stuff:  Heal Yourself Alone | The Rooftop Recordings | SoundCloud | Facebook

2. Three Tree Town – Ben Howard

So, I’m a clicker, we all know that. When UK songwriter Josh Bray (see this Sunday Funday Playlist) tweeted about a blog last week, I went and checked it out.  Music for Those Who Listen is my kind of site…and it just so happens that the first post I read was entitled, “Male Singer Songwriters Are Back.”  Hellooooo up my alley!  I went and hunted out information on the artists listed there, and fell immediately, madly in love with Ben Howard, who the blog described as having built up a fan base among the UK surfing community…um, the UK has a surfing community?  Anyway, totally diggin’ Ben’s sound and stuff.  Problem is, not easy to buy here in the U.S.  His Facebook team finally clued me in to where I could by his Old Pine EP.  This is my favorite track for the moment.  More Ben Howard: Website | The Old Pine EP | Facebook

3. Monster in the Closet – The Ascot Royals

BalconyTV, my go to these days for new music, aired and episode with this funky band from Canada a few months back, and I’ve been waiting and waiting for the song they played to be available.  Alas, no new album.  yet, so I’ve been listening to their 2009 EP.  It’s a little schizophrenic, but I can’t get over the vocals.  There’s something about siblings that sing together that is just perfection, and there’s definitely magic happening with these kids.  This is one of the slower numbers on their EP, but if you want a rocker, go check out “Zap Zap.”  Will be interesting to watch these kids as they grow – they have the potential to be as big as lead singer Ben Chauveau’s hair.  More Ascot Royals:  Website | Facebook | SoundCloud | Secret SoundCloud (with some new songs!)

4. The Race – Tim Brantley

Those of you that know me know that this man is no stranger to anything Krissie music related.  Tim Brantley is one of my favorite songwriters of the past few years, introduced to me back in December ’08 by my friend Gail, who knows my tastes almost as well as I do.  One listen and you can understand – Tim has an epic storytelling ability like no one else.  Gail flew into town this weekend from Texas to go see Tim in Chapel Hill last night, and his performance is every bit as magical as it was the first time I saw him – if not more so now.  So, in honor of the brilliance that is Tim Brantley, I thought I’d put up the very first song of his that made me a fan.  And, it’s a true story.  More Tim Brantley:  Goldtop Heights | Facebook

5.  You, Me & The Boatman – Quiet Company

It’s no secret that I love everything about Austin, Texas … especially its musical core.  One of my favorite bands from Austin is the always energetic, quirky, witty and hilarious Quiet Company.  In addition to having one of the most amusing Twitter feeds ever, these guys know how to rock out. Their new album, We Are All Where We Belong, comes out on September 30, but the band is giving out a little preview with a free download of this new ditty…an absolutely unique and wonderful love song that just makes me want to Phoebe dance around the room.  “May our legends live to tell, how I burned down heaven and conquered hell…” Freaking awesome!   Totally makes me excited for the new record.  More Quiet Company:  Website | SoundCloud (hint – more freebies!) | Facebook

I’ve had a tough week this week, and not a ton of time to hunt down new tunes.  So…there’s a little bit of old and a little bit of new here.  Hope it brings a kick to your week…

1.  Drive All Night – Needtobreathe

If Golden State’s Division hadn’t FINALLY come out on Thursday, this would have been my most played track of the week.  I was lucky enough to start seeing this band when they were on their way up, thanks to Annie and Brad who became fans early on and took me to my first Needtobreathe show five or six years ago. Been a fan since that first show at Amos’, and am super happy to see the guys getting the attention they deserve.  They’ve recently been on tour opening for Taylor Swift and I know that little girls’ will soon start getting tattoos of their lyrics.  Anyway, new album out in September, but this is the single they released this week….It’s got banjo.  How can you not love it?

2.  Grass Grows Green – Sequoyah (Prep School)

I’ve written before about Sequoyah (formerly/also known as Sequoyah Prep School).  These kids are the real freakin’ deal.  They played in town last night, and I was once again reminded of exactly why I fell in love with them – I have never seen a tighter group of musicians on stage.  Justin, West, Johnnie, Jordan and Harrison have an average age of about 23, but they’re writing and musicianship is that of a band that’s been playing together for twenty years.  As you’re listening to this one, listen to the lyrics and how adult and honest they are.  The imagery is downright sick, too. It’s hotter than Hades here in NC right now, and the line about paint peeling off the walls because of the heat is … well, on target.

3.  Slipping Away – The Aeroplanes

I love gravelly, raw male vocals.  C’mon – Springsteen, Kelly Jones from the ‘Phonics, Matthew Ryan…the list goes on, and on and on. I heard this song on “Royal Pains” on Wednesday and it immediately got my attention.  So, I googled the lyrics and … voila!  Apparently, this Brit band has been around for some time – since ’03. Their album, Broken Hearts & Maladies, was released in 2008. I have listened to all the track samples and it’s now in my queue to pick up…but I had to download this song.  Such a fun, summery little number.

4.  Stands to Reason – Dandelion Wine

See above, re: scratchy male vocals. A few years ago, I stumbled upon a band from NYC called Dandelion Wine and immediately fell in love with lead singer Danny Musengo’s voice.  He recently started a blog with the same name as Dandelion Wine’s first album, Fairy Tales for the Fatherless, and I am enraptured by his stream of consciousness writing style.  Last week, he posted this video of the band playing at a backyard picnic, a song “about his mother.  and everything.”  It’s absolutely stunning, and I’ve played the video about a dozen times this week.  I cannot wait for them to put out a new album.

5.  Let Somebody In – Son of a Bad Man

I spent the majority of this week pouting that I couldn’t go see Son of a Bad Man play a big gig in Orlando on Friday. SOABM has become one of my favorite bands over the past eighteen months, as much for the music as for the people in the band.  The lead singer, Shawn, celebrated his 23rd birthday yesterday, so I can’t think of a better way to say Happy Birthday than to put my favorite track from their EP on my Sunday Funday playlist.

More than any other question I get from friends, family and casual acquaintances who know my total obsession with music is “What are you listening to these days?”  I can never come up with answers fast enough, and I always leave things out because my playlists literally change all the time.  So, I decided that I’d take a cue from some other bloggers – Shelia and RadioPotato being my two biggest inspirations – and post a weekly playlist of my “Top Five” most spun songs for the week.  I’ve been hesitant to do something like this until now because I hate the thought of spoiling the song surprises on the quarterly Krissie Mixes, but … this will allow me to promote a lot of other music that doesn’t make the Mix cut.

And so, without further adieu, I give you the first Sunday Funday Playlist!

1.  Obey Your Guns – Matrimony
This Charlotte band is getting all sorts of talked up, for good reason – the music is just plain sick.  Husband and wife Jimmy Brown and Ashlee Hardee Brown have the most incredible harmonies, and they’re backed up by a band that has serious chops.  They’re new single, “Obey Your Guns,” makes me want to dance and is incredibly beautiful at the same time. It is available for free right now on their Bandcamp page.

Recommended for fans of:  The Avett Brothers, The Civil Wars

2.  Living Free – Josh Bray
Oh, BalconyTV, I love you so…but you’re going to make me broke.  Saw this gorgeous little folk-soul singer on BalconyTV’s London channel and was instantly in love.  I think my best description would be the U.K. version of Amos’ Lee, although his voice reminds me a lot of Kristian Bush.  This is my favorite track from his album, Whisky & Wool, which has been on non-stop repeat for the past two days in Krissie land.

Recommended for fans of:  Amos Lee, Billy Pilgrim

3. Brand New Day – Trevor Hall
I first saw Trevor on The Rock Boat back in 2009 (I think?  They’re all beginning to blend together!) and was instantly mesmerized by this soft-spoken white guy pulling off reggae-ish sounds…well.  And his percussionist, Chris Steele, absolutely blew me away.  His songs, like Michael Franti’s but in a much calmer fashion, all have messages of peace, love and harmony, and there’s something universally appealing about that to me.  Trevor, who is currently touring with Matisyahu, put out this song this week as a single and I’m loving it, and its message.

Recommended for fans of:  Matisyahu, Bob Marley

4.  Always Spring – I’m From Barcelona
Holy happy clapping song, Batman!  I pick up music from just about anywhere…and I know what I like.  So when this song was playing in the background of a “Royal Pains” episode, I managed to grab enough of the lyrics to Google it and find out what it was.  This Swedish band is quite large…and by quite large I mean they have 29 members!

Recommended for fans of: Architecture in Helsinki, Walk the Moon

5.  Decade of Deceit – The Influence
Anyone who knows me knows what a HUGE space this five-piece band from Virginia Beach occupies in my heart.  They’re probably the hardest, darkest band that I listen to…and I absolutely LOVE them.  This track was one of a handful they recently recorded at Manifold Studios in Pittsboro, NC.  This is a bad ass rock song, filled with ridiculous guitar parts that will leave ANY rocker wanting more.  I especially ADORE the rhythms in this ditty  – Tully on bass and Collin on drums are KILLING it.  And of course, as is par for the course, the vocals are insane: gorgeous five-part harmonies, despairing and angry all at the same time ; I think they are the most harmonious hard rock band I know.

Recommended for fans of:  Muse, Peter Gabriel, Radiohead