3 on Thursday

After a two day work week, I am currently relaxing in Savannah with the fam for Thanksgiving. Could not be happier.

The last 5+ years in NYC have been great. This city has nearly everything but has been lacking in the country music department. If this weekend is any indication, the musical tide is turning. In three short days I packed in not one but two country music concerts. The first was Eli Young Band who turn out a more rock and roll sound when playing live. They have recently started tearing up the charts and people have begun taking note. Not sure if country is for you? Well, if you’re a Tom Petty fan, this group will be for you – we may make a country believer out of you yet. Concert number two was Zac Brown Band. I can’t tell you how happy this concert made me. First, I was just happy to see some boys from my beloved home state make it to the big time where even New Jersey kids are belting out all the lyrics to their down home tunes. It was tough to swallow such an expensive ticket when I used to see them for $10 in Athens, but they deserve it. Second, they put on a great show. They are all incredibly talented, especially the fiddle player. And finally, in addition to hearing all their great songs, I went nuts over the covers. Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely” led into John Mayer’s “Neon” (a fellow Georgian whose first album was huge for me in high school…though I felt seriously old when none of the other people at the concert knew the song), “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” was one of the best things our group could hear, and hearing “America the Beautiful” followed by Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” just before “Chicken Fried” was a fabulous way to end the show. As much as I love it up here, homesickness is inevitable. Getting to see concerts like this is the best antidote.

Elizabeth Banks is a great actress. I think the world has figured that out by now. Did you also know she’s an Ivy League grad – magna cum laude, no less?! Combine beauty, brains, and a sense of humor and the woman is bound to be unstoppable. She’s built a cute lifestyle website filled with recipes and social commentary. It’s a great place for a little mental health break.