Music – Page 3 – Hypnotic Bolt

How We Style Our Band Tees

Howdy brothers! This post is all about how we style some of our band merch. We hope this gives you some inspiration on how to style your favorite band t-shirts. We really enjoyed doing this little shoot, and we hope you love it.

The Districts

We saw these guys when they opened for Hippo Campus (10/15 and 10/30). Check them out and our blog post about them!

For these outfits, we decided to tuck the shirts into our favorite pair of jeans with a belt. (With short sleeved shirts, we’re known for rolling up the sleeves to give it a more edgy look.) You can find these dope shirts on their website https://www.districtlines.com/The-Districts

Post Animal

Our blog post from a couple of weeks ago featured these goofy guys. Check them out, they have cool shirts…and music of course!

For these cool shirts, we tucked them into black and blue jeans. We added some chokers and a little head band for some extra spunk. Like the shirts you see? Cop those bad boys here: https://shop.postanimal.us/products (hurry before the sell out again).

Vista Kicks

Last but not least, we have our merch from Vista Kicks! Their brand is all about booty shaking and we took this as an opportunity to do just that!

Since we got to do a little selling for these groovy guys, we had a couple of extra shirts to show off. We styled our many shirts with jeans, ’70s style coats, and cardigans. They have a variety of clothing that is perfect to dance to their music in over on their website: www.hellomerch.com/collections/vista-kicks

Lens Cap

We had a lot of fun taking these pictures. Shoutout to our third brother, Cailee (@cailee.r) for being our camera man, and capturing our vision for this shoot. Catch ya later, stay groovy

All the love, Britt and Jen

Vista Kicks Kicksback

Rain or Shine

Saturday December, 8– We found ourselves contemplating a dangerous drive to Atlanta or staying at home in our cozy pajamas. Everyone told us that it wasn’t a good idea. We had been looking forward to this day for weeks, and we were determined to make the two hour drive to see Vista Kicks.
So, we packed in case of an emergency, and hit the road. We had our playlist of all their songs queued up and blasting. The rain was heavy, but bearable. Our drive was spent snacking, talking, singing, and laughing. We weren’t prepared for what was to come later on.

Receipt Set list

We arrived at the venue, 45 minutes before the doors opened. When they did, we went in and got our spot in the front. The show began at 9pm, and they had two talented openers; Everyday Dogs and Paul McDonald. They both played amazing sets, and made sure to interact with the big crowd.

Having a Good Time

Vista Kicks literally busted through the crowd (Sam, we forgive you) right at 10:45, and opened with Marceline. Not to go into a crazy amount of detail BUT, all we can say is that we made our presence very known at the show. We were booty shakin’ and singing like no one else, and created a strong connection with those groovy guys. Throughout the duration of the show, we made eye contact and sang to each other while hyping everyone else up. Their set was filled with head bangers, and they truly captivated the audience. Which is like nothing we had ever experienced at a show before.

Booty Shakin’… and Out of Breath

We were out of breath, smiling, and full of adrenaline when the show sadly came to an end. People began to crowd around to meet the band and take pictures with them. To ensure that we would get to talk to them, we headed over to their merch table and began a conversation with their talented friend Christine (@christinesolomonphotography). Walking over to where our coats had been placed before the show, we set our new shirts and vinyl down. Trevor (bassist), spotted us through the dispersing crowd and made his way over to us. He brought us into a hug and complimented us on our singing and dancing. Then Sam (guitarist/vocals), noticed us and talked us before taking a couple of pictures. They moved onto the last set of people waiting to get their pictures with them, when Derek (lead vocals/keys/guitar) came over to us.

“…Come to the Show”

Derek thanked us for performing for them, and gave us advice about getting home safely. He then kindly rounded up the rest of the members for some group pictures. Here are the results:

On social media, they had been asking for help with selling merch at some of their previous shows. So, we offered a helping hand at their next show in Raleigh, NC. They were eager about staying in touch with us to make it a reality. Before we left, Sam yelled out “See ya in Raleigh”, and we did just that.

On the Road Again

Monday December, 10– Keeping this secret between us, we packed our bags and made the four hour trip up to Raleigh. As we approached the venue, we messaged Sam to let him know we were 30 minutes away, and excited to help. We found a parking garage not too far away, and walked to the venue. Inside, they were setting up their set, and tuning their instruments. Sam greeted us with a hug, and thanked us for helping. He reintroduced us to Christine, and she gave us the run down of what the job would entail. The other members made their way down and chatted with us before the show and asked us what songs we wanted to hear.

Dancing on the Job

Vintage Pistol opened for them with a grungy set, and we tapped our feet along as we stood behind the merch table. The boys made their way onto the stage an hour later, and we couldn’t help but shake our asses and sing along from the back of the room. The rest of the crowd was in awe of us and in that moment we felt exhilarated. We made our way to the front for Marceline, Gotta Get Away, and Alice so that we could dance and sing with them. Again, we were booty shakin’ and singing with them and hyping the rest of the crowd up with their music. They really showed us the love during Alice, and we belted out the lyrics as they played.

Snowball Fights & Cookout

After the show, we ran back to the merch table and started preparing for the crowd. We got many compliments on our dancing and singing and how we made the show more enjoyable. We helped take money for shirts and vinyls alongside Christine. After the crowd had gone, we packed up their van, and hung out in the front with them. Hunger struck all of us, and we decided Cookout was our best bet at such a late hour.
They offered to give us a ride to our car in their van, but after taking a second look inside of it, Derek offered to walk us back to our car instead, because their van was a little messy. He made us feel safer as we walked back to our car and we will always be appreciative of that.
As we got to the parking lot, their van pulled up and they waited until we made it all the way back to our car before driving away. All of us made our way to Cookout, and unfortunately it was just a drive-thru. But the boys made the best out of the situation by having a snowball fight. We threw a couple ourselves, but our aims aren’t the best.

‘All Over Now’

After ordering our food, we stood around and waited with them. Chattering teeth and shivering bodies we laughed about our experiences from the night and discussed the difference between Cajun fries and regular fries.
We finally got our food and walked back over to where they had parked their van. Squeezing us into tight embraces, they thanked us for the millionth time that night. We replied, “No problem, anytime! We love you guys”. And we meant it.
This was one of the most memorable concerts that we have been to and the guys of Vista Kicks are such genuine and goofy guys. If any of you ever have the opportunity to see them, take that chance! They will make it worth your while!
Vista Kicks, thank you for this unforgettable experience. See ya soon!
“Come to the show, we’ll make you laugh, make you scream, make you get down on your knees and settle down”
Stay Groovy!

All the love, Britt and Jen

Post Post Animal Post

Howdy! On Wednesday we went to see Post Animal in concert down in Athens. We thought that you guys would want to read about our experience because it was a great one! Enjoy!

Wasting Time

We’re going to start this story from when we entered the venue. When we walked inside, we saved a spot right below the stage and claimed it as ours. As other people started filling in, we took turns getting water and going to the bathroom in fear of losing the awesome spot we had. Post Animal had two openers open for them. The first one being a cool dude named Shane T. He came on stage in worn in Vans and ripped jeans and blew the crowd away. His music is super cool and easy to vibe to plus his voice is amazing! (Right now he’s only got one song on Spotify, “Wasting Time”, but he’s got some new music coming so check him out!)

Illiterate Light

The next opener they had was a duo called Illiterate Light and let us tell you, these guys know how to rock the hell out! Their music is between a mixture of hard rock and smooth alternative. These dudes are super talented and had the whole crowd hyped up from the beginning of their first song! (They have two singles on Spotify right now: “Better Than I Used To” and “Growin’ Down”.)

When I Think of You in a Castle

The dudes of Post Animal appeared after Illiterate Light finished their set. By this time, we had moved away from the front of the stage and backed up so we could get a better view. These guys are so talented and had the whole crowd shaking their heads and tapping their feet. If you’ve never listened to Post Animal, you definitely need to! Their music is a mix of psychedelic, hard rock, and alternative and it is amazing live! They opened with “Gelatin Mode” and continued throughout the set with high energy and finished with an encore of “Swamp Fruit” (one of my favorites).

Special Moment

After the show was over, the members of the band were standing by the merch table signing shirts and records. As we approached them, the lead singer Dalton was taking payments for the merch and he started up a conversation with Jen and we continued talking with him for about 15 minutes. As people were starting to file out and leave, we asked if we could take a picture with them. After we took a couple pictures, we hung around with Matt and Javi. We talked about any upcoming shows that they were performing and if they would come back around us anytime soon. We were standing and talking with them for so long that the manager at the venue had to escort us to leave. We held them to their promise of coming to Greenville soon, shook their hands, and said our farewells.

As we left the venue, we had a feeling of complete astonishment as we realized that we just hung out and talked to such a cool ass band. On the drive home, we relived the concert and it’s memories while listening to their music in the car. When we got back to Jen’s house at three in the morning and collapsed onto the bed in a state of fatigue, we both had the feeling that that concert was one of the best! See you in February Post Animal and thanks for the incredible experience!
STAY GROOVY

What’s Spinnin’?

Welcome to our new series! Every month we will be talking about our current favorite songs and what we have been jamming out to! We had planned on writing a post about a concert that we were supposed to go to but unfortunately mother nature had other ideas and the rain was too treacherous to drive in so we decided to go get bagels. We hope you all enjoy this post and let us know what your favorite songs are at the moment!

Britt

Volcanic Love- The Aces
4th and Roebling- The Districts
Ordinary Day- The Districts
If Before I Wake- The Districts
Salt- The Districts
When I Get Home- Post Animal
Susie- Post Animal
Parking Lot- HUNNY
Heaven Up There- Palace
Flower Power- Greta Van Fleet
Vines- Hippo Campus
Poems- Hippo Campus
Vacation- Hippo Campus
The Halocline- Hippo Campus

Jen

Violet- The Districts
Golden- Hippo Campus
Dollar Bill- Hippo Campus
You Don’t Know How Lucky You Are- Keaton Henson
Static Space Lover- Foster the People
Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby- Cigarettes After Sex
Yes, I’m Changing- Tame Impala
If You Need To, Keep Time on Me- Fleet Foxes
The Trapeze Swinger- Iron & Wine
Dreams- The Cranberries
Lazerburn- Jesse Woods
Gold- The Shelters

Well, there ya have it! We hope you guys found some new music to listen to and until next time,
STAY GROOVY!

All the love,

Britt and Jen

Not an ‘Ordinary Day’

Cheeto Dust

The Districts are a strong opener for Hippo Campus, and they make quite the impression. They’re sound makes you want to get in your car and drive to the mountains. We were introduced to them on October 15, at the Orange Peel in Asheville, NC.
Before the concert, we weren’t sure who was opening for Hippo Campus. Most people don’t really care about the opener, but we take it as an opportunity to listen to new music. We never expected to love the band this much, though.
When they first started their set, there was a couple in front of us that were solely there for The Districts. So, we thought they must be good enough to have a fan base all the way in North Carolina. We were surprised when everyone in the venue was dancing and jumping up and down during their set. They truly put their heart and soul into their performance, and shows when everyone next to you is in awe of their music.
After the show, we walked over to the merch table to get some HC memorabilia. We saw a small table for The Districts and headed over there to check them out. A tall guy was standing behind the table. I (Jen) saw a small orange vinyl signed with silver sharpie. I contemplated before looking up at the guy and asking how much it was.
He laughed and stated, “Ten dollars! But I won’t sell you that one because I was eating Cheetos earlier, and got the Cheeto dust on it.”
For some reason that was all the more reason to purchase one. So, I left happily with a t-shirt and the vinyl.

Brown Paper Bag Set Lists

Fast forward two weeks, and we were on our way to the Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, North Carolina. We had spent the majority of those two weeks learning more and more about The Districts, and falling in love with their music.
We knew Long Distance and Ordinary Day by heart, and we were determined to shout the lyrics out while they were performing.
When we arrived in Carrboro, we were looking for parking when we saw Rob, Pat, and Braden casually walking down the street. We waved to them, Rob looked confused that we knew who he was. Which, obviously made us feel connected to them. I (Jen) waved to Rob again, when were sitting down to with the rest of the VIP people.
Again, they played an incredible show. Us and the people around us were rocking out to their set. The guy next to us leaned over and told us that he loved their sound, and how cool he thought their performance was. After, their performance, their lead guitarist handed me (Jen) a set list that was written on a torn up piece of a brown paper bag. The keyboard player hopped off the stage to hand Britt a set list too. We then proceeded to tell him how much we loved his black and white checkered pants. We knew that after the show we wanted to meet them in and get to know them. So, we did just that.
We walked passed the Hippo Campus merch and made our way over to the same guy we met in Asheville. He greeted us, and Britt asked for the same vinyl I had purchased last time. We then asked if he remembered telling us that he got Cheeto dust on the vinyl.
His eyes widened and laughed, “I was just thinking about the other day! That was such a funny joke, well not joke but story”. We laughed with him, and then they asked where we were from. We explained that we had driven four hours to see them this time, but only an hour to see them in Asheville.
He was shocked that we had traveled so far to see them again, and then introduced him self by shaking my (Jen’s) hand. “I’m Keondre, by the way,” he said with a smile.
We introduced ourselves, and then Keondre gestured to some people next to us, “We have two show comers, guys”. We look next to us, and their lead guitarist and bass player are standing in the corner. They turn to us in shock, and we explain again where we’re from and how far we had traveled to see them both times. They seemed like they were in awe of how dedicated we were. They introduced themselves as Pat and Connor.
They were more than happy to take pictures with us, and hold a long conversation about the small 15 person van they travel in. We explained to them how much we enjoyed their set, and how awesome their music is. Pat, Connor, and Keondre tried to persuade us to go to their show that they were playing again at the same venue.
We walked outside with a feeling of fulfillment. We had just had full on conversations with both bands that day, and we could not have been happier. I think the realization of them just being human beings hit us as we were holding these long conversations with them.
We headed around the the front of Cat’s Cradle where a crowd waited for Hippo Campus to come outside. But, we weren’t waiting for them, mainly because we had already gotten the chance to meet them. We were waiting for the rest of The Districts to come outside so that we could meet the rest of the band members. This was probably the best decision we have ever made, because sure enough we waved to Keondre and motioned for him to bring the rest of them to us.
A big shout out to Keondre, for being the sweetest soul and rounding them all up to introduce us. They all made their way over to where we were standing. They were quick to tell us that Keondre had told them how far we had traveled and that we saw them in Asheville too. We shook Rob and Braden’s hands and introduced ourselves to them. We got a picture and then talked with them about their January tour in the Northeast.
We said our goodbyes and turned away to walk back to the parking garage where we had parked. As we past the crowd of people, they stared at us as if we had just done something insane.
What’s so crazy to us is that, people see these bands as props or untouchable. But, the truth is most of them just want to be treated like people. And if you allow yourself to break from that stigma, you end up meeting really cool people, who just so happen to make cool ass music.

Late Night Korean BBQ

We spent Halloween listening to their music and crying because we weren’t able to go to the second show. We obviously wanted to see Hippo Campus again but we really wanted to hangout with The Districts and see them live again.
The next night we were both at our houses, separated for the first time in a week. I (Jen) was on Instagram when I saw on their band’s food account (@thefinediningdistricts), that they were looking for places to eat… in our freaking town. Out of all the places they could have stopped, they stopped in our town to eat. I slid over to the next story and saw that they were at the Korean Barbecue place next to where we had gotten out tattoos.
I (Jen) immediately called Britt to tell her the news. We were both in shock, and I tried convincing her for an hour to get up and go meet up with them, but at this point we were both in bed. I had my acne cream on my face with wet pig tail braids, soaking the top of my sleep shirt, and Britt had her retainer in. Both of us agreed we were in no shape to get in a car and drive to this place to meet them. What would we even say? How weird would that seem if we just showed up?
We still kind of regret not getting up and going, but if we did we wouldn’t have gotten the idea to start this blog.

As always, stay groovy! Catch ya later!

All the love, Britt and Jen

Sometimes I Call It a Tuesday

The concert that sparked tattoos?

We think that our first official post should be the night that inspired us to create this blog, and that would be the night that we met and saw Hippo Campus live. The whole week that these events took place was guided completely by the universe.
This story begins on October 15th… We had GA tickets to see Hippo Campus at the Orange Peel in Asheville. We left school and work and made the drive up to North Carolina. On the way, we listened to our mix of Hippo Campus and true crime podcasts. Keep in mind that we weren’t avid listeners of HC.
When we reached the venue, we got in line and managed to get a spot right near the left part of the stage. The openers (The Districts) performed (more to come on them in later posts) and shortly after, Hippo Campus made their way to the stage.
They opened with Bambi and the entire crowd went wild. This show was pure magic. They played through their setlist and after the concert, we left with a feeling of absolute excitement and happiness.
Fast forward to a couple days later. We had become OBSESSED with Hippo Campus and were experiencing post-concert blues. We had concluded that that was the best concert we had been to and were seriously missing it. We had a sleepover later that night and as we were scrolling through Instagram, Jenna looked up and said: “Yo, what if we got tattoos for Hippo Campus?” I just looked up at her and laughed “That would be really funny!” But then, we got that look in our eyes that said that we weren’t joking. The next day we made tattoo appointments…
We had already figured out what tattoos we wanted but I (Britt) was deciding what font I wanted to get it in. I searched on Google for any of the members handwriting and I found myself looking through their Twitter account. As I was scrolling, I clicked on a picture of their tour dates, just curious as to see what other places they were traveling to. As I was scanning the dates, my eyes fell upon another North Carolina show! What are the odds that they would be coming back to play in North Carolina?! I immediately screenshotted it and sent it to Jenna. There was no doubt in our minds, we were going to this concert. As we went to buy the tickets, we realized that GA was sold out- the only option was to buy VIP. We bought the tickets and had a week to prepare for the best day of our lives.
We finally managed to make a tattoo appointment, the day right before the concert. After school, we met up at the tattoo shop and got these bad boys.

Meet and Greet and Yoga

Monday night (the day before the concert), we posted these pictures on Twitter and wished each other sweet dreams.
We woke up on Tuesday morning around 9am to discover that Zach @espocampus and Decarlo @decarlojackson from Hippo Campus had liked our tweet! We showered and got ready for the day. The concert was in Carborro which is about a four- hour drive from us, so we got snacks from the gas station and hit the road around 12. The drive there was scenic and beautiful, we listened to a mix of The Districts, Hippo Campus (obviously) and the Lemonade Mouth soundtrack.
Fast forward to when we arrived at the venue. As we pulled in to Cat’s Cradle, we spotted Zach and Jake from Hippo Campus chilling outside on the sidewalk. As we drove down the street to find parking, we also saw some members of The Districts, Rob, Braden, and Pat walking along the sidewalk. We were PUMPED. We found parking and made our way to the venue.
After waiting outside for about 45 minutes, the doors opened for VIP and we were instructed to get a carpet square to prepare for the pre-show acoustic performance. We obviously got in the front row, and the boys came out. The very beautiful boys. They played three songs acoustically, the first one being Sula. Honestly, we were in such shock over their angelic voices, and the experience we were having that we didn’t even think to take out our phones until the second song. They played Tuesday next and Boyish last.
After the intimate set, we began to line up for the meet and greet. Jenna and I were in the middle of the line and noticed that everyone before us were just smiling and taking pictures with them, not really talking or having a conversation with them. I leaned over and told Jenna that we should stand at the back of the line, that way we can spend more time talking with them. We quietly crept around to the back and waited our turn.
When our time came, we hugged each of them and let me tell you, they give the greatest hugs!!! When we hugged Zach and Decarlo, we thanked them for liking our picture on Twitter. Zach said and I quote, “Oh yeah, those are f***ing dope!”
After we got our hugs in, they asked us what kind of pose we wanted to do and we looked at them and said: “We think we want to do like yoga poses?”. Keep in mind that EVERYONE before us was just smiling and posing normally. The responses we received were priceless; “Oh because we’re SO great at yoga!” and “I’m not flexible!”. I turned to Zach and said, “You can just stretch or bend or whatever, it’ll be fine!” And then he contorted his body in a way that I will never understand. Here are some pictures of the results:

I had laid my purse down to take the pictures, and as we were finishing up, Jake asked whose purse it was, and kind of guarding it. I raised my hand and Jenna and I walked over to him.
Somehow we got on the topic of height, specifically Nathan’s height. Jenna asked Jake how tall Nathan was and Jake said: “You can ask him if you want, he’s around here somewhere!” Before we turned to Nathan, I asked Jake how tall he was and for some reason, we spent at least 5 minutes discussing everyone’s height?
We turned to talk to Nathan as he was trotting away to go backstage and talked to him for a couple of minutes before he got bombarded by other people. We left the conversation feeling that we had made an impact on them. Mainly because we were the only ones there that treated them like regular people. Because you have to remember, that’s exactly what they are.
After the meet and greet, we had to wait outside for about 45 minutes before we could go back inside for the early entry. We made some friends outside and chatted about our favorite bands and who we had seen live.

Showtime

Let me just start off by saying that we have NEVER sweat or danced as much as we had at this concert. Hippo Campus has a way of making us want to shake our asses and jump up and down like maniacs! We were front and center with Nathan and Jake standing DIRECTLY in front of us! While we were at the concert, we realized that we weren’t really taking pictures or recording the songs. We were solely listening and dancing to the music. I think we were more preoccupied with living in the moment. We were truly experiencing the concert as it was happening, and not watching it through an iPhone screen. They put on a beautiful show (as always) and there were many times when we got teary-eyed because we realized the immense love that we have for this band.
At the end of every concert, Whistler throws his drumsticks into the crowd and we made it our mission to get one of those damn drumsticks. He had thrown one to the right side of the crowd and he was walking towards the side that we were standing on. I (Britt) looked that man dead in the eye, made eye contact with him and yelled: “YO WHISTLER OVER HERE!”. And that man tossed that drumstick right at us! (Whistler, if you’re reading this, we love you and thanks for the souvenir),

So needless to say, this day was full of surprises and excitement. Hippo Campus, thanks for putting on a bomb ass show(s) and creating an atmosphere that was so welcoming and energetic. We hope that we can see you again sometime in the near future. Thank you for allowing two best friends from a small town the opportunity to grow closer and rock the hell out!

“Sometimes they call it a Tuesday, sometimes I call it the best day of my life.”

As always, stay groovy!

All the love,

Britt and Jen

Howdy: An Introduction

Hey everyone! This post is our way of shaking your hand and inviting you into our lives. We look forward to sharing our experiences with you, and we hope you’ll stick around. So, here’s a little back story/about us.

Britt

Hey guys! I’m Brittany, but you can call me Britt. Here are some cool facts about me:

I’ve been a vegetarian for seven years. Which means I love animals, a lot.
My favorite song of all time is “Change” Blind Melon
The record that I listen to the most is David Bowie’s self-titled album.
My favorite animals are cows and rabbits.

Jen

What’s up guys! My name is Jenna, but most people call me Jen! Here are a couple of things about me:

I taught myself how to play ukulele, and I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember.
My all time favorite song is “Cathedrals” by Jump Little Children
The record that is always on heavy rotation for me is “Everything All the Time” by Band of Horses
I really and truly love orcas so much.

Our Friendship

We met in the eight grade, and the story is kind of funny. So, there had been an Ed Sheeran concert in the town over from us one night. This was back when Sheeran wasn’t a household name. Britt had just moved into our town, and didn’t have very many friends yet. So, the Friday after the concert Britt wore her concert merch to school. I (Jen), saw her and I introduced myself, and we’ve been inseparable ever since. We have the same taste in pretty much everything, and sometimes you can’t tell the two of us apart- we’re “brothers”.
The meaning behind our site’s name is simple, yet very complex. Hypnotic is from our psychedelic beliefs and practices. There’s a lot of truth to be said in a tarot card, and we live by that. Bolt is for the connection/bond in our friendship. We have always been in sync, from wearing the same outfit on accident, or thinking the same things, and sometimes having similar dreams.
We hope you’ll find friendship in us, and the bands that we’ll discuss in later posts. Catch ya later, stay groovy.