Oh look! Catherine is finally getting around to doing this ridiculously long challenge that she received back in....

April.

which, by the way, is the one that was named for her bestest friend aka adopted sister aka LIA....
which makes it all the more unacceptable that it is as late as it is.....I'll take my "worst friend of the year award" now, thank you...

IN MY DEFENSE, I'm still going through a six-month backlog of forgotten promises and on-hold projects while I was tied up at that blasted dairy.

Let me put forth a word to the wise....if you expect to keep a blog alive, never engage in any full time job, real-time social activities, or promise to do anything for anyone. I mean this in sarcasm, please do the above - it's extremely important for your health and well-being.....

Anyway....I'm absolutely DYING to get this long thing over and done with, plus overload you with lots of musical selections that are of such bizarre taste that only Catherine could combine them into some sort of style, so let us prick up our ears and get started, shall we???

First, a copy of ze rules that I received from the evil creator of this tag:

1. Link back to MK, because this was her idea. It's HERE.
2. Or Link back to Lia's post, because it amuses MK.
3. Come and comment that you've done the tag so MK can read it and laugh all over again (cause she's evil).
4. Answer the questions
5. Tag your friends so that they hate you

*shoots MK a look of good-natured disgust*


1. One song on the radio that annoys you?

Every third song on the radio annoys me. Really, can't these song writers write a song without veiled sexual references anymore? It really bugs me when I have to shut off the radio for an extended period of time because there is nothing good on.

Here is one example: "Lose It" by Kane Brown

*gags*

Please, if the sleazy tone wasn't bad enough, I didn't need that imagery at all. *shakes head*


2.  One song that you love and sing along to every time it comes on the radio. 

 


3. Favorite and least favorite genre of music?

My favorite genre of music is definitely Celtic music. Having grown up with a strong appreciation of my Scottish heritage, bagpipes and fast reels quickly became favorites. I tend to lean more towards Scottish Celtic music, but I have a great appreciation of Irish music too.

Least favorite genre is hip hop. I would say rap, but I don't consider rapping to be music, but more a recitation along a beat. Which, according to the ancient rules of music, is only 1/3rd of what music consists of.


4. Last song you listened to?



Little surprise that it's a standard fare Celtic song, LOL.


5. Song you've been listening to a lot?

According to Spotify, this song from Clamavi de Profundis is actually one of my top five songs listened to this year. I guess I shouldn't be surprised - it's one of the best secularily produced original Catholic compositions that I've ever found.






6. Favorite music video?










7. Are you listening to music right now?

Is this even a question? I'm on the computer, so obviously, my Spotify is on and running. You should know this by now, MK....LOL.


8. Favorite romantic song?



My mom loves 80's music and this is one that she had on a mix CD, hence I got introduced it. It's been a favorite of mine for several years, so it well deserves the title of "favorite" of mine.


9. Last song you cried during?




10. Last song that made you laugh?



11. A song you like in a different language?





12. Favorite summer song?



I don't know why, but this just screams summer to me. Maybe it's because I blasted this song a lot when it first came out - which was one of the summers I was working.....*shifts eyes*


13. Road trip song?






14. Put yourself to sleep song?



Oddly enough, this is how I got hooked onto Adrian's music.....

It was during junior year of college when one night I had a terrible time sleeping. So I searched YouTube (this was before Spotify) for some relaxing pieces and this came up.

I hit play.....and all of a sudden, my muse woke from sleep and started to spin what would become From the Cave. I did eventually go to sleep that night, by the way, but it lead me to find more of his music....not to sleep to, but to write to.


15. While-you-read song?

I typically don't listen to songs while I read, unless it's some boring internet read. Then it's one of the songs from my mix - usually one that is a little on the classical side.

Like this one:




16. While-you-study song?

Studying was always rather boring to me, so I always had music playing then. Unlike reading music, it was more upbeat, Celtic music that I tended to listen to.

Like this piece:



17. Last song on your playlist?

Ummm, you do realize that I have 46 playlists....right?

Oh well, I'll just pick the one from my Music from Around the World playlist, which is....



18. Song that makes you want to dance?






19. POWER SONG?




This song has such a driving beat that it pushes me to a lot. I tend to have this song on loop when I really need to get something accomplished.


20. Instrumental song?

Good grief, just one, huh?? You sure are cruel when you have a mind to, MK......

Well, I have one straight from Denmark. I listened to it one day when I was coming home from church on a classical radio station, and these guys are now among my favorite musicians.




21. A song with a color in it.... and do you love it or hate it?



22. A song that means a lot to you right now?




23. Favorite Disney Song?






24. Favorite Disney Love Song?



25. Disney song you hate/dislike?




Quite honestly, I don't like this song - it gives an idea of abandoning what you were born as and trying for something impossible. It makes me uncomfortable......



26. Favorite Disney soundtrack as a whole?

 well, this is an obvious answer....



It's Tangled.

It came really close with Cinderella 2015, but since there is much more singing in Tangled, I decided I like it better. Ironic, considering my favorite piece is the Kingdom Dance piece I embedded above....



27.  Take your favorite season and make a playlist for it... it has to be at least 5 songs long

My favorite season is summer, and my song selections are below.




28. You've heard of comfort food....what are your comfort songs?




29. Winter song that is not about Christmas OR a typical Christmas song?

Very specific, aren't we?

Well, I've got a winter song for you! And just to prove that I don't listen to just traditional stuff, I'm going with a soft rock song for y'all:



30. A song with food in it?



This song has so much meat in it, it could feed a whole zoo full of bears.....and it's one of my favorite songs from Gaelic Storm.


31. Music you listen to while cleaning your room?






32. Song for each of your top two favorite holidays?

Good grief, how many holiday songs are out there with the exception of umm, Christmas ones? 

Well, we're just going to have to with hymns for this one, for a lack of others. And that's okay - hymns, Gregorian Chant and other sacred music actually make up a good bit of my music choices anyway.

We'll go with polyphonic chant for Christmas:


And a simple chant for Easter:



33. What movie/TV show theme songs can you sing?

In terms of ability, I don't know of any that I can't sing.....except for all the instrumental ones, which seem to make up about 90 percent of all the TV themes.

Movie themes? Well, let's see here.....ah! I found one, and it's a difficult one too:



34. Song not about relationships, boys, love or anything super serious or sad?


This song is PERFECT for this category:






a. it's funny in a nonsensical way
b. it's upbeat
c. it's a favorite of mine

Nuff said.


35. A Folk Tune you like?





I'm a huge fan of banjo music, and this is one of my favorite banjo pieces ever :)



36. Songs that always get stuck in your head...even if you only hear a line or two?



This darn song gets stuck in my head at the most random times of the year for the stupidest reasons. Like, I won't listen to it for months and it'll jump out from memory. *sigh*



37. Workout Playlist?

 Yep! It's called Warrior Workout, and it's chock full of battle music, movie soundtracks, and those songs that really get my blood racing. Perfect for adrenaline training, LOL.


38. Wedding Playlist?

 ahhh, I have the start of one forming, but I haven't really added to it. Songs include:

"Lost in this Moment" by Big and Rich
"From the Ground Up" by Dan and Shay
"Marie's Wedding" (Traditional)
"Fall on Me" by Andrea and Matteo Bocelli
"I Met A Girl" by William Michael Morgan
"You're The Inspiration" by Chicago


 
39. Do you have a song that reminds you of one of your OTPs? (please not Reylo. *gag*) 

Uhhhhhh.....

You mean one that isn't connected with their film or whatever?

You may be surprised by this answer....but it's this song:



*hands Lia a large box of tissues*

For those who have not seen Season 4 of When Calls The Heart, it won't make much sense. I won't reveal anything except that it's a favorite song of Jack Thornton's.


40. A song that you feel different about after seeing the music video and whether you stopped liking it or not? 

I had quite a few songs that this phenomenon happened to me. At one point in my life, I was watching music videos to see what kind of a song it was - I was firmly convinced that a music video would convey the message of the song better than anything. (Still do, but don't do it quite this often. It has saved me from listening to a lot of bad songs!)

One example of this happened to one of my favorite songs during freshman/sophomore year in college:




After seeing the music video, I took a much closer look at the words and decided I didn't like the song anymore.


Though to be fair, one positive example I had was actually the one for "Legends" by Kelsea Ballerini. I had liked the song before, but after seeing the music video, I loved the song even more. Of course it made me cry, but.....



41. A song you would recommend to everyone? 




I always recommend songs that are upbeat and give hope, and this one fits the bill. This one has a bit of a pop feel, but is enough of a traditional croon to satisfy the old-fashioned listener. And the lyrics are wonderful. Take a listen if you don't believe me.


42. A song you don't like telling people about so you can horde it and make it "your song"?

I haven't horded any song - I tend to share a lot of mine.

I did try to horde a whole tape for a few years - Mom didn't appreciate me calling it "my tape". It had a cover of Matrix's "Can You Feel It" and Celine Dion's "Because You Loved Me" on it.

And for the life of me, I can't find out who the artist was. I need to search it out again and get back to you on that.



43. A song that make you want to go out and do something crazy/adventurous? 



This was a close second to the POWER SONG question - so I'm glad I could stick it in here. There is something about Highland Bagpipes that stirs the passionate side of me and makes me really want to go slay some dragons, LOL.


44. A song that is super catchy, but you don't like because you don't like the meaning behind the words or just don't like it? 






Lia is going to KILL me for this one.....

I really really really want to like this one. This comes down to the content thing. I really don't like the whole idea of elopement or disregarding religion (especially in the positive light that this song paints it in), but I love the happy dance-y Celtic style...


45. A song you listen to while pretending you're listening to someone talk?

Now, that's just plain rude, MK. You know that you shouldn't listen to music while others are talking to you. *shakes finger*


46. A children's song you like? 



From the time I was about 10, Brent Holmes has been a big part of my family's 'children's music' collection. If you haven't listened to him, you outta - he's got a lot of songs that will make you laugh.


47. A lullaby you would sing to your own children



I quite love this song, and I love to sing in another language. So I could definitely see myself passing down my Celtic heritage to my babies by singing them this song.



48. A song that is "your theme song"

I have a few that are a fitting theme for certain aspects or years in my life, but I'm having a devil of a time finding an actual theme song.

I needed a song that reflected a lot of the struggles I've had both in a material and a spiritual sense, and then finding hope in God.

And after literally hours of searching, I finally found it:






49. Favorite musician?

Guess what? I don't have one *shifts eyes*

Here's the thing - I pick and choose from all sorts of artists and genres that I don't have a solid favorite in, well, anything.

I will reveal one of my favorite bluegrass ones though:




50. Favorite book about a musician

Goodreads

This book is actually about two teenage musicians and song-writers that get their start as a duo. It's super cute and so chock full of realism that I rated it a rare 5 stars on Goodreads. Seriously, y'all should pick up a copy.


51. 5 favorite musicians and your favorite of their songs?

I should note that a lot of these are favorites from different genres that I listen to, not necessarily my top five musicians.

Owl City - "Fireflies"

52. Favorite music blog(s)?

Well, frankly, I only follow one.....


So, I'm biased.



53. An unknown/lesser known musician?

I've got the perfect person to showcase here:

Heather Dale.

I quite love her old-fashioned ballad style of music. I'll include one of my favorite pieces of hers:




54. Favorite radio station?

I'll be honest, I don't listen to a lot of radio anymore. I stick with my Spotify more and more now. If I were forced to pick a favorite radio station, it would be my most-listened-to station in OH, which is K99.1 (a country station).



55. What musician do you listen to the most?

Doesn't this fall under the "favorite musician"?

I therefore change this question to: What music group do you listen to the most?


And that would be Celtic Woman, for two years running (at least according to Spotify)


And really, that shouldn't be a surprise. I told you that my favorite genre was Celtic didn't I?


56. Rihanna or Beyoncé? (you can't say neither)

I CAN TOO SAY NEITHER.

Frankly, there is probably one or two songs that I have listened to of theirs that I "like". "Like" meaning that I don't mind hearing it, but won't go searching for it....


57. Listen to a song by Justin Bieber (or any musician you really don't like) and write a paragraph long review on it?

I'm not a music critic, but I can tell you right now....Justin Bieber's songs (at least the ones that I've heard) are rather childish and I have no desire to revisit my middle school days more than I already have, thank you very much.

So no, no snarky review from me on that account.


58. Last musical you watched?

IMDB

We got the film for Christmas and watched it with the fam. A lot of my brothers held the same opinion that I did.....it had it's moments of brilliance, but all of the suggestive things lowered their good opinions substantially.



59. Musical you've never watched but really want to?

Wikipedia

Lia hooked me onto listening to the soundtrack before seeing the musical (which is a cardinal sin for this musical lover, since she has gotten burned a couple of times....) and now, I'm dying to watch the actual musical. 

60. If you could only pick one musical to see on Broadway, what would it be....

It's a close match between Newsies and Anastasia. Though I would probably enjoy Newsies more.

I mean, I would love to see the musical number attached to this:



61. Favorite musical score from a movie that is not a musical?

The music from The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe movie. Seriously, it is the prettiest music for the best fantasy movie.


I mean, come on! Who doesn't get uplifted from hearing this music?

*whispers to security people to boot anyone out who raises their hand*


62. Last musical you belted while walking around your house?

Probably Sound of Music. I watched a stage version recently and have been singing parts of the songs ever since.

I did belt out Oklahoma! songs when we were watching it (cause that's what I do, sorry fam), but I was sitting down, so that doesn't count.

Actually, I do a lot of my belting when I'm sitting and listening to the music, if I'm totally honest here.


63. A song from your favorite musical that you hate/dislike?

Usually, with musicals I like all of the songs, or only a few of the songs. Because I don't have a song that I really dislike in my favorites, I'm just going to pick one that I don't like from a random musical that I haven't talked about much:


I quite honestly have to leave the room now when I hear this song, it disgusts me with just how perverted and wrong this song really is. I mean, I know it's supposed to be this sort of satire coming from this deadbeat guy, but come on.....that's not an example I want my kids following, thank you very much.



64. Favorite song from the Greatest Showman soundtrack? 





The scene in which this song plays in the movie is one of my absolute favorites in terms of choreography and the banter between these two business partners is very entertaining.


65. Do you have any musical merch? 

Uhhhhhhh....I actually don't. *hem*

That may be something that Lia or MK will have to remedy one birthday....or Christmas.....*hint hint*


*pant pant*

*Catherine looks up wearily for the next question*

*Catherine sees that she don't have any*

*Catherine proceeds to leap for joy......right off the stage*

* and then proceeds to nurse ankle*

On that note (heh heh), I shall end this ridiculously looooong challenge.

Should anyone want to take it up, I shall leave it unguarded in the lawn. Feel free to steal if you have the burning desire to raid your Spotify and show off your own exiquiste taste in music - I'd love to see it!

On other fronts, The Super Secret Project is going rather slowly. It's now in the editing stage and it's a very tedious business. So, it could be delayed as far as February or March depending on how things go and if anything else comes up that is more pressing (which knowing me as well as I do, is extremely likely......*gahhhh*)

Good news, however - The White Rose has grown almost 3k since I last posted here!! I'm really happy on how it's turning out so far and hope to share more soon! After I catch my breath, of course.....

Scribblingly yours,

Catherine

P.S. I should also apologize for it's early release about 10 days ago - it apparently decided to leave without permission from the lab - like it didn't like hanging around here or something....did anyone else notice, by chance?