by Christine Hawthorne | Jun 24, 2016 | Music
I have a pretty wide demographic in my classes as I'm sure many of you do. The majority of my riders are between the ages of 45 and 60. This time of year I get quite a few college age kids that are home for the summer. I try to always stay mindful of my music selections so that I can keep everyone happy. The other day I had a few college girls mixed in with my regular riders and I played Meghan Trainor's Me Too. A few of my older riders perked right up and even made mention later of how much they liked the song. It didn't seem to faze the college age crowd. It just goes to show you-you never know who you are inspiring with your song choices!
Meghan Trainor-Me Too (63 bpm)
Meghan Trainor-Me Too iTunes link
Also, try Meghan Trainor's No (flat road at 94 rpm)
by Christine Hawthorne | Jun 17, 2016 | Music
Happy Fri-yay! Whew! I thought this one would never get here!
One of my favorite bands, NEEDTOBREATHE, is coming out with a new album which is expected to be released on July 15, 2016 and I can't wait! I have used many of their songs in my classes in the past including Brother, State I'm In, Girl Named Tennessee, Keep Your Eyes Open, Something Beautiful, Feet Don't Fail Me Now, The Heart, Ooh's and Aah's, Lay ‘Em Down and Slumber.
Their upcoming album, HARD LOVE, features some already released tracks that you should definitely consider adding to your next playlist.
Great Night (feat. Shovels & Rope): standing or seated climb (65 RPM)
Great Night (feat. Shovels & Rope) iTunes Link
Happiness: flat road (around 99 RPM)
Happiness by NEEDTOBREATHE iTunes Link
by Christine Hawthorne | Jun 10, 2016 | Music
One of my riders is a huge Michael Franti fan and brought to my attention that he was coming out with a new album last week. I'm a pretty big fan myself. Check out the screenshot below for a few of his popular songs which I continue to love using in my classes.
You'll definitely want to check out his new album titled Soulrocker. Here's what I'll be using:
My Lord: I used this for seated accelerations on the chorus. There are three of them and each are around 30 seconds.
My Lord by Michael Franti & Spearhead iTunes Link
We Do This Every Day: This one was great for jumps on a hill or a climb.
I Got Love For Ya: At around 97 RPM's, this one makes a great flat road.
We Do This Every Day by Michael Franti & Spearhead iTunes Link
I Got Love For Ya by Michael Franti & Spearhead iTunes Link
by Christine Hawthorne | May 29, 2016 | Music
Even though summer doesn't officially begin until June 20th, to many of us in the U.S., Memorial Day weekend signals the beginning of summer. Thats why I'm here with a few songs for you to use if you're planning a special ride to signal summer's start. Sprinkle them in throughout the season or create your own unique summer themed playlist.
Summer of '69 by Bowling for Soup makes a great warm up or flat road.
Summer of '69 by Bowling for Soup iTunes Link
Try Hot Summer Night by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals for a climb.
Hot Summer Night by Grace Potter & The Nocturnals iTunes Link
Also try Summer of Love (Extended Mix) by Cascada for accelerations or a standing climb.
Summer of Love- Extended by Cascada iTunes Link
And of course Summer by Calvin Harris. Try out this Diplo Grandtheft Remix for something different.
Summer by Calving Harris Remix iTunes Link
Last, be sure to check out Summerthing! by AfroJack, Mike Taylor.
Summer thing! Afrojack iTunes Link
Whenever you celebrate the start of summer, I hope these songs will get your classes motivated.
Any other Summer themed song suggestions?
by Christine Hawthorne | May 20, 2016 | Music
Friday is my favorite day of the week for so many reasons, but the main one is that it's the day that most new music releases come out! Today I'm sharing a few of my favorite new releases. I hope you find something you can use in the mix!
This one from one of my favorite bands (OneRepublic) has been making the rounds on the evening television circuit and came out last week. It clocks in at under 3 minutes, and starts out slow and then picks up at around the :45 mark. Not sure how I'll use it yet, but I like it. 🙂
iTunes LINK: WHEREVER I GO BY ONEREPUBLIC
This one is around 105 BPM's. Maybe a flat road, maybe a hill if we push the tempo.
iTUNES LINK: SHE WANTS ME DEAD BY CASSETTE/ARON CHUPA
If you like to rock a little harder, try this single from the soon to be released album from Volbeat:
iTUNES LINK: SEAL THE DEAL BY VOLBEAT
If you're more into house music, there is some great stuff on this album from Kygo.
iTUNES LINK: CLOUD NINE BY KYGO
And finally, did you hear that Train is releasing a new album soon that is a cover of Led Zeppelin II (only my favorite Zeppelin album!!) Can't wait to hear it in it's entirety! Here are three of the tunes that have already been released:
iTUNES LINK: THANK YOU BY TRAIN
iTUNES LINK: THE LEMON SONG BY TRAIN
iTUNES LINK: WHAT IS AND WHAT SHOULD NEVER BE BY TRAIN
Any new music you're using in your classes?
