Ladies of the 90's: A playlist + A Fashion Guide

Brace yourself guys, this post is going to bring you right back to the good ole days of yin yang earrings, smiley face t-shirts, scrunchies, and clippies. If you're like  me, every now and then, that's exactly where you want to be! The 90's holds a very special place in my heart as that's where the majority of my youth was spent. Although I've long since grown out of the styles of the 90's, the music from that decade still blasts through my headphones on a regular basis. There's something to be said about the ladies that ruled the radio back then. Two decades later I'm still not sick of those songs.

Doesn't today seem like the perfect day to jam out to some of them? Of course it does! So obviously I made a playlist of some of my absolute faves. But, before we get to the music, I couldn't write a post about the 90's without reflecting on the fashion of the time. I'll be honest, some of the fads we went through were ridiculous even though I look back on them with fond memories. But, it wasn't all that bad. In fact, I've found that some of the famous ladies from the 90's seem to be an inspiration for looks that we love today.

With a little perusing through Pinterest, I was able to find some outfits that appear to be a modern take on classic 90's styles (even if that wasn't the intent). It's fun to compare and see how much has changed, but also to see what has stayed the same. Things like boyfriend jeans (1 & 2), chambray and polka dots (3 & 4), leather jackets and sunnies (5 & 6), and bold maxi dresses (7 & 8).

1.Kelly Kapowski - Saved By The Bell   2.Wendy's Lookbook  

3.Clarissa Darling - Clarissa Explains it All  4.Cleverly, Yours  

5.Michelle Tanner - Full House  6.Olsens Anonymous  

7.Ashley Spinelli - Recess   8.Lookbook.nu

While I'm fresh out of wide leg jeans, I definitely have a couple of crop tops and grunge sweaters in my closet. Do you have any favorite pieces in your wardrobe that have a slight link back to the 90's? While you consider this, now would be a good time to get that playlist going. Enjoy!



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Saint Patrick's Day Playlist + A Story From My Dad

I am so excited to be sharing this special post with all of you today! This sunday is Saint Patrick's Day, one of my favorite holidays. Being Irish, my family has always celebrated this holiday to the fullest, and I think that is why I love it so much. I remember my mother making us a breakfast of green pancakes and green orange juice, then making corned beef and cabbage for dinner, and my Dad letting us wear his fun Saint Patrick's Day t-shirts to school, and playing Irish music all day. When the music filled the Connolly house, you knew it was time to celebrate! When putting together my St. Patrick's Day playlist for the blog, I knew there was one person who could do it better than me; my Dad. Today he is sharing his favorite Irish songs with all of you, along with the story of how he came to love this music. And, of course I had to sprinkle in some photos of our young Irish family (before there were 7 of us kids) just to add some cuteness. Enjoy!

Mom, Dad, and siblings at Castle Island in South Boston (I was the photographer)

-- I started listening to Irish music long ago when I was about 8 or 9. I can remember going to my father's work on an occasional Saturday, when he didn't have much work on the docket for that day and he would be playing his old radio in his office and we would listen to the 'Irish Hit Parade" AM 950 on your listening dial. He would tell me of his younger singing days when he would win singing contests at Dorgans restaurant in Southie, by singing his go to song "Danny Boy". Every time he would demonstrate how he sang that song, he would break into his Irish brogue and croon that ballad with an Irish twinkle in his eye. He probably could've won those amature singing shows on just looks alone, but to my suprise, he was actually a very good singer. He would tell me he could sing that song better than anyone around, with the exception of one, and that "one", was Ireland's own Red Hurley who sang his favorite version of the song, "Danny A Peace Trilogy". To this very day, it is my favorite version of the song as well.

Castle Island, South Boston

As I went through my teen years, my listening to Irish music had been put on the shelf for a while, but then had a rebirth when I got to high school. Two teachers of mine, George Ghiorse and Bill Martin, would occassionally break out their guitars and banjos and play Irish song as well as American Folk and New England Sea songs during class time; (the deal was, no English or History today, as long as we would learn the songs and sing along....of course we chose to sing). Shortly after graduation Mae (my wife to be) and I went to visit her cousin at college, and we happened to run into (or trip over) Bill Martin who coincidentally was also at the college reveling in some Oktoberfest music festival, and it was apparent that the Oktoberfest portion of the festivities (the beer) had gotten the best of Bill as he was sprawled out on one of the connecting walkways between buildings and looking as if he had just come from a Grateful Dead concert. After talking to Bill for a while, he had suggested to come see "The O'Reilly's" sometime (the Irish band he and George were in).

Well sometime came that St. Patty's Day in 1982 at Rafferty's Pub in Marshfield MA. It was my first St. Patty's Day celebration in a pub and not at the parade on a freezing cold sidewalk in Southie that I had experienced so many times as kid. The pub was busting at the seams with wall to wall people, March Madness Basketball was on the many televisions hovering the bar, the beer was flowing, and the music (The O'Reilly's) was whipping everyone into an Irish Pride frenzy. I was instantly hooked, not only on celebrating St. Patty's Day, but on listening to traditional Irish music as well.

Taking a St. Patrick's Day walk with Dad

At this time bands like The Pogues, The Waterboys, and of course U2 were just hitting the scene in the U.S., and it was great to be able to enjoy both the new and the old bands together, furthuring my interest in not only just the music, but the culture and history of Ireland as well. For the next 28 years, wherever the "O'Reilly's played on St. Patrick's Day, I was sure to be there, and with each passing year, I was able to influence others including my parents, family and friends to come join in on the fun of "my" favorite holiday (actually Christmas is #1 but March 17th is a close 2nd) and to reconnect with our Irish heritage.

Although the O'Reilly's have recently retired, I have discovered a new band to celebrate St. Patty's Day with---they are called "The Green Rovers", and they consist of two young guys from Weymouth; one of which is originally from County Clare Ireland. Both these gents are extremely talented, as they have been schooled at the Berkely School Of Music in Boston. They are the perfect crossover band of playing the traditional songs as well as the newer stuff. I have seen them perform many times, and I am amazed at how gifted and versed they are at playing their many different instruments. F.Y.I. they will be at The Bailey Pub in Brant Rock in Marshfield this St. Patrick's Day.

Castle Island, South Boston

When I was asked by my daughter Amy if I would like to submit a playlist and possibly a story for her blog, I was very eager to do so. I was also happy to know that she would value my "expert opinion" of song choices that would create a playlist that would set the tone for the big day. I am also pleased to know that Amy has been influenced over the years of my love for all types of music, as we share very similar tastes in music styles and genres. This is probably due to the fact that on so many long road trips in the car, before the invention of iPods and the like, everyone in the car had no choice but to listen to the tapes or cd's that I had brought. I must admit, with so many great Irish songs to choose from, I found it very difficult to narrow it down to a few for the "perfect" playlist. With that, I gave Amy a list of my top 100 Irish songs. From that list I picked some of my current favorites songs for "the" blog playlist for all to enjoy. Happy St. Patrick's Day. --



I've included just about all of my Dad's choices in this playlist, but if you're curious as to what his top 15 song choices were, here they are...
1. The Green and Red Of Mayo - Saw Doctors
2. Fields Of Athenry (Sgt. Andrew Farrar Tribute Version) - Dropkick Murphys
3. The Foggy Dew - Sinead O'Connor
4. The Homes Of Donegal - Paul Brady
5. Drunken Lullabies - Flogging Molly
6. Galway Girl - Mundy and Sharon Shannon
7. Dirty Old Town - Shane MacGowan/The Pogues
8. The Danny Boy Trilogy - Red Hurley
9. Green Fields of France (Willie McBride) - Dropkick Murphys
10. Come My Little Son - The Auld Locals (Cormac Marnell And Brian Mooney Of Brighton MA)
11. Nancy Whiskey Shane MacGowan/The Pogues
12. The Wild Colonial Boy - The Clancy Brothers With Tommy Makem
13. The Hands That Built America (Closing Theme From The Movie "Gangs Of New York") - U2
14. Mid Atlantic Man - The Green Rovers (Dave Pendergast And Joe Kaszuba Of Weymouth MA)
15. On The One Road - The High Kings With The Wolftones

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Now & Then ... By Amy Connolly 2J

Very often I am asked how long I've been an artist, and my answer is always the same, "forever". In my heart I know this to be very true. I remember loving everything about art from a very young age, and in that regard, not a lot has changed. A brand new box of crayons is still one of my favorite things. As someone who doesn't like to talk the talk unless I can walk the walk, I thought it was time to start proving that I was born a Creative Soul. So please welcome my newest series: "Now & Then" 

Before we get any further, I have to say that while the original artwork you see here was created by my 7 year old self, the follow up craft was handmade by my best friend Joanne. As a gift, Joanne wanted to recreate a piece of art that I made in my childhood. She went to the source of all refrigerator-worthy artwork, my Mom, and found this little gem. Luckily, construction paper somehow stands the test of time, and Joanne set to the meticulous task of bringing this cat to life. I love looking back at my old artwork, so I was thrilled to receive such a unique and thoughtful gift. If you're stumped on a gift for a close friend, this creative idea is highly recommended by yours truly.

Joanne did a great job capturing every single detail. I think my 7 year old self would be thoroughly impressed with the craftsmanship seen here, and I am too. 

Speaking of details, let's talk about what's going on here. First things first, "Amy" in case you forgot who the artist was ... "If you don't Look sometimes a cat will kiss you with there nose." Punctuation, grammar, and spelling aside, I obviously knew my facts. You really can't argue that statement. I wonder if this sentence was my artists statement. It had to have been, because it clearly explains the whole piece.

I would really like to call attention to the placement of the alphabet on this cat. I feel like I was really thinking outside the (litter) box (eww) with that one. I can only imagine that this was provoked by an early love for typography, resulting in my current career as a graphic designer. As for the pumpkin - an obviously brilliant touch - I would have to assume this was made around Halloween time.

Joanne really captured the spirit of this drawing. I'm still so impressed...

One thing that hasn't changed over the past 20 years is that I'm still very proud of the work I produce. If I could, I would slap that "By Amy Connolly 2J" on all of my work. And yes, I'd still do it 3 times if necessary, just in case there was any confusion as to the the creative mastermind is...

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