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Shack of Soul… Resolving to Continue the Awesome in 2012

Happy New Year, y’all!! And it wouldn’t a be a new year without some false promises to ourselves aka new year resolutions. In addition to vowing to continue blogging and generally being awesome, LiLi and I both came up with some personal goals, resolutions, things we should stop doing as we march on into the next year.

Amber’s Resolutions

1. Do NOT Word Vom on Marcus

Marcus is coming to the US this year. It’s fact. We know that a list of more tour dates is on the way and I WILL be going and seeing Marcus live. No matter what it takes. Last time (and the time before), I pretty much threw up all kinds of words on him (like Love Shack). I really want to act semi normal this time. I say semi cause I am realistic. The short pants make my head go crazy.

2. See Sam in Concert without Drinking.

This may have been my resolution last year as well. I majorly failed. Of course, I did think I’d have two shots to make it happen since I’ve seen Sam twice a year since 2009. But nope. I had one shot… and I screwed it up. I blame Sam a little. I mean, he did use his drink coupon buy me one of those beers. Then again, when I got the amazing birthday call this year, I realized I am completely unable to form words when I am stone cold sober. Somewhere, I gotta find a happy medium. I’ll just have to practice in advance.

3. Tweet more inappropriate things to Sam.

Clearly this is what is expected of us, per this conversation:

Image

But LiLi is always the super clever one. I need to be more clever and ballsy and dirty. I mean, I need to just come out and say what we are all thinking. It will make for many more fun tweets.

4. Be less shy about my love of Sam and Marcus’ music with people who don’t know.

This one I am actually very serious about. Yes, I blog and tweet about these two guys so one would think I am very open about my love for their music. And I am… online. I’ve always had the interwebs to hide behind. This year I resolve to be more open about it all to people. Real life people, that is. I just get so weird about rejection when it’s something I love. This year… no more.

5. Get an interview with Marcus…. and of course, another one with Sam.

This is the one ground we have not conquered yet. An interview with Marcus. We have been talking about it since 2009. What we would do. What we would ask. What we would wear. And I am not gonna lie… it makes us crazy nervous. The first interview with Sam almost killed us with nerves. Now we are totally professional (ha!) about it and know what to go in expecting. So we’ll go for another one with Sam this year, no problem. But Marcus, we’re gonna get all those first time jitters again, and it is scary and awesome to think about all at the same time. But we WILL do it. Or at least ask his people if we can do it. They may decide we are crazy. Which is understandable.

LiLi’s Resolutions

1. Two Words: ROAD TRIP

Not that Dallas isn’t AWESOME…hello…but the last time that Amber and I took the ol’ Shack on the road we.had.a.blast. Plus it’s fun to meet and interact with other fans from around the country. That being said, in 2012, it’s my goal to pick an out of town show for, you know, whoever might be touring this year and make a weekend out of it.

2. Blog More

This is a huge problem of mine. I usually see a ton of things that I could blog about but then real life swoops in and then  1) I forget what it was I wanted to blog about, 2) remember, then start writing and hate everything I write so I delete it and then 3) forget what it was I wanted to blog about.  Well, no more my friends. My goal is to blog over here at least once a week. Even if it is just a picture of Sam wearing the shit out of a suit, with the caption, “here’s a pic of Sam wearing the shit out of a suit.”

3. To not say creepy things to Marcus

::sigh::

You guys. I STILL think about that moment that I leaned over and whispered in Marcus’ ear, “I blogged about you today.” And I STILL cringe. EVERY.TIME. I mean, why didn’t I just say “I collect all my fingernail clippings in a jar?” That would have been LESS creepy. I mean, no wonder he hasn’t come back to America. We ARE creepy and too in your face. This spring When he finally DOES come back, I resolve…no I VOW to just smile and nod and let Amber do all the talking. Wait…on second thought…

4. To interact more

I won’t lie. I am pretty shy in real life– when you first meet me. It mainly has to do with the fact that I am really self-conscious about the things I say (like “I blogged about you today”). I tend to be really awkward and sarcastic and I have a problem with trailing off the ends of my sentences when I am uncomfortable. Usually I just keep my mouth shut and not say too much. But, unfortunately, it makes me come off as cold and like a snob, so I haven’t made the best impression with meeting readers in real life. So this year, I am taking a different tack…I am going to try and talk to people. Be myself and I dunno, maybe smile some?? Whoa, whoa…tap the breaks, I know. But part of the reason I love Sam and Marcus, and by default this blog so much, is the people they have brought into my life, so I should start showing it, yeah?

Man. That was awfully Serious Sam there, no?? Geesh.

5. There isn’t a five

I just wanted to have five because Amber has five. And we are competitive chicks by nature. Although, when it comes to drinking she wins. When it comes to photoshopping embarrassing manip pics of us…I WIN. OOOO….wait….there IS a 5!! MORE MANIPS IN 2012! It shall be done!

Alright, now here is everyone else’s goal. When you see us at a show and LiLi is whispering in Marcus’ ear or I am drinking a beer the size of my head, you come over and remind us of these. Nicely, of course. We will reward you with hugs.

So, any new year’s resolutions for you gals (and guys?) this year? Let us know in the comments. We LOVE hearing from you!

The Magicness of Google, aka Bringing Random Weirdos to the Music of Sam and Marcus…

One of the things that Amber and I do here behind the scenes of the ol’ Shack, besides gchat, is we religiously check our stats page. Not because we are looking at number of visitors, but because we want to see exactly what is bringing people to our site. The more we get “Sam Bradley” or “Marcus Foster” hits, the more we know we are reaching people. It helps us to “tag” our posts so when people are searching for things like “new music” or “music video” they will see us in search engines and hopefully stop by and learn about the guys.

But, of course, we can’t be that serious bidness about it all. We also like to use the “tags” to make each other laugh and see if the other notices a joke or a jab. And that is when magic happens. Our random tags bring us the most random internet searches, which is cool, because it’s new people hopefully finding new music…but sometimes…yeah, sometimes it’s just ODD to see what people search. And then I have to gchat Amber with a “SHUTTHEFRONTDOOR, go look at our search page!”.

So, today I give you some of the best we’ve seen the past month. Yes, this is only from the last 30 days. One of these days, I will sit down and make an All-Time search list because man, there are some doozies, but for now, here’s a short sample. Italics are my thoughts while reading them. Enjoy!

want to make shirts with our faces on elf bodies- uh…who doesn’t?

shack my soul- is that a euphemism?

bobby home sex videos- it’s call incognito browsing. learn it. use it. you’re welcome.

animaniacs hello nurse holly conlan- yesss…let’s be friends!!!

jib jab sam bradley christmas- hahahahahahhaaha

ingrid michaelson hot- duh.

happy birthday porn- the gift that keeps on giving.

who is bobby long’s girlfriend- not you.

that awkward moment in hawaii- when you dive in the water and come up and realize your bathing suit top is missing a few seconds too late? oh. that didn’t happen to you? yeah. me either.

has marcus foster toured the us- GAH. it’s been so long, people are forgetting whether it was real or not.

boy bobby long- um..as opposed to girl bobby long?

wife points- easy. buy her sam and marcus cds. duh.

sam conlan- wait. did we miss something?

bobby long fanfiction- yeah. not going there again. ever. 

drunk jason segel- is there any other kind?

marcus foster there- nope. he’s here. next to me.

marcus foster drunken fun- ::sigh:: i wish.

tracyvanhorne boob- james, is that you??

“bobby long” stripper- i…uh…what??

www mexican butt shack show .com- lili’s got bills to pay. don’t judge.

bobby long girlfriend fan fic- now you’re just being weird.

marcusclub- this is it! join us! we have shirts!

who makes marcus sport coat- hopefully not the peeps who make his pants. no? anyone?

creepy gifts for women- unless she’s your wife, anything that requires batteries is creepy.

greg holden nice hair- you spelled sam bradley wrong.

funny waffle quotes- wait, what?

canadian bands with xylophones- send me what you find. no really. 

bacon butty- mmmmmmmmmmmmm

when is marcus fosters bday- oh wait. that was us. cause we forgot. again. but no worries. we made him a card:

So there you have it. Just a small peek into the goodness that we see on our stats page everyday. It’s pretty much the only reason we keep this blog going. Well, I mean, other than the fact that we love Sam and Marcus. Obviously.

Marcus videos. For you. On a Saturday. You’re welcome.

It’s Saturday. Early Saturday for that matter. Some lucky few are still sleeping. Others are early risers and are already out and about doing awesome Saturday things like getting coffee and browsing in bookstores and taking instagram photos.

::sigh::

Either way, I am jealous. I am jealous because I am at work. But that doesn’t mean I can’t have my own fun, i.e. searching the interwebs for amazing stuff. Like this. But that’s another blog post for another blog.

It was only a matter of time before my fangirl subconcious took over and before I knew it, I was on YouTube searching for new Marcus vids. I feel like we haven’t seen him in a while. I mean, besides for this awesomeness. But that was only enough Marcus to whet my fangirl appetite. I need more. And I mean that in the most non-creepy-even-though-I-co-write-a-blog-about-a-him way. And it was like the fangirl gods heard my prayers and sent me to this YouTube channel. Or…I just googled Marcus Foster and they were the first to pop up. Whatevs.

So, long story longer…stop taking retro looking photos with your iphone and put down your chai latte and watch some Marcus vids with me, yeah?

Both videos are from Marcus’ recent set at the Crossing Border Festival this past Novemeber (courtesy of tomvdlinden’s YT channel).

Now…have you seen this yet? A fan, by the username Pascaline Piot, handpainted and then animated a video to Marcus’ Kiss Is A Knife. HAND PAINTED people. I mean…that’s pretty stinkin’ rad if you ask me. Please to be checking it out.

And one final thing for you to enjoy this fine Saturday morning– a new fansite. Well, it’s new to me. I just stumbled upon it last night and sent it to Amber with a “DOOD. Have you seen this?” Her response? “Duh. Where have you been? It’s awesome.” Yeah…I fail. But we all knew that already. So, if you are amenable to doing the tumblr thing, go forth and investigate the goodness that is the Marcus Foster Appreciation Blog :) . Because there aren’t NEARLY enough Marcus Foster appreciation blogs out there. I am serious.

In the Trust Tree: Sam and some guy named Marcus play a song…

So, yesterday, Amber confessed her jealousy over all those that got to see Sam (and a bit of Marcus) play in London. I was too depressed to be jealous.  So depressed that I didn’t watch all the vids. I just wept in a dark room and ate cookie dough out of the tube. Ok…not really. I mean, I wept and ate cookie dough but the lights were totally on.

Today was different though. I woke up and was like, okay. Enough sadpanda. Let’s see what I missed. So instead of working, I watched all of the vids that were posted from the show. Completely normal. And basically I fangirled and then joined Amber in her jealousy.

So what’s two jealous Sam bloggers to do when they miss an epic show??

Watch the vids while gchatting. Duh.

Now, I know you would all just love to read our inane witty banter over ALL the videos but let’s be real here– there’s only so much we can get away with at work. So we had to pick only one video to watch and chat. And, how could we NOT go with the Sam/Marcus song?? Yeah, we know. No brainer.

In case you were like me and not watching out of protest because you couldn’t be there or you just want to watch it again, here’s the vid:

source

And now, buckle up, and see if you can follow our crazy:

Where we don’t get far. At. All.

LiLi: ok…let me get the vid ready

alright

i’m ready

Amber: me too!

LiLi: k

GO

wait. pause

already

can i just say

the blazer

with the plaid

and the vee?

srsly…it WORKS

it’s like combining worlds

Amber: I KNOW!

exactly

it was probably a hot mofo with all those layers

but

worth.it.

at least for us

LiLi: and the lights

uh

yeah

totally

way to take one for the team sam

alright

sorry

had to get that out there

Amber: this blazer has our seal of approval

LiLi: LOL

Amber: SoS Approved!

LiLi: bwahahahaha

i was JUST typing that

#soulmates

Amber: of course!

LiLi: we should put it on a sticker and mail it to him

DM him for his address

Amber: on it….

or

can we just make a graphic

LiLi: BOO

lame

i need his address

Amber: then go through all concert photos and “stamp” them

LiLi: LMFAO

dood

that is birll

Amber: if there is no stamp

LiLi: or brill

maybe a bit of both

Amber: that means we do not approve

LiLi: LOL

Amber: and you should not wear it

ever

or at least in Dallas

LiLi: and we won’t have to have that awkward, uh, yeah, we don’t like this talk

or OKC

should he ever play there

Amber: YES!

still waiting on my date…

LiLi: ::fingers crossed::

Amber: as promised

Where we discuss Sam being adorb. And Fat. And some Marcus guy?

LiLi: ok

ready?

Amber: yes!

LiLi: k

i’m playing it

Amber: me too

LiLi: he’s just intro’d a guy named Marcus?

Amber: who?

LiLi: omg

sam is getting all serious

he’s being adorb

stop

but don’t

Amber: i know right

LiLi: OH

THAT marcus foster

Amber: even when he called himself fat

LiLi: LOL

please

Amber: that guy does looks familiar

LiLi: he’s filling out

Amber: i like when he is filled out

LiLi: as all old people do

fo sho

and ewwww

that was a bit creepy sounding

Amber: that’s why i love it

LiLi: LOL

Amber: oh marcus

drunk marcus

how i love thee

LiLi: did he just ask him if he was drunk?

Amber: yes!!

he did that half head shake that doesn’t really confirm

nor deny

LiLi: well played sir

Amber: which really just confirmed

LiLi: yeah yeah

y’all are all in london

keep whooping

whatevs

Amber: bitches

LiLi: not that i am bitter

at.all

Amber: i like how into it marcus is

he’s just always “feeling” the music

Where we prove, yet again, we are #1 fangirls.

LiLi: yep

this is a slower version, no?

Amber: it does seem slower

maybe without the full band it comes off that way

LiLi: or was it that way originally and then he sped it up for the album?

Amber: or maybe it’s for drunk marcus’ sake

LiLi: LOL

Amber: i can’t remember

LiLi: he’s like, no worries man…i’ll play really slow

Amber: there is a lot of foot kicking by sam

like he’s a ninja

LiLi: and a lot of bobbing and weaving from marcus

i wonder if that’s the music? or the alcohol?

ooooo

GET IT

Amber: get it marcus!

omg!!

LiLi: GET IT SAM

SHUT UP

Amber: BWAHAHAHAHA!!

man

LiLi: i’m glad my office doors are shut and the blinds are closed

Amber: they are IN TO IT!!

me too

LiLi: i am srsly fangirling in here

Amber: this would be awkward

LiLi: uh

Amber: whoa

WHOA!

LiLi: yeah

Amber: you guys

LiLi: srsly

Amber: stop

my heart

LiLi: my mouth just went dry

Amber: it can take no more

LiLi: OMG

that does it

Amber: scream it out!

LiLi: i’ve been killed

this shall be my last post

Where we cross a line. Big time.

Amber: please man hug

PLEASE

LiLi: DAMMIT.

Amber: NOOOOOOO!

LiLi: i needed a man hug

Amber: that would have made it perfect

LiLi: a hip to hip hug

Amber: sigh

yes

with the whispering

i love the whispering

LiLi: oooo

and maybe a head on the back of one’s head

wait…i need to stop

Amber: we may have crossed a line

LiLi: srsly

this is why no one is usually invited to our chats

slash

it’s inevitable that i am going to talk about it

Amber: lmao

LiLi: um

can we watch it again?

Amber: damn

i closed it

LiLi: i feel like i missed so much

BOOO

cause i blacked out there for a minute

Amber: hahahahahaha!

it was amazing

AMAZING

LiLi: srsly

Where we decide to plan Sam’s next tour. Including outfits.

LiLi: i need him to 1) come to dallas again

2) wear that outfit

and 3) sing Lights this EXACT way

and maybe…

Amber: with marcus?

LiLi: letmetouchhishair

uh

Amber: YES!

LiLi: duh

Amber: gah

the perfection of all of that

LiLi: he keeps messing with it

Amber: right?

LiLi: and it’s like a giant tease

Amber: tease

LiLi: like look

i can touch it all the time

and you can’t

whatevs

i’m over it

Amber: maybe he should wear the beanie then next dallas show

help you stay focused on the music

LiLi: come on now

please

that’s just as bad

i mean…

that’s like him coming out in only a white v-neck

Amber: the white v-neck

my kryptonite

i would die

DIE

LiLi: could you concentrate with him only wearing that?

EXACTLY

so

Amber: you would need to carry me out

LiLi: let’s revise

1) come to OKC

2) wear a beanie and white v-neck (and i guess pants)

3) sing Lights JUST LIKE THAT

Amber: pants optional

YES!

LiLi: aren’t they always?

Amber: I support both of those

mainly cause i would be there for both

of course

always optional

LiLi: alright

Dallas– blazer and hair touching

OKC– beanie and white v-neck

shall we write this down?

and maybe get it notarized?

Amber: yes

and yes

and then we’ll send it to sam

i’m sure he’ll dm me back any moment now with his addy

LiLi: cause that won’t be creepy

at.all.

LOL

Where we discuss bacon.

LiLi: OMG

watching again

and he’s there

there

at that moment

all INTENSE

Amber: the faces

omg

LiLi: GAH

Amber: i don’t think i can handle those faces WITH the eff me eyes

LiLi: water. i need water.

oh

that little voice quiver thingy at the end?

um

YES

Y

E

S

YES

Amber: bwahahahahahaha

i honestly am even MORE jealous of those in london

they get EVERYTHING

LiLi: fo REALS

sam. marcus. bacon butties

it’s not fair

Amber: BWAHAHAHA!

LiLi: i mean, i would die to watch them play while actually eating a bacon butty

but that’s neither here nor there

Amber: hahahahaahah

i don’t even know what that is

but you said bacon

so i am down

LiLi: LOL

And there you have it. Another installation of the Amber and LiLi in the Trust Tree.

Did you watch? What did you think? Did you blackout like I did? And what do you think of bacon sandwiches? Delish, no?

Sam Plays in London, and I am JEALOUS!

I am jealous. I mean, crazy jealous. So jealous that I actually decided to write a blog post in order to share with you all my jealous feelings in an acceptable outlet. Plus, I really miss blogging here and I need to get better about it.

Why am I jealous, you may be asking? Obviously it is because of Sam. And partly Marcus. But mainly Sam.

You see, Sam finally performed in London last night. (We made a deal with the London girls a long time ago that we would send Sam if they would send Marcus. We did our part. Still waiting on them to fulfill theirs. Greedy girls.)

And let me go ahead and state the obvious for you all… Sam killed it. I know, you already knew that.

One of our fave people ever, katieh101, was at the show and in true Katie fashion, she videoed the entire show, making it easy for all of us poor saps here in the states to enjoy Sam from far away. All of the vids are here, but I’ve gotta share with you my faves! (UPDATE! We had 4 more videos sent to us from Lynnee08! You can watch them here.)

I don’t know what I love more, the song or the AMAZING word vom (Or perhaps Sam’s Spew? Heh, see what I did there?), before the song. Really people. This is gold. GOLD.

I like Sam’s originals. But he can roll out a few good covers as well. This one here, yep, it’s one of my faves. You know how I love me a good, sappy love song.

OF COURSE, this happened and it was amazing. All it did was make me realize how I didn’t truly appreciate the one time I saw these two on stage before. I didn’t realize what I had then. Treasure this moment those of you who were there, cause these 2 on stage together is such a super rare, super awesome experience!

AND, I need to make a comment on something else. I can’t let this opportunity pass me by.

You may remember LiLi and I not giving the blazer the true appreciation it deserves. We are casual girls. T-shirts, jeans and hats (especially hats) are all we need to make us happy. Yesterday, as promised by Sam via Twitter, he rolled out the blazer again.

And I have to say… Sam, you are doing it right. You made this t-shirt and jeans girl love the blazer again. Maybe it was just the absence that made my heart grow fonder.

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