Since I'm getting excited for my big road trip to New Orleans, I figured I'd share a little music from one of my favorite groups that I'll be seeing.  Here's the video for "I'll Be Alright" by Passion Pit, off of their latest album, Gossamer. Enjoy!

It's 8:30 on a Wednesday evening, and I'm curled up in my comfiest pjs, listening to the slow, haunting melodies of "Burst Apart" by The Antlers while sipping a glass of red wine. Mmmm. The perfect calm, comfortable night.  As content as I may be right now, in less than 48 hours, I will be pulling a complete 180 from my current situation.  I'll be out and about in one of the loudest partying cities in the country, immersed in culture, music, and maybe a little mayhem.

                                                                                        I. can. not. wait.

That's right, folks--the 2013 music festival season is upon us!  For those of you who know me personally (or even those of you who don't and actually took the time to read a little about me--thank you for that, by the way. *blushes*), you know that there is only one thing I enjoy as much as--if not more than--writing: live music.  Concerts and festivals fill up nearly every one of my vacation days from work, and this year looks to be my biggest yet!  While I've already got tickets to some great Atlanta shows lined up (including acts like Sound Tribe Sector Nine, Beats Antique, Jenny Lewis, and The Postal Service, to name a few), I'm breaking my previous record for number of festivals attended in a year.  While I normally only go to two or three at the most, I've already got tickets in hand for four--and the first is this weekend!
 
Tomorrow evening, I'll be pulling an overnight, six-hour drive from Atlanta to New Orleans for the Buku Music+ Art Project, a two-night music and arts festival on the riverfront and in the surrounding buildings--including a stage in the middle of the Mardi Gras World float warehouse! The highlight acts for me at the fest: Icona Pop, Passion Pit, Hundred Waters, Big Gigantic, Brassft Punk, and Calvin Harris. I can't wait to experience an eclectic mix of electronic djs, synth pop, and loud brass, all set in the backdrop of such a culturally rich city.

Earlier this evening, while packing for this latest adventure, I got to thinking about what my characters would do if they were going along with me on a road trip to the Big Easy.  Would Ame and Kat get down on Bourbon Street?  Would they let Bronwyn tag along and maybe even sneak her a couple of frozen mixed drinks?  Would Bryce play babysitter and keep the girls out of trouble and away from pick-pockets, or would he duck away to the closest dive bar for some blues and booze?  Personally, I think Ame would be chomping at the bit to hear Brassft Punk, an all-brass Daft Punk tribute band.  She'd use her business savvy and music industry connections to snag an extra Buku Fest wrist band or four, and she'd get the whole gang backstage to hang out with Kid Cudi or Primus.

I think a great exercise for any writer is to mentally take your characters with you wherever you go. I don't mean in a schizophrenic "I've got seven voices in my head" kind of way--I just mean that, even if you've written a standalone novel and you plan to never ever write about those characters again, there's still no harm in imagining them being in on your road trips, holiday parties, or concert experiences.  Sometimes letting your imagination play out a situation with old characters in new scenery can open a Pandora's box of ideas for a series--or even for new stories with all-new, completely different characters. 

So this weekend, while I'm living it up in the French Quarter, dancing to Passion Pit's "Little Secrets" on the riverfront, re-enacting that famous season 2 dance/singalong rave scene from HBO's "Girls" during Icona Pop's performance of "I Love It,"  or nursing my Sunday morning hangover with Bloody Mary's and beignets, I'll be bringing Ame, Kat & the Castle Rock crew along for the ride.  Who knows?  Maybe I'll be so inspired that I'll include a trip to NOLA in one of their future adventures ;)

Have you ever imagined characters from a book (either your own book or one by your favorite author) were on a vacation with you? 

What book/what characters?

Authors--did any new novels result from your adventures?

Readers--what fun things do you imagine your favorite book characters would do if they'd gone along for the ride on your most recent road trip?

What good is a mystery in the music industry without a little music?  Click on the links below to find out what the staff of Castle Rock is listening to, and don't forget to check out "Murder At Castle Rock" next month!  Subscribe to your favorite staffer's list on your own Spotify to enjoy these often updated playlists!

Music & mystery fan?  What songs do you like on these mixes, and what songs do you think the staffers should be jamming to?