InSensical Things to Do in Summer '08

Be bored no more!

(1) Enroll in Trapeze School.

Ever want to fly high? Well, now you can do just that.



If you're in NYC, Baltimore, Boston, or LA, check out trapezeschool.com. Hurry. Classes fill up quickly.

(2) Perfect your IJ skills.

You're probably thinking, "What's an IJ?" An IJ is an iPod DJ. Here's how to become one.

- Get an iPod.
- Learn how to use it.
- Create hot playlists.
- Convince people to hire you to IJ their events. (Yes, you can actually get paid for this.)



A relative of a friend did this. You would be surprised how many people don't know how to use an iPod, let alone create a playlist.

(3) Walk runways before models do.

A few weeks before fashion week starts, head to NYC's Bryant Park and watch workers set up the runways many a model will be trecking on. If you're lucky enough, you may be able to walk the runways before models do. And of course you must take pictures and send them to us for postage!



(4) Go to AST Dew Tour stops.

Want to get Ryan Sheckler's autograph? Check him out at Dew Tour Stops in Baltimore (June 19-22), Cleveland (July 17-20), Portland (August 21-24), Salt Lake City (Sept. 11-14), and Orlando (October 16-19).

Go to astdewtour.com to find out more.



(5) Create mosh pits.

What better place to do this than at the MySpace generation's version of Woodstock, the Vans Warped Tour.

Go to warpedtour.com for more.



(6) Take a trip to the Woodstock Museum.

Before Warped Tour, Coachella, and Bamboozle, there was Woodstock. If you're feeling nostalgic for the famed music festival, head to the new Woodstock exhibit in Bethel Woods, NY. Go to bethelwoodscenter.org/museum for details.



(7) Get InSense on TV!

Tired of bad E! reality shows (i.e. Denise Richards and the Lohans)? Here's our solution:
- complain to the network
- bombard them with emails about making InSense a show



Problem solved. (See what happens when InSense rules the world?)

(8) Get cooked vending machine food.

Do you remember that scene in Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift when the guy and the girl go to that vending machine place and there's actual cooked food in it? Did you ever wish you could get that in America? Well, now you can. BAMN! on 37 St. Mark's Place in NYC allows you to get everything from mac & cheese to hot dogs and corn dogs. If you're spending summer in the city, swing on by.

Go to bamnfood.com for more.




(9) Free concerts in Central Park!

Who says you can't find free things to do in the city? We don't. During the summer, Central Park's Summer Stage concert series puts on free concerts. Past performers include Citizen Cope, The Apples in Stereo, and Seu Jorge. This year the stage will see the likes of Santogold, Vampire Weekend, and Kid Cudi. Check out summerstage.com for more.



(10) More free concerts!

If Central Park crowds aren't your thing, head to Rye Playland right off the I95 (NY exit 19). Past performers include Lifehouse, Bowling for Soup, The Plain White T's, and Teddy Geiger. Head to ryeplayland.org to see the list of performers. (This year's performers won't be posted until July 18.)

Guilty Pleasures: Music

Hey, Jynx here. As I am on my summer vacation and have lots of time on my hands, I thought I could come up with a guilty pleasures list of some of the songs I’ve seen on T.V. I’ve narrowed down my list to six songs, because I cannot remember any others and because I usually only listen to decent music. :p

Here’s my list starting from 6 to the number 1 guilty pleasure song:

6. Leave Out All the Rest - by Linkin Park

I never liked this band, but they have had a few songs that I’ve liked. Leave Out All the Rest would definitely be included in the ones that I do enjoy, and plus the video is pretty cool too. However, I think the real reason I like this song is because it reminds me of a ballad by Tokio Hotel, but I digress.

5. Coconut Juice - by Tyga

Despite the fact that I dislike any hip-hop, rap, r&b, etc…I cannot deny that some songs are quite catchy, including this one. If it came on T.V., I would probably listen to it for a few minutes before changing the channel as opposed to grunting in disgust as I usually do to hip hop songs.

4. Touch My Body - by Mariah Carey

Funny video that compliments the ever catchy and amusing song that you cant help but listen to. Touch My Body would make any immature high school teen boy sing along in perverted glee - as my brother has informed me.

3. Outta My Head - by Ashlee Simpson

I always hated Ashlee- aka Mrs. Wentz. All of her songs have been guilty pleasures aimed at young girls to make them feel more hardcore than they actually are, and this song is no exception. But before I start too much controversy, I must give lots of props to the awesomeness of the video.

2. Our Song - by Taylor Swift

This song and video is just oozing with cuteness and adorableness. Ms. Swift has an angelic voice and in her video, she seems as if she is the princess of country/pop music. The lyrics are cleverly made and I’m sure that girls in love will take great delight in the song. And the whole thing is almost enough to make me vomit, but instead I feel myself compelled to listen.


1. Shake It - by Metro Station

And here we go, my number one guilty pleasure that I cannot deny no matter how hard I try. This song is so catchy that it has received non-stop airplay on both the radio and television. But can I really hate a band just because Mylie Cyrus’ brother is in it? I should really give them a proper listen to before I rip them apart.

-Fin!

From Departing to Singing, Dancing, and Stealing Things

I had originally planned to post a review of Jesse McCartney’s new album Departure. I wrote a play by play of every track and selected my favorites. A couple hours later I said, “F this!” I had been playing the first four songs of Jason Mraz’s We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. on repeat, and I couldn’t get them out of my head.

While McCartney makes an attempt at Justin Timberlake-esque sex pop, the album is more of a lackluster Chris Brown album. The first single “Leavin” is good. It’s catchy and appeals to an audience ranging from teenyboppers to twenty-somethings and over. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the rest of the album. As a mass communications major, I tried to figure out which audience Departure attempted to target, but I’m still unsure.

Although McCartney’s vocals are solid for the most part, there are too many highs and lows in tempo and song quality. McCartney should have spent more time perfecting his album than perfecting his J Date profile. It’s almost hard to believe that this is the same person who wrote Leona Lewis’ knockout debut single “Bleeding Love.”

Zac Efron, you have nothing to worry about. You will not be dethroned as king of the teenyboppers.

If you would still like to support J Mac’s 3rd album, the best tracks to download are “Leavin,” “Make Up,” “Relapse,” and “Not Your Enemy.”

Now on to the more mature sounding J.M. …

We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. has great summer energy. Unlike Departure, it’s well put together. Mraz blends elements of pop, jazz, soul, funk, rock, and trace elements of Jamiroquai-esque dance seamlessly on his 3rd studio album. You can’t help but sing along, dance, and smile as Mraz steals your heart track after track.

Mraz’s vocals are perfect. They’re as breezy and soothing as the music in each song.

The first single “I’m Yours” has been a big hit since 2005. “Lucky,” a duet featuring “Bubbly” singer Colbie Caillat, has also been the subject of online buzz in recent weeks. Hopefully that will soon be a single. It’s the perfect song for a summer beach wedding (in case you’re still looking for one).

Mraz’s sound has definitely evolved over the years. He may be a geek in the pink no more, but he still has the remedy for the perfect summer soundtrack.

For more Mraz, catch him on a worldwide tour throughout the summer.

Top Tracks: Sorry, don’t have any. Guess you’ll have to buy the whole thing. Worth every penny, trust me! ;-D

SCREAM for Tokio Hotel

If you have not heard of the German band Tokio Hotel, you definitely should. They have been the biggest growing sensation in Europe for the past couple of years now, and are the biggest band to come out of Germany in about 20 years. Now that they have dominated Europe, they are currently working to get recognized in America. Their hit song Ready Set Go has been receiving much airplay by both MTV and FUSE. And the ballad By Your Side is also featured in the horror movie Prom Night.
The English album, Scream, was recently released and is comprised of 13 songs from their two German albums; it also features two exclusive songs - 1000 Oceans and Durch Den Monsun. The songs consist of beautiful, catchy melodies and ballads. The lyrics contain positive messages that stress the listeners to “live on” even in times of bleak hope. The song Don’t Jump, for example, addresses the issue of teen suicide - “Just take my hand and give it a chance, don’t Jump.” There are, of course, the harder rock songs for you mosh pit lovers such as Break Away. And the song Scream, which the album is named after, will make any adolescent teen want to rebel.
Part of the appeal of Tokio Hotel comes from the charismatic, androgynous front man Bill Kaulitz. His bubbly personality and Gothic/Top Model looks demand that everyone give their undivided attention to him. His twin brother, Tom Kaulitz (guitar), however, differs drastically from his brother in both style and personality. Tom leans toward the Hip Hop scene and is never too modest to boast of his experience with the ladies or of how awesome he is. Then, of course, there are the other two crucial band members - Gustav, the drummer, and Georg, the bass player. Put them all together and they form the wonder and fandemonium that is Tokio Hotel.


Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/tokiohotel

Rolling Stone Interview with Tokio Hotel

Tired of Being Prim and Proper? Want to Be in the Know?

Do you find magazines like Vogue and Elle trite and boring? Are you more of a Nylon or MissBehave girl? If you answered "yes" to both questions, I have something for you and as a bonus, it's free!

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On April 1st a new free online magazine launched. It's called prim. In the first issue page 7 reads prim's motto: "We're Not Prim And We're Not Proper. Get Over It." Well said.

Read the first issue while it's hot. The second issue debuts on June 1st.
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Also be sure to check out prim's MySpace: myspace.com/thisisitmagazine

How It All Started::

• In the beginning, there was Jynx circa June '88. Next came Ace in August '88. Then came Math 143 with Krishnan in August '06. That's where the dynamic duo initially met.
• One year later as they trekked somewhere between Amend and the library, Ace said, "incense," Jynx was all, "Eureka!" and incense became InSense.
• The collaboration was not complete. The duo needed an international sex symbol. That I.S.S. was Johnny, a sandy-haired boy with a band, a great set of abs, and a dragonfly tattoo. The band was born, but they never struck a note.
• Almost one year later, Ace said, "Hey, let's make this a blog." Jynx agreed. Finally InSenseRocks.blogspot.com was born.

Enjoy ♥!
InSense Rocks!

A Work In Progress ...

... stay tuned.