Two new artists I fell madly in love with this week are Jinja Safari and US Royalty.

My friend Alex showed me Jinja Safari’s music video the other day. It’s Peter Pan meets Where The WIld Things Are. Inspiring, playful, adventurous, simple, and beautiful. It makes you want to become a vagabond and disappear into the wilderness. The band is Australian and VERY new, I’m pretty positive they’ve only played a few shows. So jump on this band wagon now.

I randomly came across this commercial for Gant Rugger’s new line. Don’t ask me why I was browsing men’s clothing lines….okay, fine…the boys are absolutely gorgeous. Oops. Anyway, regardless, the song playing on this commercial is absolutely fantastic, something I have never heard before. After a little research, I discovered it was this band called US Royalty. However, the song hasn’t been released, so I guess I HAVE to watch the commercial every time I want to hear the song. Damn.

So, listen to these bands and tell them I sent you. They both have Twitters : @jinjasafari and @usroyalty.

Until then,
JV

Question of the day : what is your new favorite band as of late?

Must be 18 or older.
Must live in Los Angeles and have their own transportation to the Los Feliz area.
Must be available 8-10 hours a week, flexible hours, M-F.
You will be handling customer service, internet marketing & PR, etc.

If you are interested, e-mail jobs@jacvanek.com with your name, age, facebook link, and resume.
Not gonna lie, the JV crew is pretty awesome. Very laid back, quirky, and somewhat unconventional, but we get the job done and do it well. We are looking for some personalities to fit!

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments and I’ll get back to you.

Can’t wait to hear from you guys!
JV

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/38952352#38952352

Love your #1 Beiber Babe,
JV

xx,
jv

It’s the innocence. It’s the nostalgia. It’s the blind faith and the unwavering hope that this world is good. It’s your toes in the sand and your head in the clouds. It’s standing on the edge of morning. It’s driving down PCH for the very first time and thinking you might fly. It’s the goosebumps. It’s your heart trying to explode out of your chest. It’s your first kiss. It’s the music that makes you feel something. It’s the music that makes you feel alive.

The past 48 hours have been a much needed mini-vacation down to San Diego and Anaheim to see the number one band in my life : Something Corporate. If you know the first thing about me, you know how in love I am with this band. How in love I have ALWAYS been with this band. How in love I will always be with this band. Andrew McMahon has been the most prevalent, heavy inspiration for me for the past ten years straight. And I can honestly say I wouldn’t be the same person without Something Corporate. They are the one band that introduced me to…music. And since that moment, my heart was never the same again.

We are going to our third show tonight in LA, which is the last show of the tour, and possibly the last show of Something Corporate all together? All I know is that I am so incredibly lucky and thankful for being able to see them six times this year. I have been waiting five years since they broke up for it.

Question of the day : what is the one band who shaped your life completely?

I would like to introduce you to “BUNK WARS”. This phenomena occurs in the middle of the night, when one bus mate decides to attack another bus mate without warning, preferably when the latter bus mate is in a deep slumber. This will awake multiple other bus mates, who will respond by screaming obscenities to the participants or just simply cursing to themselves. A successful bunk war will recruit other bus mates to participate in the fight, sometimes against their own will. A bunk war will last until one participant gives up. The winner wins nothing. That is all.

HOME. I am home. It has been a long, adventurous four months on the road. Traveling is my drug; I crave it daily. But sometimes sleeping in a bunk (coffin) every night makes you miss your room, your haven, your lair. There really is nothing like waking up in your own bed, in your own room, with your own stuff. And I think my room carries my personality pretty well. What do you think?

Nicole and I are re-moving into our apartment, and it’s time to give it a little face lift. Enter – paint! We painted one wall of our kitchen with chalkboard paint, and we are doing our living room a sky blue. And tomorrow is the flea market, so that means we will be buying every awesome trinket, painting, item of furniture, book, or record available. We have to fill the four month gap of not being able to go! I’ll update you with our findings.

Question of the day : if you could travel anywhere with anyone, what would it be and who would it be with?

You can read the full article here.

JV

It all started off with the annual Warped Tour dance party. My very own Nicole Buckley was in the final running, and I couldn’t be more proud of that rump shakin. But, the number one dance of the night involved Metal Mike, jugs of water all over naked bodies, and complete dirty bumping and grinding. I have a video for proof / blackmail on my phone, but I may or may not get arrested for posting it online.

We return to the buses around midnight to find a band called Larry and His Flask playing outside. Now, I am not exaggerating when I tell you that my jaw DROPPED to the floor within a minute of watching this band. UNREAL. Think of a raunchy Mumford & Sons on crack. Yes, I’m serious. They’re unsigned and pretty unknown as of now, so be the first to say “I told you so” to your friends, because this band is going to melt faces. Here is a 30 second clip I caught.

After the epic show, the Invisible Children boys, some of the Hey Monday crew and I climbed up this MASSIVE mountain next to the venue. The boys have this thing called “Adventure Club” where everyone has to explore and adventure at every opportunity. Obviously I had to jump on. This is me feeling pretty alive.

We end the night with good conversation and endless bonding. My friends are golden.

Annnnnnnd, I leave you with this video I found of us hitch-hiking a ride on a golf cart to the Mustachio Bashio the other night. We. Are. Ridiculous.

Question of the day : what has been your favorite memory of this summer so far?

Keep it real,
JV

One of my dear friends Chelsea Staub was out on Warped visiting her boo for the past week, and all the girls (plus Brian) had a glorious time. My people are the misfits.

So, we only have a week or so left on the tour, which is always so bittersweet to me. It’s always the strangest feeling going from living with 12 people in a tour bus to moving into an apartment with one room mate. Going from constantly being surrounded by people, music, and parties to actually having to consciously make plans to hang out. Going from a multitude of distractions to none. I’m a bit nervous to see where my mind is at once I’m alone…I’ll probably sit at my typewriter and write for hours on end. But I’m also so excited to finally be in a productive routine at home.

Question of the day : its that time of year…BACK TO SCHOOL TIME, KIDDOS! What grade are you entering this year? What trends are you going to bring to your school?

See you at the beach!
JV