Jenay Ross' Blog

Bear Attack released its official music video for its single "The Backpack Song" today in all of its earthy goodness.

Between a hike through the wilderness, pretty crystals and a waterfall, it makes you want to escape from the confines of your workspace to explore the great outdoors. The band's whimsical journey together in the video is a great representation of the strong bond they have as a band and as friends.  

"The Backpack Song", off of the band's debut EP Shapes, was featured on ABC Family's The Pretty Little Liars and continues to be a fan favorite at the band's shows. I'm looking forward to see how they further break into the indie music circuit. 

My clothing brand's spring collection was released today on the revamped Hours Lost online store! Check out the lookbook I designed. It has the added bonus of articles about the models and photographer!

"If you don't start somewhere, you won't go anywhere."

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To quote 500 Days of Summer, "This is a story of boy meets girl, but you should know upfront, this is not a love story." Philip Labes' song "Valentine's Day" featuring Natalie Angiuli isn't an anti-VDay song, but it's not focused on roses, chocolate and cliche one-liners either. This duo collaborated on an adorable and quirky tune, written by Philip, about spending time with someone without labeling them as their valentine. 

My favorite part is at 2:36 (but I won't spoil it for you, so you'll have to watch to see why!)

Who will be your "non-valentine"?

Share your opinions about the song!

Vans Girl Amanda announced an awesome contest and collaboration that involves one of my favorite artists, Charlavail! If you've ever seen me in person, you probably saw a sugar skull chilling in my hair. Well, it's one of Charlavail's signature pieces!

Now she's teaming up with Vans. For the next 8 weeks, 11 people each week will be the winners of a sticker sheet, t-shirt and patches designed by Charlavail and 1 lucky champ will also receive a pair of hand painted Vans Classics from her!

Learn more by watching this video:

Who wants to win?

Go to Facebook to enter the contest.

Put on your secondhand high waisted shorts and your grandpa sweater, because Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' recent success calls for a celebration.

Their single 'Thrift Shop' from their debut album The Heist has continued to be the talk of the town by climbing the iTunes and Billboard charts. "Thrift Shop" has reached platinum level, which means at least 1 million singles have been sold. 

Here's what Ryan said on Instagram: 

"Today was crazy. I woke up to find out Thrift Shop went Platinum. I’m grateful and in disbelief how much our fans have gone above and beyond, spreading our music and supporting us since the beginning. Going platinum as an independent artist simply doesn’t happen unless your fans make it happen, and I’m constantly reminded how blessed we are to have the fans we do. I was surprised today with a nice card, some champagne and a good bottle of whiskey (my favorite) reminding me to just stop and celebrate for a second. My glass is raised #SFG."

Congratulations to this dynamic duo! 

Besides eating a lot of chocolate and downing caffeine, the only other thing that gets me through studying for finals is listening to music. Many of you are nearing the end of your school semesters and quarters, so I created a couple playlists to get you through the next couple of weeks!

Study Time Playlist:

Break Time Playlist:

Remember to take breaks and good luck!

What do you listen to when you study?

I've kept a close eye on the indie-folk band Monsters Calling Home throughout 2012 and I'm sitting at the edge of my seat, waiting for them to become the next big thing.

I was introduced to MCH's music in February, when I had a merch booth for my clothing line at a benefit concert held in a Torrance high school gym. (You have to start somewhere, right?) When they first stepped on stage, I was intrigued by how genuine their music felt. Between their group harmonies and soaring violin sections, MCH provokes a sense of peace that complements their lyrics about struggle.

Since their high school gym gig, they have played small venues in the Los Angeles area, opened for Anberlin in June and performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Last night, Monsters Calling Home, who just announced their name change to Run River North, headlined a sold-out show at the Troubadour with folk band Baywood.

All of these accomplishments, including releasing a self-titled EP, are rapidly building their career as a band, which started only a year and a half ago.

Here's a live video of Run River North's new song "Beetle":

Are you a fan of Monsters Calling Home?

Do you like their new name?

Shiny Toy Guns will be streaming an exclusive acoustic show through Stageit.com on Dec. 12 and tickets are limited! Five songs will be performed completely live and equipped with a special L.E.D. light show. To make it extra special for the people who buy tickets, the performance won't be recorded or aired again.

Last week was filled with other Shiny Toy Gun exclusives.

Guitar Center released a podcast, hosted by Nic Harcourt, where the band talked about their history and performed raw acoustic versions of "Waiting Alone", "Somewhere to Hide" and "You Are The One" from their latest album III. You can listen to the podcast here.

MTVU also premiered the band's new music video for their single "Somewhere To Hide". Lead singer Carah Faye looks fierce and I absolutely love her voice. I'm also in love with how tasteful the synth is. It's the perfect amount to get you grooving.

Are you going to attend their exclusive online show?

Do you like the new music video?

The 55th GRAMMY Awards slogan has officially been revealed. This year's campaign is "#The World Is Listening."

Make sure to find out who will be nominated for 2013 GRAMMY awards! CBS will be airing the GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live! show on Dec. 5 at 11 p.m. (ET/PT) and 9 p.m. (Central). Taylor Swift and LL Cool J will be co-hosting!

What are you listening to?

Who do you want to be nominated?

Felix Cartal, a Canadian electronic music producer and DJ, is now streaming his new single "No Sleep", which features singer-songwriter Natalie Angiuli.

The track Felix created is bright and full of high-energy. It's a great contrast to what I'd like to call Natalie's "calm before the storm" vocal part. In my head, I envision people jumping around, dancing hard and having a good time.

On his blog, Felix said, "It features the amazing vocals of Natalie Angiuli, who was a pleasure to write with and work with in the studio. We wrote all the vocal melodies and lyrics together, a proper collab."

"No Sleep" can be pre-ordered on iTunes and will be available for download on Dec. 4!

In the past, Felix collaborated with a few other artists, such as Maja Ivarsson of The Sounds and Johnny Whitney of The Blood Brothers.

Do you think these collaborations work?

Are you a fan of EDM?