Summer is here and many people will be heading out on the road and in the skies to vacation somewhere splendiferous! I’ll be taking a trip soon (be prepared for posts about silos that look like boobs and the World’s Largest “enter object here”) and I figured I could give some advice on how to have a successful trip.

I haven’t been on an actual vacation since 19-skiddly-doo (that awkward period between the invention of the calendar and numbers being made up), so OF COURSE I am the right person to give travel tips.

Pack properly: you need your essentials- bath stuff, clothes, pills to ensure you don’t get diarrhea after accidentally eating dairy. Ya know, the important stuff. You can find MANY ways to pack, but I think the best way to pack is to do so lightly. Thin shirts, one extra pair of jeans, one extra pair of shoes, and a Nintendo 3DS. By the way, another important part of packing is getting distracted from that packing due to the new Animal Crossing. Packing can wait when you have important business like this to handle:

After your battery dies, you can get back to packing whatever it is you were packing. Just go ahead and pack extra underwear. I’m sure everything will work itself out.

Learn the Hobo Code: This is an actual thing and not just something that was briefly featured on Mad Men. Along with these rules HERE, it is also good to know the actual drawings, or Hobo Hieroglyphics, which tell you where there’s good food and honest people:

(source) 

Try to remember this old spiritual that I just made up:

Mmm, if you’re gonna be travelin’ on the road
Remember the importance of the Hobo Code…

So, yes. Remember this made up song reminding you to remember the Hobo Code.

Make sure to clean before leaving: those dishes will stink more when you return than when you left. Plus, you don’t need a bacteria colony starting its own civilization in your sink. Trust me, if you want to avoid smells and possible overloads made up of old pieces of eggs…Do. Your. Dishes.

Oh, yes. Actual traveling: Have fun! Have music! Try making up new games like Count the Stressed Out Parents at Rest Stops. Have good company! And be safe, courteous to others, and get as many naps as possible. Finally, if you see a bear in an overcoat do NOT pull over and give it a lift. It just wants your snacks.

It's crazy to think that Grouplove were just an up and coming band when they played one of our acoustic shows. Now, they're getting ready to embark on a tour, with a new album, AND a new video. 

Grouplove's next album Spreading Rumors is out on September 17th, BUT you can pre-order it now- just click HERE for more info! Here's the video to go along with their new single, "Ways to Go."

I LOVE this video! And not just because of Hannah's awesome skeleton leotard. 

One day, when I finally have the chance to do it, I will take a picture of the animatronic at Disneyland that looks like him. In the meantime, it's nice to know that Serj Tankian is staying busy!

First off, dude's painting. I like the beginning of this video because it was almost like he did a Troy McClure "Oh Hello." 

He also sat down in an interview recently and discussed his solo work and the future of System of a Down. Via Artist Direct:

ORCA and Jazz-iz Christ are definitely their own respective animals.

I've been working on ORCA for many years. I started working on it when I was making Imperfect Harmonies. In fact, I wrote the first two acts while working on Imperfect Harmonies by accident. We developed it into a symphony, and we recorded it live in Austria with an amazing orchestra there. We had the demos before that. We spent a lot of time perfecting that and changing modulations and re-demoing. It's a big work. We did a successful Kickstarter campaign last year to help with that live event. We're going to be doing a bunch of shows in Europe starting in Kiev as well as some Russian and Italian dates. Then, we'll do Poland, Helsinki, and some more. We're going all over the place in September and October after the System of a Down European tour in August.

What does System of a Down mean to you in 2013?

First and foremost, they're my partners and friends I've created this music and career with over these years. I'm still very thankful. To me, it's what I've done. It's where I've come in. It's something I enjoy doing. We started touring again three years ago for good purpose. I think we missed being a part of that together. Of course, we have a lot of fans and people interested in getting a record sooner rather than later. Things take time though. Everyone has a life and has to have the right frame of mind to make a record at the same time. Jazz-iz Christ and Orca will be my fifth and sixth solo records in seven years. I've been touring with System, The FCC, and orchestras around the world. I haven't stopped. There hasn't been much time-off. I want to make sure I have time for myself and my family. Only the four of us can decide what System means. I know the fans agree that's what System is, and that's amazing.

You can read the rest of the article HERE and check out some of Serj's latest stuff down below:

Jimmy Eat World is absolutely one of those bands that brings up memories of my younger years. Between listening to them as I did stupid things and getting the chance to play ping pong with them (what a hilarious and awkward time that was!), they are just one of those bands I will never grow out of. They're like old friends that I don't get to talk to much, but when we do...it's magic. 

They've got a new album called Damages out now! You can stream the album at http://damage.jimmyeatworld.com/ and THEN go purchase it! Really, really, really good to hear from these guys again! 

With the album now out, so is a slew of tour dates. These include:

9/21 Santa Cruz, CA – The Catalyst

9/22 San Francisco – Warfield Theatre

9/24 San Luis Obispo – SLO Brew

9/25 Las Vegas – House of Blues

9/27 Fresno, CA – Star Palace Ballroom

9/28 Los Angeles – Hollywood Palladium

Fresno AND L.A.? I may have to go visit my pals soon. 

Get more info on the band at http://jimmyeatworld.com/ and check out a glimpse into the making of their new album:

They've got a new album called Connect out on July 16th and it includes this song! This song is labeled as "explicit," but I am certain it's a word that most of us have heard at some point, especially if your name is Richard.

Thursday's Retro Show is one that is very close to my heart: it's dedicated to some of the women who paved the way and made a huge impact in the world of music. If you wanna hear anyone in particular, let me know HERE, HERE  and HERE. Teenage Robin would have been lost without some of these bands and artists:

Especially this band.

And seriously, these girls are still massively important to me. The video quality is meh, but the sound of TLC live? Holy crap. I still get the chills.

Tourin', actually. With the release of their song "Came Back Haunted" and news of an upcoming album, it's a little surprising to see members of Nine Inch Nails walking away. I'm wondering if both Eric Avery and guitarist Adrian Belew were losing their minds over ALL of the tour stops Nine Inch Nails are yet to make. Belew is the latest to leave the band and posted this message on Facebook saying "it didn't work." I'm sure it won't be hard to find a new guitarist since it was simple for Trent to quickly fill the gap that Avery left.

Band departures be damned, Nine Inch Nails will keep touring! I'd love it if we could get them in town, but I will still settle for L.A. (or even a Fresno show again!). Here are some relevant Nine Inch Nails tour dates: 

August 2-4 - Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza

August 9-11 - San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands

August 31 - September 1 - Philadelphia, PA @ Made in America Festival

November 8 - Los Angeles, CA @ Staples Center 

November 9 - Phoenix, AZ @ US Airways Center 

November 11 - El Paso, TX @ Don Haskins Center 

November 13 - Broomfield, CO @ 1st Bank Center 

November 15 - Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint 

November 16 - Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint 

November 18 - Portland, OR @ Rose Garden Arena

November 19 - Spokane, WA @ Spokane Arena 

Also, have ya seen the album art for Hesitation Marks? It tells me that Trent Reznor took up fly fishing and painting as hobbies while working on the album.

They're so good, they were asked to come back a second night in a row. Yes.