- Continue Shopping
- Your Cart is Empty
7 MUSICIANS YOU NEED TO FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM
While most celebs are on Instagram, only a choice few really do it right. Below, you’ll find that each of these 7 musicians have a next-level Insta game.
1. WAYNE COYNE | @WAYNECOYNE5
Wayne Coyne and The Flaming Lips have managed to stay relevant through a combination of being willing to take risks and, moreover, just being down for experimenting with weird ideas. Having co-produced Miley’s last album, they’ve stayed busy of late, and Coyne’s IG easily reflects this. And seeing as this account is coming straight from The Flaming Lips’ frontman, it’s about as eclectic as you’d expect—behind-the-scenes jam sessions, bombastic stage performance videos, travel photos, trippy lizards, and Miley being Miley.
2. QUESTLOVE | @QUESTLOVE
Many of you know him as the drummer for celebrated, legendary hip hop act, The Roots. Many more now know him from The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon. Regardless of when you were first introduced to Questlove, though, you’ve likely always gotten the vibe that he’s a chill dude. Which is why you should definitely check out Good Guy Questlove’s IG. There’s a wonderful, refreshing honesty to his Instagram—he’ll post videos addressing his audience directly, frequently share clips of the music that influenced his career, and more.
3. NIALL HORAN | @NIALLHORAN
1D’s Niall Horan has blown up thanks to the success of his radio hit, “Slow Hands”—we like to think it’s because we covered it in our “Summer 2017 Playlist” article (you’re welcome)—and his Instagram has blown up, too. It’s a fun-loving visual romp through Niall’s life, including a ton of awesome times with friends and fans. Good-natured stuff, and a legit glimpse into his personal life.
4. LUDACRIS | @LUDACRIS
Luda is a ridiculously prolific IGer. As many as 10 posts a day? He’s good for it. The rapper will take you everywhere with him—backstage at shows, on Parisian vacations, touring his sick car collection, and even hanging with Dave Chapelle. Oh, and don’t forget… bowling at McDonalds? (See above)
5. DEMI LOVATO | @DDLOVATO
Aside from being an extremely prolific poster, you can count on Lovato to bring the heat on the reg. Some absolutely stunning snaps here, including both professional photography/videography and selfies.
6. DRAKE | @CHAMPAGNEPAPI
Sure, it’s an obvious choice, but how can you leave Champagne Papi off? Well, you can’t—particularly when his Insta game is this strong. Get ready for celeb cameo after celeb cameo, because Drizzy often posts a couple dozen times a week. Now that the Meek Mill feud died down, guess he actually has a little extra time on his hands.
7. ED SHEERHAN | @TEDDYSPHOTOS
Fishing in Charleston, hanging at Hooters, and featuring cameos by Dj Khaled and Chance the Rapper, there’s a little something for everyone here.
BURNING MAN
Naked skydiving! (More on that in a minute—just a teaser.)
A special “Burning Man Edition” in honor of the Burning Man 2017 festival, which raged in Black Rock Desert, NV recently from Aug. 27 - Sept. 4.
For the uninitiated, Burning Man is an annual event held since 1986. An experiment in art and community, it’s all about self-expression—essentially everything you see at the festival each year is constructed by the attendees.
For 2017, the central art theme was “radical ritual.” From the official site:
“…we will invite participants to create interactive rites, ritual processions, elaborate images, shrines, icons, temples, and visions.”
Of course, other stuff happened, too, like participants drinking breast milk lattes. Fair enough, we suppose.
More importantly, Blenders influencer and all-around cool ass dude, Morgan Oliver, and his stellar girlfriend Grace Erickson were on hand to drink it all in (figuratively… no idea if they partook in the breast milk lattes.)
Both California-bred, the two looked like they had a lot of fun. Like, naked skydiving-type fun. Read on:
1. CYCLING’S BETTER WITH A PAL
The buddy system is important!
2. ACTUALLY, IT’S BETTER WITH A WHOLE SQUAD
The desert backdrop of Black Rock combined with that gnarly, dystopian-esque car art give off some wicked Mad Max vibes, don’t they?
3. JUST YOUR EVERYDAY SAND STORM
Grace and Morgan got caught in an insane sand storm on the second day of the festival. Grace couldn’t even see her hands in front of her face at the storm’s peak. This could have been the end for our dynamic duo…
4. ALL SMILES
Spoiler alert: It wasn’t the end for our dynamic duo. All smiles here. (And are those a sick pair of Blenders snow goggles we spy? Digging the customizations, Grace!)
5. ‘X’ MARKS THE SPOT
Never miss the opportunity to pose atop a giant art installation, particularly one that could double as the most epic cheese grater of all time.
6. CHEERS
A lil boozing after a long, event-filled day of cycling, sand storms, and art installation scaling is always a good choice.
7. NAKED SKYDIVING!
While this technically was the first thing to happen, we figured we had to save the best for last. Morgan and Buddy Chris Farro skydived “butt nakey" into Burning Man 2017. Full video (tastefully edited) available here.
5 OF THE MOST MYSTERIOUS PEOPLE TO EVER LIVE
Look, some weird stuff goes down in our world. It’s often difficult to separate the fact from the fiction, but the stories are wildly entertaining nonetheless, so buckle in and get ready for a trip through crazy town.
1. FULCANELLI
In the first of our cases of “unknown identities,” we have Fulcanelli, a French alchemist and author. “Fulcanelli” itself appears to be a play on words—“Vulcan” for the Roman God of Fire and “El,” the Canaanite name for “God.”
Dang. Anyway, his apparent pupil Eugene Canseliet claims he transformed 100 grams of lead into gold using “Projection Powder” given to him by his exalted teacher. Maybe Canseliet was snorting that powder, too, because that sounds absolutely insane… but hey, what do we know?
After being hunted in WWII by the Germans for his supposed knowledge of nuclear technology, Fulcanelli disappeared In August 1944. For his part, Caseliet claims he met his teacher at a Spanish mountain castle in 1953, at which point Fulcanelli was no longer in his 80s but rather an androgynous being in his 50s. Okaaaay then.
2. THE POE TOASTER
Here’s a dude a little more down to earth. Starting in 1949, a mysterious cat known only as “The Poe Toaster” began appearing at the grave of legendary writer Edgar Allen Poe. The Toaster would show up in the wee hours of the morning on January 19th every year—the author’s birthday—donning only black, wielding a silver-tipped cane, and keeping his face covered. After toasting the grave, The Poe Toaster would retreat into the night, leaving a half-bottle of cognac and three red roses behind.
This tradition continued uninterrupted until 2009. As of 2016, a new Poe Toaster has taken up the mantle—identity unknown.
3. THE WONDERMAN
The Count of St. German (a.k.a. “The Wonderman” as sarcastically dubbed by Voltaire), considered by Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel to be among the greatest philosophers ever, was a marvelously mysterious dude known as an adventurer, courtier, inventor, violinist, and for displaying at least rudimentary skills in alchemy and musical composition.
The Wonderman used many aliases and would deflect inquiries into his past with insane stories—including claiming he was 500 years old—and would eventually pass away in 1784 sans any of the riches he had once been thought to own. Near his end, he claimed he was the son of Prince Francis II Rákóczi of Transylvania. Here’s what Horace Walpole wrote of him:
“…the other day they seized an odd man, who goes by the name of Count St. Germain. He has been here these two years, and will not tell who he is, or whence, but professes that he does not go by his right name. He sings, plays on the violin wonderfully, composes, is mad, and not very sensible. He is called an Italian, a Spaniard, a Pole; a somebody that married a great fortune in Mexico, and ran away with her jewels to Constantinople; a priest, a fiddler, a vast nobleman. The Prince of Wales has had unsatiated curiosity about him, but in vain. However, nothing has been made out against him; he is released; and, what convinces me that he is not a gentleman, stays here, and talks of his being taken up for a spy.”
4. GREEN CHILDREN OF WOOLPIT
Image Credit: CloakedTruth.com
Time to go from the weird straight into the fantastical.
In 12th-century England, two children popped up in the village of Woolpit, Suffolk, England, apparently incapable of speaking English. The brother and sister had an odd, unsettling green color to their skin, spoke in an unintelligible language, and ate nothing but raw broad beans.
Although they learned to eat other food and slowly lost their odd, alien-esque skin tone, the young boy died. Afterward, the girl learned English and claimed the two of them hailed from Saint Martin’s Land, a dark subterranean otherworld full of other green folks.
Alrighty then. For the record, this is all attributed to the writers William of Newburg and Ralph of Coggeshall.
5. MONSIEUR CHOUCHANI
Known to dress as a vagabond, the man known only as “Monsieur Chouchani” is steeped in mystery despite leaving behind famous, reputable pupils.
Appearing in Paris following WWII, Chouchani taught Elie Wiesel and Emmanual Levinas between the years of 1947 to 1952. Reportedly a master of science, philosophy, mathematics, and the Talmud, his life history is unknown, and even his pupils debate his actual identity.
Later retreating to South America to die, Wiesel commissioned his gravestone and wrote the following inscription:
“The wise Rabbi Chouchani of blessed memory. His birth and his life are sealed in enigma.”
Monsieur Chouchani left behind no body of work of his own.
7 OF THE SICKEST SURF SPOTS IN THE WORLD
Ready to catch a wave?
Awesome. But before you get off the couch to head to your local spot, be sure to soak in this list of seven of the sickest surf locales in the world. There are some badass breaks at all these destinations, ensuring that even the most seasoned among you will be up against a sick challenge.
1. MUNDAKA BEACH, SPAIN
Image Credit: Blog Friendly Rentals
Let’s start with Spain. This medieval village in the Basque country is thought by many to have some of the most premiere waves in all of Europe. Mundaka Beach, roughly 90 meters long and 100 meters wide, serves up waters perfect for those of moderate to advanced skill. A picturesque destination, it’s hosted surf contests as part of the World Tour for many years—and for good reason, as waves here reach as high as 12 feet and last for as much as 300 meters.
2. BUNDORAN BEACH, COUNTY DONEGAL, IRELAND
Image Credit: Simply Woman Magazine
In search of some of the finer waves Europe has to offer? Seek the moody green waters of Bundoran Beach in Ireland. Sure, the sea here can be cold, but if you’re well-seasoned it won’t matter. The ten-foot-plus waves are far too much of an attraction to turn down—plus, there’s nothing like throwing a few back at an Irish pub with the locals. (It’s Dublin, so by “a few” we mean “a shit ton,” of course.)
3. FUERTEVENTURA, CANARY ISLANDS
Image Credit: The Vacation Times
Time to get on island time. Fuerteventura off the African coast has an immense collection of wildly popular waves, including Generosa Suicides, Shooting Gallery, El Hierro, German Rights, and others. Chief among these is The Bubble, the celebrated right-hand tube reserved for experts only. If you’re aching for a challenge, pack your sunglasses between October and March for the height of surf season.
4. HODDEVIK, NORWAY
Image Credit: Fjord Norway
Fantastically consistent swells and breaks for beginners to da pros characterize the mountain-wreathed wilds of Hoddevik, Norway. The prospect of icy waters may deter some of you, but don’t let it—modern wetsuit technology totally has your back, and besides, you won’t have to deal with the obnoxious crowds prevalent in some of these other destinations.
5. BLACK’S BEACH, SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA
Repping the contiguous United States is Black’s Beach in San Diego—which we’re still pretty sure means “whale’s vagina” in German. Anyway, Black’s Beach is stowed away under the bluffs of Torrey Pines and is considered perhaps the dopest surfing spot on our mainland. Bear in mind that Fridays and Saturdays can get crowed af, though, and if you’re a beginner, you should look elsewhere.
6. HOSSEGOR, FRANCE
Image Credit: Volcom, YouTube
Vive la France! Hossegor is another pro destination for those jonesing for a wicked wave. If your skills are up to par, you’ll enjoy gloriously brutal beach breaks that can go head-to-head with anything found in Hawaii—not to mention the warmest Atlantic sea temperatures around. And if your skills are not quite up to speed yet, there’s always La Sud directly to the south, catering to the beginner and intermediate types.
7. EHUKAI BEACH PARK, NORTH SHORE, OAHU, HAWAII
We had to finish by showing love for Hawaii. It belongs on any surfing list, as does Ehukai Beach Park in particular. Why? It features the world-famous, experts-only Bonzai Pipeline. Get this: Its waves reach as high as 25 feet OR MORE in the winter months. But, ugh, proceed at your own peril, alright?
10 DJS YOU NEED TO FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM
Today, we’ve put together a selection of our favorite Instagram DJ accounts for you to check out.
We’re starting off with a couple “duh” ones that you nonetheless may have forgotten to add (we’d be straight up neglectful to leave a couple of these off the list), then we’ll move on from there. Let’s go!
1. MARTIN GARRIX | @MARTINGARRIX
C’mon, we had to start with ‘ole Marty. Garrix is a Dutch DJ and producer that’s now easily one of the absolute top jockeys on our little blue orb. Why follow him? Aside from the obvious, he hangs with notable peeps—including those outside of the scene, such as athlete Draymond Green of the NBA champion Golden State Warriors—and serves up some incredible concert shots, including this from one from Porto, Portugal. Plus, he’s always in the news in one way or another. Just a couple days ago he debuted a new house alias, “Ytram,” (“Marty” spelled backwards) at Tomorrowland.
2. KYGO | @KYGOMUSIC
Norwegian musician Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll (“Kygo”) is all over YouTube and Soundcloud with over 1 billion combined views. His Instagram is well worth a follow, too, with some absolutely jawdropping shots of both performances and landscapes. There’s some artistry with the photography available here—plus, you’ll see guest appearances from the likes of The Weeknd in Barcelona (pictured).
3. THE CHAINSMOKERS | @THECHAINSMOKERS
As if we need to tell you, The Chainsmokers are an American DJ duo of Alex Pall and Andrew Taggart. They got so much radio play and are so wildly popular that you probably already follow them via most channels. But if you’re not low-key stalking them on Instagram, you should—these guys know how to have fun. There’s tons of jetsetting going on and behind-the-scenes shots are abundant af.
4. MARSHMELLO | @MARSHMELLOMUSIC
First gaining worldwide recognition by remixing songs by Zedd and Jack Ü, there’s good reason to follow @marshmellomusic—no one knows who the EDM producer is!
OK, that’s not really true any longer. He’s effectively been outed as American DJ Chris “Dotcom” Comstock. Still, there’s no official confirmation. Plus, he always wears a giant marshmallow helmet, and how many of the IG accounts you follow offer up that sort of visual?
5. STAFFORD BROTHERS | @STAFFORDBROTHERS
Considered to be among the best Australia has to offer, brothers Matt and Chris Stafford hail from the Gold Coast but now rep LA. The first EDM act to sign with Cash Money Records, the Stafford Brothers are worth your Insta time because of stuff like this. And this. Really. They just love to have a good time, and you’ll have a good time following them.
6. ALISON WONDERLAND | @ALISONWONDERLAND
Sydney-based DJ and producer Alex Sholler is pretty fresh on the scene, but you may as well get acclimated with her in advance. Initially a classical musician (rocking the cello), her debut album “Run” dropped in March 2015. Like the Stafford Brothers, she’s tops from the Land Down Under and has already collaborated with the likes of Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips on her track, “U Don’t Know.” Oh, and she’s pals with the mysterious/not-so-mysterious Marshmello.
7. SICK INDIVIDUALS | @SICKINDIVIDUALS
Inspired by Swedish House Mafia, Daft Punk, and others, Dutch group Sick Individuals—composed of Rinze "Ray" Hofstee and Joep "Jim" Smeele—are blowing up. They’ve already offered official reworks for Avicii, Rihanna, Tiesto, David Guetta, Madonna, and Flo Rida, among others. Here they are playing Papaya Club in Zrce Beach, Novalja, Croatia.
8. WEARETREØ | @WEARETREO
“We make music and surf.” That’s WeAreTreø’s self-description, and really, when you listen to some of their music, you can hear the influence of the islands. The Southern Cal locals— Ace Future, Trevor Shawn, and John John Gregory—are a fav of Blenders and are all about curating good times. Give ‘em a follow and don’t look back.
5 TRAVEL PHOTOS THAT WILL GIVE YOU SERIOUS WANDERLUST
There’s no shortage of wonders in this world. While we can’t feature them all, our travel photo series here at Blenders has covered glacier-cut valleys, treacherous ocean-spanning roads, rainbow-colored mountain peaks, and more.
Today, we’ve got another bunch of wanderlust-inducing vistas that will have you positively aching to catch a flight. From ancient, temple-strewn vistas to pool-filled, glistening salt flats, here are a few more of our favorites for you to marvel at:
1. ZHANGJIAJIE NATIONAL FOREST PARK | HUNAN PROVINCE, CHINA
Within the People’s Republic of China’s Zhangjiajie City is the stunning Hunan Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. What makes this spot special? Just look at it. There are jaw-dropping, natural quartz-sandstone pillar rock formations that stretch thousands of meters into the air, formed through natural physical erosion. Notably, the 1,080-meter “Southern Sky Column” has officially been renamed "Avatar Hallelujah Mountain” in honor of the James Cameron film. Park officials say the formations helped inspire the floating mountains from that movie.
2. BAGAN ARCHAEOLOGICAL AREA | BAGAN, MYANMAR
Image Source: hotels.com
This ancient city area nestled within central Myanmar (formerly Burma) is home to more than 2,000—yes, two thousand—Buddhist temples and monuments. One of the sites includes the Ananda Temple, built in the wayback of 1091. Perfectly, you can even grab a hot air balloon ride over this sensational vista.
3. SOSSUSVLEI NAMIB DESERT | NAMIBIA
You’ve never seen sand dunes like these. The towering red sand mountains rise up out of the Namib-Naukluft National Park of Namibia salt and clay pan. There’s absolutely awe-inspiring scope here.
4. MOUNT RORAIMA | VENEZUELA
First discovered by explorer Sir Walter Raleigh in 1595, Mount Roraima is the highest of South America’s Pakaraima chain plateaus. Once thought to be unscalable, you actually can climb to the top of this distinctive, breathtaking anvil-shaped peak to peer through the clouds at the mesas and rainforest below. As if that wasn’t enough, Mount Roraima represents as one of our blue orb’s oldest geological formations, throwing it back to the Precambrian period roughly two billion years ago!
5. SALINAS GRANDES SALT FLATS | JUJUY PROVINCE, ARGENTINA
Image Source: Argentina Travel Blog
The Salinas Grandes flats are sodium and potassium mines located approximately 3,450 meters above sea level in northwest Argentina. Despite the crazy dry heat and remote location, this destination is absolutely beautiful. The floor of the salt flats and their rectangular mining pools reflect the boundless sky.
WELCOME TO THE TEAM // LENARD TEJADA
When I first met Lenard at Papakura skatpark he was about 4 feet tall but already showing his casual style and determination to get his tricks dialed. As he grew so did his bag of tricks and his trophy cabinet.
For the last couple of years Lenard has been consistently destroying parks and spots around Auckland and keeping the local contest scene on lock. 2015 saw him take out the Cheapskates Nationals and the Manual Mag Turning Point award. Above is the raw footage from his recently released Stereo clip.
Keep an eye on this kid he's got places to go!
Check him over @lenztagram
ALLEY HANGS
A few weeks ago, TJ and I took a little stroll around the neighborhood to get a few images featuring our brand new Deep Space and Blue Bengal D Series frames. We stumbled down one particular alley that ended up having a ton of textures we used to our advantage. These are just some of the shots that we favored amongst the sea of images captured that day. The best part of this particular shoot, in our opinion, was that we weren’t expecting to get such a raw feel in our beachy backyard, making this set one of our favorites thus far.
To give you a better idea of how the frames fit, check out the video below. And if you’re interested in either of the frames, CLICK HERE and HERE to learn more.
Stay tuned for more content fresh off the editing room floor!
-Julius
