"Jonas Brothers because I love them and their music!

They’re amazing!"-Valerie Straus ‘11

"THE JONAS BROTHERS! They are the most amazing

people ever! They are HOT!" -Sam Speiden ‘11

"Death Cab for Cutie. They are unlike any other band I have

ever heard. They blend alternative rock with chill rock to create

an amazing sound." -Michael Rosendorf ‘10

"Dave Matthews Band, because I love his music. Their band is

overplayed but his songs actually have meaning."

-Emily Mullenholz ‘10

"Moondance Jam. A four day fest in Northern Minnesota where

I get to see Crosby, Stills and Nash and George Thurgood.

It’s a great place to see bands big in the sixties and seventies."

-Nyles Sanna ‘10

"I’m most excited to attend Virgin Fest & Warped Tour

because there are so many bands at both, and crowd

surfing as well as moshing are freakin’ amazing."

-Kelly Fordham ‘11

"Kenny Chesney because of his country charm

and his spectular songs that just melt my heart."

-Zachary Splain ‘09

Five members. Three brothers. Sixteen songs. One of Sherwood’s hottest bands is already getting a jumpstart on a professional career thanks to Exposure, a battle of the bands hosted by the 9:30 Club last February where Sky Solo won second place, along with 10 hours of recording time. They recently utilized this time to record a new song before vocalist/guitarist Homero Salazar [brother of members Mateo and Victor Salazar] returns to his home in Puerto Rico to finish school.

So finally after months of seemingly endless homework, weeks of non-stop studying and countless hours of AP exam testing, the summer is finally here. For many, it’s a chance to catch up on that much-needed sleep, hit up the beach house for a few weeks, and lay out beside the pool shooting puzzled looks at anyone who happens to mention that foreign word: "school". But in the brief lapses of time that are not spent recuperating this summer, what better way to spend one’s time than by seeing one of the many great concerts the DC area has to offer? Sounds great, right? But let us go out on a limb here: maybe seeing that favorite group of yours for the eleventh time wouldn’t exactly qualify as the most worthwhile expense of your money and valuable summer afternoon. Maybe, just maybe, the more daring and ultimately fulfilling approach would be to experience a new genre of music that is largely unfamiliar to you, up close and personal. During a period of time in which most adolescent brains shut down to the point of where basic math becomes a struggle, I challenge you to step out of your comfort zones and discover something new this summer. Looking for a place to start? Try choosing from this eclectic list of summer shows, and broaden your horizons this break season.

Next week, Lil Wayne will release "Tha Carter III," an album that has been delayed since early December 2007. Lil Wayne is not just one of the rap industry’s highest selling artists today; he also is the most downloaded rapper in history.

The iPod. Despite its cryptic name, the purpose of Apple Inc.’s line of portable music players is very clear to music fans around the world. Since its launch on October 23, 2001, Apple’s mp3 player and its corresponding digital music store, iTunes, have come to dominate the way people—especially teens—access and listen to music.

      When I told my parents about how I wasn’t allowed to text for a week they joked, "Ha, Verizon’s stock just went down…the CEO is losing money..."

      Oxygen, food, water and Facebook: the four necessities of life. Oxygen for breathing, food for nourishment, water for hydration, and Facebook, well what doesn’t Facebook do? It’s my calendar, day planner, e-mail, photo album, address book and communication tool. The first three days of the challenge I had it pretty easy. I was feeling liberated from my stalker status (I hadn’t gotten any of those annoying notification emails, so it was all smooth sailing).

      Before my week of torture began, I wistfully asked myself: if I’m not there to watch TV, are shows being broadcast? Well, of course they were, it’s a kazillion dollar industry, but I couldn’t help but hope that over my week without television, somehow TV itself wouldn’t be the same.

      Have you ever wondered how life felt before the 1870s, before the invention of the telephone? Recently, I accepted a mission: no use of any phone, cell or land line, for one week.

      Being an aficionado, I decided to challenge myself to take a fast from music for a week to see how I’d fare and if I could learn anything from the process. It proved to be a struggle of will power, dedication and honesty.

      With the number of thin and beautiful models, actresses and singers, not to mention the handsome and muscled actors, it’s no wonder why so many teenagers, particularly girls, are so caught up in their outward appearance. While one can argue that celebrities have personal trainers and nutritionists as well as air-brushed photos and flattening camera angles to allow them to appear perfect, another type of celebrity, the reality-TV celebrity, has proven that even "normal" people have to be nearly flawless in appearance to be on TV.

      As 2008 moves along I look back with bittersweet nostalgia at the shows that consumed my 2007. "A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila" was by far the most unforgettable with "I Love New York 2" coming as a close second. Many nights were filled by watching ‘Midget Mac,’ the four-foot-tall "I Love New York 2" contestant, pick fights with someone two feet taller than him or staring wide-eyed when "A Shot at Love’s" Steven tried to stab Brandi with a frosting knife.