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Tag: senses

  • Exclusive Interview: Senses Looks Forward To New Music

    Exclusive Interview: Senses Looks Forward To New Music

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    You may have seen self-proclaimed “emo friendly, punk curious” band senses on tour recently with Charlotte Sands, Boys Like Girls, or Leah Kate. And you may have left yearning for more. If you haven’t been lucky enough to see senses live, we have the immense pleasure of introducing you. Taking inspiration from so many genres, any fan of music is guaranteed to find something to enjoy in senses’s collection. After signing to Hopeless Records, they have a lot of exciting things coming up. Starting with the release of their single ‘every little thing’ which is pure punk perfection, they let us in on some of their plans. And you know us, we would never leave you in the dark. Read on!

    Welcome to the Honey Pop! Can you give our readers a quick elevator pitch for your music?
    We are an emo friendly, punk curious, pop rock band from Los Angeles California. We make high energy, moody, belt in your car music.

    Late last year, you were featured on Idobi Radio’s “100 Rising Artists To Listen To In 2024.” Who have you been listening to recently?
    Our list is extremely eclectic haha. We’ve been listening to Chappell Roan, Sleeptoken, MUNA, Doechii, Bad Omens, Sabrina Carpenter, Stand Atlantic, the whole range of genres!

    Congratulations on signing to Hopeless Records! How do you think your new song ‘every little thing’ celebrates this next chapter in your career?
    Thank you! This song is so fun for us. It’s one of those songs that didn’t take much time at all to write because we were just so on the same page about it. It was really us just feeling so confident in our writing process and the message of it, that we think it really shows in the attitude of the song. We’re coming out of the gate swinging!

    What went into the decision for ‘every little thing’ to be your label debut?
    It was definitely a collective decision. To be honest we have quite a lot of demos right now that we really love because we essentially spent the whole summer writing, but there was something about the energy of this one that just felt right to put out at the start of fall and to really launch this new partnership. It felt like we were letting something go and moving into a new chapter.

    ‘Every little thing’ is about dealing with a toxic relationship, and you mentioned that the aggressive feeling was meant to reflect your frustration. So which came first, the lyrics or the melody?
    I usually don’t get to say this because generally it’s one or the other, but this one was pretty simultaneous. We were in the studio and just kind of talking about how frustrating it can be dealing with a martyr mentality and we all had dealt with it at some point or another. So when we decided on that overall theme the music and lyrics really went hand in hand after that.

    Image Credit: Alex Lyon

    It’s so interesting that you two met on Craigslist. What was the process of fitting together as a band for the first time?
    Well we met up at a rehearsal studio in North Hollywood, and I had just released this solo EP I used as a guide for what I was looking for in a band. So when we met we just kind of tried to play those together for the first time. I sent them to Nick so he was familiar with them and we started learning those first to just see if we fit with each other. But really it just worked from the start and there was never any hesitation on whether or not it was a good fit. It just was!

    You’ve talked a lot about identity and expression. How has your music allowed you to find or express your identity?
    Oh it’s everything. Our music really is the way that we express ourselves in its most natural form as it comes to us. We just know how to let it all go and escape into it. It truly has made me just more confident in who I am and what our message is because we put our whole lives into it. We express ourselves a lot through just being goofy and not taking ourselves too seriously, so when we get to do that in a live setting
    and just hang out with the crowd it solidifies that identity for us even more.

    Recently, you’ve gained attention with your punk cover of Chappell Roan’s ‘Good Luck, Babe!’ Why this song?
    Well who doesn’t absolutely love Chappel Roan?! We had thought about releasing a cover for a while, we always incorporate one in our live shows to really get the crowd into it. So when we discussed actually
    releasing something that would live in the world on the various platforms, we wanted it to be a song that really captivated both of us, but also by an artist that we truly believe in and believe in their message.

    We love your take on the song, and we love that we’re in a time where artists can experiment with genres. We never thought that we’d hear Chappell Roan at Emo Nite, but we’re happy we are! Has that freedom to play with genres influenced your songwriting?
    Oh definitely. We have said a lot especially in these last few months writing that we don’t want to be tied down to one specific genre. That’s kind of why we call ourselves “emo friendly punk curious pop rock.” It’s
    like we’re dipping our toes into each little area to see what we can come up with. We’re both influenced by all kinds of music, but a lot of pop as well.

    What was it like putting your own spin on ‘Good Luck, Babe?’
    It was really fun. We wanted it to be just different enough, while keeping all of the essence it already had. I mean the song is such a huge hit that we just didn’t want to mess it up haha. It was fun to see what it could
    sound like in a more punk/rock genre.

    We feel like more of your personality came out in your music videos, which feature original storylines and characters. Where do you get ideas for videos?
    Videos can sometimes be our achilles heal. I really respect and envy those artist that have such a specific vision for the visual side of things. Sometimes it will come to me and I will be really passionate about a specific idea, otherwise we collaborate and work with the directors to come up with something outside the box.

    Can we look forward to more music videos in the future?
    Yes! Videos are honestly just so expensive, but as soon as we can make it happen we will! We love making music videos.

    There’s so much energy in all of your songs, and it’s matched in your live performances. Are there any pre-show rituals involved in keeping up your electric energy every night?
    Yes we listen to a lot of insane scream music or straight up pop. We generally have a whole little dance party to get out some of the ramped up energy, and then after that we just lay it all out on the stage!

    While you’ve been touring, you’ve acquired some dedicated fans and had the chance to connect with them. Have you had any favorite interactions with fans?
    On the last tour one of our fans printed out a bunch of signs for our newest single at the time. It was our last show of the night too so when we got to that certain part of the song she had handed out like 50 of these printed out signs and they all held them up. That was a really cool thing for someone to take the time to make these.

    You’ve been on so many incredible tours in a short amount of time, and you leave every show with more fans. What has it been like gaining so much attention so quickly?
    We are just riding the wave. It feels really amazing to feel like we can finally really connect with people, and that they connect with our music. That’s the best part of it all. If we can reach one more person in the room that resonates with us, then we feel fulfilled.

    Thanks for chatting with us! One last question: You’re about to set off on another tour with Bailey Spinn. Do you have anything new planned for this tour that you can tease?
    Thank you so much! Welllllll we actually have a few new songs on the set list this time around. We are reaching that point where we have so many songs that we really have to curate our set list now to fit all of the ones we want to show off in. There may just be an unreleased song on the setlist this time around too.

    Image Credit: Alex Lyon

    The words “unreleased song” will never not excite us, as if we weren’t excited enough! We hope you’ll celebrate this new phase of senses music with us in the comments! Let us know your favorite senses song or what you’re hoping to hear from them next. We’re always available to chat about senses (or all things pop culture) at @thehoneypop on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

    TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SENSES:
    FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | TWITTER | WEBSITE

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    Caitlyn Tarney

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  • New Smell Tech Could Make VR Therapies More Powerful

    New Smell Tech Could Make VR Therapies More Powerful

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    Jan. 19, 2023 — An emerging trend in virtual reality – incorporating smell – could be exciting news not just for gaming but for health care as well.

    A growing number of hospitals across the country are using virtual reality to help patients manage pain, overcome phobias, and calm anxiety. Providers and patients report mostly good results, save for the high price tag. And VR therapies may start to become more common, particularly if insurers begin to cover the cost. 

    But despite its potential in health care, VR continues to fall short in one way: We still can’t smell it. 

    “[Smell] hasn’t been explored enough in virtual reality, but it deserves to be,” says Judith Amores, PhD, senior researcher at Microsoft Research and research affiliate at the MIT Media Lab. “The potential benefits are incredible.”

    Amores has researched connecting VR with smell to enhance a person’s response. In one experiment, she had participants wear a VR headset that depicted calming nature scenes and a smart necklace she developed capable of releasing lavender scent. When bursts of lavender were added to the VR, the participants reported feeling 26% more relaxed than they had without the scent. A device that monitors brain activity confirmed it: The participants’ physiological response had increased by 25% when scent was added. 

    The study was small (just 12 people), but Amores says it represents a direction that demands to be explored with more people in peer-reviewed research. A 2022 systematic review of research on virtual reality using multiple senses backs her up: “Smell and taste are still underexplored,” the review says, “and they can bring significant value to VR applications” – including health. 

    When we smell something, receptor cells in the nose message the olfactory bulb at the base of the brain. That information is shuttled to the amygdala and hippocampus, brain areas responsible for processing memory and emotion, Amores explains. 

    “Your sense of smell goes directly into the emotional center of the brain,” says Amores. “That means you can literally change how you feel based on what you’re smelling.” 

    Thus, smell has the power to immerse us deeper into virtual reality, which could make VR treatments faster and more effective, Amores says.

    New Smell Technology Could Drive Research Forward

    While medical research in this area may be slow, the entertainment industry’s efforts could help push it forward. No VR systems that incorporate smell are available yet, Amores says, but that may change as soon as this year. 

    At the international Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held earlier this month, Vermont-based OVR Technology unveiled a headset with eight primary aromas that can be combined to create thousands of scents. The ION3, as it’s called, is scheduled to be released later this year.

    Meanwhile, a study published in the International Journal of Human-Computer Studies describes an odor machine that was tested with a virtual reality headset from tech giant HTC. The researchers suggest such technology could, among other uses, help enhance “smell training” for those who’ve lost their sense of smell due to COVID-19. 

    Boosting VR Therapies With Smell

    Smell-enhanced VR therapies could be explored for all kinds of clinical uses, Amores says, like to treat anxiety, sleep disorders, or even Alzheimer’s disease (smell is linked to memory). 

    VR “exposure therapy” has already been used to treat PTSD in military veterans, immersing them into a virtual environment that triggers a traumatic memory, desensitizing them to the memory so they learn their thoughts are safe. A 2021 article in Brain Research noted that incorporating smell into such therapy is “critically needed,” since odors can trigger traumatic memories, in some cases more fiercely than sounds. A distressing scent (like diesel fuel or the smell of something burning) could be followed by, or layered with, a relaxing scent such as pine, eucalyptus, or cinnamon in a gradual way to reduce or even eliminate smell triggers, according to the paper.

    Those with addictions may benefit from VR exposure therapy too, learning to manage or resist cravings triggered by certain cues, some research suggests. VR has the power to transport them anywhere – to a bar or a party, say – and the scent of wine or cigarettes may add to the realism needed to elicit cravings. 

    Another application could be surgery prep, Amores says. A patient has a VR session complete with relaxing smells – walking through a forest and breathing in the scents of pine and moss, for example – lowering anxiety before the procedure, and potentially reducing the amount of pain medication needed and improving outcomes. 

    Those smells could be deployed again during hospitalization or recovery — with or without the VR — to quickly return the patient to a calm state. It’s a kind of Pavlovian conditioning that would be easy to replicate, says Amores.

    At Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, VR is being researched and used to help patients alleviate pain across a variety of conditions, including irritable bowel syndrome and chronic lower back pain. 

    Melissa Wong, MD,  an OB/GYN specializing in maternal-fetal medicine at Cedars-Sinai, has studied VR for pain and stress relief during labor and childbirth, possibly delaying the use of an epidural.  

    “There is absolutely something about the mind-body connection when it comes to pain,” says Wong, “and the use of VR could tap into that.” Making it more immersive by adding scent would likely amplify those effects, she adds.

    As research continues to highlight the power of smell, we’ll likely see the sense being implemented more and more in clinical treatment, Amores predicts. It may not be long before “Smell-o-Vision” comes to a hospital near you.

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  • URBANherbal Restores Consumers to Their Senses

    URBANherbal Restores Consumers to Their Senses

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    How the garden nourishes the senses.

    Press Release
    –

    Dec 2, 2021


    FREDERICKSBURG, Texas, December 2, 2021 (Newswire.com)
    –
    URBANherbal is re-envisioning the gifts from its garden, aiming to restore consumers to their senses. The retailer’s move responds to a void created by social distancing and the subsequent easing of restrictions for nature’s sights, smells, flavors, textures, and sounds.

    TASTE – URBANherbal owner, Bill Varney is passionate about harvesting edible plants and flowers to craft dishes that are as delicious as they are beautiful. “Dinner’s when I treat my family and friends to something they love,” he says. Although his restaurant days are behind him, Bill stocks edible flowers salt for making the best margaritas you’ve ever had, according to Hey, Traveler, homemade balsamic fig-and-coffee spiked vinegar to dip and drizzle, and herbs for grilling ready-to-devour cuts of meat.

    TOUCH – The Herb Society of America is a country wide resource for those seeking to get in touch with herbs. But when it called Bill to kick off a new year’s monthly webinar series, HSA knew they found their man to liberate their members’ senses. “I was looking for ways you can only get from using herbs and flowers to restore the mind and body,” Bill said, “like with adding color in the home, flavor in the kitchen, and fragrance in the bath.” Members connected with his nourishing creations, including URBANherbal’s Detoxify Body Oil with Grapefruit Geranium & Juniper.

    SIGHT – Bill’s landscape clients, such as residents at Boot Ranch Development, commit to vision, finding as much beauty in the nuances of gray-green natives as the panoply of butterflies obsessing over alliums and lantana. He also has found that everyone longs for a garden, whether watching it from a distance, weeding and watering a tomato patch, or maintaining a trough of succulents.

    SMELL – Visitors to URBANherbal’s garden and shop receive a tune-up to scent. “Smell this!” Bill says. “This is wonderful! I love it.” Conversations about memories are often prompted, like the familiar scent of grandma using lavender, or the aroma of basil that billowed from the kitchen when preparing pasta. “What am I smelling?” A visitor cannot leave without learning or being entertained by some new plant or product.

    SOUND – An herb garden and shop are typically awash in silence. Bill, however, has listened to Orko Roy, Director and Producer at animated video marketer adVIDS. As Orko stated, “The video format erases the clatter for the simplicity of handmade herbal products.” A sustained piano melody coupled with the sound of a bird tweet and water drop, support the video’s message of URBANherbal’s restorative gifts to new and returning consumers.

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    URBANherbal is a family-owned gift shop, art gallery greenhouse and garden. We have been a staple in Fredericksburg, Texas since 1985, offering herbal products for cooking, personal care, and medicinal needs. Our products are all natural and organic (no pesticides) and produced locally here at our laboratory. Our intimate knowledge of gardening and the use of herbs, our unparalleled experience, and our commitment to our customers set us apart.

    William (Bill) Varney
    Phone: (830) 456-9667
    Email: wvarney@urbanherbal.com

    Source: URBANherbal

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