HIGHLY RECOMMENDED W/ ALEXIS CASTROGIOVANNI
* Providing the A's to the 5 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Q's today is Alexis Castrogiovanni — a music-maker from Montreal who introduced themselves with this lovely live performance of the lovely and yet-to-be-released track ‘Upstream’ (the video is embedded below if you prefer scrolling to clicking) // Photo by Rafael Claros-Flores
#1 - WHAT IS THE ONE ALBUM (OR EP OR SONG) THAT YOU THINK SHOULD BE THE VERY NEXT MUSICAL THING THAT EVERYONE PRESSES PLAY ON THE NEXT TIME THEY FIND THEMSELVES THINKING “WHAT SHOULD I LISTEN TO NOW”?
I’m not overthinking any of my answers, so here we go! I like music that feels like it’s a secret (I actually don't know if these people are popular but I found them myself by going down the rabbit hole on YouTube, so it felt like I was the only one who knew about them):
Peter Laughner “Take The Guitar Player For A Ride.” I like the song "Cinderella Backstreets,” which has a line I love: “I tried to teach naiveté / to the kids brought up on TV”
Mayo Thompson “Corky’s Debt To His Father.” So much humour and warmth and sense of play in this guy’s music! I laugh out loud when I listen to him. I love “The Lesson,” when he sings the words “I laugh when someone tells a joke, but I always keep my mind on you.” Also the "BUT YOUR SKIN, IT'S SO VERY, VERY CREAMY!” part. So good!
I like how honest and “raw” these two are, the very frank way they communicate in their music is something that cuts through to me, a similar feeling to Lou Reed.
#2 - WHAT IS THE ONE MOVIE OR TV SHOW THAT YOU THINK SHOULD BE NEXT IN EVERYBODY’S NETFLIX QUEUE (OK, DOESN’T HAVE TO BE NETFLIX, WE’RE ALL INTERNET ADULTS HERE AND KNOW HOW TO FIND ANYTHING ONLINE, ONE WAY OR ANOTHER)?
Netflix: Flowers
Amazon Prime: Fleabag
Movie: The Secret of NIHM (Don Bluth)
#3. I (AND BY “I” I MEAN “THE PERSON THAT IS READING THIS”) AM GOING TO THE LOCAL BOOK STORE (OK, MAYBE THE LOCAL LIBRARY FIRST) TO FIND THE VERY NEXT BOOK THAT I WILL BE PUTTING SOME EXTREMELY VALUABLE ‘ME-TIME' ASIDE FOR. WHICH BOOK WOULD YOU GET, IF YOU WERE ME (AND, I SUPPOSE, YOU HADN’T ALREADY READ WHAT YOU’RE ABOUT TO SUGGEST)?
"Giovanni’s Room" by James Baldwin, The Complete Short Stories of Katherine Ann Porter, anything by Anne Carson, who is an absolute Canadian treasure.
#4 - WHAT IS THE ONE WEBSITE (OR JUST ANY OLD INTERNET THING: APP, GIF, SERVICE, WHATEVER) THAT YOU WOULD GET REALLY DOWN IN THE DUMPS ABOUT IF IT WERE TO SUDDENLY GO AWAY?
I honestly think there’s a part of me that would be relieved if the internet went away. I’m a luddite and a hypocrite, but seriously, I think what will make your life more bearable is if you go hang out and bond with people you like instead. I’m addicted to the internet, so I just cannot recommend the internet in good conscience. I’m sorry.
Actually while I’m on this high horse, here’s a link to Naomi Klein and Johann Hari about capitalism and addiction.
#5 - AND FINALLY… PLEASE GIVE ONE COMPLETELY UNAIDED RECOMMENDATION THAT YOU THINK EVERYONE SHOULD START DOING / USING / WATCHING / EATING / THINKING / QUITING / ETC-ING TO MAKE THEIR LIVES A LITTLE BIT MORE BETTER AND/OR BEARABLE.
I recommend leaving your city/dwelling place for perspective every once in a little while.
OK folks, there you have it. Things that Alexis Castrogiovanni thinks you should consider incorporating into your day/life. Before you log off and go un-dwell yourself, make sure to follow Alexis on the Facebook / Instagram and then also give the live session of ‘Upstream’ a listen/watch below…
…and if you like what you’re hearing, go do some further castrogiovanni-flavoured audio exploring over on the Bandcamp / Soundcloud.
