HIGHLY RECOMMENDED W/ CRISCO DREAMS
* Providing the A's to the 5 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Q's today is Crisco Dreams — a group of music-makers out of Baltimore whose seasonally appropriate new single ‘Skater on the Lake’ is spinning around over on Bandcamp (and you can catch that single in the HI54 Mix CD ‘High Five For… Winter’).
#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”?
Nicky: Frogohmine by Michael Powers is an album that blew me away this year. The first time I hit play, the orchestral strings drew me in the same way The Cradle drew me in with Bag of Holding (another great album!) a few years ago. The string arrangements on Frogohmine meld incredibly well with the classical guitar and vocals. Mikeys voice is definitely the most intriguing instrument on the record, the level of musicianship is humbling.
Charlie: I recommend checking out Mashed Potato Records Vol 1 & 2. Amazing compilation recorded to tape that will make you want to move to New Orleans.
Sam: “Wise Guy” - Joe Pesci
#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)?
Nicky: Nobody doesn’t like the taste of cool, clear water. I thought the age of musical movies was gone along time ago, but the Cohen brothers brought it back in cowboy style with The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. Tom Waits makes a terrific gold miner.
Charlie: You can find every episode of Pete Seeger’s TV show “Rainbow Quest” on YouTube. Remarkable interviews and performances by legends like Roscoe Holcomb and Mississippi John Hurt.
Sam: Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At Worlds End. I like the tentacles on his face they wiggle and when he gets on the sand there are so many Jack Sparrows.
#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)?
Nicky: The Foxfire series, a documentation of Appalachian crafts and culture. Foxfire is the perfect combination of fiddle building, animal trapping, food preserving, and planting seeds by the signs of the moon. Plus many a great story.
Charlie: The Hidden Life Of Trees by Peter Wohlleben. Trees are talking to each other using underground fungi networks!
Sam: When I was a kid we had this huge book in the house that had all of the words in alphabetical order. I don’t remember the name, but I’d say it’s greatly advantageous to read all the words in order before continuing on to other books where the words are all jumbled up and out of order. It’s kind of like learning Latin or reading Shakespeare, you begin to see references in almost every other book once you know what to look for. My favorite chapter was “L”.
#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?
Nicky: I highly recommend Firefox. It pairs well with Foxfire. Also Google Maps. I just cannot go back to Yahoo Maps.
Charlie: I spend a lot of time looking things up on Wikipedia and then going down the rabbit hole. Really gives me joy.
Sam: Turt Toss - nobody can beat my high score I’m number 1. I’m the greatest of all time. Turt Toss World Champ!
#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.
Nicky: Put yourself behind bars. Handlebars, that is..... get behind those handlebars and breathe the fresh air! Start your day off on your bike and catch a face full of sunshine. Pro tip: smile and wave to passers by for an extra gratifying experience.
Charlie: Try growing bean sprouts. It’s easy and very rewarding!
Sam: The blue Tony Chachere’s is the best one.
OK folks, there you have it. Things that Crisco Dreams thinks you should consider incorporating into your day/life. Before you log off and go take your bike out to pick up some bean sprout seeds & Tony Chachere spice, make sure to follow Crisco Dreams on the Facebook / Instagram and then also give ‘Skater On The Lake’ a listen below…
