HIGHLY RECOMMENDED W/ ELSKAVON & JOHN HAYES
* Providing the A's to the 5 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Q's today is Elskavon & John Hayes — two accomplished music making projects in their own rights, who have teamed up to put together a beautiful debut collab called ‘Du Nord’ that is coming out on Western Vinyl November 20th (and you can catch the lead-off single ‘Vermillion’ on the HI54 Mix CD ‘WORK THE BODY / WORK THE MIND’) // Photo by Kaleb Musser
#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”?
Elskavon: For those that haven’t heard Tourist’s album Everyday, that might be what I recommend. It’s one of the most interesting electronic albums I’ve ever heard as far as sounds and creativity, and yet it’s still packed with emotion.
John Hayes: For me, it would have to be ‘Soundtracks To A Vacant Life’ by The Flashbulb. The first time I listened to this album I was floored. Put aside an hour and change for yourself with some good headphones and this album will take you places. Happy, sad, reflective, wait what did I just hear?? Yeah, it will do all of that.
#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)?
Elskavon: I won’t overthink this one. The Office. I mean, it still just doesn’t get old.
John Hayes: I just recently watched “The Social Dilemma” on Netflix and it confirmed my want to be a bit less active on social media. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of great things that have come from social media, but there is also a dark underbelly that we should all be aware of.
#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)?
Elskavon: I read Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs biography earlier this year and it was a great read. I really enjoyed it. Jobs was one of a kind, to say the least. I also read Essentialism by Greg McKeown and would also recommend that - helpful and challenging idea that is probably useful for anyone, especially in our digital, non-stop-content age.
John Hayes: One book I recommend everyone reads is “The Slight Edge” by Jeff Olson. It helps cultivate a mindset more than anything. A mindset that I think can especially be helpful for creatives who are looking to get things done. Couple this book with the short “A Young Persons Guide To Hustling (In Music and the Arts)” by Lawrence English and you will have two amazing reads that will leave you thinking and growing.
#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?
Elskavon: Fact Magazine’s Youtube series Against The Clock is so inspiring. Really fun to watch other musicians’ processes in the studio. Sure, there’s plenty of studio tour type videos and production videos out there, but I love the consistency, variety, and rawness of Against the Clock.
John Hayes: Headphone Commutes’ ‘In The Studio With’ series is something that was and continues to be one of my favorite corners of the internet. I’m fairly confident I have read every interview on there at least twice. These conversations have been a constant source of inspiration as well as fantastic insights on the inner workings of a lot of my own personal favorite artists’ workflow.
#5 - AND FINALLY… PLEASE GIVE ONE COMPLETELY UNAIDED RECOMMENDATION THAT YOU THINK EVERYONE SHOULD START DOING / USING / WATCHING / EATING / THINKING / QUITTING / ETC-ING TO MAKE THEIR LIVES A LITTLE BIT MORE BETTER AND/OR BEARABLE.
Elskavon: Doing internet-less things outdoors that you enjoy. With Covid this year, it seems a lot of us developed a new, higher appreciation for the outdoors. At least I know I did. I golfed more with friends, I bought a bike, and took way more walks by myself and with my family. By nature, I lean towards this feeling of almost always needing to be productive - whether that’s work/creating, or taking care of the never-ending homeowner to-do list, things like that. But in reality, taking consistent breaks from “productivity,” and internet-related things as well, gives me fuel to be more effective at all those things anyways.
John Hayes: Exercise, get outside and stay active. I think as artists we can loose sight of the world beyond our DAW, studios and music in general. There’s a whole world out there that wants to get explored, you just might find some inspiration while you’re out there in it.
OK folks, there you have it. Things that Elskavon & John Hayes think you should consider incorporating into your day/life. Before you log off and go run around outside, make sure to follow Elskavon on the Facebook / Instagram / Twitter and then also follow John Hayes on the Facebook / Instagram / Twitter AND THEN also give ‘Vermillion’ a listen below…
