HIGHLY RECOMMENDED W/ TUXIS GIANT
* Providing the A's to the 5 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Q's today is Tuxis Giant (more specifically, singer/guitarist Matt O'Connor) — a music-making outfit out of Boston/New York who recently dropped a recently ‘highly recommended’ album called ‘The Old House’ (and you can catch the track ‘Cub Scout’ on the MOUN.TOWN/FM mix cd ‘Indie America, USA’)
#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 heard Margo Guryan for the first time last year, and I've been obsessed ever since. 27 Demos has some of the best pop songs you'll ever hear.
Hard to believe they're demos. Plus, just look at the cover. How iconic is 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)?
I'm a huge Studio Ghibli fan. (In fact, one of our songs was inspired by a Ghibli movie.) Whenever I'm feeling down or depleted, I can rely on them to assuage me. It's impossible to give a singular recommendation...but if I had to, I'd say Porco Rosso.
It's fun, weird, touching. "I'd rather be a pig than a fascist."
#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)?
I've been on a big Ursula K. Le Guin kick. I tackled Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed last year, and now I'm working through the Earthsea series. They're YA novels, so pretty quick reads. But, like everything she does, the world is expertly built, and the underlying messages resonate deeply.
I'm almost done with The Tombs of Atuan, and have The Farthest Shore waiting for me on the shelf.
#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?
Our bassist, Fenn, recommended the Ghost Church podcast during a recent drive. And now I, Matt, recommend it to you! I don't know Jamie Loftus personally, but I think we have some friends in common from our time in Boston.
The podcast centers around her trip to Cassadaga, FL, which is the center for Spiritualism in America. It's a little bit memoir, a little bit investigative journalism, and very, very funny.
#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.
Stretch! You need to stretch. I'm 32 and my back reminds me every day. Stretch when you wake up. Stretch before you go to sleep. Stretch stretch stretch.
OK folks, there you have it. Things that (Matt from) Tuxis Giant thinks you should consider incorporating into your day/life. Before you log off and go do some stretches, make sure to follow Tuxis Giant on the Facebook / Instagram and then also give ‘Cub Scout’ a listen below…
