HIGHLY RECOMMENDED W/ WILL STEWART
* Providing the A's to the 5 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Q's today is Will Stewart—a singer/songer from Alabama who has a lovely new album coming out in April.
#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”?
So much music I could talk about and recommend, but speaking directly to newer releases, probably my most listened to album of the last year was Julie Byrne's NOT EVEN HAPPINESS.
I had an immediate visceral reaction upon first hearing her voice. After that, I listened to the album for 2 months straight - highly, highly recommended.
#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 haven't been keeping up with the latest shows/movies, but the last series I watched that really grabbed me was TRANSPARENT.
Great writing, acting, and visually pleasing. Really dope music placement throughout.
3. I (AND BY “I” I MEAN “THE PERSON THAT IS READING THIS”) AM GOING TO THE BOOK STORE (OK, PROBABLY AMAZON) 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)?
Fiction: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt - it's a few years old but good lord this book floored me. It tackles all of the "big" themes in a really accessible and thoughtful way. Disclaimer: it's close to 800 pages bug well worth the time.
Non-fiction: Just Kids by Patti Smith: This one's been out for awhile but I just finished and was completely mesmerized. Patti's writing is lyrical, poetic and cuts to the core. The book chronicles her early days in NYC with her lover/fellow artist Robert Mapplethorpe.
It's a very intimate look inside their artistic process and their days living a true bohemian lifestyle in the heady days of 70s New York. It'll make you want to sell all your possessions and hitchhike to New York to search of something beautiful.
#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'm kind of a gear nerd, so recently I've been on the Reverb.com app A LOT.
It's dangerous as hell for my bank account but I can't stop - gotta feed the monster.
#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.
Unplug from social media as much as possible. I'm trying to call people more now rather than just texting or messaging, etc.
Online personas and profiles are edited versions of who we really are - it's pretty toxic (and this has been written about at length by people with much more insight) and I'm trying to make a conscious effort to strike a healthy balance.
OK folks, there you have it. Things that things that Will Stewart thinks you should consider incorporating into your day/life. Before you go log out of all your social media accounts, make sure to follow Will on Twitter & Facebook & Instagram first. And then go spend some time over on Will's Bandcamp page.
