Get to know Atwood Journal‘s writers in our particular column the place they develop into the interviewees, sharing their private playlists and speaking about their experiences protecting music!

A snob that loves low tradition or a swine that aspires to excessive, Danny Vagnoni’s love of music grew in parallel together with his love of phrases and tales. Ultimately, they met. Captivated with sonics and social justice, Danny’s favourite items to write down (or movie, or file) are these items that deal with the thrill and sorrows in life, advocate for artists within the face of trade, or have some higher social valence to them.

Stream: Atwood Author’s Playlist: Danny Vagnoni

Meet Our Writers: Danny Vagnoni!

The place are you from and the place are you primarily based?

Danny Vagnoni: I’m initially from the suburbs of Philadelphia, and (for now) dwelling within the metropolis correct. I might most likely fall away from bed into like ten completely different venues and, realizing Philly, I’d most likely be essentially the most regular individual there if I did.

How did you get into music writing?

Danny Vagnoni: Out of faculty I related with a producer of some well-known traditional rock albums who was additionally an alumnus of my undergraduate program. He has an infinite archive of rarities and interview clips from the 60s to the 90s, so we have been turning them right into a narrative podcast. One in all them occurred to be an interview with Cameron Crowe, the director of Nearly Well-known. The film is a couple of teenage journalist who excursions with Stillwater, a stand-in for Led Zep, and covers them for Rolling Stone. Having been laid off of a copywriting place I hated, I felt like I had discovered my calling. Stars in my eyes, I began writing. Each publications I wrote for earlier than Atwood at the moment are defunct, however I’m grateful I had house to construct my voice earlier than submitting my work to Mitch.

Nowadays I view music journalism as one a part of a higher name to storytelling. I imagine that very odd issues may be become nice and universally interesting tales – typically the most effective! I’ve tried to evolve my music writing by adopting completely different mediums and protecting matters that aren’t simply evaluations. I don’t view myself as a tremendous evaluation author anyway and I gag at sure phrases anymore. I’ll by no means once more name something ethereal.

I didn’t even anticipate to get the place I’m proper now, so I hope to continue to grow.

Who was your very first live performance, and who have you ever seen most lately?

Danny Vagnoni: Uh, I imagine it was Bizarre Al in eighth grade. I cringed at my youthful love for Al for years, however lately I’ve regained respect for him as a hilarious dude and insane multi-instrumentalist.

I didn’t really get into “actual” music, no matter which means, till eleventh grade, as a result of I used to be a hopeless pop-culture contrarian. However after I unlearned that, it was a torrent. Actually. I feel I torrented most likely 50 to 100 gigs of music in September 2010, so enthralled was I with this model new world. The one time I acquired a copyright discover was from Atlantic Information for downloading Love Seaside by ELP, which is simply embarrassing. Not less than catch me for one thing cool.

The primary live performance I selected to go to after that was Arcade Fireplace, supported by Spoon. I had by no means actually skilled something prefer it on the time and though I barely knew any of their songs the pure air of the live performance remains to be branded in my reminiscences. It was a melancholic autumn day and we have been sat on an important inexperienced plain overlooking the Philly skyline. The venue itself was a cavernous amphitheater, and I bear in mind a mild breeze sweeping via because the band began enjoying. Don’t bear in mind a lick of what they performed, however the impression it left nurtured my already flourishing love for music.

Most lately, I went to see Otoboke Beaver, my absolute favourite lively punk band for the time being, and possibly my favourite total. The venue was tiny and the moshing was wonderful, though I remorse to report I didn’t get a bloody nostril. This time.

Who’re two or three of your favourite up-and-coming artists proper now?

Danny Vagnoni: NewJeans are like 50% of what I’m listening to proper now. Regardless that it could appear laughable to name a bunch with tens of millions of followers up-and-coming, they’re nonetheless thought-about rookies within the context of the Korean music trade. Other than their music which is refreshingly minimal (in comparison with their contemporaries), I’ve by no means favored a bunch’s choreography a lot. It’s free, it’s free.

Soul Glo – Philly signify – launched an exciting album final yr and reinvigorated my curiosity in hardcore. Their calls to anti-racist, anti-colonial (and so forth) motion juxtaposed with their over-the-top, self-deprecating humor gave the hardcore scene a a lot wanted open window. There’s loads of good hardcore on the market, however their course is electrifying and their stage presence is dynamite. I can’t wait to see extra from them.

Haru Nemuri launched my favourite album of 2022, Shunka Ryougen. Whereas the album generally is a bit uneven at instances, I discovered Nemuri’s songwriting articulated one thing uncommon. it’s livid and treasured directly – I’ve by no means heard a extra frenzied scream than on “Kick within the World (déconstructed),” however the album’s final full tune is “Ikiru” with an ethereal chant of “how stunning life is.” Shunka Ryougen, with its bevy of influences from hardcore to hyperpop, initially cherishes life. No matter Nemuri does subsequent I’m certain will probably be simply as diverse and attention-grabbing.

What’s one thing you’ve discovered from working as a music journalist?

Danny Vagnoni: One of the crucial vital issues in life, if you wish to do cool issues, is simply to be a great grasp. Sadly for my ego and my sense of meritocracy, being a great grasp is usually extra vital than being a great author on this absurd trade. I’ve needed to study to beat that, to various ranges of success relying on the day.

Danny Vagnoni: My podcast interview with Evan Greer stands out because the factor in music journalism I’m most happy with to this present day. It was a dialog that really got here out of my work in my MA program as I used to be trying into Spotify’s results on the media panorama. I went into the dialog realizing it will be horrifying, however Evan so potently explaining the specifics actually introduced the interview to a brand new stage. It additionally match nicely with my curiosity in evolving how I cowl music – the Spotify dialog, from royalties to privateness infractions, is sadly evergreen.

Interviewing Caravan Palace, an electro swing band from France, was additionally actually candy. It was at my favourite venue, the Union Switch, they usually poured me a bunch of wine. A+, very chill.

For those who might ask one query to any artist or band, who would it not be and what would you ask?

Danny Vagnoni: I’d ask Grimes for compromising data on Mr. Tweet after which [redacted] him.

What are you most trying ahead to this yr, music-wise?

Danny Vagnoni: Getting again into music, lol. I haven’t been to a live performance in 6+ months as a result of I’ve been so busy ending my MA – however now that I’ve and now that I’ve minimize my tooth doing documentary work, I’m trying ahead to making use of these expertise to my storytelling in music journalism.

So far as specifics? I’m certain NewJeans will preserve releasing new music each few months. That have to be exhausting. Coletta is ready to launch a full album this yr, they only barely didn’t make my artists to be careful for. NEUPINK, a digital hardcore act, has been King Gizzard-level prolific.

I’m sorry haha, I’m fairly out of contact proper now. Nonetheless climbing down the Ivory Tower. What is nearly a certainty although is that no matter excites me essentially the most this yr will most likely be one thing I don’t even find out about proper now.

Are you able to please clarify why you selected the highest 5 songs in your playlist?

Danny Vagnoni: They aren’t so as however sure, these are the highest 5.

• “Taking part in God” by Polyphia. There are a couple of guitarists on the market who’ve single handedly expanded my view of the instrument. Gabriela Quintero was my first publicity to flamenco and utilizing guitar as a percussive instrument. Tom Morello has a collection of insane improvements. Tim Henson, of Polyphia, is an unimaginable virtuoso for our time, combining parts of classical, hyperpop, and hip-hop to create a novel sound that makes me excited for the place the instrument can nonetheless go.
• “Leather-based Jacket” by HYUKOH. My mates and haters (I don’t have haters) all know I like kpop, and the English talking world is steadily falling in love too. However what about k-rock? Enter HYUKOH, originating from the Hongdae area of Seoul, which is extensively referred to as a hotbed for nice indie acts. After I first found HYUKOH, I couldn’t assist however examine them to early Arctic Monkeys: they’ve swagger, however may also be earnest, and one thing about their instrumentation jogged my memory of the lad’s early years.
• “Haitian Battle Track” by Charles Mingus. The tune that acquired me into jazz, merely put. The bassline is likely one of the first items of music I discovered to play, ever, and stays one in every of my favourite figures in music, full cease.
• “New Noise” by Refused. I didn’t hearken to hardcore earlier than Refused. It’s form of a bizarre place to get into the scene, as a result of they’re sort of pretentious (The Form of Punk To Come is a relatively self-absorbed album title). Nonetheless, it’s an important album and this tune was my entry level and the monitor that turned me from a squeamish child to somebody who likes soiled vocals.
• “All My Mates” by LCD Soundsystem. They’re my favourite band, and the tune makes me extremely joyful but in addition cry. It’s the ups and downs of life. I figured I’d finish the playlist with that.

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