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

Requested to explain what music means to him, Michael Greco would say it’s “complicated, however not difficult.” Music has served him as a backdrop to life’s cinema and has created an in depth timeline that he can teleport to at any given time simply by clicking on a playlist and finally has introduced him to a newfound love of the written phrase.

Stream: Atwood Author’s Playlist: Michael Greco

Meet Our Writers: Michael Greco!

Michael Greco: I grew up within the Philadelphia suburbs and have since not too long ago returned to that space after dwelling in Baltimore for 5 years. I’ve additionally lived in Florida and Colorado through the years.

How did you get into music writing?

Michael Greco: Music has been a relentless for me since my teen years and customarily talking, live shows and music festivals are my primary pastime and keenness. In 2012 I obtained concerned with music festivals as a pageant ambassador, promoter and influencer and commenced to essentially community with folks from all areas of the pageant world like advertising and marketing, manufacturing, and so on. I obtained to know a number of folks concerned with media shops and determined to submit functions to on-line magazines and different kinds of publications and it actually took off from there.

Who was your very first live performance, and who have you ever seen most not too long ago?

Michael Greco: The primary live performance I attended was Bryan Adams someday again within the late ’80s in Philadelphia. I had been to another exhibits with my mother and father as a child, however that present was actually my first style of live shows as a teen and it hooked me fully. Not lengthy after that, I snuck out my mother and father’ home to go to Dwell Support in Philadelphia and it was among the best single days of music I’ve ever skilled. Only in the near past, I went to see Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness together with openers The Unlikely Candidates, who I’ve gotten to know nicely and at all times placed on a fantastic present.

Michael Greco: I pay attention all kinds of music on Spotify and SoundCloud and I actually get pleasure from rising artists. I not too long ago discovered singer/songwriter Griffin William Sherry, who frankly reaffirms my perception that one particular person and a guitar on a stage is without doubt one of the purest experiences out there to us right now. Additionally, though she’s turning into increasingly more established, I’ve fallen exhausting for the music of Remi Wolfe over the past couple of years. It seems like it doesn’t matter what she is singing about, her vocals conjure up this outdated soul high quality for me, not not like Aretha or Amy Winehouse.

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

Michael Greco: I obtained into writing and journalism a bit older than many do, so I really feel like I’ve been in a position to lean on my previous expertise in enterprise and apply that data to being a journalist. The most important factor that involves thoughts is maybe being able to be fluid and take care of the surprising. Planning and preparation are a fantastic factor, however the potential to pivot when a plan goes sideways comes from years of expertise and scar tissue. Primarily, I cowl festivals as a result of it’s actually the very best alternative to get numerous artists in a single place over a brief time period, however with that comes a complete different listing of challenges, like scheduling interviews, on-site safety entry, communication and so forth. I additionally compounded these challenges after I began masking European festivals final 12 months, including in a language barrier, however fairly often each side are in a position to snicker about it and laughter is a reasonably common language.

What’re your favourite moments masking music? Might be from interviews, opinions, in-person occasions/exhibits, something.

Michael Greco: I’m unsure if I can nail down one second specifically, as a result of masking festivals and artists has afforded me so many nice moments and for that I’m ceaselessly grateful. A couple of that come to thoughts although are issues like: assembly Tom Morello at a music pageant, having the ability to shoot My Chemical Romance and Inexperienced Day in the identical weekend. I as soon as obtained to satisfy Snoop Dogg backstage at a pageant and talked to him for some time, which is one thing I’ll always remember.

In the event you may ask one query to any artist or band, who would it not be and what would you ask?

Michael Greco: I’m most likely growing old myself right here, however I actually miss Jerry Garcia. I spent a number of excursions on the street following the Grateful Useless again within the early ‘90s and it was most likely probably the most pivotal expertise of my life, musically talking. I might actually simply wish to hear his ideas on the panorama of music right now. What would he take into consideration the affect of know-how and social media on music. What are his ideas on a number of the extra psychedelic types of EDM? I really feel like if he had been nonetheless with us, he may convey a relaxing presence to a number of the angst-ridden features of dwelling in 2023.

What are you most wanting ahead to this 12 months, music-wise?

Michael Greco: This 12 months I’m doubling down on experiencing music internationally.  I’m fully over the moon about returning to Madrid to cowl Mad Cool Pageant once more this 12 months.  I went final 12 months, took some superb photos, and interviewed some nice artists and simply fell in love with Spanish tradition.

I’m additionally observing a half-packed suitcase for a visit to Iceland, that begins tomorrow.  I’m going primarily for trip and to construct out my pictures portfolio, however whereas there I’m hitting ACIDFEST 2023 a multi-day pageant in numerous venues in/across the capital metropolis of Reykjavik.  Psychedelic metallic Viking bands??  Signal me up!

Amidst all of the globetrotting, I’ll even be masking Bonnaroo right here within the U.S. for the primary time.  See you on the farm!

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

Michael Greco: I ought to preface by saying that these songs had been chosen in no specific order. I simply added songs as they occurred to me, however I like all of them equally for various causes.

• “Cash Grabber” – Fitz and The Tantrums – This music was a part of a musical rebirth of types that I had again in 2012, which was after I began actually getting concerned in festivals once more.
• “When You Had been Younger” – The Killers – The Killers have been there at a number of excessive and low factors in my life personally and I really feel prefer it’s such a testomony to their endurance as a band. The music specifically has some particular which means to me as I progress into my extra “skilled” years.
• “Really feel So Shut” – Calvin Harris – This was one of many songs that started to kind of indoctrinate me into the world of digital music and it has blossomed since.
• “Strolling On A Dream” – Empire of The Solar – That is only a very “really feel good” tune that I flip again to repeatedly after I want a elevate.
• “Life Throughout Wartime” – Speaking Heads – Speaking Heads had been a VERY influential band for me in my highschool years. They had been among the many artists who I first recognized with after I found out that the music we take heed to right now can in-part form our perspective of the world tomorrow.

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