Episode 19: Gina Cardillo
Summer is here. People are starting to eff off from work earlier and earlier in the week. My cucumber and tomato plants are taking over my already cramped back patio. I continue to wear my sunglasses everywhere, only now it’s less creepy to do so. I also refuse to go to the beach. It is definitely summer.
Hope you all are enjoying it. Some people have summer as a time where life slows down a bit and they can relax. Some people have their busiest time of year in the summer. Here at the swank offices of 25 O’Clock, we are neither more or less relaxed than any other time of year. I’m working on finishing a more permanent home for the studio, and once that’s done, I can relax a little. You won’t really know the difference once it changes. Except that I’ll tell you. Repeatedly. And, to quote the late Mitch Hedberg, I’ll know. And you will see it. In my stride.
Here’s a little story. Once upon a time there was a band called The Gang Age, whom I loved. They were a scrappy, jangly little trio who channeled equal parts Pixies and St. Vincent, and that is right up my alley. They went through a ton of lineup changes, and could never really get a record out until right before they broke up. They were fronted by a young lady named Gina Cardillo. At first, it seemed like Gina wanted to be anywhere but on stage, much less actually fronting a band. But she got more and more comfortable up there, and the band got tighter and tighter. It was a shame to see them go.
But all was not lost. Gina has a new band called Dear Forbidden, and she is still kicking ass in the same vein of ass-kickery from before. I was so happy to have her sit down and chat, she’s always been a bit enigmatic and mysterious to me. Her songs have equal parts softness, bite and static. Even just on an acoustic guitar, there’s a rise and fall and rise and fall that I love. Having her play in my living room has been one of the highlights of doing this show. They’ve got some music to release soon, and you know I’ll keep you up on that. This woman is the real deal.
I like a lot of bands. It’s something I’ve strived to be more vocal about as I’ve gotten older. I try to fill the air less with negative whining about bands I despise. I’d rather use my time and energy to be a cheerleader for great work. That goes for how I feel about Gina’s work with Dear Forbidden and also how I feel about the new EP from Ben Tinsley, which you’ll hear a track from at the end of the episode. There are all these awesome people around us who make great art, and still go about their lives and jobs on the surface without most of us having any idea that they are masters of their crafts. You’ll corner one and ask what they do for fun, and they’ll shrug, look at the ground, and admit that they play a bit of guitar, or write a bit of poetry, or paint a bit, or what have you. These are the folk to delve into. Their art is so personal, and in many ways so honest, because it’s still very close to them.
Have a great week, enjoy the episode, sign up for the mailing list, go to the site, all that jazz. I’ll catch you all in a couple of weeks.
Cheers,
DD