Alex Giannascoli
is a 21 year old English student from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who is on break from school at Temple University. Although he has the profile of a
typical 20-something, he has been featured in multiple music outlets as a prolific wunderkind and “the internet’s best kept secret.” Giannascoli has been self-releasing music under the name Alex G for
almost 5 years, now having 12 releases out. Since he publishes his own music,
all of his releases can be found on his Bandcamp page: http://sandy.bandcamp.com His music is described
as a lot of things: alternative rock, rock, classic indie, downer indie rock,
pop-rock, pop, bedroom pop, bedroom DIY, and bummer pop. These various strings
of closely related genres contribute to the overall perception of his music. His
music is intrinsically appealing with hints of familiar qualities from other
sounds; however the big-picture is nothing like you have heard before.
Sticky melodies and catchy lyrics are produced by this genuine kid who takes his art seriously, with real investment in everything he puts out for the world. With his devotion and authenticity to his music, he has managed to humbly gain an army of loyal supporters.
How does someone who began with Garage Band at age 13 end up being dubbed a prolific songwriter and musician roughly 9 years later? I will be delving into Alex Giannascoli’s creative process and how it relates to various determinants of creativity.
Sticky melodies and catchy lyrics are produced by this genuine kid who takes his art seriously, with real investment in everything he puts out for the world. With his devotion and authenticity to his music, he has managed to humbly gain an army of loyal supporters.
How does someone who began with Garage Band at age 13 end up being dubbed a prolific songwriter and musician roughly 9 years later? I will be delving into Alex Giannascoli’s creative process and how it relates to various determinants of creativity.
Creativity has
been studied intensely in recent history: what qualities does a creative person
have? Is there a pattern that they all share? What is their creative process
and is it similar to other great creative minds? This leads to bigger questions
such as being able to identify a creative mind before they make their
influential contribution. I suggest that Alex Giannascoli is projected for
creative greatness due to the similarities he shares in work ethic and personality.
His music is his
passion. It is his primary creative outlet, something that he spends most of
his free time doing. Growing up, homework and schoolwork were always easy for
him. Therefore, he would breeze through assignments by doing whatever needed to
land on the honor roll, and then spend the rest of his day making music on
GarageBand. Frequently
with creative people, they begin showing signs of intense creativity by
producing impressive work at a young age. Although Giannascoli made countless
songs, experimenting with combining different genres together like techno-goth, he claims it wasn’t good
music. So how does the 21 year old now hold twelve quality releases under his belt? One reason can be attributed to the many hours he spends working on his music. Fostering creativity requires inputting hours
thinking and making connections. Giannascoli has been doing this non-stop for nine years. Those are countless hours devoted to his passion.
A common trait
with gifted persons that usually coincides with the immense time investment is
the never-ending tunnel of their creative vision. Nancy Andreasen, a leading
neuroscientist, states in Secrets of the Creative Brain published in The Atlantic: “preparation,
incubation, inspiration, and production” are an “iterative process” that help
foster creative products. This is a process Alex Giannascoli goes through the
motions of daily. Nothing is ever perfect or complete. In an interview with
Laurence Day from The Line of Best Fit music blog, Giannascoli admits that even
his most recent and popular release DSU
is not perfect in his eyes. Even though he spent time making it “as perfect as
possible” it still is not exactly everything he dreamed of. He does have a more
realistic grip on low long it takes to work on producing content. He can recognize when the vital
components necessary for the music to still be an accurate representation of
his thoughts and emotions are present, but he is always looking to improve and reach a
closer idea of a perfect product. However, from the outside looking in, his
songs feel like he has reached a thoughtful perfection.
Alex G. prefers to work alone. He works inside his own mind, expanding and developing his own ideas and making his own creative connections. A lot of his songs contain traces of other sounds of music: with a rawness that is reminiscent of folk music, twisted sounds hinting towards crunchy techno, and funky beats that sound like they could be part of a 90’s TV show theme song (listen: first 60 seconds of the song Promise from DSU.) DSU is a dreamy sound, pairing nicely to the bedroom style recording, which elicits an intimate feel to the entire LP. Giannascoli turns inward for creative inspiration, making connections based off of experiences and previous failures, such as his stint with techno-goth. These connections on different levels, including the sound, lyrics, and quality, are carefully made to produce the feelings and emotions that he intends. It is this thoughtful dedication to forging connections musically that identifies Giannascoli as a creative artist.
Alex G. prefers to work alone. He works inside his own mind, expanding and developing his own ideas and making his own creative connections. A lot of his songs contain traces of other sounds of music: with a rawness that is reminiscent of folk music, twisted sounds hinting towards crunchy techno, and funky beats that sound like they could be part of a 90’s TV show theme song (listen: first 60 seconds of the song Promise from DSU.) DSU is a dreamy sound, pairing nicely to the bedroom style recording, which elicits an intimate feel to the entire LP. Giannascoli turns inward for creative inspiration, making connections based off of experiences and previous failures, such as his stint with techno-goth. These connections on different levels, including the sound, lyrics, and quality, are carefully made to produce the feelings and emotions that he intends. It is this thoughtful dedication to forging connections musically that identifies Giannascoli as a creative artist.
Giannascoli holds
his music to a high standard of integrity: it is his passion regardless of its
success. In a quote provided by Lochness Management, “personal obstacles have
shaped [his] music but [none that he] would like to share.” He is satisfying
the problem of trouble expressing himself therefore it must continue to be honest and
true to who he is musically, otherwise it is no longer serving its purpose. In an
interview with Dan DeLuca, an Inquirer Music Critic, Alex states that making music is how he defines himself. “If [he] didn’t do it, [he’d] probably be
really lost.” This is another reason Alex chooses to work alone. He believes his decisions
are more fluid that way and wants to be able to follow his own ideas, labeling himself a
“passive control freak.” Although researcher Kevin Dunbar explains in Accept Defeat: The Neuroscience of Screwing Up
published in WIRED magazine, collaboration and discussion can open up
opportunity for more creative ideas. However, the method used by Giannascoli of
creating a product solo is not unusual for creative minds. Andreasen points out that
because creative people usually think differently,
“the standard ways of learning and teaching are not always helpful and may even
be distracting, and that they prefer to learn on their own.” This is certainly
the case for Giannascoli, as he finds working collaboratively frequently slow
and distracting, taking away from his own ideas and mental connections. He also is uninterested in copying other sounds or finding inspiration from
other musicians or peers. His music comes from his own mind, after spending
most of his time experimenting and creating. He pulls inspiration from his own
experiences and feelings. In Fader Magazine, he relates his creative method to the way Hemingway
writes, all-the while-humbly pointing out that he is no Hemingway. Giannascoli: “[Hemingway's] method [is] giving you this thin
strip of the iceberg, and hopefully the listener can pick up that there is
something under the surface – they don’t know what it is, but they know it’s
really scary.” This is also common with other creative minds, not just
Hemingway and Giannascoli. Andreasen also points out that many creatives are
mentally distressed and suffer from various illnesses such as depression or
anxiety disorder. This is in no way meant to jump to conclusions and label Giannascoli
as one suffering from a mental illness, as it is an extremely personal,
private, and nun-ya-business illness. This is just more to connect that mental
distress is frequently associated to creativity, even if the it is the less
extreme distress that is associated to experiences of growing up. Frequently,
creative connections and products are made as being an outlet for emotions that
might be difficult to handle, something that does apply to Giannascoli.
In Fader magazine, Giannascoli confesses that sometimes he is “really really
high strung” and he uses his music as a way to “deal with the way reality is,”
a way to match his feelings to his music. It is this honesty that makes
Giannascoli a genuine and endearing creative subject; especially in a
digital age where it is easy to be something you are not. This is extremely
appealing and relatable to his listeners, who he mostly relies on to pass along
his music.
So far, this method has been extremely successful, as he is about to embark on
a tour through Europe. Alex Giannascoli is an authentic creative, who still
carries much potential in his music. With his creative characteristics,
I have no doubt that this musician will continue to grow and develop musically
and ultimately creatively.
Sources:
http://www.wired.com/2009/12/fail_accept_defeat/all/
http://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/alex-g-best-fit-newcomers
http://www.lochnessmanagement.com/artists/alex-g/
http://www.imposemagazine.com/features/alex-g-interview
http://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/discovery-alex-g#_
http://www.thefader.com/2014/05/01/who-is-alex-g-meet-the-internets-secret-best-songwriter
http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/music/20141207_Alex_G__One-man_band_a_Philly_indie_success_story.html?c=r
http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/06/secrets-of-the-creative-brain/372299/
http://www.wired.com/2009/12/fail_accept_defeat/all/
http://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/alex-g-best-fit-newcomers
http://www.lochnessmanagement.com/artists/alex-g/
http://www.imposemagazine.com/features/alex-g-interview
http://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/discovery-alex-g#_
http://www.thefader.com/2014/05/01/who-is-alex-g-meet-the-internets-secret-best-songwriter
http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/music/20141207_Alex_G__One-man_band_a_Philly_indie_success_story.html?c=r
http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/06/secrets-of-the-creative-brain/372299/
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