Joe Camerlengo, who I’ve previously written about twice before in these pages, has a new EP out (Apple Music, Spotify) and a great interview to promote it.
The subject of these songs is being a first time dad. This quote is beautiful:
I’m more artistically inspired than ever, because I’ve never felt as positive or as strongly about anything as I do being with Ozzy and Courtney. Having that little family is the most incredible environment, and I’ve been creating like crazy.
The highlight for me is the closing track, Life Might Begin.
The whole thing reminds me of this recent post from the popular author John Green, which touches on his experience as an artist whose work was heavily criticized, and what it’s taken for him to continue creating art.
the big lesson from those strange days for me is that if I must choose between being cold to the reality of feeling and being cringe, I always want to be cringe.
Honestly, same. There’s a similar unapologetic sincerity in Camerlengo’s work which I could imagine being offputting, but I encourage you to give it a chance anyway. And, hey, John Green is great too. I’ve read all his books and I’m very much looking forward to the upcoming film adaptation of his novel Turtles All the Way Down, which explores OCD beautifully.
See also: this profile from a few years ago naming Camerlengo the best musician in Columbus, Ohio.